Do not come here. They break the law by requesting documentation for a service dog. I still showed my letter for my service dog and they declined access, again illegal, because I didn't have a card, which isn't a thing for actual service dogs. Terrible service and treatment. read more

Its a little bit like they don't want you to come here. We arrived on Sunday an hour before 'close' to 'open' for happy hour, right away the host says they close at 4, its 3:10 were like okay. Than he goes "you can only order al carte items" - okay we only wanted margs anyway. We ask if we can sit at a front table he says basically no its closed for happy hour- okay do we not have to leave by happy hour when you apparently close? Makes no sense. Anyway we get sat, waiter drops menus off and says "since you came 45 minutes before close you can only order al carte items" okay king we've already been warned. Anyway margs were fine, could be served in prettier glasses than beer glasses for $15+ but whatever. Guac was great! Won't return as the vibe was basically you shouldn't have chosen here lol read more

I had a wonderful Sunday brunch here! Nikolai was an server. He was very attentive. Though bottomless brunch has a two hour limit, he made sure to check on us very often and urged us to try different items on the menu. I enjoyed everything I ate! I had at least eight plates! Definitely not the healthiest but I had to get my moneys worth. Perfect backdrop for spring Instagram pictures which was a plus! read more

El Centro - Steak Tacos, chicken and Chipotle Chicken Waffle, Enchiladas, hot dog - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The best customer service, drinks are very good. But best of all the staff is outstanding. Oh yeah, the food is delicious. read more

El Centro - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I am new to the area and wanted to grab some quick Mexican food. El Centro is in a nice spot, right in the heart of Georgetown and has an average collegetown bar feel. All the staff were very nice. Unfortunately, the food was very average. The complimentary chips and salsa were the best thing we ordered. The guacamole and queso were very average and not particularly flavorful. The tacos were good but nothing spectacular. Overall, I would say it's fairly average food, but given the price, I wouldn't recommend it for someone looking for Mexican food. It seems like a great place to hang out with light fare! read more

El Centro - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Stopped in for Saturday brunch and it was just meh. Bottomless brunch is $35 per person, so we had expectations on that level and generally found it not to be worth it. To their credit, for a party of 5 they did a solid job keeping our mimosas full! However, the food was not all that great and a bit confusing. Confusing? Yes, confusing. Before ever even ordering food, we were given 3 different plates. We tried to inform the waiter it couldn't be our food, but no, they left it, it's ours now, and there's more that you didn't order coming. Group does not recommend huevos rancheros or shrimp ceviche, but the quesadilla and taco platter sampling's were pretty yummy! Also, the ceiling straight up dripped down on our table throughout the meal. Also also, the waiter sneezed on one guest. I wish I was making this up. Overall, ratchet & I won't be back. read more

El Centro - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Overall good with some misses. We went for the unlimited brunch. Bloody Mary was a little watery, and spice level was inconsistent between members of our groups. I also tasted the margarita and it wasn't my favorite (kind of lemonade-y). But the mimosas were solid and the servers were very attentive/refilled very frequently. For the unlimited food, it started off just okay but got much better. The first course was fruit (not pictured) which would have been fine except they drizzled some mango sorbet on top which just made it really sweet and kinda icy? Idk they could have skipped the fruit. Next was huevos rancheros--very tasty but I wish there was more variety in texture. Next they brought out the tacos (I think chicken, steak, carnitas) which were excellent and spicy! Then the plaintains, chicken flautas, and chilaquiles--again all delicious! We finished with the churro which was to die for. read more

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This review is for El Centro's happy hour. Giving El Centro 3 stars because it is very hit or miss. I've had some very great happy hour experiences here, but also some bad ones. The frozen margarita machine works only half the times I go, and sometimes the service is not the best. While I do think it's possible to have a 5 star happy hour experience here, it's not something I would depend on; if I had friends visiting, I might take them to a different place that can guarantee a great experience instead. read more

Delicious food! We got there right when they opened for dinner and the service was great. Our waitress was super nice and did a good job taking care of us. The chips were amazing and the salsa was super smoky. Not sure how to describe it to be honest, it was more of a barbecue flavor than spicy tomato taste. It was a light but deep flavor, didn't have much spice to it but it wasn't too intense. The guacamole was fire. It was chunky and smooth, with a good fresh flavor. I wish it had more lime and jalapeños but it was quality. I got the bbq chicken salad and it was perfect for what I was looking for, light, fresh, with a big portion. My friends all got tacos. They got a plethora of protein, ranging from shrimp, pork, chicken and steak. They believed the salsa on the side was spicy but they don't have a spice palate lol. We all got drinks. The frozen margs were a hit with us. The strawberry was sweet and the mango was tangy. Both still had a light flavor of tequila but still hit. The mojito had so much mint which I loved and the flavor to liquor ratio was perfect in my opinion but if you don't like mint I wouldn't recommend for obvious reasons. Overall, the service was on par and the food was exactly what we were looking for. We went in with no reservation and we were able to get a table, but I recommend getting a reservation! Loved it, would go back again! read more

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We visited El Centro for brunch this morning with a group of 11. We had friends visiting from out of town and our server George made the experience. The drinks were flowing, there was more food then what we could ever ask for. The price for the experience and food was really fair. I will definitely be coming back here for brunch and other dining. read more

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I came here for dinner for my friend's birthday after hearing about this restaurant and honestly the food was just okay. We were given complimentary chips and salsa and that was pretty good. For the table, we ordered queso fundido, which came with melted cheeses, tortillas, and salsas. It was slightly difficult to eat, but the cheese was rich and the salsas were spicy and tangy. It was a bit expensive in my opinion for the portion of food, but it was still delicious. For my entrée, I ordered the queso enchiladas (pictured). The enchiladas came with refried beans, rice, and tomatillo salsa. The enchiladas were cooked well and were delicious with the tomatillo salsa, but without the salsa the dish was otherwise pretty bland and I got bored after a few bites. Overall, the meal was okay but I think it's a bit expensive to justify going to this restaurant. read more

El Centro - queso enchiladas - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I visited El Centro in Georgetown for happy hour, and it certainly gets the job done if you're looking for cheap Mexican eats. The $6 margaritas and $3 tacos are an unbeatable price for DC. They also have $6 chicken quesadillas and nachos. The food is classic American Mexican bar food, nothing is innovative or special, but it's definitely delicious. The service is a bit slow, but still worth it! read more

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AJ IS THE BEST!!!! I came here for my birthday brunch and she treated us like queens! Food is great, drinks are great, all around wonderful experience!!! WE LOVE YOU AJ!!!! read more

Just an ok place for Mexican food. Unlikely to come back. Came on a Saturday brunch, and it was pretty busy. Service was slow, and servers weren't super attentive. I wanted my water refilled twice and struggled with that. At least, they were friendly. Complimentary chips and salsa was good tho. I got the egg & chorizo tacos. 1 small bowl of rice and 1 small bowl of beans came with the 3 tacos. The rice was kinda bland and a bit dry. The tacos were not super flavorful. The egg was overcooked and just meh. The tortilla was not as soft as I liked. Pretty mediocre meal. I could get better AND cheaper Mexican food someplace else. read more

Went there for brunch and had the Huevos Rancheros. They were ok. I've had better. Margarita was weak both in flavor and alcohol. Churros we're more like beignets, which was just strange. The only thing I really liked was the chips and guacamole. The rest was just meh. read more

When I went in around 6:30pm on a Friday night, we were able to get seated right away. And there were many tables available as well. Also, there's two types of seatings you may choose from -- dining or happy hour -- I think, and we just sat in the dining hall. We ordered fresh guacamole, some tacos, and drinks as well. However, we had to cancel our drinks as they did not come out until all our food was out. Also, our server was very slow and didn't seem to really care about our table, probably because we're young. But that does not mean they can just disregard us. We had to go up to the server station a couple of times and we had to wait for our check to be run for a good 10minutes or so. It was pretty frustrating as we were on a time crunch. Although all our food was good, I don't think I will be coming back as we did not have the best experience here. read more

The spooky vibes at El Centro last weekend were a cool touch, including our server's fun face paint. Our server was super thorough in taking our order. The food came out super fast! Highly recommend the chicken enchiladas. We sat on the second floor near the bar and the only thing that needed attention was our table had two wooden boards that were broken so we couldn't put our drinks on them without fear of them spilling over. read more

Arrived before happy hour ended and found two seats at the bar. While the food was good was some issues with our pineapple margarita (not pictured), the first batch tasted like juice. The bar manager came over and remade it and was 100% better. I'd revisit the bar again maybe stick to simpler cocktails. read more

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Went there around midnight on a Friday for the bar/club scene on the second floor which was quite fun. The DJ was solid and the environment was great with some pretty fun lighting and all. Drinks were decent and overall the vibes were great with a dance kind of thing going. However, one of the bouncers inside was kinda sucky. One of the people in my group put their jacket down on a completely empty bench by the wall right next to where he (the bouncer) was. After a couple minutes we noticed the jacket was missing and asked him if he'd seen it or if it had been moved to which he shrugged and said "shouldn't have put it there" (idk why) smugly. We then tried looking around then returned and kept persisting with him and finally he pointed across the room to a corner, where we then went and voila, there it was sitting there. Makes me feel like he definitely moved it there and was just being a jerk not telling us. Other than him though was a pretty good experience. read more

El Centro is a great place to come for happy hour or late at night if you want to dance. Happy hour lasts until 7pm, which is later than most happy hours in DC, and they have great $5 drinks and snack deals. Plus you get unlimited chips and salsa with happy hour and dinner. However, the regular dinner food is overpriced for what they give you. The portions are smaller than at other Mexican restaurants and for the prices you could get better tasting food. Also, stay away from the tacos on Taco Tuesdays. Yes they are $2 per taco, but they're basically just a tortilla w leftover meat and nothing else. Come to El Centro if you want quality margaritas at happy hour prices, go somewhere else for dinner, then come back after 10pm when they turn the dining area into a dance floor read more

El Centro - Achiote Chicken Fajitas - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I dropped in to El Centro and was kinda disappointed. I sat at the bar and it took ages to get a drink or food. I ordered a shrimp quesadilla and it was the messiest quesadilla I've ever had. It was presented in a way where the folds and layers made no sense. It was as excessively messy to eat even with a fork and knife. read more

El Centro has always been a great spot. It's a bit disappointing that the 14th street location closed. Georgetown in general is a nightmare for parking and I would recommended public transit or one of the many driving services (Uber, lyft) in the area. We asked the waiter to bring one of everything on menu except the pork taco (my friend doesn't eat pork). Overall, everything was great and extremely filling. We weren't able to order a second of anything because of the amount of food that you get. My favorite was the steak tacos. We did try both the mimosa and the margarita. We started with the mimosas and our waiter was very attentive and kept our glasses full. The margarita comes in a very large glass, larger than expected. read more

I love this place for bunch Perfect bottomless and the food is amazing ! Tysm joyce for your service your were the best! read more

We were visiting from CA and went to this bottomless brunch on Labor Day. $35 per person for a variety of food. We had fresh fruit, fresh green salad, huevos rancheros, street tacos with pork (carnitas) beef (carne asada), veggie tacos, shrimp ceviche, potatoes tossed in some type of cream sauce, and a couple other things I don't remember. We also ordered bottomless drinks($8.99). 4 of us had mimosas and 1 of us tried the margaritas and bloody Maria. Service was fast once we got beyond language barrier with our server, new at the job. I'm only giving three stars because the meat was dry on the street tacos. But we enjoyed everything else. No photos sorry. read more

Update, 2022, post-COVID: I came back after the pandemic and the place went from 5 stars to 3. They lost a lot over the 2 years since I was there. The menu changed, not for the better and the drinks were not nearly as good. The food, was at best, average. And the issue was they made us take one of everything from the brunch menu (tapas, relatively small) before we could reorder. That was not what I wanted, and although I liked trying a lot of different things, wasn't impressed and wanted more of the things I liked sooner than they were letting them come out. In other words, I HAD to eat or taste everything and I didn't necessarily want to do that. Drinks were watered down vs. the last time we were there. Sorry, but as much as I was looking forward to coming back after my visit two years ago, I don't really want to come back again until they fix whatever they broke. Original Post, 2020, pre-COVID: Damn, this is good food. Seriously. Brunch is real on the weekends, the drinks are strong and the food worthy of a slow chew. Worth the cost and the time. Use all two hours and sample everything. I'll be back. read more

We came here wanting to take advantage of DC Restaurant week. When we were seated, we were given regular menus and had to even inquire about the restaurant week menu. The waiter said we were his first restaurant week customers (it was Tuesday). The seemed to be hiding the fact they were even participating. The three of us finally ordered off the restaurant week menu. I had the tortilla soup and my friends the shrimp ceviche. I did not like the soup at all (way too thick and creamy for soup). Then I had the Shrimp and Crab Enchiladas and my friends each the Al Pastor tacos. The enchiladas had such a strong taste that I could not eat it. The waiter was then kind enough to bring me tacos instead which were much better. We rounded out the meal with flan and sponge cake. The flan was amazing and by far the best part of the meal. For the price, we had so much food and it was fun to try lots of different things. I enjoyed it okay but would not put it on my list of places to go back to. read more

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bottomless brunch was AMAZING. Joyce (our server) was AWESOME! 10/10 recommend Churros read more

El Centro - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I see all the other 1 star reviews so I see the experience is the same for everyone. I used to love El Centro's 14th Street location, but this location the service was absolutely terrible! We wanted to sit outside because inside was too hot. Two tables were finished but the waitress took 30 minutes to process their payment. We complained several times to the two people at the front desk that the tables were being serviced to no response. As we stood there observing this for so long, we saw that no table was brought silverware and napkins. Every table had their food delivered with no silverware. You would think after the first incident the waitress would think to bring the silverware when she takes the order but no. One time the server brought out three plates of food, put it on a tray on the sidewalk and left, never to return. The table only realized this 15 minutes later and just took their plates, with no silverware. How do you leave people's plates on the sidewalk with so many people walking by??? When we ordered food, same thing happened, so I asked the man who delivered our food if he could bring us forks, he didn't. The table next to us said they got their food without water or the cocktails they ordered. The Esquites was way too spicy and not served with any chips. The bathroom on the first floor was gross. It connects to a large closet where the staff keep their cleaning supplies and the door was left open and the room was dark which was creepy so I didn't use that bathroom. The table next to us did use that bathroom and took a picture of it. I used the other bathroom whose door doesn't lock properly. We went upstairs for the late night dancing and they don't have club lighting so its practically pitch dark in there. We asked for plastic cups to take our drinks to go but the cap didn't fit the cup. Is this McDonalds, do they serve multiple sized drinks? The waitress brought back a new cap that didn't have a straw hole. Never returning. read more

Food subpar, Service... what service? I made a reservation here to celebrate a birthday at their Happy Hour. The prices looked good and I read good reviews on the food. Much to my dismay my experience was not at all as I expected. We were sat at a table in an uncomfortable far corner next to a DJ booth, with steps leading up to the level, where one seat was dangerously close to those steps and the person who sat there was uncomfortable the entire time. Our server did not pay us ANY attention whatsoever. We had to call him over several times, which was the ONLY way we could get his attention and place our orders. He did not give us silverware or napkins, we had to grab them from a table near by AND clear our own dishes from the table by stacking them ourselves and placing them on the table next to us. I wish I could make excuses for the poor level of service but we did notice that all the other tables received attentive service and were cleared as well. To make matters worse, when it came time to pay and we requested separate checks our server admitted that he did not know what each of us had, so we had to write it down for him... I repeat, we had to write it down for him. Which added even more time to our checking out process which was already delayed because our table was being ignored. The food was just okay. The Happy Hour margaritas tasted watered down and inconsistent. Obviously, I will never return there again. There are FAR too many better restaurants in Georgetown to return where the food/bev is subpar and service is non-existent. read more

On my ride to Georgetown my lyft driver suggested my husband and I check this place out for a great happy hour. We ended up going a little earlier then happy hour because we had skipped lunch and were starving. I started out with a frozen strawberry margarita that was delicious and had a heck of a punch to it. Complimentary chips and salsa were brought our way and were delicious. The chips were thin and crispy with the perfect amount of salt. The salsa was amazing, very smoky in flavor with a little heat in the back. We decided to get the lunch special. One tinga chicken taco, one cheese enchilada, a small cup of chicken tortilla soup, and rice and beans. The presentation of the meal was beautiful, full of color, but the flavors were disappointing. The soup tasted more like a tomato basil soup, which wasn't bad but definitely not what I was expecting. The taco left a lot to be desired, very bland but what flavor it did have wasn't good. Maybe the chicken was bad, or possibly from a can. I skipped out after 1 bite. The cheese enchilada was the star of the meal. Full of delicious chihuahua cheese topped with a salsa verde, pickled onions and salad. The rice and beans were just okay. For $13 I left feeling a little disappointed. It seems maybe they were understaffed. Sitting at the bar our bartender was the one running back and forth from the kitchen serving people food, he seemed overwhelmed but still gave us pretty good service. If I am in the area again I would definitely stop in for a margarita, and chips and salsa, but would skip out on the entrees. read more

El Centro - Lunch special. Chicken Tortilla Soup, cheese Enchilada , chicken tinga taco. Rice and beans. - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Worst service I have ever had in my life. Came at 2pm on a Saturday and they were not busy, but sat there for over an hour and server only came to us twice after we flagged her down. Do not recommend read more

Always a fan of this spot and find myself coming back here for happy hour whenever I'm in Georgetown. It's a casual fun spot to catch up with friends. A fair warning that drinks here are strong all in all, so if you're not into that, definitely ask to make it lighter. the salsa is my favorite thing there, and the best part is, it's free! The downside is that because the happy hour deals are great and its also filled with young college students, the service can be a bit slow. You have to flag down someone or else you won't get wHat you need. However, a recent positive exPerience I had last monday was, we ordered food at the bar but they forgot to bring us our guacamole and chips that we ordered, so they gave it to us on the house and also even gave us a free sPecial drink (blueberry mojito). The drink was honestly better than our margs so we left pretty happy:) read more

I'm a sucker for Mexican food, so when I was in town for a bachelorette party and needed to find somewhere that could accommodate a large group, this was my first suggestion. Love that they take large party reservations on OpenTable. Our table was ready for us exactly on time. Service was a little spotty. I'm sure it was harder with us being a larger group, but we had to ask for single glass refills of water several times before a pitcher was finally brought over. The margaritas were quite good--very strong and pretty fresh, which I can appreciate. We snacked on a few appetizers that were pretty good. We were mostly too full on chips and salsa to order entrees (#relatable) but got a few plates of tacos to share. The tacos were just alright. They did the trick but nothing to write home about. Seems like a very fun atmosphere that gets by on booze and the food is a secondary concern, which served our purpose just fine. read more

Yikes. Out of all but 2 or 3 beers. Overheard them say they were out of tequila (?!) Space was good. Maybe it was a bad day but I didn't stick around for food. read more

Three stars for the food and one for service at the restaurant AND bar tending when it turns into a club. My friends and I arrived around 8:30 on a Saturday night and it was somewhat busy. Not full and most certainly not for your waitress to take a long time to ask what you want to order. We had tacos and chips with guacamole. Food wasn't bad but it wasn't outstanding either. The chips felt a little hard and stale but the sauce was not bad. The tacos were good too and the drinks were not bad. When dinner was over it took 10 minutes to get our check and the waitress didn't seem friendly or bothered to say thanks come again. We paid and went upstairs to have a few drinks. I had ordered two drinks, gave a tip and signed the tab. After a few minutes, I realized I left my cc in the bar and they said they had found it but it was somewhere with the bottles! They couldn't find it and told me to come back. I don't live nearby and told them I would wait because I would think regular protocol would be to put the card inside a register and not just leave it by the bottle section. I stood a good 15 minutes there waiting for someone to help me and look for the card since I couldn't go behind the counter and the guy finally found it, claiming it was on the floor. I was done with this place and left. Fast forward a week later and I see an extra 4 dollar tip charge in my bank account. Of course I disputed it but the fact they thought they could get away with it says wonders about this place. If you do go, I suggest to take cash and take lots of extra time in case their workers decide to be extra extra slow and dishonest on a Saturday night. read more

Bad bottomless brunch, which does not include unlimited drinks They charge an extra 3.85% for paying with credit card For parties of 7 or more, they only give 1 group check (not individual) and take 1 credit card per table (no splitting credit cards) Food was mediocre; only dish I liked was the guacamole (regular and crab), which was not included with the bottomless brunch. Food is coursed poorly; many dishes come out at once, leaving no space on the table. Portions are too big, leading to a lot of wasted food. Would be cheaper for restaurant to let people order individual dishes. Second floor was hot. Great bottomless brunches are Ambar and Farmers Fishers Bakers. read more

Hits the spot every time!!! You could always count on el centro for good margs and good bites! We came here for drinks, guac, and queso fundido, wowwwweeee. I love the tortilla that are served with the queso and the guac is very abundant!!! read more

El Centro - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

We had nachos for happy hour and they were delicious. Happy hour drink selection is limited to margaritas and a few beers, though very reasonably priced. Must be sitting at the bar for happy hour prices. read more

UPDATE: The event coordinator called and gave us much of our money back, which was highly appreciated. If you make a large group reservation, just continually follow up and communicate. SO many problems with contracted brunch We made a reservation and signed a $400 contract for a brunch of 20 people. When our group showed up, the hosts had no indication or evidence of our reservation, despite us paying for a contract to have a table ready for us. The hosts kept telling me we were at the wrong location and to go there. I had to show them the contract from my phone for them to even acknowledge our reservation. We then had to wait in the front of the restaurant for FORTY minutes for them to set up a table. We got to chatting with another large group in the front of the restaurant (who was sat before us despite them arriving after) and they didn't pay ANY money or sign a contract for their reservation. When we finally got to our table, there were not nearly enough seats for people, and half of the group was standing for another 20 minutes, and some people had to stand for the ENTIRE brunch. There were so many plates shoved onto the tiny tables that we couldn't even fit enough people into the booth and chairs for the plates. The tables themselves were so wobbly and squished with another party, we couldn't move. 5 people in our reservation had to sit at another table. We didn't get any menus, waters, chips/salsa or utensils for nearly 20 minutes after sitting. One of our guests had to get up and ask the bartender for chips before our server brought anything. There weren't enough cups for everyone, and some were dirty. The waitress was completely overworked handling three large parties. She gave us attitude for asking to get drinks ASAP and instead she focused on food, which came out before we even got a round of drinks going. Additionally, we had to run our own dishes/pitchers from the bar several times. Overall, this is the WORST brunch experience I have ever had, especially putting down that large of a down payment. The manager was frazzled and rude, and we were promised another table and never got it. We were completely baffled at the lack of customer service or apology given everything that the restaurant had done wrong. At the end, when we tried to reason about a discount, the restaurant only gave us three people off, despite all these errors and us signing a contract for them to have a table ready for us. None of this should have happened, and the experience and dealing with this has been completely awful. read more

El Centro - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Food was excellent and serviced hot and quick. Staff was on top of everything and when not busy, they were actively cleaning. Highly recommend! read more