Taco Bamba to open third MoCo location in downtown Bethesda

Eatery will open in the former Casa Oaxaca space in Woodmont Triangle

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June 17, 2026 8:00 a.m. | Updated: June 16, 2026 6:03 p.m.

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Taco Bamba, a Northern Virginia-based Mexican restaurant chain, is slated to open a new location this fall in downtown Bethesda, owner and chef Victor Albisu told Bethesda Today on Tuesday.

Bethesda’s Taco Bamba will be at 4905 Fairmont Ave. in the former home of Casa Oaxaca, a beloved Mexican restaurant in Woodmont Triangle that closed in November. Albisu said he signed a lease this week for the space, which includes a 2,000-square-foot patio and indoor and outdoor bars. The eatery will join Taco Bamba’s other locations in Rockville and Gaithersburg.

“We’re expanding to Bethesda with a lot of belief in that market and a lot of belief in the neighborhood,” Albisu said. “The Bethesda restaurant already has a Mexican DNA, big patio, nice little agave bar … so we really love the soul of that area and are excited to be a part of that community.”

According to Tuesday’s press release from the restaurant, the former Casa Oaxaca space will be rebuilt to fit Taco Bamba’s branding and with red and black and natural wood finishings.

Taco Bamba’s menu focuses on tacos and Mexican street food such as flautas, chicharrónes (fried pork rinds), and nachos and also includes American classics such as smashburgers and wings with a Mexican twist.

According to Albisu, each Taco Bamba has a menu unique to its location. The menus start with a core of traditional tacos, bowls, tortas and quesadillas and expand to signature tacos and dishes with names inspired by the community around each eatery. Menu items for Bethesda are still being developed.

The chain’s signature tacos – “tacos nuestros” – offer a more creative approach to the traditional taco. The Black Pearl taco, for example, consists of fried grouper, coleslaw, ink aioli, avocado, pickled onions and scallions, and the spicy ‘shroom taco is filled with chipotle portobellos, grilled corn, cotija cheese, pickled onion, heart of palm, cilantro and pepitas, according to the chain’s menu.

Breakfast items are also offered by the eatery, including chilaquiles, a traditional Mexican dish with fried tortilla chips simmered in salsa and topped with fried eggs and crema, breakfast tacos, huevos rancheros, and a bacon, egg and cheese empanada, according to the menu.

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The Bethesda restaurant also will offer signature items from the chain’s other locations, such as the Mike Honcho, a chili relleno dish with an Anaheim pepper stuffed with smoked brisket, roasted peppers, Chihuahua and nacho cheese and poblano ranch dressing, according to the release.

Taco Bamba also has a bar menu of classic Mexican beverages such as margaritas, palomas and Mezcal-based cocktails, according to its menu.

Albisu, who grew up in a Cuban-Peruvian household in Northern Virginia, launched Taco Bamba in 2013 with an original location in Falls Church. The upcoming Bethesda eatery will be the chain’s 17th location across five states, according to the release.

Prior to his venture into the taco restaurant business, Albisu worked as a chef in upscale French, American and Latin American restaurants, the release said. He said he practically grew up in his mother’s Plaza Latina Market, a Falls Church market serving the region’s Latin American community that offers specialty meats, exported products and fresh baked goods.

“I grew up in that butcher shop, learning the ropes from Argentinian and Uruguayan butchers, so it’s always been part of my DNA,” Albisu said. “Food has always been in my blood and my environment.”

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine