Few would have guessed that a Le Cordon Bleu graduate chef who trained at a Parisian restaurant with three Michelin stars would become a taco tycoon — least of all Victor Albisu. But the Vienna resident and founder of the region’s 16 wildly popular Taco Bamba fast-casual restaurants brings his own take to the taco genre.
“If somebody said, ‘Hey, start a company that’s gonna have 600-plus employees and will bring in $50 million in revenue,’ I’d tell you I’m not the guy,” Albisu says while sitting in his busy new Sterling Taco Bamba outpost. “I’ve been blessed with people to believe in and people who have believed in me, and whatever the results are, came from that.”
But the inspiring success of the married father of two teenage boys springs from life experiences that created a delicious blend of flavors, passions, and endeavors. The Annandale native, with a Cuban father and Peruvian mother, has been immersed in Latin American culture and cuisine his whole life. His mother owned several Latin markets, and his relatives worked in the food industry. Albisu’s parents divorced when he was young, and he spent many a day at the family market.
His mom hoped he’d become a diplomat, so he studied at George Mason University to work in international relations. But after graduating with a degree in politics and international relations, Albisu’s growing anxiety informed his decision to change direction. His unhappiness while working in Latin American project management, combined with sage advice from a mental health professional, were game changers.
“I was seeing a therapist, and he was able to open my eyes to the fact that I really wasn’t doing what I came here to do,” Albisu says. He quit his job, called off a wedding engagement, and moved to Paris for a year and a half to become a chef.
Returning to DC
“I came back, and I began a hard search for work, trying to be the chef of the universe in DC,” says Albisu, who is fluent in English, Spanish, and French. “I was getting jobs for $9 and $10 an hour offered to me.”
The determined 25-year-old persevered, bouncing around the DC dining scene and eventually working his way up to executive chef at the now-closed BLT Steak in DC. There, Albisu led the restaurant to awards like the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington’s Power Spot of the Year in 2012.
“The thing about Victor is he has an extreme passion for the business — not only from the perspective of the food, but the people,” says DC chef and restaurateur Spike Mendelsohn, a friend of Albisu for nearly 20 years. Mendelsohn watched as Albisu transformed from a “very high-end, hoity-toity chef” to a fast-casual entrepreneur.
So how did the fine-dining chef curate a cult following for crave-worthy tacos? For Albisu, Taco Bamba’s creation was completely unintended. He was busy working toward the opening of Del Campo, his Penn Quarter–based Argentine grill in 2012, when his mother, Rosa Susinski, brought him an opportunity. She owns and operates Plaza Latina market in Falls Church and had signed a lease for an additional nearby space. She suggested to her son that they open a sandwich shop.
“I said, ‘We’re gonna do a taqueria,’” Albisu says. “And my mom’s like, ‘You’re not Mexican. What do you know about tacos?’”
Launching an Empire
Undeterred, Albisu forged ahead with planning what would be the flagship Taco Bamba in a 1,000-square-foot space in Falls Church. And when the taqueria opened in 2013, it was a hit. The first year, he says, the store made close to $900,000, and he thought it was the greatest thing that ever happened. The next year, it tripled. To continue to feed the masses, Taco Bamba’s second location opened in 2016 in Vienna, with loyal fans eagerly awaiting its arrival.
“There were hundreds of people; [the line] wrapped around the block,” Albisu recalls.
While juggling his Taco Bamba expansion, Del Campo closed in 2018. Albisu opened contemporary Mexican restaurant Poca Madre in its space, as well as a Taco Bamba, which stayed open until COVID hit in 2020. Despite a global pandemic and volatile restaurant industry, somehow the upscale chef successfully bridged the gap to excel in fast-casual dining.
“Taco Bamba is a perfect example — you take the creativity of a chef, and you put that energy they have that they normally would put into a $40 plate [but] you put it in a $4 taco,” says Brian MacNair, CEO of Kitchen of Purpose and founding board member with Albisu of chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen. “Every taco is sculpted like that.”
For those who haven’t visited one of the 16 Taco Bamba locations spread across Virginia, Maryland, DC, Tennessee, and North Carolina, a few things stand out.
“It’s got this great energy. I gotta say, when I walk into a Bamba and see the art and hear the music, to me, it’s Victor,” says MacNair. Albisu, himself a musician, grew up as an eclectic music fan and presents original art in each restaurant.
Taco Bamba’s original building architect, Peter Hapstak, has collaborated with Albisu since the restaurant’s infancy and sees the inventive chef’s fingerprints all over the brand — from the colors, to the design, to the music.
“There was boldness, clarity. He wanted a space that speaks to his craft,” Hapstak says.
Each Taco Bamba location offers a menu tailored to its neighborhood, and diners can buy single tacos à la carte. Something’s working: The taco chain serves an average of 16,000 tacos daily.
“The concept is pretty foolproof,” Mendelsohn says. “Let’s go rock and roll and eat tacos and drink margaritas. I think everyone can get behind that.”
Up Next: Electric Bull
Albisu’s newest endeavor, upscale South American steakhouse Electric Bull in Vienna, is set to open in late summer. Located just three doors down from Taco Bamba Vienna at 176 Maple Ave. W., the grill will offer carnivore-focused cuisine, a full bar, and an online butcher shop for carryout orders.
“At Electric Bull, there’s an opportunity to be a destination for people who want to go have a steak dinner and don’t need the whole pomp and circumstance and getting clobbered with a huge check,” Albisu says. “There’s different ways of doing a steakhouse, and this is going to be a real fun version.”
Expect family recipes — including Albisu’s acclaimed burger — and his iconic rolled skirt steak, which defeated Bobby Flay on his eponymous Food Network cooking competition. The restaurant will offer both classic and nontraditional cuts of steaks, South American–style short ribs, and housemade chorizo.
Giving Credit
In Albisu’s downtime, he gives back. He is a co-founder of Smile on the World, a nonprofit group of chefs and doctors who provide aid and medical care to underserved communities. He also works on global culinary relief initiatives, including extensive work with CARE and World Central Kitchen.
He admits he’s learned a lot along his culinary journey, and that he hasn’t earned success without some help.
“The ideas I’ve had, whether it’s Del Campo, my first restaurant, Poca Madre, Taco Bamba, now Electric Bull — these have been my greatest teachers,” he says. “The few [ideas] that click and do well are because a bunch of people believed in it and were able to make it flourish, and I’m so grateful for that. It would be nothing without them.”
Feature image of Victor Albisu by Ruby Hunt
This story originally ran in our May Issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
