El Centro is a two level restaurant with and outside balcony. During the winter months they put a cover with heaters to keep warm. They have 4 individual different bars. The second level converts into a dance club around 1030pm. They have to clear the tables and they allow anyone who wants to order food downstairs. The food is nothing special. My calamari had more fried batter than the actual meal. The drinks were good. My mojito cost 9 dollars and was serve in a glass beer cup. Other places they cost 10 and is serve in a half serve scotch glass, half the size. read more

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First time going here and had a good experience. We sat at the bar to avoid the 60 minute wait for a table. We started with chip salsa and spicy guacamole and shrimp ceviche. All delicious and very flavorful. For entree, We got the Camerones tacos and Barbados tacos. Taco orders came with side rice and beans. I loved the camerones tacos- the shrimps were cooked to perfect, seasoned very well and was delicious. Order mojito and that wasn't that good. It lacked sweetness and wasn't right. But good experience nonetheless. read more

If your wondering why this location doesn't have the same amount of reviews. Everything comes down to the service! Food here is great and so are the drink options for bottomless brunch. We had an assistant manager, manager and probably 2 servers serve us. There were times we had to hunt down either of those folks to check on our food, drinks and check. We stopped by here with a party of 14 everything was great expect the service and restrooms. Faucets wouldn't work, toilets wouldn't flush and pipes are leaking. Food over all here is really good. Our party loved the sliders, tortas, quesadillas, empanadas, tacos, churros and drinks. They have over 6 different alcoholic beverages you can choose from the bottomless brunch menu. Everyone left stuffed, but doubt we'd return with poor service. Overall we feel we received great value for what we paid for, but until reviews for service get better we won't be returning. read more

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Awesome spot for brunch on Saturday or Sunday!!! You need reservations and have a 2 hour window to eat/drink but it's plenty of time. The drinks and food come out quickly so you definitely get your money's worth. We ordered quite a few different dishes and every one was good. read more

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Had a reservation at 5. Wanted to do HH at 4. They would go ahead and seat us for our reservation but said we'd have to leave in 2 hours (table limit). But we couldn't go sit somewhere for an hour for HH and then do our reservation. Nor could we leave and come Back. Even though they had tons of tables and openings. The food is good the drinks are weak. They aren't doing flights (even though their website says they are). I've been here before but this was disappointing read more

The food was very good. We go to the restaurant in Alexandria an average of twice a month. The last time we were there was February 13, 2024, for dinner at around 6:00 pm. We were given the menus and there were no chips set on the table, as it had been done in the past. The waiter informed us unless we order the food, there are no chips given and that it was a new policy, he was not a very pleasant person either. We asked for another waiter/waitress to serve us. We are rethinking on going back because of the service. Our meal was over $67.00 including the tip. read more

Awful! I stopped here for a drinks and dessert after dinner on a Wednesday night. This will definitely be my last time there. It's hard to believe that this place is functioning in Georgetown. The restrooms were very gross. Pee on the floor and all over the toilet seat. Paper towels everywhere etc... I know that it can get crazy on the weekend but it was not really busy enough for this to be understandable. My margarita was way too strong and hard to swallow, I'm young so I didn't mind it but my grandma really did not enjoy it. And our bar tender/ waiter kept flirting with the other employees and guest and we kept having to yell over and wait for every order. Took him like 10 minutes to realize we were trying to pay :/ #NeverAgain My sister enjoyed her Spicy margarita, so that was nice... read more

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Let's see where to start. Went for Saturday brunch, service was poor, waited thirty minutes for dishes only for them to be cold. Food was mediocre, oh and I forgot to mention that my entire table of 6 has food poisoning as well. Long story short, do not come here. read more

I'll be back for Happy Hour margaritas anytime I'm in Georgetown! What started out as a mixed experience was quickly turned around with the chill vibe, tasty margs and excellent salsa to compliment their corn chips. We showed up with a large group for Sunday night happy hour and were told by the downstairs hostess to head upstairs to the covered (and heated) patio. Unfortunately, there was seemingly no communication between the downstairs hostess and the upstairs bartender and there weren't enough bartenders to open up the outside patio. The bartender upstairs put us into a very awkward predicament when he said we couldn't use the patio, but worse, he didn't try to help accommodate our group or make us feel welcome after the miscommunication. We were able to put tables together for ourselves and ordered at the bar (margaritas for $5: on the rocks or frozen) and a good assortment of happy hour menu items. The margaritas were the best part of the evening. They are definitely using a homemade mix, it's sour and delicious! They serve up a great, smokey salsa and the guacamole was delicious as well. We also ordered the chicken tacos, which were just okay; I'd stick with drinks and guacamole if in the mood for a snack. Overall, a great experience, although more group friendly than date friendly (it's pretty noisy and gets crowded further into the night--at least at the upstairs bar/restuarant area). read more

El Centro - Chicken tacos during happy hour. Okay, but the margaritas and guacamole definitely outshine the tacos! - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Food good; had nachos for the table, entrees of chicken enchiladas, and chef's special which was salmon. Food was generous, server very good. Prices were reasonable considering where it was located (Georgetown). read more

This place is a amazing, I recommend people for there brunch ooh lord there food is soooo yummy.

Fun Mexican restaurant with friends! We came to El Centro on a Thursday with a group of friends. This restaurant is great for groups. We started with table-side guac which was delicious. Chips and salsa are also offered on the house. The tacos and the enchiladas were both amazing. The Pepino cocktail was so refreshing but with a spicy kick. Would definitely recommend. Attached photos are the table side guac and the El Pastor tacos. read more

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

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Great Ambiance, Friendly servers but okay food. I went here for early b'day celebrations with group of friends. As we walked it, I was really impressed by the purple hue and quiet ambiance. The server was really helpful and quickly listed all the vegetarian options when asked upon. He also mentioned the ongoing drink specials and quickly brought the free chips and salsa for the table. I really loved the salsa. Fresh and tangy with little bit of spicy kick to it. I ordered the vegetarian tacos and my friend ordered Empanadas de platano* and Chicken Enchiladas Divorciadas. Our food arrived shortly and presentation was okay. I have to say that although I liked Empanadas, I wasn't very impressed with the Tacos. The taco had a rubbery layer underneath which I later found out was grilled cheese, grilled small pieces of zucchini and squash but I wasn't able to find the mushrooms in it. It was really dry and the grilled veggies were lacking the fresh juicy feelings. It was definitely not worth the price I paid for. Since that the only vegetarian option there besides the cheese quesadilla, I have to re-think on going there again. read more

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What a huge disappointment. Don't waste your time coming here for brunch. Cliff notes: -Table of 10+ for bottomless brunch -Waiter barely brought food we actually ordered -Waiter was nowhere to be found when needed -Alcoholic drinks seem watered down Read below for more info. ------- Let me say I used to love coming to the Georgetown location for brunch. The $35 bottomless is something you don't find many places. We have come here for several birthdays and other celebrations with large groups and always had a great experience. However, today sucked. We were a pretty large group again (10+) and were given a long table in the back patio, all ordered the bottomless brunch. Our server came by and took our drink orders somewhat quickly and brought them back within a reasonable time. After that things didn't go as we expected. To start, the waiter began bringing food out we had not ordered. Quesadillas, nachos, flautas, chips - things that seemed purposely brought to fill us up. He never actually asked what we wanted to eat. After 15 minutes of the round of food being out, some of us told him what we wanted to eat. However, we didn't see any of those items for another 20 minutes. Some of the items never arrived even. Another round of food we didn't order was served. Yet again, we ask for things we actually want. Ceviche, empanadas, plantains. 20 more minutes go by and we only see 1 or 2 of the things we ordered. At this point we have already complained to the manager on duty about our problems, however this didn't seem to affect the approach our waiter was taking. From this point on to the end our waiter seemed to only come by our table every 15 minutes. He was nowhere to be found! We couldn't order drinks, water was not refilled, dirty food plates never cleaned from table, etc. Lastly, everyone at the table agreed all cocktails were watered down. I personally drank 4-5 margaritas and didn't feel a thing (I don't have a high tolerance). Don't come here looking for a pleasant brunch experience. I sure won't. read more

Maybe they're having a bad day (I'm coming back after a while) but the service was terrible with 50% of our order not even communicated to the kitchen. We left hungry and frustrated after following up more than a few times. It's a Saturday evening (not even night yet) so this is very disappointing. read more

Ricardo our server was awesome!!! He was so friendly and provided superb service! Laura also went above expectations. Thank you both!! We had guacamole, chips & salsa; steak tacos ; chicken tacos; vegan tacos. All came with black beans and rice. Everything was delicious. We will definitely return when we are back in the area. read more

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El Centro's bottomless boozy brunch utterly surprised me...in the best way. For $35, you get delicious bottomless sharable plates and alcoholic drinks. Most bottomless brunches have subpar food and are only good for the drinks. However, El Centro serves yummy Mexican food and has good drinks! There's really not much you can ask for. I came on a Saturday afternoon. The place was very busy. We had a reservation and still waited 30 minutes past our reservation time. However, we were seated upstairs under the rooftop windows. It gave great lighting for taking pictures of our food. I would recommend asking for a table upstairs if you can because the downstairs is very cramped. Bathrooms are also upstairs! For food, I recommend the chips and guacamole, carne asada quesadillas, empanadas, and nachos. Obviously, the food isn't super "authentic," but it's very tasty. I don't recommend the churros at all. They were too oily on the outside and bready tasting on the inside. For drinks, I only had the mimosas, but my sister really enjoyed the margaritas. Servers will keep coming to refill your glass, so you will get enough drinks. For the price you're paying, El Centro's bottomless brunch is well worth it. read more

El Centro - Bottomless Brunch: Chips and Guacamole, Empanadas, Carne Asada Quesadilla - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I visited this spot on Friday, April 8th at 9pm by reservation for 7. Brought my family into town from Columbus, Ohio to visit more family. It was a really bad experience. I'm a former restaurant General Manager that knows how places operate, but I've been out long enough to have re-gained patience with restaurant service- especially with staffing issues that have plagued the country since COVID began. When we walked in, we were greeted warmly by the hostess. I admired the venue while they checked to make sure our table was ready. The place had character and energy. Folks have obviously thought out the concept of this place and it had a fun charm that I was excited to experience. We were led upstairs to our table, greeted pretty quickly, and ordered our first round of margs, which we had admired on the website and Instagram page. I asked for a classic lime marg on the rocks, my BIL asked for the "Pepino", and others in our parity ordered the spicy Mango Margarita. Our waiter had no idea what we meant when my BIL asked for "pepino". For those who don't know, this is the name for Cucumber(essentially) or Pepino Melon. We pointed out the name of the drink on the menu and all drinks came out, although they were not served as they were on social media or the website. No garnishes and they showed up in a pint glass. The drinks tasted good, but this was our first hint that there was a language barrier so great that our server couldn't understand what we wanted enough to provide good service. This review will take forever if I keep typing it out, long form, so I will turn to bullet points. - I went to the bathroom after ordering drinks and 2 out of the 3 mens stalls were covered in vomit. -the server only brought out 5 water glasses. We asked for water for the other 2 guests at our table and they didn't received them for over 50 minutes after 2 of our entrées were finally delivered. The rest of our party sat with empty water glasses for over a half hour despite asking for refills. - my daughter ordered sprite and had soda water delivered because the syrup was out. I told the server that they needed to switch the syrup bc it tasted like water and he said, "Water is OK?" And then "Yea, people have been complaining about that a lot today". This dude had no idea what soda syrup was. - he brought out 2 orders of cheese enchiladas instead of the cheese quesadillas we ordered. Along with 2 of the other fajita entrees(with no tortillas) and then left us to wait until our fajitas were cold. - I asked for the manager 2 times from other workers and both times they sent our waiter over. - I, and 2 other from my party attempted to re-order Pepino Margs, and he responded with "spicy, got it" and brought spicy mango margaritas back. It was a disaster. I should say, that when food showed up, it tasted good, and the drinks were pretty good as well, but our server seemed to have had nearly ZERO training, and would disappear for 10-15 minutes AT LEAST after everything we ordered. And the floor was NOT busy. There was an issue with a language barrier, but the even greater issue was more, that the dude had apparently no training, and no knowledge of the menu. He knows the word Pepino. Just doesn't know it's on the menu. At the end of it all, he knew I was not happy when only 2 out of 7 people had food, and when I asked him to bring every person at the table water again (and 2 water glasses, 55 minutes into the experience. If I were the GM of this restaurant, I would want to know how bad this was. If I were an owner, I would be upset. At the end of the day, the vomit should have been a signal that this place is not going to care about our party. It's probably a place to get hammered, and not to expect to eat dinner. Alcohol is what makes these people money and it's evident that's all they care about, or at least what's important. TLDR: go here to get hammered, don't go here for a dining experience. read more

Soooooooooo El Centro . We went there with a party of 6 for brunch & 2 kids .. We hyped the place so much and we were so excited .. We had reservations so we were seated right away .. but server took a while before drinks were served Started off with drinks & guac/ chips (the bomb) Service is the key when running a business the food took forever to come out once the order was placed .. some of us got our orders whiles others waited .. The drinks on the brunch menu called "frecas" were very STRONG. Had to return to get regular mimosas :/ manger ended up taking 50% off our bill cause it was kind of a mess But Overall the best thing was the steak quesadilla and guac & chips & plantanos & CHURROS read more

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It started off very promising, but then our waiter must've forgotten he was working. We arrived and we're promptly seated, we were served drinks and apps immediately, the waiter was very nice and friendly. We placed our orders for our meals, and that was it, no one came to check and see if we needed anything.. no water refills, no drink refills, we had to keep stopping random ppl to ask them for stuff we needed. The food was good but the service was def lagging! read more

I generally like El Centro, the service was good and fast but the food seemed old like it has been just sitting somewhere for a really long time and it had just been reheated. The rice and beans that came with my tacos were cold. Tacos were okay, not the best. read more

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Very good food . Service was pretty good. We had the esquites I believe (elote inspired guac) it was delicious. I chose the place and my bf said we'd definitely be back lol read more

El Centro - El Al Pastor Tacos Esquites Guac - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Georgetown is my favorite spot, but I truly feel like they could up their restaurant game. I went to Centro last week for Taco Tuesday, and was disappointed. I got three pork + pineapple tacos. The pineapple was great, but the meat was extremely dry. The beans had no beans in them, it was literally a black soup. The overall vibes of the place were nice, the lighting low, but not too low. I would say there are definitely other taco places I would hit up first. read more

El Centro - pork + pineapple tacos - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Really fun brunch/happy hour spot. Food is ok but what made our visit was our bartender/server Kevin. He is literally the best everyone needs to ask for him when they visit read more

Margaritas are good but that's kinda hard to screw up. I've been for brunch and the food came out kinda warm. Service is always subpar. It's like the bartenders forget that you exist, and you have to wave them down every single time to place an order. They rarely check in so what can be a half hour to hour experience turns into 1.5 to 2 hours even on a slow afternoon. read more

Food was great, atmosphere was great, and service was great. Will definitely be back here in the future.

Came here for brunch and it was probably the worst service I've ever had, especially considering this isn't a cheap place. There were like seven waiters all hanging around watching TV and talking with each other. Twenty minutes and several attempts later, I finally convinced someone that we needed a waiter. Even after that, the orders came out wrong, we had to ask 5+ times for stuff they forgot, had to bring stuff to the kitchen ourselves, had to get silverware ourselves, had to get water from the bar, etc. The waiter actually followed us out to tell us we didn't tip, which was extremely uncomfortable. I'm guessing he didn't notice we were doing his job for him. read more

George from Georgetown is THE BEST. The kindest, funniest most helpful server. The churros are phenomenal, melt in your mouth. Bottomless brunch is the right combo of food and drink and it's a great bang for your buck. read more

My first time here at El Centro was for DC Restaurant Week! Their meal was really great and authentic. The steak fajitas pictured here were really good and the RICE made it. I'm a huge rice guy and the rice they gave on the side was read more

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

Customer service was horrible . We sat in the patio area when we saw a giant rat crossing the patio wall.The food is 1 star the coke was flat. Place is not worth it. The closes thing that this restaurant has from D.F is me having to dine there. read more

I don't feel like looking through the reviews here to see what everyone's complaining about... but if it's not a good review, they're wrong, lol. Got the empanadas, ceviche, and carne asada for dinner. The ceviche was alright. Had mango in it-- wasn't a fan of that. Empanadas were good and the carne asada was the best I've had anywhere (cooked exactly how I ordered it too; medium-rare). Food came out super fast too. Excellent presentation. Downstairs is a little cramped, but upstairs is really big, and there's an outdoor patio. Upstairs turns into a dance floor at night. Commercial house was played during dinner. Then the DJ took over at 11PM. He was kind of all over the place to start the night (I don't like when they switch around genres between each song). More spanish music came on later in the night. I was pleased with that. I mean, I'm at el centro... I'd expect spanish music! lol Staff here was really courteous and quick with our orders. Bartenders at all three bars were pretty cool and funny. Ask for Jordan-- he's the man! Looks like a samurai. One of the best waiter I've ever had. Oh, can't forget the bathroom situation! It's awkward upstairs. They are separated but at the same time, the sinks are in the middle and there's no wall separating men from women. You go in there to check if there's food in your teeth and a pretty good girl could be right across from you watching! *awkward turtle* Also, there's only cold water coming from the faucets. Shoot... I don't need my experience to a spanish restaurant to be that authentic! Hook me up with some hot water. It's November! read more

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I've gone here four times for happy hour, and will most likely be back several more times before the end of summer. I always like to try new place but I fully accept this as our go-to happy hour place after work. I love the atmosphere at El Centro. There's a downstairs and an upstairs, but the upstairs is where you want to be. There are two bars upstairs, one inside and one outside, and there's always a good crowd at both. My co-workers and I always head straight for the outside bar, which has a relaxed, backyard gathering type of feel to it. Even with the sun beating down, you can't help but enjoy the setup. The best thing about their happy hour is of course the drinks. Every drink they've made has tasted great, and I haven't found a bad drink on the menu yet. You can get a giant glass of margarita for $5 and they are amazing. Either the frozen mango, tradition margarita, or one of the house specials options would be my favorite...so what I'm trying to say is pretty much any drink on their happy hour menu is great. Whether you get it frozen or on the rocks, both taste great. The frozen drinks are also much stronger than the non-frozen ones. I haven't order much from their food menu, but they have deals every day of the week and I was there once for taco Tuesday, and the taco I had was pretty good. They had three options and I ordered the two meat tacos, and the chicken taco was the best one. One of my co-workers ordered the mole fries but I wasn't a fan of taste. It's sweet and spicy and you'll either end up liking it or hating it depending on palette. read more

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

Is there anything better than chunky guacamole & frozen margaritas? Albeit, the guac will set you back almost $10 on any given day, but thankfully El Centro's saving grace is its happy hour. From 4-7 everyday, you get can your fix of $6 guacamole (still expensive....but I'll take it) & $5 margaritas that pack a decent tequila punch. Not the best Mexican you'll ever eat, but with a good happy hour & a great back patio during warmer weather, it's definitely worth the early evening trip there. read more

El Centro - Happy Hour Guac. - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I am actually really shocked by how good this place is. I'm a Texan, so I made it a rule to never eat at a Mexican restaurant while I am in DC because I just knew I would be disappointed. Well hot diggity I was not disappointed when I came here! I was first coerced into coming here about a month ago when someone told me I just HAD to get the margaritas here. They told me that one made happy hour extra happy and it just gets better from them on. I came here with a friend from Texas and we got two strawberry margaritas on the rocks each and we could not figure out what people were talking about since we didn't feel anything even though they were delicious. I went back about two weeks later with a friend and we got the frozen margaritas and oh my god I don't even know what I was thinking. THE FROZEN MARGARITAS ARE WHERE IT'S AT!!! Don't be a rookie and get the margaritas on the rocks they are amazing but I don't even know how to explain how awesome the frozen margaritas are (and they are $5 on Wednesdays). Oh yeah, and the barbacoa (beef cheek) tacos are bomb AF! This Texan is giving El Centro a solid thumbs up. read more

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

Best Mexican food in the Georgetown area. Tacos and quesadillas are always unreal. The margaritas are also outstanding. Vibe is awesome.

I love this Mexican restaurant. The brunch is sooo good. There's an unlimited option (with or without drinks) which is a great deal if you plan on being there a long time. The drinks are definitely worth it though! You can also just order a la carte if you don't plan on drinking much or eating a lot. The chips and salsa are great as the salsa is super smokey and has a great flavor. I will definitely be back here! read more

What a boondoggle. Waitress asked if anyone has allergies and wife explained that she can't eat onions and if possible please substitute with peppers instead as she was going to make vegetarian fajitas from the chicken fajitas as they did not have a vegetarian option. When the dinner came out for our table of 4 my wife's fajitas were slathered in onion along with salsa with onion with very little peppers. Pretty much not edible for her except for the small side of rice and beans. She politely asked the waitress if they could just give her some more peppers and she would make do. Five minutes later the waitress informed us that sadly the chef will not do that but they could redo the entire meal without onions. Well by then everyone else was done and it was late and service is kind of slow on this Saturday night so that wasn't a great option. Manager did give us a whole $4.00 discount after much back and forth. He was really holding the line. Pretty lousy and unacceptable experience. Still tipped but not as much. Back at the Fairmont hotel and wife will grab a small bite to eat here. Other thoughts: food is mediocre at best. There are a lot of great dining choices in Georgetown so choose wisely. Table side guacamole is in fact not made table side but brought out to our table already assembled. Air conditioning is either very light or nonexistent. On the plus atmosphere is festive and probably a nice place for margaritas. read more

The bottomless brunch is an absolute NO. The food is nothing to talk about...the quality of the food seemed like it was pre-made and it came out cold. The drinks were terrible. The margarita tasted like lime and sugar. The mimosas were not fresh and they were lukewarm. The service, not worth mentioning. All in all, you could never get me to come back. read more

Great service! Excellent food. It was the perfect dinner pre-fireworks for the 4th of July!

Went for all you can eat brunch. Was amazing! Food and drinks were great and definitely worth the price.