Taco Bamba To Open First Maryland Location In Rockville

ROCKVILLE, MD — Taco Bamba, a Northern Virginia chain of Mexican street food shops, will open its first Maryland location in Rockville on June 4.

The taqueria — Chef Victor Albisu's sixth — will open at 1627 Rockville Pike on June 4. It will take over the space formerly occupied by Modern Market Eatery, which closed its doors in 2019.

The 2,766-square-foot restaurant is set to be the largest Taco Bamba outpost yet — offering indoor seating for 52, bar seating for 16, and patio seating for 14.

The other five Taco Bambas are located in Falls Church, Vienna, Springfield, Fairfax, and Ballston.

"All our locations, with their unique menus, are led by classically trained chefs, and building a great team like this takes time," said Albisu. "But with Rockville, we have a bit of a head start."

Albisu says two of his most senior chefs, Tom Hall and Tim Raymond, are Maryland natives eager to pay homage to the Old Line State. Together they and chef Faiz Ally have designed a menu that's original to Rockville and inspired by the surrounding area.

Menu highlights include Taco Bamba's chili-brined wings, enchiladas, crispy calamari, as well as The Green Avenger — a Tajin-spiced blistered shishito quesadilla. The list of tacos unique to Rockville includes the Fredneck (BBQ pork carnitas with morita slaw), the Mrs. Hogan (kalbi pork, gochujang, kimchi bacon fried rice, cucumber, and radish), and the MoCo CRAB (griddled crab melt, spicy mayo, vinegar slaw, and mini fries).