Price: 8.0
Atmosphere: 5.8
Taste: 8.2
Overall: 7.55
Michaela’s Review:
So I’m not going to say that we are becoming one of the most influential taco blogs in D.C., but I will say that just mere months after giving both Tio Javier and La Loma less than stellar reviews, both establishments have closed their doors. Correlation? Causation? You decide. Inspired by the discovery of our increasing influence on DC taco consumers, we are back to give the people what they want, what they need. And we are back with an absolute banger of a taco place- Tiki Taco. Let’s break this review down, shall we?
- Atmosphere: Probably my least favorite part of this taco experience. Tiki Taco was essentially a tropical themed Burrito Brothers as far as set-up. Small counter to order from, a few seats at high tables, but not a place you would necessarily want to spend a lengthy amount of time. It had some bamboo on the walls, friendly staff, and summer hits of the 2000’s playing in the background. Didn’t hate it, but everything about the food and feel of the place made me want to transplant this entire restaurant from its DuPont basement to a nice little venue with a patio near a river. If not for the location (and lack of alcohol), this place might be unstoppable.
- Price: Very solid. We aren’t talking $1 tacos that you might find at The Bell or authentic taco trucks, but $10 for 3 tacos of any kind from a very extensive and eclectic menu is in the upper echelon of DC deals. Their menu boasted a range of tacos from asparagus to shark to coconut shrimp to jerk chicken and plenty in between. And these guys were stuffed to the brim with your elected filling. I was full for a day afterwards. You definitely get your money’s worth.
- Taste: These were great. I don’t know if our taco hiatus made these particularly delicious, but man I loved these tacos. My favorite was the pork belly, followed closely by the Fish (Atlantic cod), and the Jerk chicken. Each one had its own unique toppings and flavor. Tiki Taco isn’t your typical taco place, as its roots are in Hawaiian flavor, which made it different from the other places we reviewed. Not the most authentic, but I honestly don’t care that the pork belly tasted reminiscent of teriyaki and not chilies or cilantro or whatever. It was amazing. AND for an added bonus, they have shaved Hawaiian Ice for $3. It included a sour gummy worm on top. Was I in a basement in DuPont or heaven? It was becoming difficult to tell the difference.
Bottom line- check out Tiki Taco. You won’t be disappointed.
Kevin’s Review:
Long time, no see taco blog. We have been slacking big time in the taco taste test department. I blame the early start of the season and the seldom off days that Mic and I have. Typically when we both have the same night free we are more concerned with just getting sleep, laundry done, or getting our lives in order. In season, it is rare that we can plan out a day/night in which we are both free and not exhausted. Enough of the excuses, you all came for the review.
Having to venture to DuPont Circle to pick something up from the ZogSports offices, I figured this was the perfect time to visit one of DuPonts best taco spots. Now you may have heard the term “Hole-in-the-wall”. This my friends was a “hole-in-the-ground”. Located underneath a set of row homes right off the circle, this place screamed comfort tacos with a kitchen you could see from the front door. The staff was incredibly friendly, ready to offer recommendations, and while the place was not massive it did stick with the Hawaiian vibe with its island flare.
After browsing the menu we noticed that they had specialty tacos which catch the eye or at least make you go “ooooooh”. I went with the Pork Belly, Kalbi Beef, and to mix things up I got the SHARK TACO. Taco Shark doo doo doo doo…. Ok, where was I. Three tacos, including a specialty taco for around $10 which I consider an amazing deal after some of the places we have been too.
Typically for prices around $9-$10 you might get smaller than average tacos or not much substance. This was NOT the case with Tiki Taco. The Kalbi Beef tacos were filled perfectly and topped with a healthy amount of namul and hoisin crema. This was probably my favorite of the three tacos as each bite you got the juice and flavor perfectly distributed. The Pork Belly was also a favorite of both Mic and I with a kimchi cabbage and shoyu glaza. Last but not least was the shark taco, which was probably more hype in the name but since I never had shark before I had no idea what to expect. It was lighter than I expected and while good, it didn’t live up the expectation I had set out in my head.
All-in-all this was probably my favorite of the places we have been to so far. Not to mention they have Hawaiian shaved ices for $3, you really get your money’s worth with the amount of food and flavor.
TIKI TACO
DuPont Circle
2010 P St NW,
Washington, DC 20036
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CKLhgzRQJtyMA_r2MFsEeop30CmIITsEfwFoNN7hIQw/edit?usp=sharing
Kev & Mic's D.C. Taco Reviews 
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