Progress marches on. Telephones give way to smartphones. Post offices give way to... taco shops and
bakeries. Like Taqueria Nacional and BakeHouse, two neighboring houses of quick serve-ery,
both scheduled to open tomorrow morning in the old post office at 14th and T. Here’s some further intel on
both places.
Taqueria Nacional: Despite the Mexican menu, this place has the look of Old Havana about it—Spanish tiles, iron fencing, corrugated metal, a faded mural of the Virgin Mary. In nice weather, claim the stools looking out the giant retractable window onto T Street while you scan the menus on vintage-y mirrors. Steak, carnitas, lamb, fish—all the usual characters are present, along with some additional characters on weekend mornings, like Mexican fritters, cornmeal cakes or huevos rancheros.
In coming weeks, you’ll also be ordering up frozen margaritas, draft beers and agua frescas like hibiscus, which come spiked or un-spiked.
BakeHouse: Next door, you’ll find this ultra-clean, white-and-concrete bakery-cum-coffee-shop. In the morning, you’ll grab one of the stools under a chalkboard mural and order up a sausage, egg and maple sandwich. In your cup: locally roasted coffee with housemade caramel sauce.
For nighttime applications, you can pause here on a multistop date to share Aztec chocolate tarts on a leather love seat. But you’ll also want to grab a couple things to go. Like a box of Apple Cinnamon “Doughnut” Muffins for the next morning and lollipops like Pink Grapefruit Margarita and Bourbon Old Fashioned.
Yes, they’re street legal.
Taqueria Nacional: Despite the Mexican menu, this place has the look of Old Havana about it—Spanish tiles, iron fencing, corrugated metal, a faded mural of the Virgin Mary. In nice weather, claim the stools looking out the giant retractable window onto T Street while you scan the menus on vintage-y mirrors. Steak, carnitas, lamb, fish—all the usual characters are present, along with some additional characters on weekend mornings, like Mexican fritters, cornmeal cakes or huevos rancheros.
In coming weeks, you’ll also be ordering up frozen margaritas, draft beers and agua frescas like hibiscus, which come spiked or un-spiked.
BakeHouse: Next door, you’ll find this ultra-clean, white-and-concrete bakery-cum-coffee-shop. In the morning, you’ll grab one of the stools under a chalkboard mural and order up a sausage, egg and maple sandwich. In your cup: locally roasted coffee with housemade caramel sauce.
For nighttime applications, you can pause here on a multistop date to share Aztec chocolate tarts on a leather love seat. But you’ll also want to grab a couple things to go. Like a box of Apple Cinnamon “Doughnut” Muffins for the next morning and lollipops like Pink Grapefruit Margarita and Bourbon Old Fashioned.
Yes, they’re street legal.
