The food was bland. The stuffed chiles weren't stuffed and the pork belly wasn't pork belly it was shredded shoulder or something. Why would anybody shred pork belly anyway. They had no hot sauce to spice it up either which was really lame. It ain't authentic Mex. I wouldn't go back. read more

Our bartender Nate was awesome! I usually don't sit at the bar, but this time me and my friend decided to sit at the bar. Nate was very friendly and had great drink suggestions. They should have Nate at the bar more often! read more

I've been only been here for there happy hour, and it was very enjoyable and had great prices. I got the guac, two tacos, and three tecates all for $19 dollars. The tacos were great. My friends all got margaritas and they were awesome, not overly sweet. I'll definitely be going back. read more

The food here is excellent. No complaints here. I went to have some of their great food, but was treated very poorly by the hostess. She offered a seat that was clearly so crowded out as to make it unavailable, and even though there were 4 free tables, acted like I was taking up valuable space if I sat at one. There were diners next to the table she offered, even though there was the same size table with no one just one table over. When I asked to sit at the other table, she refused. The diners were actually using the table she offered for extra space, they were so crowded. Rather than eat squished next to them, even though there were other tables, I left. Incredible. read more

great tacos, margaritas, and happy hour deals! close walk to the Columbia Heights metro :)

Nothing cures post-vacation back-to-reality blues like margaritas. I know, I know, middle class problems. Trip #2 to El Chucho did not disappoint. Mick may be the coolest, friendliest, least pretentious bartender in the area. God bless him for introducing this novice to a nice sample of sipping tequilas as well as hooking a sister up with some fantabulous concoction of cafe de olla and espresso, straight out of his own coffee cup, because they didn't have any coffee. Now that's that I call service. read more

The service was excellent. The vibe was...vibrant! The food was delicious. I will definitely be back to this quaint spot. Sitting upstairs was perfect. Even though it's a bit noisy (not disturbing), it's because everyone is having such a good time. read more

I got the chicken tacos, and it was AWFUL! Bland and tasteless. The service was great, but I was so sad at the poor taste of the food. I guess Baltimore spoiled me with absolutely delicious tacos....I'll keep looking... read more

Good margaritas, and really liked the vibe here. The tacos were nothing special...at least I got them during happy hour, so they were fairly inexpensive. The guacamole was pretty good. I'd definitely go back for a drink. read more

Great veggie tacos, chips and salsa, quac and micheladas. I like the seats facing at the counter facing the street, good people watching. Would be wonderful on a warm day. My only complaint would be the service... we were in the corner on a crowded night so that made us hard to access by the server and we often were neglected. Otherwise, a great place! read more

I am one of those Californians who is super arrogant about food generally and rolls her eyes when people on the East Coast speak about "a really good Mexican restaurant". Do I think that El Chucho is a great authentic Mexican restaurant? No. Do I like it anyway? Absolutely. Since I've moved to the neighborhood I've been a number of times for margaritas and food. The roof deck is awesome, the margaritas are tasty, the guacamole is good (if a bit pricey!), and the tacos are ok (though the tortillas make me miss California). I have mixed feelings about the elote. It's good corn but it is a little bit of a let down if you are looking for the taste you get when you buy elote from street vendors in Mexico, L.A., or Oakland. There is a lot of crema flavor but not enough (or any) chile and lime. I haven't tried the tortas or any of the other menu items so I'll have to report back when I do. read more

i don't know if I could live too close to El Chucho. I would be there all the time. You would be rolling me around the neiborhood...or I would have to increase my workouts. The food is so tasty and happy hour the prices can't be beat...and the margaritas...delicious. Don't miss this place...for anything. Roof top on a summer day is the place to be. read more

Drinks were aright and pretty interesting. But the food was not good. Tacos were okay, pretty disappointing, but we were starving. And the guac and salsa was no good, hands down. I guess I can see how people think it's cute, but I would not come back. read more

Our server was sweet...BUT the menu wasn't up to date. We were over charged. They only have one type of frozen margarita. All of the food tasted like liquid smoke. It was all around horrible. I do not recommend this place at all. read more

Skip the food. Go straight to the bar. Two-bite tacos and meatball subs with fancy names is what this place is about. Great marketing but zero value. read more

Busy and active place. The bartender was rude and seemed unresponsive. It's a nice neighborhood bar if you want catch it while it's not too busy, otherwise be forewarned, the bar staff is absolutely overwhelmed. read more

If I could give it zero stars I would. We went in for a late night drink and one of the girls in our group ordered a lime margarita. They were out of it and didn't even give suggestions on what else to order. I myself ordered a strawberry margarita but the waiter failed to mention it also contained Habanero in it. I do not like spicy so I took two sips and stopped drinking. The girls ended up ordering Micheladas and the bar tender came and asked, "Did you order Micheladas or enchiladas?" We knew the kitchen was closed so why would we order food? The micheladas were gross and so watered down. Who puts ice in a drink with CERVEZA in it? But to top it off, the waiter NEVER checked up on us. I don't recommend this place for a late night drink. I think I will stick to Mexican drinks in good 'ol CA! read more

Didn't quite enjoyed it. I felt the food was a bit overpriced. I ordered a frozen lime margarita, and it felt like I was only drinking a slushie with no flavors. The server was quick, we sat at the rooftop, and the ambiance was nice. Not the best place out there for Mexican food and drinks. Also, when the server ask if you want chips with guac, it isn't free. He charged us without stating that we have to pay. read more

Got my expectations up for El Chucho and left disappointed with a cramped stomach after trying one of their torta-like disasters. Seriously, it hit my stomach like a brick and turned into a demolition-derby of pain. My friend had the vegetarian version and quit half way through it was so bad. Stick to the tacos which didn't look nearly as good as the ones at Distrito Federal or El Chilango. The margaritas were average as well but the staff was great and the atmosphere is good. The upstairs patio is seating-only and downstairs was lively but pretty cramped. No idea why people rate it so high. Overall, worth a stop for a drink and to try the guacamole but that's about it. read more

If you're looking for tasty street tacos and a wait staff that is too cool for school, this is the place for you. The website says they are open until 3am on a Saturday night but a local noise ordinance, a kitchen that basically shuts down four hours before closing time, and waiters that can't wait to punch their time card and bounce may leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. Shortly after being seated upstairs, we were rushed to order, rushed to eat, rushed to pay, and rushed to get the hell out of there. Rather than putting out a welcoming vibe, our waiter treated us like we should be honored to have been able to spend an hour of our lives in his hipster-chic world. I see I'm not the first person to point out the unpleasant upstairs wait staff. If they did something about it, I may consider returning to try the elote. In the meantime, I'll rely on the authentic culinary expertise of my Mexican boyfriend. read more

I found this place in route home and decided to try this out since I already ate at Room11. I was very disappointed here at El Chucho. We had tacos there and it was bland and lack flavor. To make things worst we were served stale chips. I will never eat here again. read more

I want to love this place and there's a lot that I really really like but the portion size is so tiny it's ridiculous. Yes, I'm familiar with tapas but 6 items between 2 people and I'm still hungry... and I had some snacks at an event earlier. The guac, the elote and the shrimp are great. The asada tacos were garbage. Very tough meat. I heard the veggie were good. I can't eat the tortas because they're not gluten free and that left me with, not just tapas, but very very small tapas. Earlier in the night I was complimenting the place on how much table service they have but with these tiny servings, they must make a killing. Sure their tapas are only $4 but they only give you $2 worth of food. The drink menu is good. The service was average. read more

This is one of my favorite brunch spots in DC. Amazing ambiance, definitely sit on the upstairs patio. Mimosas are superb, but the best menu item is the corn cob. Words can not explain my love for these damn corn things. I guess I should mention that the staff are friendly, but seriously. The corn cobs. read more

Great street taco spot with really good margaritas. Love the chili salt they put on the rim. The service is always friendly here. The only negative is the restaurant is a little on the dirtier side sometimes. read more

Delicious restaurant! All the food and drinks we had were great, especially the street corn and the tuna tacos. The service here is not great, I had to ask for water after being there for 20 minutes and the waiter seemed to forget about us after giving us our food. It took ages to track him down to get our check. Great food and drinks though!! read more

The cocktails are expensive if you go outside of happy hour. But the ELOTE yall...so amazing. Get the blood orange habanero margarita too.

Came here on a Thursday, and it was rather busy, but this place is not the biggest and the rooftop area was closed off. My wife and I had a 30 minute wait til we could sit down, so we stood by the bar and ordered drinks. We both had the swirl frozen Magarita with lime and strawberry habenero, and we enjoyed every bit of our drinks! When we did finally sit down an order, the food was just okay. All in all we both agreed to come back for when we want to enjoy some great magaritas. 3 stars for an average place but with great drinks and a great atmosphere. read more

Taco's were good but not worth the price. The mezical was awesome and the shot of some kind of cilantro mix to clear the palette for the next mexical tasting was excellent. Place was super packed and not good for a large group. read more

I enjoyed all of the tacos and the margaritas. The temperature outside was a bit hot for the patio but still comfortable and appropriate for the evening happy hour. There was a nice gathering of people and a good time to be had. The waitstaff was attentive and accommodating for our group of seven. read more

I came here with a friend who said she loved it. I liked the atmosphere of the restaurant - small and chill. A nice place to come and unwind. People weren't rushing around and treating you like cattle. The food, however, was not what I was expecting. The portions are small and the flavor, in my opinion, was lacking. I got the pork belly which was ok. I wouldn't order it again. It sounded good but after it came out, I wish I had gotten something else. I got tacos and when those came out, I had to pause and wonder if I really spent money on the tiniest tacos I have ever seen. There was about two pieces of meat inside, a very colorful looking avocado sauce, and two pieces of what appeared to be radishes. The tacos were not bad but portion size I was very disappointed. I had the house made soda which again was tasty but lacked flavor. Everything I ate I felt was missing that punch, that kick, that I'm used to when eating Latin food. read more

Great value for happy hour but expensive for what you get for regular times. The upstairs has a surprisingly nice and interesting ambiance.It would be a decent place to grab drinks for a casual low key first date. Elote is great. Tacos are just okay Had the ginger lemongrass soda and the blackberry poblano soda. Both interesting, but would try other stuff read more

One of the few places in DC that truly provides a unique experience and at a reasonable price. Vegetarian and meat options. Enormous tequila list, great service, small plates and larger ones. They do what they do well, and keep to what they know. The chimichanga has an interesting cilantro gremolata to accompany it. The elote is a solid, cheap side that challenges your idea of what corn on the cob can be with a little spice. El queso Oaxaca comes with a smoky, mildly spicy mole-tasting dollop of thick sauce underneath. The tacos are solid, as are the taqueria. Queso fresco throughout. The calabaza dish is fun. Basically a Mexican tapas place. read more

A go-to brunch spot in Columbia Heights with an amazing tequila selection. I've spent many a slow-moving morning on the roofdeck, sipping Señor Clusterf#%ks and chowing down on the best breakfast burritos I've found in the District. The decor is mid-Atlantic funky and comfortable. Makes me miss Jackie's in Silver Spring (by the same owners), but happy to have this gem so close to home! read more

This is a rare find, because they have cross-over appeal, analogous to Jennifer Lopez. Go two blocks over to Mount Pleasant, and Don Juan restaurant will have very few white people at all. I can't really talk in El Chucho, but the bartenders know what they're talking about. This is good, because there are dozens of tequila varieties. I really like the bartender Mick. read more

I got my life during breakfast, especially with the pancakes. elote? on point. fish tacos? on point. refrescos? on point. service? on point. flautas? yep, yep. cemita con pollo? lawd. in all its good food, the music is cool. while the elote and pancakes are legit life changing, everything else is solidly good and hits the food spot like ahhh. read more

If here from San Diego are the West Coast this is not the place to come for Mexican food! First of all they don't get their margaritas right at all their served in our regular glass and not a margarita glass! Food was just OK read more

I came here for dinner last Saturday, and I'll definitely be back for happy hour! The portions are teeny tiny - I had the veggie tacos (I'm vegan, and there wasn't a ton but definitely some options), and if I hadn't also had a bunch of chips and guac I definitely would have still been hungry. However, the drinks were so dang good. I had a ginger margarita and a paloma, and both were awesome - not too sweet, super fresh and refreshing :) The service was also great! Super friendly and attentive. read more

Their happy hour is amazing! Food is great. People, workers and patrons, are dope. One of my favorite spots for good food & drinks.

Stopped in for some after dinner drinks and churros and was not disappointed. Had a fantastic server named George, gorged on churros and margaritas. The only "ehh" thing was I was seated under a leaky heating duct upstairs, not a huge problem since I wore my rain jacket. Would recommend and would definitely go back. read more

I am speaking only to experience and drinks, because I didn't have a chance to eat here. Nonetheless, the waitress was one of the best waitresses I've ever had. If you want some tequila and a nice education on tequila, ask for the girl from El Salvador. Unfortunately I don't remember her name. What an awesome job she does though. If nothing else, go have a tequila shot here. It is coupled with a spicy smoothie to cleanse the palate. Awesome experience. Would love to go back. read more