My friends and I came for bottomless brunch. Great ambiance, though a little loud (to be expected during a brunch in DC). Food was great and drinks were good. Service started off strong but it could be difficult to order more towards the end. read more

Food was phenomenal and the atmosphere was impeccable. Everything is cooked on a fire grill, so it all has a smoky flavor. We also had the oysters which I loved as well read more

dLeña - Short rib Birria Beef Tacos** - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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This place was sooo good! My friend and I randomly came here after the Christmas market. I learned that they have jazz downstairs so we went and we were luckily able to get a table that night. It was a wait, but you are able to get drinks while you wait. The servers were super sweet and recommended great drinks and food. I loved the ambiance of the location and would def come back whenever I'm back in DC. read more

The best bottomless brunch I've attended. And it's reasonably priced! Service was amazing. And the ambiance is so beautiful. read more

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This is another example of customer experience and how you're treated being a big part of the total vibe. While the staff were on paper technically friendly, there's always this feeling that if you don't have your name on their iPad -- you should be banished from the entryway when it's 5 degrees outside. The food was okay, the drinks meh. I think the vibe would have been better if we weren't sat next to the bussing station for a $100 per person meal. When I came here a year ago, I remember the bar downstairs being amazing and the food was great. So, to be fair it could've been a meh visit this time so I'll tell you what I tell myself, come back again. read more

We had an awful experience. Our server had no interest in trying to check on us and made it very clear they could not accommodate for an allergy (a very common allergy) as soon as we were seated. There was no sense of effort that showed he tried speaking to the manager or the kitchen. Really disappointing and most definitely do not recommend. He should really get some basic hospitality training. Due to his lack of service we could only order 1 drink and an appetizer since he just never tried to put in the effort to make us happy to eat there. read more

Very nice restaurant. We came here for Mother's Day brunch. We were a little disappointed with the food. I feel like they sell the look of the food over the actual taste. I got chicken and waffles. Chicken tastes like it was a frozen chicken tender. Crab guac had too much stuff on it and little guac. It's not bad, but wanted better read more

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DLeña had such a fantastic atmosphere as soon as you walk in. I was super happy to have been served my a great waiter & ordered some delectable food. I got their tacos and crab cakes. Both had exquisite taste and flavor. The drinks were also great! They have a speakeasy downstairs that had a live band playing. I miss this place! read more

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Wow. Wow. Wow. One of the best meals I've ever had! You MUST get the Maryland crab guacamole (they did not skimp on the crab--or the flavor!!)...you MUST get the queso fundido topped with cecina (comes with incredible sauces, homemade blue corn tortillas, and some gooey, smokey cheese pulls. So satisfyingly delicious!!) ... and you MUST get the Zarandeado (Branzino). Perfection. It was definitely a great way to balance out the night after indulging in the rich fundido. So there ya go--order those, and you'll be more than happy. read more

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food was decent not many vegetarian options to do bottomless. I opted for the mushroom tacos and street corn without bacon. I wish they integrated a few more vegetarian options so I could do bottomless since it was such a good deal. Ambience was really nice. Very fancy service wasn't entirely the best. We were the first ones to arrive at the restaurant yet the last to be served in the side of the room we were in. read more

DLena, DLena.....This is such an amazing spot for contemporary Latin cuisine and live music. The décor is beautiful, a dress or well curated outfit is highly recommended due to the ambiance. The speakeasy on the bottom floor is open seating, they do not take reservations, in order to get a seat, arrive between 5pm and 6:30pm. The Friday and Saturday night band performs Bossa Nova, they sounded great. For starters we have a traditional house made guacamole with chips. Very good. The Wagyu Steak a la Piedra was delicious, made with a combination of fajita pepper mix. I got medium well, but I felt it was more well done, which was fine because the cuts were juicy and tender. The baked potato was soft and tender I believe they boil it, the sauce tasted like tartar sauce with bacon crumbles on top. The sauce on the potato threw me off, but it wasn't bad. Sorry to say I do not remember the name of my mezcal cocktail, but it was fruity and the presentation in a mini clay pot was very attractive. The expresso crème brûlée is outstanding, a very unique take on this classic dessert. If you love coffee go for it! I highly recommend coming here dining well, enjoying the music and the lovely atmosphere. And get a picture of yourself because the scenery is too sexy to pass up! read more

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I've been here both for brunch and at the chef's table dining experience. The dining experience with the chef was absolutely incredible and one of the best dining experiences I have been a part of. The brunch was affordable and they tailored the order so that they brought out the food to ensure that it went in an order that made sense for the palate. I'd definitely come back for their other meals so I can try more! read more

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First time going to this establishment and it most definitely lived up to the hype. Came for my birthday and the food was amazing. I did the express lunch (chipotle chicken Empandas, king salmon, and 2 scoops of gelato ice cream). Everything was absolutely exceptional. Special S/O to my server Kristyana who was absolutely amazing. Super sweet, kind and surprised me with a birthday dessert as well. Her service was amazing and she made the start to my birthday exceptional. Lastly, the ambiance is very warm, soothing, comforting and beautiful aesthetic. 10/10 would definitely recommend! read more

OVERALL: I cannot wait to come back and try their dinner menu. The bottomless brunch was amazing! FOOD: 4 friends and I did the bottomless brunch option for $40 (they offer bottomless food and cocktails for $65, which is a good deal!). We started with the seasonal fruit cocktail which came with a foamy top. It was sour and fruity and everyone loved it (we ordered it twice)! Then we had the Tuna ceviche, cazuela, crispy waffles, grilled street corn, fried chicken and waffles, enfrijoladas (which are bean enchiladas), salmon, churros, and all the available tacos. Everything was delicious! The only thing we didn't 100% love were the tacos because it had pickled onions and that just made everything sweet. They even gave us extra churros to celebrate a birthday. SERVICE: Staff was amazing! A friend is lactose intolerant and informed staff and they were super kind and accommodating. They recommended alternatives and advised her whenever she was going to order something that wasn't obvious lactose-free. VENUE: The restaurant is beautifully decorated. It has an elegant feel to it and I loved the seating because it allowed for privacy among dining groups. It's always packed but the crowd never gets in the way. 10/10 recommend! read more

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holy... HELL... this meal was INSANE! So many different flavors every dish was PHENOMENAL. I may dream about this, guacamole was yummy very fresh both chips and guac, the grilled oysters with caviar and other fancy things was SO YUMMY so much flavor, the pork belly was cooked PERFECTLY and whatever that sauce and greens mix was, was the perfect addition, and finally... the grand finale, the Tomahawk Steak - ABSOLUTELY INSANE 32 ounces of steak made for 2 that steak will be my top steak as of right now. We chose the roasted corn and baked potato, paired super well, but I tried to not eat it with the steak bc the steak needed to be appreciated on its own! If ur in the DC area you gotta check this place out - forgot my wallet at home so I didn't get a drink but I'm sure they're incredible read more

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The only thing that wasn't great was the amount of time we waited before being seated, but to be fair we did not have a reservation. Otherwise, the food, drinks, and service were wonderful. Very lively and beautiful environment read more

I don't know how I've never left a review for the spot because this is my favorite restaurant in DC. I would argue that their oysters are one of the best bites you can get in DC. They are a must have whenever I visit here because of the combinations of stuff they put on top is incredible. I also love their pork belly we got a double portion and it's so good and the little fresh greens they put with it really balances out the fatty savoriness. I love the pork shank and got a side of the loaded, baked potato, which don't sleep on this because it is actually incredible the cheese sauce and the little crispy pork belly bits are so good. I love the pork shank because it comes with a bunch of different sauces, falls right off the bone and is an incredible bite. I didn't get a photo, but I tried their Agua Fresca and they were so good. I love when places have great mock cocktail options. I think the watermelon one was my favorite with the Horchata being second the Horchata had a nice nutty flavor which I hadn't tasted before and was so fresh read more

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The food was very tasty. The ambiance was very nice and there was a jazz singer as well. The service was also simple and nice. read more

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The cocktails were spicy, the food was delish and the ambiance is a whole vibe. The Maryland Crab Guacamole is out of this world, I repeat, OUT OF THIS WORLD!! The Empanadas Wagyu was super cheesy and could've used less cheese and more meat would've been nice but awesome nonetheless. read more

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Very good food, the queso fundido was amazing. There are a lot of good options. The restaurant looks very upscale. read more

dLeña - Queso fundido - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Loved the staff the vibe and everything else about this place!!! Some of our party was running late so we were escorted to the downstairs lounge and it was such a vibe!!! The decor was warm and comfy but chic at the same time. We went upstairs for dinner and everything was an experience! The food is full of flavor and just enough. The drinks were great especially if you love tequila. Highly recommended this place to eat or just vibe and drink some cocktails read more

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dLeña was such a wonderful experience and I was not expecting the food to get this great.... Went to dLeña on a Sunday and the place has just one of the best ambiances. Felt like I am in Miami for some reason and I have never even been there. Started with Ceviche and it was one of the most fresh Ceviches I have had in any place in the DMV. Ordered the Branzino for myself and Diablo Tiger Prawns for my guest. The food quantity was great. They definitely don't skip on giving you food in the name of fine dining experience. I have to give dLeña its flowers for that. The food was excellent and so flavorful. I am planning another visit real soon. The service was excellent. Water was being refilled like every minute. Even though I am self sufficient type of person who generally doesn't like service staff to fill my glass with a beverage I really appreciate that. We finished with tea and our sever presented us options in a very premium box full of different types of teas. There is an amazing lounge in the bottom floor with live music which is amazing. This is a 5/5 place a must visit for everyone! read more

pros: -best service specifically because of our amazing server ricardo who was super friendly and attentive -BEST MEXICAN RESTO: pork belly; branzino; broccolini, short rib tacos -cute date spot or an intimate night with friends -clean restrooms -easy to make a reservation online cons: none read more

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The food was pretty good for the price. The portions were bigger than I thought. The service was amazing they were nice and quick with water refills. The ambiance was real chill and fancy. The bathrooms were fancy as well read more

dLeña - Medio Pollo al Carbón - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Upon arrival there were three women standing at the front and right away gave nasty attitude. I asked for a table at the lounge area and they told me I had to go downstairs and check if there's any space and that they hadn't been downstairs to know. We're not from the area and we were excited to find food we were familiar with. Clearly we weren't aware we had to go find a table downstairs ourselves. The attitude was uncalled for, maybe the fact that we didn't know pissed them off but to have three women provide that kind of service upon arrival was completely unprofessional. Keep in mind that a restaurant host is considered the "face" of the establishment because they are the first and last person guests interact with. Their appearance plays a significant role in shaping guests' first impressions. It would have been great to mention when I called about reservations and they recommended the lounge area, that the lounge area and the bar are not guaranteed seating areas, especially when they were fully booked that Saturday night. Can't just assume everyone knows that this restaurant is small and seats are VERY limited. I wouldn't have risked paying an uber to take us to this restaurant if the person on the phone had mentioned that. I'd say reservations are mandatory, not suggested. My mother has a problem with her knee and she had to walk down just to right away walk back upstairs because it was just so packed. I had no idea it was going to be so small and that WE had to be the ones to find a table. My mother was confused why there were a couple empty tables in the dining area. Food looks delicious, it's too bad we didn't get a chance to try it. I promise you we're the most understanding family, but I think it's important to know how the host can impact everything. Regardless if it's busy or it's a slow day, customer service should be amazing and stay the same throughout. It's unfortunate but we won't be coming back. read more

I really liked Dlena. The service was amazing and the staff was really lovely and accommodating. They moved our reservation a full 45 minutes when half our party was running late (it was a less busy Wednesday, don't try this on a Saturday!) They have a fun happy hour with food and great margaritas. Their other drinks are special though. I had the negroni norte. So good. They also have a cool and interesting wine by the glass list. The food is a little pricey, but it's higher end. This isn't Tex-Mex. Everything was delicious. I will definitely be back. They were also sweet to bring out birthday churros. read more

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I love dLeña! Theres always scrumptious food, good vibes & exemplary customer service. Haven't been here in a while but I'm glad to be back! Came for happy hr and Paul took great care of us. We ordered: -chips & habanero salsa -The happy hr barbacoa tacos -wagyu empanadas -the short rib tacos -a couple rounds of margaritas Everything was amazing! Cant wait to come back. read more

dLeña - Barbacoa Taco - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

After several months of changed reservations, we finally made it to dLeña and it didn't disappoint.

This place is a must try in DC. I found this restaurant on Tik Tok and it did not disappoint. Make sure you make a reservation as this place is booked in advance and they charge a cancellation fee. When I arrived, there was limited seating in the main dining room. The hostess said we could check out the lounge below and sit there if we've liked. We picked the lounge, the vibes in this place is spectacular. Wednesday- Sunday they have live jazz performers downstairs in the lounge. You only have your table for an hour and half but we stayed for longer because there was no one waiting for a table at the time. Now the food 10/10 definitely get the shrimp tacos, and ceviche. The corn empanadas were tasty! I never know corn and chimichurri would taste so delicious. This is a must restaurant in DC. read more

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Went with friends and we all chose the restaurant week 3 course menu and then shared family-style. I can't remember the last time I was so impressed by every single thing at a restaurant. We tried a lot of the menu and everything was fantastic!! The drinks were also amazing. The vibes of the restaurant are intimate and lovely and the service was amazing. We will definitely go back and would recommend to anyone looking for a date night place or a catch up with friends. read more

Fantastic happy hour! And the short rib tacos are everything!! Great date night spot. Or sit at the bar for drinks and apps.

Decided to try this place as an impromptu option, and it exceeded expectations. We had a tamarindo margarita, Paloma, their traditional guacamole, queso fundido. All delicious!! The best were the ostiones a la Lena! We sat at the bar and the service awesome. read more

Our server Troy was phenomenal. We got the bottomless option and most of the food was good not great except for the fruit cocktail and churros. Overall a good experience as the ambience is nice but not sure it's a repeat for me. read more

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I was in town for a work trip and my team went out to dinner here on a Monday night. We were able to be seated immediately and our staff was super nice, constantly checking in on us. I had a couple margaritas which were excellent. We got a couple apps to share, including the guacamole and the pork belly. The guacamole was super fresh and citrusy which I loved. The pork belly was so tender and melted in my mouth! For my main, I got the pulpo tacos. When they arrived, I was surprised at how tiny these were, especially for the price. The flavor was great, but I definitely felt hungry at the end. Overall, loved the vibes of the place, but would probably order something else if I came back. read more

dLeña - Pulpo al Pastor** - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Joined a friend here for drinks at the bar and we had an amazing time. The bartender was helpful and the drinks were amazing. I thought I would have an appetite before leaving but I didn't so I didn't have a chance to try the food but my friend said the food was amazing as well. I will be back to try for myself read more

dLeña - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Went again but this time for my husband's birthday. Service was so-so I told him at the beginning of the meal it was his birthday but he didn't do anything special for him. I saw in other reviews that they got a special treat at the end. He was aloof and when we asked questions about dishes he did not really answer our questions. The service made our experience not so great this time around. What a disappointment read more

Fun restaurant vibe. Good shareable foods. Tasty cocktails. Good service. The tacos were just okay but everything else tasted good, might not be worth the price point but if you want a nice place to catch up with friends or for a date this could be a good spot. read more

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If I could give this place more stars, I would. My friends & I sat at the bar as walk-ins, although we lucked out with the last 3 available spots. Service for both food & drinks was pretty fast even though it was a busy Friday night. (This was early July 2024). I got the Short Rib al Carbon -- it was THE most tender, fall-of-the bone that I've ever had. I liked that there were different salsas or salt pairings that you could make a wrap with. My friends got the chips & traditional guacamole, Lamb Shank Birria Style, and the Hot Stone Wagyu (not pictured, sorry) and gave them 5 stars, as well. We split all 3 dessert options and were split between loving the crème brûlée or honey vanilla cheesecake the most, though my favorite was shockingly the former. The Mil Hojas Argentino was, in my opinion, so-so. Would love to come back here for a date night or to check out the lounge. read more

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Was in DC for the weekend and I had my niece decide on dinner reservations. She was between a few places but was hoping to get one at dLeña. I was excited to dine at one of Richard Sandoval's restaurants so I too was hopeful. She was able to secure us an 8:15 pm reservation. The restaurant is beautiful. I love the ambiance and the decor is well done. The service was on point. We had perused the menu ahead of time. I landed on the camarón tacos with a side of broccolini and my niece selected the seafood enchiladas. Both the tacos and seafood enchiladas were delightful. We saw a lot of mixed reviews about the enchiladas but they were quite tasty in our opinion. The broccolini was cold. The server was very nice and took it back to heat it up. It came back over charred and not edible. He was understanding and just removed it from the bill. We had coffees to end the evening. The Spanish coffee was good. It was served cold. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be hot or cold. I would've preferred it hot. If it is a cold coffee, it may be good to let the diner know as I would've selected a hot coffee and just added Kahlua. There's a speakeasy downstairs where the band plays jazz. Finally, parking wasn't a problem, there's both street parking and parking garages in close proximity. Overall, I'm glad I was able to dine there and check out the speakeasy while in town. It's a great place for GNO or a date night. read more

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We went here as a group of three on Cinco de Mayo - the place was packed inside and out! (duh... I should have expected that... DC is crawling on this margarita-forward holiday and we did book 2 months in advance), but that didn't stop dLeña's staff from delivering excellent service, food and drinks! I was honestly just impressed with how smoothly everything was running on such a packed night! Kudos to that entire team :) Even with the packed house, they didn't hurry us along (which is evident in my photos where the room gets slowly darker until it is markedly nightfall in my dessert pic!) and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal, ordering several rounds of their OUT.OF.THIS.WORLD good Habanero Pepita Salsa. We ordered three rounds... it was that good! I am really picky about my salsa, it has to have good flavor but a decent spice level with the right consistency - not too watery you can't hold it on a chip and not so chunky it feels like you are eating diced tomatoes right out of a can. This stuff hit all the right notes! That is probably enough of me gushing about salsa, but hey, it would be a mistake to miss it! The rest of the meal was just a good, delivering excellent flavor with fresh, quality ingredients. I feel like a glutton saying it, but we ate for over 3 hours and walked away full, satisfied but not sluggish. I think that's a testament to the quality of the dishes served at dLena. Our group was divided on whether the Hot Stone Wagyu or Wagyu Beef Tiradito was better - both D.E.lish, but my vote goes to the Tiradito... if you are unsure, a wise man once told me "¿Por qué no los dos?" I thoroughly enjoyed my enchiladas and though I was slowing down for the dessert course, I somehow powered through :) I mean, it was hard to stop gobbling down that silky, sweet and salty caramel ice cream! We will be back, specifically to check out their underground bar with live music. I can't wait :) Tip: If you get one of their wood-fired steaks, skip the hot plate. Or if you want that sizzle as your gorgeous steak is set before your, order it one degree rarer than you usually do. It continues to cook as you are eating it (because, well, the plate is hot) and though we ordered the steak medium rare, it was definitely heading towards medium-well by the last few pieces. read more

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