Taqueria Sabor Mixteco, Wheaton, Montgomery County, Maryland

The leading center of restaurants in Montgomery County is in Bethesda, but lately I’ve been spending time in a not-yet-gentrified concentration in Wheaton, the area around the intersection of Georgia and University. Nick’s Diner, Full Key, Pho and Banh Mi Saigonese, and Mi La Cay all are within a five-minute walk of each other, although I suppose you’d be waddling by the time you hit the fourth. And those don’t even scratch the surface of the many options in the area. What are some other good spots there? While I await your recommendations, I’ll share another gem with you — Taqueria Sabor Mixteco, which you can find at 2462 Ennals Avenue.

It’s cheery and colorful inside, with brightly painted walls decked out with Mexican art.

There are two television sets, one playing music videos softly, and the other showing traditional Mexican dances.

I was particularly taken by the traditional dancing. Nancy and I often went with our good friends Laura Cordero and Poli Marmolejos to watch their daughters’ performances.

I ordered three tacos, a suadero, a chorizo, and a lengua.

  From left to right, they were suadero, chorizo, and lengua. Along with the tacos came three sauces.

You can see that I also ordered a Mexican Coca Cola, the kind that, like the original I consumed so avidly in my youth, is still sweetened with white sugar rather than corn syrup. It tastes remarkably different, just as the Dublin Dr. Peppers differ from the ordinary bottles. All of the sauces are flavorful, and there’s something for every taste. The red sauce is pretty hot, the green sauce is mild, and the deep red one on the right is made with morita chiles, dried and smoked jalapeños. They are basically the same as chipotle peppers, but they’re smaller and a bit hotter. They give the sauce a wonderful smoky flavor.

On to the tacos. First the suadero taco. Suadero is the name of a cut of meat from the midsection of, in this instance, a cow. It’s a very lean cut with no grain, and very tough unless … unless you confit it, that is, braise it in fat. Then it becomes rich, beefy, and meltingly tender, nicely balanced here by the smattering of onion and cilantro. Suadero is a very common cut and preparation in Mexico, but rare in the US. This was only my second experience with suadero (the first was at Ixtapalapa Taqueria in Gaithersburg, another great spot), but you can rest assured it won’t be my last. This taco was delicious.

In the center is the chorizo taco. The flavor of chorizo varies considerably and this one had more layered, more complex seasoning that most others. The flavor was bright and certainly had that chorizo zing, but it also had other, more subtle flavors. Another hit. 

Last but not least was the lengua, or beef tongue. Lengua generally is slowly braised with garlic, onions and whatever herbs and spices are desired and then chopped. The long braising renders the tongue remarkably tender and flavorful. The taste is a rich, earthy flavor. Like both of the other tacos, the onions and cilantro brightened the rich flavors, as did a squeeze of lime, and they added a nice crunch.

What a great meal! And the service at Taqueria Sabor Mixteco was prompt and friendly. Two of the principals, whose names Marisol Gonzales and Apolinar Cervantes I have since learned, greeted me and made sure I had everything I wanted — or rather allowed myself. The chef, Juan Solano, meanwhile, was back in the kitchen doing his magic. My hat is off to all three.

I left Taqueria Sabor Mixteca delighted and determined to return. I just scratched the surface of their menu, which also features tortas and a wide variety of Oaxacan specialties, notably tlayudas, crisp tortilla-based “Mexican pizzas” with a spread of asiento, beans, and other toppings, clambers, chileajo, and enchiladas de mole. I see that the local paper named Taqueria Sabor Mixteco one of the 40 best restaurants in the Washington area. While there’s an artificiality about such lists, this certainly is very good, worthy of inclusion, and it’s one you should try right away. It’s well worth the trip!

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