One of my favorite neighborhood spots. Staff is relaxed and friendly, the food good, and margaritas are great! My only complaint is that the guacamole is lacking flavor. The chimichangas and the torta de jamon are my favs on the menu. read more

The interior was super cute, the roof deck is perfect on a sunny day. The margaritas were pretty good and up to standard, the food was ok nothing out of the ordinary, unfortunately our waiter seemed to be in a bad mood. read more

Was there tonight for happy hour, and had a really good time. The margaritas were almost too easy to drink. The tacos were pretty good too. The best part of the experience was the staff. Our server was Patricia, she was fantastic, patent and attentive, I felt we were a demanding group, but she, and the rest of the staff were there whenever we wanted something. All in all, a great time. read more

I just moved to DC a few months ago and this is the best happy hour special in the neighborhood!!! The corn is amazing!

On 4/3/2013. Worst Experience Ever !!! Abysmal service, awful attitude by an extremely rude waiter and useless "manager". Mediocre food. Stay away ! Worked in restaurants for over twelve years in pretty much every capacity; server, bartender, runner, busser, host, you name it. For the past 5 years I have been a manager, I love good food, great service and dining out. "El Chucho" came highly recommended by a friend, whom along with a friend of his, joined myself and my wife on this culinary misadventure. I was not particularly hungry, as we were coming from a birthday party were we had too much cake, but I was none the less excited to try "El Chucho". We arrived at 945pm, the lower dining room had no room for four, so the hostess showed us to the upstairs patio, which was very chilly despite two heaters. We took the table, which sat next to a very drafty faux window with a big gap in the middle of the two window shutters, pretty far away from the two meager heat lamps. The hostess warned us, that if we were not done eating by 11pm, we would have to move downstairs because the patio closed at 11pm. Kind of off putting, but ok. The server came by, a young fellow with longer dark hair and a beard. The first thing he told us, without even introducing himself, was that the kitchen was going to close at ten, and that after ten we could only have tacos, chips and salsa and that we basically had to hurry and order. It was 945, and my friend and his buddy were still parking, so I said that we were waiting for two more. At this point the server, without asking us, decided to move our table (mind you my wife and I were already sitting at it) in order to gives us more room, but really placing us farther away from the already too far away heaters and completely in front of the drafty window crack. At 950pm, my friend and his buddy entered and sat down. My friend was sitting right beside the window crack with the cold air draft shooting directly at his face. We slid the table back and the problem was solved. The server returned, and intimated us to order, so we did My wife ordered the "Elote" and a torta with ham, and my friends ordered tacos. I didn't order anything because I was not feeling that hungry. In about 5 minutes the Elote and the tacos came out. Everyone started eating, and eventually I tried my wife's Elote and found it very good. So I looked at my watch and saw that it's 10:05pm. Our server came back to check on us; remembering what he had told us in the beginning, I politely asked if it were possible to have another order of Elote, and he just said "no, it not possible". Ok, it was worth a try. Everyone kept eating and enjoying their food, at around 10:24pm, our server comes back with 2 orders of Elote. As he walked towards us I was foolishly thinking to myself that maybe he was able to get us an order, but no. He walked past us and dropped them on the table behind us saying "sometimes the magic happens" to which one of the guests at that table replied "I guess you must really like us" . We all hear this exchange from our table, and were kind of surprised. The server comes back to us, and asks how we are doing, I reply not very good. He asked if there's a problem, I replied by asking how it was possible since the kitchen was closed, that the other table could get not one but 2 Elote at 10:25pm, when it was not possible to have one at 10:05pm and it only took 5 minutes to make(since the first arrived immediately). He had no answer, so I rhetorically asked if the magic only worked for certain customers and not all, because clearly they had ordered way after 10pm. He said nothing to the effect or to resolve the situation, so I reiterated that everyone should be treated the same way and I closed by saying that in the end the customer is always right to which he replied "not in here, they are not". All of that upset my wife that stopped eating her food because she could not believe the situation. My two other friends were also pretty shocked, but they were still trying to make the most of it. The waiter came back one more time and, we assume at this point just to add insult to injury when he asked us again how we were doing. I answered that I wasn't happy, to which he replied ; " I know you are not happy, I don't care, how is everyone else ? " to which we clarified, that no one was happy, given the horrible service given. He asked if he could bring the check, to which my wife said that she would not pay for such a terrible experience, so he grabbed my two friends' plates with food, food that by the way they were still eating, and said "fine, don't pay, I'll pay for it" . As he was leaving, I asked him if he owned the place, he said that he didn't, so I inquired for a manager or the owner. A gentleman with a beanie hat came by and identified himself has the manager on duty, he tried to apologize to us and asked to please not write them off as a restaurant; unfortunately the "magic" won't happen. read more

So far I have gone twice to El Chucho during happy hour. For the HH price, I think this place is FANTASTIC. I love the elote (grilled corn, street-food style) and the tacos are tastyyyy (al pastor is my favorite). Go for happy hour and get a seat on the upstairs patio - you won't regret it! read more

I love this place! Definitely has become one of my key funday Sunday spots. The servers are a blast and the food is just OMG wow! I've been there numerous times and each time the tacos and alote have been incredible! And the ginger margaritas with the chili lime salt are to die for! read more

This is one of my favorite restaurants in the neighborhood. You must order the corn! But I would skip the guac - the portion is very small for the price. read more

I am at el chucho right now. $200-300 tab and asked what they do for birthdays. All the server said was, "well I don't want to pay for anything. " used to be my neighborhood favorite but am really disappointed. Can the establishment not even afford a candle? read more

great space, love the location, impressive selection of mezcal. food is great, but a little inconsistent. I will continue to visit and wouldn't be surprised to write a 5-star rating in the future. read more

Good food, mexican at a higher level than fast food but accessible definitely for a bar. Mixed drinks on tap always hit the spot. The fusion brunch is fun. read more

Wow this is everything I want in a culinary establishment. Great cheap drinks, OMG THE CORN, great cheap food. Yes.

I like El Chucho. The Corn is very good and the tacos as well. The tortas leave a little to be desired but are decent. I would like to just sound-off about the whole "authentic Mexican" debate. To me it is akin to talking about religion. Each and every person has their own interpretation of what "authentic" is. News Flash: in Mexico, just as in many other places in the world, each restaurant or vendor has their own style and each city and region has a general style and each grandmother has her own style so... there is no one definitive "authentic" style. One person pointed out that radishes were a new touch for the tacos... in Puebla one of the BEST taquerias, Taqueira de Los Angeles immediately places a plate of tiny limes and radishes at your table as soon as you sit down... it is taken for granted you will eat them with your order. Mexico is a HUGE country with millions of people and millions of taco stands and recipes. If you go to 20 taco places in any Mexican city each one will be different. And FYI tacos are not the only thing Mexicans eat. Sorry to go on and on but it irks me to no end when people get on this authentic thing. Review the food, service and ambience ... that is what people reading the review want to know. That is why they came to Yelp, not to read a review with you trying to show how much you think you know as a self proclaimed expert on authenticity. read more

I love the casual atmosphere and the margaritas and the squash blossom tacos and the corn. I find everything at El Chucho so affordable and so yummy! read more

Take out order. People were friendly. Food was cold and virtually tasteless. Overpriced.

I love this place -- good food, fun atmosphere -- but the service the past few times I have gone has been absolutely abysmal. Most recently, it seemed like our server was waiting on the entire downstairs and patio single-handedly, which led to us waiting close to an hour for a second round of drinks. We were thinking of ordering food, but were ready to cut our losses by the time the drinks came. I'm not very particular about service, but this completely ruined the experience. read more

This place has amazing happy hour deals. If you go on a Monday, the deals end around midnight so definitely go on a Monday and eat and drink for cheap all night. The frozen margharitas are amazing - especially the spicy one. The corn is absolutely amazing. Whatever sauce they put on it is great and the corn is a must. The tacos are pretty good too, not the best I ever had but very good for about 4 dollars. read more

From the moment I walked in, this place was like a little slice of Mexican heaven! From the hostess, to the bartenders and the wait staff, the service was great. Not to mention that the food and drinks were outstanding! The portions were a tad small, but the prices were so affordable that I ordered until my heart was content. Definitely a must go... And don't forget to try the corn! read more

Decent tacos, groovy rooftop, great happy hour prices, in DC? I'm actually not a huge fan of Jackie's (except for their drinks) so I was skeptical, but overall this was fantastic. Especially that corn! Embrace and enjoy. read more

Maybe it was too much hype online, but I was hungry and expecting to be satisfied by El Chucho. Unfortunately, the only thing satisfying there was the margaritas. The tacos were bland and shockingly they had no varieties of hot sauces. I've been to many taco joints before, and this one really disappointed me. El Rey All the way!!!!!!!!!!! read more

Excellent vibe. As for reviews decrying this as not authentic, do realize that it is located in the U.S., which comes with it's limitations. With that said, my favorite pairing is the Tres Generaciones tequila and pork tacos. Don't like pork? Then second best are the fish tacos. read more

Jeff (the bartender with the big glasses) made my experience here a horrible one. My friends or myself wasn't greeted at all, the bartender didn't want to cater to our request and wasn't pleasant at all. The Caucasian patrons that came in 5mins after us received top notch service and weren't carded. They really need to encourage equal rights which he does care about. The rating I give this bar is a -0 read more

We had a delicious meal at El Chucho but I am posting a negative review because the food literally made us, sick. Last night, we spent over $100 on delicious guacamole con todo, cocktails, including hot cider, and enchiladas suizas, flautas, and the giant hamburger on the menu. Our party of three -- me, my husband, our son -- was treated exceptionally well by our server who made great recommendations, including "la senorita," a delicious cocktail. We were also accommodated in a nice corner by the door, with heat -- where originally we were seated upstairs where it was too cold for us. We had a lovely evening. But this morning, all three of us woke up with serious stomach problems. Our son announced he had the stomach flue, until my husband and I mentioned we, too, woke up ill. By noon, we were well. And we realized we were sick because of the food we spent over $100 on, and the cocktails. Very disappointing! We are fans of Jackie Greenbaum but we will never go back to El Chucho again. Rating has to be 1.0 stars -- for the fabulous service, the setting, the ambiance and many trips to the bathroom... read more

OK, this is a review written after the place has only been open a week or so, so take this with a grain of salt. The place looked cool, and I'm glad we have yet another new place to eat in the neighborhood. I'm especially stoked about the roof deck. We went the night before 4th of July, and the place was beyond packed (even at 6:30pm). I suspect this was the reason the service was so bad... the drinks took a long time, we were served food before the drinks even came out, and then had to ask for napkins/silverware. The waiters delivered the wrong food to multiple tables.... good thing we noticed before we dug in! We would have drunk a lot more if they actually were able to bring the drinks fast enough, but alas, they took a long time (the bar was beyond packed). Also, I realize the place was busy, but forgetting to include a pen with the check/receipt seems pretty amateur. Anyway, the food was largely disappointing. Although the elote was quite good (too much butter IMHO), everything else suffered a sever lack of salt/flavor (the chips/salsa had zero salt, and the chicken and squash tacos badly needed more salt/flavor). These guys need to step it up on the food. It's not as good as El Centro, and not nearly as good as Mama Chuy's. If Mama Chuy's could make decent drinks, there would be no reason for El Chucho to exist. Hopefully they'll improve over time. read more

We decided to try this place for lunch because we've exhausted everything else on 11th st. We where happy to find that the place was pretty empty at 12ish on a Sunday. We got seated right away and all looked good, this place has a good atmosphere and the music was great. It took us a while to get served initially, I'm not sure when we sat down, maybe 12:15? But it felt like a good 10min before we were approached by our waiter. After we ordered I looked at my phone and it was 12:30. After this service got SLOW. We waited 20min for our drinks. Our food never came, we gave up after waiting an hour (yes I timed it). I have no idea what the problem was. The place was consistently empty, the four people at the bar we're getting served fine. We had zero explanation from our server. We hardly saw him. None of the other staff would make eye contact with us or check in. When we asked for the check for our drinks because we finally got so fed up watching other people eat, our server just said "oh sure, sorry about that", not even suggesting he'd find out what happened, he didn't seem bothered at all. When the server went up to print out our check, my husband heard him tell the kitchen to take food back as another table had also just left. This seemed like a cool place and my drink was good. Too bad I can't review the food. Definitely won't be coming back. read more