Everybody has different taste buds so maybe these tacos just didn't excite my taste buds. There was minimal flavor in everything I tried. I tried the guac which needed more or at least some jalapeno, cilantro, salt, and lime and whoever was cutting/mashing back there had the knife skills of Stevie Wonder. There were big chunks of avocado everywhere. The tacos were just all wrong. We tried the pulpo (chorizo flavor was lacking because somebody must have forgot that potatoes soak up salt), but the octopus was tender. The overall flavor profile was sweet however. I asked for extra lime just to get another note of my palate covered. The carne asada would have been great, but somebody forgot to salt the steak. I had to ask for a salt shaker. With a little salt and lime it was much better. But the WORST offender was the Al pastor. That was a crime. Shredded pork that was braised (not spitted) in some kind of sweet sauce with pineapple on top. JUST NO. I thought to myself maybe we just got bad tacos lets try a few more..... sigh.... sigh...sigh... That's me waiting for our waiter to ever acknowledge us. Not once did he check on us. NOT ONCE. There was a very kind lady that got us new drinks. She also got us water and menus when we said were willing to try more tacos. We waited and waited and waited then we just finally stopped and asked the same lady to get us the check. When she tried to tell our waiter we asked for the check he ignored her. I was like ...hmm glad to know he universally ignores people. Then when we got the check he'd left beers on our tab that he told us they didn't have on tap. I am not willing to try this place again. I honestly wish I could get a refund because it was poor food and poor service. read more

This place has amazing happy hour deals. Anywhere I can get some amazingly flavored and grilled elote for a few dollars is a winner to me. There are also classic margaritas for under $5 and a few taco specials. The food was great and came out fast. If I'm in the area again, I would definitely go back for more. read more

I'm so happy this place remained open during COVID. The food and drinks are amazing and the service is great.

A cute, intimate place for a great date night! I went here on a Monday night for some drinks and a quick bite to eat. Their house margaritas are excellent and they have spicy salt which was a greate extra touch. I ordered some open-faced veggie tacos which were filling and just enough. Happy Hour all day on Monday's is an amazing deal, but even without the happy hour prices, you can't beat the price and high-quality food! The atmosphere is a great date vibe. Bar seating with high-top tables (there is outdoor seating and a covered roof as well). read more

El Chucho is a great local spot. The food is good (not great) and a little over-priced and the service is always pretty mediocre but I love coming here for the atmosphere and it's a great place to sit outside. Also the strawberry haberno margarita is delicious. read more

Sorry folks, but I really don't see why all the hype. After reading all the reviews, I really couldn't wait to sink my teeth into the elote (I stocked up on napkins ahead of time in anticipation of my mayo-and-cotija-slathered face) and try these supposedly tasty tacos. We went at 4pm on a Sunday to avoid the rush, and were happily surprised to learn it was happy hour, so tacos and guac were cheap! The happiness of the surprises stopped there... The Food: 1. The Guacamole - was, frankly, terrible. I really thought it tasted like it was mixed from a packet, but one of my friends claimed he saw an avocado chunk or two in there. Either way, it didn't taste like avocado at all. It had no lime or other acid to balance the creaminess. I saw diced tomatoes but couldn't really taste them either. And the scant handful of chips that came with it was a joke. They usually charge $8 for this?? Even at the $5 happy hour price we felt ripped off! At last the waitress didn't charge us for the extra chips we requested, but still - this did not bode well for the rest of the meal. 2. The Elote - this was perhaps the largest disappointment of the meal, though that probably has a lot to do with how excited I was about trying it. The corn looked nicely charred, but didn't actually have any of that yummy smokiness one hopes for in grilled corn. The corn itself was dry and a bit shriveled - overcooked? Not fresh? A bit of both? Also, one of the two mayo-esque sauces had an odd tang to it that I personally did not like. And while I'm a huge fan of all things creamy, I thought they went a bit overboard with the mayo/aioli combo - it was a pretty unbalanced experience overall. 3. The Flautas - these were not bad. The outer shell was crunchy and flaky and tasty. Personally, I couldn't deal with the huitlacoche - that was my first and last time eating it. But that's not the restaurant's fault by any means. 4. The Tacos - the Asada and al Pastor fillings were fairly tasty, but nothing to write home about. The Pollo was bland-o. The tortillas were store-bought and got super chewy the second they started to cool off. 5. The drinks - I enjoyed my Limon Refresco. It wasn't very sweet at all, which surprised me a little, but was still super refreshing. None of my friends were overly excited about their drinks - one thought her margarita was too sweet. The Atmosphere: Here's where they earned half of that second star - the rooftop, though tiny, is lovely and breezy and was a great place to spend a Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, it's also absolutely buzzing with mosquitos - at least if you're sitting next to the potted plant garden - which definitely detracted from the loveliness. The Service: Here's where they earned the other half of that second star - everyone was super pleasant and helpful, from the bartender who welcomed us to the waitress that served us. Unfortunately, our waitress was also INCREDIBLY slow, despite the fact that the tiny joint was half empty. She took so long to bring us back our bill that one friend actually just walked down to the bar to retrieve her change herself on her way out. Overall, the visit was a huge disappointment and it would take quite a bit of arm-twisting to get me to return. read more

Love their margaritas, especially the basic El Codo - doesn't have the agave syrup, so it is on the a-bit-more -sour side, which I find wonderful. Also love the chili salt, wish they would offer cilantro salt as well. Great alcohol free options as well - blackberry poblano and coconut keffir lime were particularly fun, also spiked. Food wise they are not necessarily better than the offering in the neighborhood, I prefer the La Preferida food truck up north. But if you are in Columbia Heights, this is the place to go given the drink options to your food. Chips, salsa, guac were great, it's just the "al pastor" wasn't as good as elsewhere. That's why only a four star. Staff is friendly, plenty fast but not too bothersome with pushing stuff on you. Roof top is great for late summer evenings, I hope they get some heating lamps for October and maybe early November to keep it open. read more

Well, it only took me three weeks to return to El Chucho! It was a very similar experience to the first time - a popping Saturday afternoon Happy Hour bumping reggae and ska tunes that just make you want to dance! It was crowded, but fortunately we snagged seats at the bar soon after we arrived. (A downside of this restaurant is that it is small. If you do not have a designated seat, it is hard to stand somewhere and not be in the way, i.e. you will be bumped in the shoulder every single time somebody passes by.) I suppose I am a creature of habit, because I was again drawn to the frozen Strawberry Habanero Margarita with a Chili Salt rim! I also repeated history with my food selection - Tacos Al Pastor and Chips & Chipotle Salsa. My boyfriend got Elote Callejero, street-style corn on the cob. The tacos are small, but flavorful. The salsa is smoky and a large portion! I could have used either twice as many chips or half the salsa! In fact, the bartender offered to refill the chips, but she got busy and never did :( It was my boyfriend who really branched out this time. He sprung for a shot of Don Julio 1942, and of course I tasted :) It was delicious - silky and smooth! Later, our friend got the Rico Suave, a margarita featuring Don Julio 1942 plus Grand Marnier, fresh squeezed lime juice, and a black sea salt rim. The shot is $18, and the cocktail is $25. He said it was a good drink, but in his opinion, the Margarita just drowned the tequila. It was better to save the $7 and just get the shot! TOTAL PRICE TAG: $19 (not including gratuity) for 2 Happy Hour frozen margaritas, Happy Hour Tacos (2 to an order), and Happy Hour Chips & Salsa SERVICE: As I mentioned previously, the bartender offered to refill the chips for our Chips & Salsa, but she never did. Also, she was pretty sassy, making sarcastic comments before she even built a rapport with us. In general, I would not consider the El Chucho staff the friendliest or most attentive. RETURN STATUS: Clearly we could not stay away long, but next time I think it will be longer. We will probably be back within three months. read more

Way overpriced, good atmosphere but food was terrible and only very limited menu options. Got a blackberry pablano margarita only to discover it contained a ton of hot sauce. I couldn't even stomach more than a few sips before massive heartburn started to rip though my chest. I exchanged it for a regular margarita, but when the waitress brought the check it still had it on there. She said her manager wouldn't let her remove it from the check... So I spent $8 on a few sips of what amounted to hot sauce on the rocks with tequila. The food was so bad I had to stop eating after a few bites. I had some sort of pork Torta "drowned" in salsa for like $12. They delivered a sandwhich comprised of about 80% bread (thanks, $12!) that- sure enough- had salsa drenched all over it...including all over the top of the bread not just inside the sandwhich. It came with 2 plastic gloves that you were apparently supposed to use to pick up your football -sized salsa -sponge and shove it into your pie-hole. (Sidenote- great date spot!) I took a few bites with a fork and knife and gave up. read more

Although I've only been here a few times to sample the happy hour menu, the food and bevs are a tasty and affordable treat. My favorites being the al pastor tacos and the margarita on tap with chili salt. Also big bonus points for the prevalent use of corn tortillas. Aside from being light on the wallet and pleasant to the taste buds, the outdoor seating situation in this place is great. They have a little space out in front and also a faux-ish roof deck. Up top, you get the glory of outside summertime seating but with cooler temps and foliage. The staff is friendly and attentive. Definitely check out this spot if you're on 11th! read more

This review if for brunch. In addition to the regular menu offerings, el chucho offers an additional small brunch menu including items such as pancakes, green eggs and ham, and chilaquiles. We first ordered drinks. The selection included margaritas, agua frescas, and homemade sodas. Some of us wanted to try their special "green bloody mary" made with tomatillo juice but they said they were out of the juice. I asked for a jamaica agua fresca with vodka but the waitress said she wasn't sure if they could make that drink so she would have to ask if it was possible. Shortly after, my friend realized that there was a similar drink on the menu with the only difference being that one had lime. I guess the waitress wasn't very familiar with the drinks menu. All around everyone seemed happy with their drinks, although they were somewhat expensive relative to the food prices ($6-10 for cocktails, about $5-12 for food). Our real concern was the food. After waiting about 30-35 minutes after ordering, most of our food arrived (we had a group of 11 so this waiting time wasn't too unreasonable, although the restaurant was only about half full). Several of us had ordered the chilaquiles, which were described as being chilquiles with eggs and black beans. What we received was a pile of scrambled eggs topped with black beans, chunks of tomato and onion and some cotija cheese served with a large chip on the side. Chilaquiles is a traditional Mexican dish comprised of crisp tortillas smothered in an enchilada or mole type sauce, sprinkled with cotija or queso fresco and sometimes topped with eggs or chicken. What we received was nothing like chilaquiles, was bland, and some of our plates were cold and the portions were uneven. Needless to say, none of us enjoyed it very much. Some other friends tried the tacos, which they said were good. Another tried the green eggs and ham, which was pupusas topped with refried black beans, ham, and poached eggs. Tried a bite of this dish and it was much better that the chilaquiles. No one was really wowed by their meals though. Another complaint was that this dish came out about 10 minutes after the others. I know we had a big group, but this place should be able to prepare and serve everyone a hot meal at the same time. In sum, this place might be good for tacos or drinks, especially with happy hour specials. It was certainly not a satisfying place for brunch. read more

Monday all-night happy hour? Yes. Yesyesyes. Margaritas on tap? Love it. I almost always get the calabacita tacos. They've always been super nice about vegan-izing them and making sure there are no gluten ingredients. (Yes, I have weird stomach things. But I don't know how it would be for people who are super sensitive and have to look out for cross-contamination.) read more

This place is hard to review. I like the food but it is far too expensive for what you get. $7 for two 4 inch tacos but they are very tasty. Drinks are good and they have an expansive selection of tequila. Also reasonably priced. I would go there for a few drinks and a few tacos before you go to KBC for some real dinner. Or drinks after dinner. Either way its worth it to check out. read more

This place is amazing - mostly because of the incredibly warm and friendly staff! Our server/bartender was Jake and he made a point of not only welcoming us to happy hour but also making sure we were familiar with the menu and the rest of the team. He checked on us regularly and made several great suggestions when we weren't sure what to order. The food and drinks were good but the service really made the difference! read more

El Chucho is one of my favorites!! Great rooftop atmosphere. Big fan of the al pastor tacos, and the Elote Callejero. Their happy hour on mondays is always a go to if I want to meet up with friends. The service is good too, Kevin is a fabulous server. I went here on Cinco De Mayo and it was good deals and great food. Went here for brunch on New Years Day (I like to frequent this place for all of the holidays apparently), and their Bloody Mary was the perfect hangover cure with a great amount of spice, and the al pastor breakfast burrito was the bomb. read more

I love this place! Beer is average price ($4+), service is pretty quick, and the bar is fun to sit at. When it's warm they open up the counter and patio, and there's a really pretty upstairs that I only go to see when it rained, so they had the plastic curtains up, but it's almost entirely natural light. Food is DELISH. 2 tacos for $6 (I usually end up getting 4), and it made me a taco convert. Really interesting margaritas (ex: orange blossom habanero; ginger and hibiscus). They have a ton of types of tequila too. The place is small so there can be a wait, but it's become my go-to for a quick dinner and pre-pregame. read more

Came into DC for the weekend to visit and of course I had to do brunch ( live for brunch). Some friends and I went to El Chucho because I've never been and they went last year around this time. We got the bottomless mimosas. They had two options hibiscus and regular. I of course switched in between them both of them because I liked them both. For my entree I went with the churrasco con huevo which was marinated skirt steak with two eggs with chimichurri and home fries. The steak was cooked so perfect everything was just really well put together. I would definitely recommend this place. Our server was attentive as well and made sure if something was wrong it was fixed. Overall it was a great experience. read more

El Chucho - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I worked an event at El Chucho for El Jimador tequila, during National Margarita Day. The place seems dive-y but the menu is sophisticated. It definitely was crowded around happy hour - with most people huddled on the first floor around the bar, but plenty of space on the second floor. The crowd started to dissipate around 7:30PM. I was very impressed with the quality of drinks and the prices. The bartenders and other staff were super friendly as well. After my event was done i ordered the elote, which was very yummy. The item that I still crave though is the pulpo tacos, with grilled octopus and chorizo. It was DELICIOUS! This place is a little out of the way for me but I'm definitely planning on making it my upcoming Cinco de Mayo spot for sure! read more

Best place for tacos al carbon and elotes!!! Very casual and happy hour is the best time to come here. Service is pretty good. Parking is of course hard but it's worth it. Love this place. read more

The place is super small not accommodating for large parties and our waiter was rude after we requested her to be more attentive to our table as i had to often get up and ask for service because she stood in the corner and texted... Rather than doing her rounds to make sure tables were ok, THEN texting which i wouldn't mind so much. read more

Went here Friday night....I used to love sidebar - great cocktails. And I used to love el chucho - great drinks and awesome food. But man have they gone way down! The drinks were great. The service was sub par, the food was meh, that is until we saw multiple mice running around and then that's just nasty. Sorry this place is just not what it used to be, pretty nasty and the service just doesn't even try to make a difference. read more

Fun Mexican restaurant/bar on 11th St. NW. Tasty tacos & elote (grilled street corn on the cob). Fun cocktails, including a habanero margarita if you like spicy cocktails (I looooove spicy drinks). Nice rooftop with a good amount of shade thanks to some artfully places umbrellas & distressed doors. Has a very casual vibe & is perfect for a lazy summer day. Prices are fairly cheap. read more

I love the chuch. I realized I've never rated chucho before, and just wanted to say as a regular that this spot is underrated and consistently good. The upstairs is lovely and they have been great at respecting covid distancing rules. Tuna tacos are really good. Full tequila bar with great selection. Wait staff and bartenders are wonderful always. read more

My favorite little bar for catching up with friends. The upstairs provides a quieter atmosphere than the bar downstairs but regardless the food is great. Get Elotes here!!! read more

Went here for dinner with some friends and it was pretty mediocre. Located in a cool neighborhood in Columbia Heights and has a somewhat divey vibe. Ordered the pomegranate tart apple soda spiked with vodka which was really good. Then had the enchiladas suizas - they were good, on the smaller side, but nothing to write home about unfortunately. I would come back here if I was in the neighborhood looking for a simple bite - but wouldn't necessarily go out of my way again. read more

Honestly, I used to love El Chucho - 5 stars, no questions. I went back last night for the first time in a while and was extremely disappointed by the food. The elote (so famous) was not as delicious as I remembered and had brown butter on it, which interferes with the more traditional flavors of mayo, cotija cheese, lime, spices, and cilantro. I also had the chimichangas (meh) and my dining partner had the calabacita tacos (again, meh) and pescado tacos, which were better. The only things that were on point were the guacamole and the $5 el codo. I will just come here for apps next time. read more

I will definitely be back! The Al Pastor tacos were to die for. I also thought the salsa was amazing. I wasn't that impressed with the guacamole (seemed a bit flavorless) and the other two tacos I ordered: Atun (tuna) and Asada (steak), so next time I want to get just Al Pastor. I think the vibe and decor is cool. Our service was pretty slow/inattentive, but hopefully that was just a fluke. I also thought the prices were a bit high ($12 for a tiny margarita really adds up) so I plan to check out the Monday all-night HH. read more

Bearded bartender bro with the backwards Austin hat was clearly having a bad day. Dude, I know your life sucks, but why you gotta take it out on people during Sunday brunch? Your pouty attitude put a damper on our experience, so we went to Wonderland instead. read more

This place is horrible! I do not recommend it! They have the absolute worst service! Most of the servers need to be re-trained STAT. My rating was influenced by the hostess, our server, horrendous customer service, and an unenjoyable experience from beginning to end. Michael was our server and probably the most incompetent person I've ever met. He didn't greet us nor introduce himself. He didn't explain to us that they do not carry commercialized soda products, the variety types of salt for margaritas, and most importantly his "customer service" was intolerable. When we got our food, he didn't provide us napkins. He didn't refill our drinks, when I clearly saw him refilling others at the other end of the room. He even took my friends drink and she didn't even finish it!!! He did not bother to ask us if we wanted anything else, he just simply dropped the check on us. He had this look on his face that he was annoyed, not personable at all! If you have personal problems affecting your work ethic, have someone else cover for you. It's that simple. He clearly did not give a rats ass about anything and would rather roll his eyes at customers. Everyone take caution when visiting. I'm surprised this place has good reviews. The place does have potential. The Al Pastor Tacos and margarita were good but clearly, my experience with the server clouded my views even to the slightest good parts of the evening with friends eager to try out a new place. But with incompetent rude staff and their poor customer service skills, I will not be back. read more

Brunch Review: The only reason I'm giving a 4 stars is because the brunch deal is a good value - bottomless 2 flavors mimosas and an entree for $24 price. Tempted to give a 3. The food is solid and the atmosphere is very low key / no frills. read more

This place has gone downhill in a big way. I've come many times over the course of a few years, and I used to love it. They still have great drinks, but I just had an utterly subpar dinner experience. The first time I came and had their elote, it was transcendental. This time, it was overcooked and mediocre. The two different kinds of tacos we had were meh. The tuna ceviche had underripe mangos and avocado and overripe tuna. Had to send it back, and it was taken off our bill without an issue. We sat on the roof deck and saw a whole lot of mice scurrying about. When we walked past the kitchen on the way out, we knew why - there was food covering the floor and piles of tortilla chips under all the appliances. Gross. Sadly, this will probably be my last trip to an old stand-by favorite. read more

Bar Review only: Great little spot for a ice cold Pacifico and great hardcore over the speakers. Wish we would have eaten there instead of a place up the street, but it's a cozy hideaway for a pop or two. Wish they were showing something else on the TV (or no TV at all) besides weird VR gaming POV but small beef... read more

I've been to El Chucho's more than I can count. The Calabacita tacos have to be my absolute fav. (Just make sure they serve you a warm tortilla, otherwise it won't taste as great as it could be) Although their food is pretty tasty, I always seem to leave disappointed with the service. I normally eat at the bar where the waiter can be either super inviting or sarcastic and nonchalant. I've received more of the latter personalities, which is sad for such a dope neighborhood. To sum it up good food, bipolar staff. Sorry, but I had to add that the tortilla chips taste terrible. read more

Gonna keep this review short and sweet: El Chucho is a delight. Tasty and inventive food, generous drinks, and enthusiastic wait-staff. Definitely a "go-to" spot for a quick bite or cocktail. 5 stars! (Minus 1 star for the swarm of flies that attacked us out front as soon as our food arrived. Where did those come from?) read more

Went to El Chucho yesterday for the happy hour and had an awesome meal. It was affordable, delicious, and the service was friendly. We liked it so much we went back today. After reading a previous review I was skeptical when I heard that the upstairs service was worse than the downstairs service. Unfortunately that proved to be true. When going upstairs today there were 25 tables, 10 of them 4 tops, the rest 2 tops, and only 1 couple was up there. The sun was directly in the eyeline of all of the two seater tables, so we requested to move in the shade (putting us at one of the 10, shaded, empty 4 seaters). The waitress looked at me smiled and said "ehhh, we can't do that". Being uncomfortable because of the sun, we had to leave. I would have understood if it was busy, but it was 4:25 on a weekday. We would have ate/drank $100 worth, tipped $25 (we are in the service industry), and left before dinner rush. If you dont treat your customers right, someone else will; looks like El Chucho didn't need our money tonight or going forward. read more

2.5 stars really. I went for brunch with some friends this weekend. They had been the weekend before and enjoyed it. We were seated upstairs and like previous posters have mentioned, the service was s l o w. It wasn't a big deal to us since we weren't in a rush. 3 of the 4 people at the table ordered brunch items: the scrambled eggs, the pancakes, and the rum raisin tamales. The eggs looked a bit overcooked and when our friend asked for hot sauce, they brought her salsa (wth?). My pancakes were good. Very hearty and the agave syrup was nice. Then, my husband's rum raisin tamales showed up. They were tiny--slightly bigger than a spring roll. They were also supposed to be filled with cream cheese and these weren't. Our friend had ordered them last week and she kept repeating that they were twice as large as what showed up on my husband's plate (and that she couldn't finish them and had to bring home leftovers. Obviously not the case here. He was pissed and never wants to go back. read more

Fantastic happy hour deals! Delicious food! Phenomenal corn on the cob! The only downfall is that this place is so fantastic that it gets way too crowded! read more

Super hipster, yet still affordable. The corn is a MUST. Wait staff is friendly, bearded, and attractive. Definitely the best brunch spot in DC! read more

My fiance and met another couple for dinner here. We started with drinks which were awesome and so was the service. I had their Blood Orange Habanero Margarita with chili salt. you have to get the chili salt a small touch that goes along way. from there we ordered nachos, Elote Callejero which is their street corn which they split in half for us so we could all share. All of the drinks and apps were great. Then we got to the tacos which were just okay. My fiance and i shared three type of tacos (2 per order). We ordered the Asada, pollo and the Calabacita rajas. The Asada was okay at best and the steak was overcooked. The pollo was somewhat solid and the Calabacita rajas was the best of three which is not saying that much. The drinks and the apps are the only reason i gave El Chucho four stars as the taco are tiny and just okay. knowing what i know we would definitely go back and order tons apps and drinks and make it into a meal. Great dinning experience as well just beware of the tacos. read more

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We had a great experience here. We were a large party of 11(two families, several kids) , and came for an early dinner after searching for good Mexican food in Columbia Heights. The staff was excessively kind, did their best to seat us and recommended things the kids would like (they made a cheese quesadilla for my little daughter). We loved the food - the Mexican Corn is delicious. We all enjoyed the tacos, especially the fish tacos. The servings might be considered "small plates", for example there are 3 small tacos in an order. I found it to be the perfect size, and a side of corn was plenty. You might need to order more if you're a big eater, but the prices are pretty great. I'd come back with my husband on a night we can find a babysitter, it really is more of a bar-type place than a family restaurant.... but we did enjoy the food and service. read more