Mexicue

Price: 3.1

Atmosphere: 7.1

Taste: 7.4

Overall: 6.25

Michaela’s Review:

You may notice that this review is on the long side. Some may say it is on the border of a short story. This is because I have limited social outlets and, not to be dramatic, I am slowly dying within the confines of my apartment. I had a glass of wine for lunch. I don’t know what day it is. I sit in the living room like a golden retriever waiting for my roommate to come home from work so I can talk to someone (shout out to Tawni and others in the healthcare industry, y’all are the real MVPs).  I have more time to write, and you have more time to read. So in addition to my fascinating insights into DC taco culture, I’ll probably throw in some extra content that you didn’t sign up for. I’m not sorry.

On the topic of taco reviews, I guess I should get on with writing this one. “Mexicue”. Wow, what a clever name. Their cuisine is a fusion of Mexican food and Barbecue. In a spurt of genius, the owner, let’s call him Jeff, was like, “I’ve got it! I should combine the names of the different styles of food and NAME the restaurant that!” He dabbled with the idea of “Barbican,” but quickly decided that Mexicue had the ring he was looking for. (Source: Anonymous).

Kali Fujinami, a coworker, friend, and taco-blogger in training, suggested this Mexican-BBQ oasis as it is one of her top-rated taco spots in DC. I trust her Mexican food and BBQ food insights as she hails from a far off land known as “Missouri.” Home to Kansas City style BBQ, and with a depot of delicious Mexican restaurants, her pallet has become refined in these tastes. Above all, we agree that the only acceptable queso at a Mexican restaurant is the runny white cheese dip often offered at establishments in the south. From that statement alone I knew I could trust her recommendations. Also, playing to my alcoholic tendencies, Mexicue had sent her a coupon for a free round of Margaritas for being a good customer. With that gesture, they gained my respect and I was AMPED to check out their taco selection.

We walked into Mexicue and the décor was radiating the vibes I needed. It’s less traditional and more “hip” than a number of the other places we have reviewed. They had some modern tunes bumpin’ and there were a lot of succulents. Millennials these days love succulents, so they hit the nail on the head with that design aesthetic. Unfortunately we were seated in the downstairs area, which was less airy and open that the upper level. A little disappointing, but still good vibes.

Our waitress was a weirdo for sure, but nice enough, and she brought us our free margs pretty quickly. Those were delicious. After taking a lil’ sip of that limey-tequila greatness, I looked at the food menu. Pro-tip: if a restaurant is a “fusion” of cuisines, that is code for expensive. Write that down. They had a ton of unique taco options, but lord they were expensive. More than $6 per taco. YIKES.

After some internal soul-searching, I came to the conclusion that despite the price point, I should still order 3 tacos. I did the pulled pork taco and brisket taco on corn tortillas, and a fried Avocado taco on a romaine boat. Fun fact, if you’re looking to get that summer bod, all of their tacos can come in a romaine boat instead of a tortilla. Mexicue is looking out for your health. The pulled pork taco was phenomenal, with toppings that perfectly complemented the protein. Shockingly, my next favorite was the avocado on a piece of lettuce. The flavors were great and I got the warm and fuzzies knowing that I was saving 100 cals by not eating a tortilla with that one. Maybe I should start a fitness blog? Last was the brisket, which was still good, but had a weird flavoring. I blame the salsa verde.

I very much enjoyed these tacos and the company with whom I ate these pre-quarantine tacos with. This takes me back to a simpler time, where I could sit in a restaurant with some quality people, drinking a beverage and enjoying a meal. Until we are released from our social-distancing prisons, Kevin and I are brainstorming ways to produce content. Hopefully we will be coming to you soon with a new review. Stay strong friends. And visit Mexicue if you have some disposable income and want a solid taco after this virus thing dies down.

Kevin’s Review:

Thanks in large part to Kali Fujinami getting a free round of margaritas, we all ventured to 14th street to try out Mexicue and their taco offerings. We were given a table in a smaller intimate lounge area of the restaurant so while we may not have gotten the full Mexicue experience we did still get to enjoy the fun authentic happy hour spot.
In my opinion, one of the biggest positives of Mexicue is their abundance of taco options. Mexicue had 10 different types of tacos for us to choose from and even had romaine boats for the tacos as well. While there were an abundance of options, the price of the tacos was definitely on the higher end of the DC taco spectrum.

The three tacos that I chose were the brisket, lobster, and smoky chicken. The brisket was slightly too spicy for my liking while the smoky chicken was very filling and the chicken was well done. The lobster was the taco I was most excited for and was a really interesting taste. I would recommend trying the lobster once but I don’t think I would give it a second try in the future.

All-in-all I would go back to Mexicue to try some of their other tacos. They were a good size and decent flavor. The price was probably a little too high for my liking but at the end of the day still worth the trip, especially if the margs come at no cost.

Mexicue
14th Street
1720 14th St NW.
Washington, DC 20009

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