Buena Vida – Silver Spring

Let’s talk about tacos. I love tacos! Tacos are the light of life. I’d lose my mind if I couldn’t have tacos. I honestly can’t comprehend the fact that there are people who don’t like tacos. It makes me sad that they don’t experience the euphoria of chowing down on a perfectly crafted taco.

Now that my confession of love is over, I want to talk about a new taco joint in Silver Spring (well technically a two in one taco joint). In May, a new restaurant opened in Silver Spring where 8407 Kitchen Bar was in downtown Silver Spring. The restaurant has a unique aesthetic inside and out that catches the eye, starting with the colorful murals painted on the building. 

The bottom floor is a restaurant called Tacos, Tortas & Tequila (all amazing things in my book).  This part of the restaurant is more casual, meant for ordering a la carte tacos with a variety of options. There is a bar area with a TV for watching sports games. I was here on the day of the World Cup final, and it was lively. 

The upstairs floor is a restaurant called Buena Vida, which focuses more on bottomless small plates for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch.  You can get food a la carte here, but the best value would be the unlimited tapas. 

I had actually not been here for any meal other than brunch until last night. I have gone to brunch here three or four times already since it opened a couple months ago.  I don’t know if I could put into words how amazing this brunch is. For $35 (same price as dinner) you can choose endless amounts of freshly prepared Mexican small plates. Unlike dinner, however, the brunch price also includes bottomless drinks including mimosas, bloody mary’s, sangria, and margaritas.

Among my favorite dishes at brunch are: the guacamole, crab nachos, chilaquiles, tacos (all varieties but steak and eggs were so good), flautas, spicy fried chicken, shrimp and grits, and the sopes. They serve this unique guacamole with pickled mango, goat cheese, and basil that it an irresistibly tangy treat. Buena Vida has yet to disappoint me with their food. This has become one of my favorite brunch spots in the DC area. 

Now for the dinner menu. Before choosing food, I sipped on a cocktail called “Fake Face,” which featured pineapple infusewd mezcal. This was one of the best mezcal cocktails I have tasted. The sweetness and acidity of the pineapple was in perfect balance with the smokiness of the mezcal. w

We then ordered some guacamole, seafood tostadas, ancho chile duck tortilla soup, spinach and cheese enchiladas, potato and cheese flautas, squash blossom quesadillas, and some tacos (mushroom, crispy tofu, duck carnitas, and al pastor). The soup was among my favorite; it had a deep, rich smoky flavor. I also loved the duck carnitas tacos, which had a unique flavor. 

In the end, the Buena Vida experience lived up to its name. I really felt like I was living the good life. If you go to this restaurant, you are going to be in for an unbelievable experience. They are still working out some service issues, but for a new restaurant, they are doing very well. Silver Spring really needed a place like this. I just hope this restaurant continues to pick up business and last for the long run.

*This post reflects my honest views. I did not receive any compensation or other incentives to post this review.

Buena Vida Mexican Gastrobar
8407 Ramsey Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-755-6132