Nashville-based Taco Bamba is set to open a new location in the Fair Lakes Promenade shopping center next week, with prizes for the first 100 guests.
The grand opening is slated for Friday, April 5, Taco Bamba chef and founder Victor Albisu announced in a press release.
The doors at 12239 Fair Lakes Promenade Drive will open at 9 a.m., with the first 100 guests receiving a free coffee tumbler and a “golden ticket” that could yield a variety of gifts, such as menu items, mezcal, t-shirts and hats. A select few will win a year’s supply of tacos, per the release.
Occupying a 2,140-square-foot space, the new restaurant will have a similar feel to its sister locations with a full bar and patio, original artwork and a menu of location-unique tacos, quesadillas, nachos, empanadas and cocktails.
With warmer weather on the horizon, the location will welcome guests and their pets to an outdoor “Taco Bamba Houndgarden” patio.
Taco Bamba has 13 locations spread out across the D.C. area, Raleigh, North Carolina, and Nashville, Tennessee. This will be the 10th Taco Bamba in Northern Virginia, including eight locations in Fairfax County and two others in Arlington.
Several more plan to open in areas such as Richmond and Sterling.
“Taco Bamba has been going through a rapid period of growth in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions and while entering markets is exciting for our brand, developing new menus for our hometown neighborhoods is both challenging and rewarding,” Albisu said in the release. “Our super fans hold Taco Bamba to a high standard so we doubled down on creativity for this location.”
Menu highlights include neighborhood-specific tacos such as “Moby’s Hog” with gyro-spiced pork, the “PF Chango” with sweet and sour chicken or cauliflower, and the “Can I See A Manager” with chipotle bourbon brisket.
Beyond tacos, the menu offers ceviche, Mexican street corn, and a mixed fajita empanada, alongside a selection of mezcal-based cocktails curated by Beverage Director Amin Seddiq. Notable drinks include the “Oaxacan Tea Garden” and “In Dew Time,” according to the release.
In 2015, Albisu was named “Chef of the Year” by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. In 2020 and 2016, he was nominated for a James Beard Foundation award as “Best Chef Mid-Atlantic.”
Taco Bamba will be open in Fair Lakes from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
