Torchy’s Tacos is a popular restaurant chain known for its diverse and unique taco options.
The restaurant originated in Austin, TX, as a food truck in 2006, and now has expanded, with over 130 locations across the country including one in Bethesda.

The cuisine of the restaurant is rooted in Tex-Mex, which is a fusion of both Texan and Mexican flavors. The restaurant includes a variety of dishes, such as chicken, beef, pork, seafood and vegetarian options, catering to all preferences. In addition to their tacos, they also offer salads, bowls and burritos for customers who may not want tacos every time they visit. To ensure there is always something new for customers to enjoy, Torchy’s Tacos introduces a new taco every month, according to their website. For the month of May, their taco is the Tokyo Drifter, which includes teriyaki glazed pork, fried wonton strips, a sweet and sour veggie slaw, cilantro, and topped off with a sesame sriracha mayo.

Torchy’s Tacos range from $5 to $7, depending on the type of taco a customer purchases. Bowls, salads and burritos are more expensive, ranging from $8 to $12. Torchy’s Tacos Bethesda location had an ample amount of seating inside and outside, sports playing on TVs, and bar seating for adults, creating a great environment for families and friends to go visit.

During my visit, the total cost for my meal came out to be $22.56. At first I was not sure on what to get, but I ended up trying the Trailer Park, which is one of their most popular tacos, with a fried chicken tender topped off with veggies and a poblano sauce. I also tried the chicken fajita taco, which has grilled chicken topped off with pico de gallo, cheese and tomatillo salsa. Both of the tacos were packed with ingredients that enhanced the flavor of each taco in a unique way. Along with the tacos, I got their chips and green chile queso and a fountain drink. Their queso is a cheese dip garnished with guacamole, cilantro, cotija cheese and diablo sauce, served warm. “Their queso was really good because of the amount of flavor it had and because it tastes fresh and authentic,” freshman Vikram Gidwani said.

After enjoying my visit, I recommended the restaurant to many people, including junior Kal Yewlsew. “I tried the Brushfire taco and the Republican because they sounded the best to me. I liked the unique flavors that both tacos had, which made them both good,” Yewlsew said.

The Brushfire taco has Jamaican jerk chicken topped off with jalapenos, mango, cilantro and diablo sauce, and the Republican has smoked beef brisket with crispy onions, corn relish and topped off with both chipotle sauce and barbecue sauce.

Along with the variety of menu options, customers can customize their orders upon request. Customers can choose between corn and flour tortillas, add additional toppings or sauces, and remove toppings they may not want in order to compose their own perfect taco.