Agua 301

Price: 6.6

Atmosphere: 7.5

Taste: 8.3

Overall: 7.68

Michaela’s Review:

There are days when you just want a quality taco. Then there are days when you want a quality taco AND a margarita because shit hit the fan at work and what better way to cope than to pour some tequila on your worn down soul. The seeming necessity for what I like to call “life numbing liquid,” helped us narrow our next review candidate to Agua 301, knowing full well they have an abundant happy hour menu for drinks based on past experience.

Much to our shock and awe, their happy hour menu also had food specials which included, you guessed it, Tacos! There were 2 for $6 chicken, barbacoa, baja fish, pork or mushroom tacos, quite a good selection compared to other Happy Hour food menus we have seen. There were additional options available on the full menu as well, but all of the other tacos were the standard 2 for $8 price. Being the fiscally responsible human beings that we are (lol jk I need a second job to support my lifestyle), we opted to split three orders of the 2 for $6 tacos, selecting the barbacoa, chicken, and fish in addition to mango margs. My one complaint about the ordering process:  not a big fan of when restaurants don’t let you mix and match  different taco flavors, which our waiter didn’t let us do. Luckily I had a taco-buddy who was willing to split the orders of 2 so we could both have one of each flavor. I encourage everyone to seek out such a taco-buddy. Bonus points if you find one that lets you rant about your life and make bad jokes whilst eating.

When the tacos arrived, I immediately knew we were in for a treat. These tacos were amazing, particularly the baja fish and barbacoa. Each taco was sizeable, with a good amount of filling, and was presented well. The tortilla was sturdy, the toppings perfectly complimented each of the primary proteins, and my mouth is starting to water just thinking about it. As an added bonus, the complimentary chips and salsa were some of the best I’ve had in a while. Combine this culinary satisfaction with the fact that Agua 301 has outdoor seating with views of the Yards Park fountains and Anacostia River (which you can’t tell is littered with toxins from far away), as well as a cool indoor bar and seating area, and you’ve got yourself a contender for the best taco spot thus far.

Agua 301, you now have a small piece of my heart. I shall not forget you.

Kevin’s Review:

I believe we may have a new leader in the clubhouse! Having been to Agua 301 multiple times for Happy Hour, I still had never tried the tacos before. With the postseason tornado-ing through Washington DC, this was a much needed taco and marg escape after work.

We chose the HH deal of 2 for $6 and for the blogs sake we decided that it was only fair to order 3 tacos each. I am personally a fan of the 3 (of any kind) for $9-$10 option but since it was HH we would have to get “creative” with our ordering.

After downing a mango marg and probably, err definitely, too many chips, we dove headfirst into the Agua tacos. Sign of a good taco: Doesn’t fall apart (check). Has plenty of substance (check). Flavor is on point and not too strong (check). The chicken and baja fish were both very solid. Only knock would be that there was so much fish that I actually had to take some out. The barbacoa was probably my favorite. It didn’t have a lot of window dressing which most places like to do and it hadn’t soaked the tortilla which I really appreciated. I was pleasantly surprised of how filling the tacos were for a place that is anything but a hole in the wall. The waterfront location and happy hour vibe boost the atmosphere of this place, but if you are looking for an authentic small taqueria, I would say look elsewhere.

Agua 301
Navy Yard
301 Water Street Southeast
Washington, DC 20003

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