Taqueria El Poblano

4 stars for a solid neighborhood Mexican restaurant.My wife and I were looking to grab margaritas one evening and decided to stop by Taqueria El Poblano. Located in the Lee Harrison Shopping Center, the venue (which had some outside seating) was absolutely packed on this weekday evening with some seating in the front (which was separated out for some reason), a bar off to the left, and more seating towards the back.The waitress sat us down and handed us some menus. We also looked around and noticed there were specials written up on a menu on the wall. One of those specials was a lobster taco, which seemed like a fun tasty idea and was part of my order. After getting our water and chips (with some really good homemade salsa) and seeing the waitress be absolutely slammed with work, we grabbed her and put in our entire order at once. We both started with some award winning (according to a sign on the wall) margaritas. I got the double, which was only $5 more and was pretty large and strong. While ordering our margs, we placed our food orders, with me getting the lobster taco and duck taco, and my wife getting the chile relleno. We thought that we would have to wait a while for our food due to the number of people, but our food was out in something like 5 minutes. Despite the speed, everything was hot and fresh. While I only thought the lobster taco was ok, the duck taco was quite excellent (those pickled onions went perfect with it) and my wife's chile relleno was one of the better ones in the Arlington area. The bill came soon after and, aside from the upgrades I did, the prices were extremely reasonable considering the area. In other words, we found our new monthly Arlington Mexican restaurant.Overall, Taqueria El Poblano generally delivered. Although it was not my absolute favorite Mexican restaurant in the DMV (which is tough competition), the solid food, service, and prices make this a great place to grab some Mexican food if you live in or are visiting the area.

Came for a good time, was super disappointed. Server was a cool women tho shoutout to her. But the dilla? Saaaad man. $10?!! And I could make a better one at home. They are lucky their beer was cold.**addition. Did this review live and we just found a hair in our chips!!:(*

I have been here a few times in the past - long enough ago that I remembered liking it. I went again with my family this weekend and was very disappointed. I liked the chips and salsa and that was about it. We had a few different tacos, tacos Al carbon, and enchiladas among us. My wife enjoyed the enchiladas (why 2 stars), but thought the beans and rice were subpar. I didn't really like anything I ate. I thought my tacos were pretty terrible, especially compared to other places in the area that I find to be far superior, including La Union, Taco Bamba, Bar Taco, Uncle Julios, and maybe even Taco Bell (maybe not, but I honestly would have taken a taco supreme over the food I got here, especially at the lower price point). Specifically, they were each overfilled with wet and largely flavorless ingredients that caused each to crumble after the first bite (not that I wanted to eat more than that anyway). The tacos al carbon were the best of the bunch, but a low bar and worse than similar things I've had at the places above - it was not cold, but not hot either, and was not very flavorful. Also, some of the meat was very fatty. Service was fine.

Spontaneously stopped in on a Friday afternoon. Loved the chill vibe and great music. Food was okay, mango margarita was great, and the server could not have been better. Clean restroom, easy parking.

My son accompanied me to this establishment for a tasting experience, as we have been exploring various Spanish cuisine venues lately. Upon arrival, I observed only two outdoor seating tables, which was somewhat disappointing. However, the interior boasted clean seating arrangements with tasteful wall decor, creating a comfortable ambiance. Our order of classic margaritas was promptly served, indicating they were pre-made rather than freshly prepared. I opted for two shredded beef tacos accompanied by Spanish red rice and pinto beans. To my surprise, the food arrived swiftly, raising concerns about pre-preparation and storage methods. Despite being a sit-down restaurant, the speed of service hinted at pre-prepared dishes. Regrettably, the food lacked flavor, necessitating the addition of fresh lime juice, salsa, and salt to enhance palatability. I expressed my dissatisfaction to the waiter, who kindly removed the beans from the bill as I had only sampled them. Unfortunately, due to the underwhelming flavor and service experience, I do not intend to revisit this establishment and do not recommend this place to anyone.

Some of the reviews are so harsh. Not sure why..This is a favorite neighborhood spot! So family friendly. Good service. Great margaritas. And good food too. Usually very quick. Have done both dine in and take away.

Margaritas are worth the hype ! Loved the jalepeno marg. Ambiance is great too, the staff is so kind. Food was decent too, got tacos, I think the duck taco was the best.

Incredible brunch with the best margaritas in town. I look forward to my Sunday ritual every week!!!Recently I brought colleagues here for a team dinner and everyone is still raving about the food and drinks.

Hands down best margaritas in town. This place is great. The food is amazing and the family feel is so welcoming. I highly recommend everything on the Sunday brunch menu paired with a jalapeño margarita.

Meh. The margaritas are good but otherwise this is a very run-of-the-mill Mexican restaurant. It's in the neighborhood so I think that's why we all keep going back. There aren't that many cool bar atmospheres close by, so the Taqueria wins. If they had a lot of competition, however, I don't think they'd be around for very long. Pros - the margaritas are good and they have a lot of different options. The staff is super nice! It's local. Ambience is super cute. Love sitting at the bar. Cons- food is very basic. When you order fajitas, they don't come out sizzling; they come on a plate with a blob of rice and a blob of beans. Tortillas are boring packaged tortillas. The meat is dry, bland, and boring. The more traditional things like burritos and enchiladas probably rank a little higher, but fajitas and tacos are just boring. Overall, I think it's expensive for what it is. There are better Mexican restaurants in the Arlington/Falls Church area! The Taqueria is closeby, and has great atmosphere so when I crave a margarita, they'll still get my business. I'll just roll my eyes at the food.