About Us - Taco and Piña

TACO + PIÑA

Taco and Pina has been a labor of love in the making for a lifetime. I’ve always had an affinity for authentic Mexican food since my childhood days, traveling from Laredo to the Southern innermost corners of the country, eating my way through markets, taquerias, and people’s homes. What I have taken back with me over the years of cooking professionally, and eating is a modern translation of what I like to think of as the approachable taqueria, molded in the modern sense of something casual, innovative, fun, and yet authentic. At Taco and Pina, I want to make the best Mexican food in Arlington in a non-pretentious and fun environment.

We opened in the Spring of 2020 (5 de Mayo, to be exact!) with a full offering of tacos, tostadas, enchiladas, and our signature house made-from-scratch margaritas. Our tacos are our bread and butter feature as our goal as a taqueria, but we take a lot of pride in the surrounding cast with great appetizer selections and a big vegan and vegetarian offering. We are proud to be a part of the South Arlington, Shirlington community and neighborhood. While there are plenty of Tex-Mex and other Mexican concepts around us, we are confident by not taking any shortcuts and using only fresh ingredients; we have the best Mexican food in the area. We also like to support local breweries and bring in imported Mexican beers that are a little off the predictable path, with craft styles from Mexico not found elsewhere. They are a great marriage for our tacos! We also like to mix it up with brunch on weekends. Our patio is open when in season for enjoying our tacos, margaritas, and a drink while waiting for food to go. We also offer curbside pickup and are available on Grubhub, Ubereats, Postmates, and Doordash. We are confident you will enjoy the best whether you eat here or not.

Mexican food in Arlington!

A few notes from Chef Graham

Growing up, I was lucky enough to get to explore Mexico with my family. Both my parents were professors, so we could all travel together in the summer and see the country without a vacation day limit. Some of my earliest memories were taking train rides from Laredo, TX, to various places in the Southern Mexico interior. When we were exploring the various markets, I would find myself eating at street stalls and other spots off the beaten path. I think this is when I developed my love for Mexican cuisine, which helped inspire my passion for cooking.

After college, I started traveling and quickly realized that I would spend the rest of my life in a professional kitchen. I attended culinary school in France and found myself cooking all over the US, doing mostly modern American and Asian cuisine. It wasn’t until some years later that I reaffirmed my love for Mexican cuisine while working with Chef Richard Sandoval. Over the years, Chef Sandoval provided me with many great experiences traveling and working through Mexico—cooking and eating with great chefs, sampling all of the street food from roadside carts, and being welcomed into people’s houses. On these trips into the heart of Mexico, I realized my love of the cuisine and culture and decided I wanted to open my own restaurant.

As I was developing a plan, I realized that I could make the restaurant both a place that embraced Mexican cuisine and something that spoke to me and my memories of Mexico. I chose a colorful and playful theme because my memories were of the bright and vivid colors we would see in our city market adventures. I always loved the environment of those markets and wanted to mimic that atmosphere at the restaurant to be fun and whimsical. I hope that you can join us, and I look forward to serving you.

Thanks,

Chef Graham.

TACO + PIÑA

Mexican food in Arlington!

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