Tacos — Birria, al Carbón & Fish in Silver Spring, MD

El Golfo sits at 8739 Flower Avenue in the Long Branch end of Silver Spring, five minutes east of the Ellsworth Drive crowds downtown. Flower Avenue is the quieter restaurant row — El Gavilan is two doors up at 8805 — and the lot beside the building holds 30 to 40 cars, which downtown Silver Spring cannot say about anything.

From Silver Spring we're 5 min · 1.6 mi from downtown, which makes tacos a short trip rather than a whole day's errand.

Tacos — Birria, al Carbón & Fish done properly

Tacos Birria come as beef barbacoa, chicken or cochinita pork in warm corn tortillas with a rich taco broth for dipping — $6 for one, $15 for three. Tacos al Carbón swap in charcoal-grilled steak, chicken or shrimp with crema fresca and pico de gallo ($8 / $20 for three). The fish tacos are their own thing entirely: grilled catch of the day on whole-wheat tortillas with wild rice, black beans and mango salsa ($26).

What's included

• Tacos Birria with consommé — one $6, three $15
• Tacos al Carbón, charcoal-grilled — one $8, three $20
• Fish tacos with mango salsa, wild rice & black beans — $26
• Taco Birria appetizer with melted queso — $5
• Vegan tacos platter with grilled squash and garbanzo — $18