Check out District Taco

Osiris Hoil was born in Yucatan, Mexico, came to the U.S. at age 17, worked his way from dishwasher to kitchen manager, married an Arlington native named Jennifer, settled in Arlington, and lost his construction job in the 2008 economic crash — and it was in that moment of uncertainty, cooking the recipes his mother taught him in Yucatan for his neighbor Marc Wallace, that District Taco was born. Wallace, a tech entrepreneur who had just sold his company, tasted Hoil’s carne asada and told him to turn it into a food business. The District Taco food cart debuted in Rosslyn in 2009, initially selling just breakfast tacos, and the first brick-and-mortar location opened in Arlington in 2010  — where the Washington Post wrote about it almost immediately. Today, District Taco has expanded to more than 20 locations across multiple states, with Arlington remaining at the heart of its identity.

What sets District Taco apart from every other fast-casual Mexican concept is the Yucatan specificity of its flavors. Hoil applies the recipes he grew up eating on a farm in Yucatan — house-roasted tomatoes and chilies from local farmers, grilled meats marinated with Yucatan spice blends, and the jitomate salsa that is unique to the region — rather than the Tex-Mex or Americanized Mexican food most American diners are used to. The most popular items are pollo asado (chopped grilled chicken) and carne asada, and the breakfast taco program that started the whole enterprise remains the best reason to show up early. Vegetarian and vegan options are integrated throughout the menu rather than treated as afterthoughts. The Rosslyn location at 1500 Wilson Blvd is steps from where the original cart stood; a North Arlington location is in the Yorktown neighborhood. Full menu and online ordering at districttaco.com.