Enjoyed dinner at Pascual with a friend and had a fantastic experience. The service was excellent and the food was outstanding. We started with the guacamole and tostadas, then shared the Provincetown scallop. It was just one scallop, but it was superb, perfectly cooked and almost melted in your mouth. The green sauce and beans were the perfect complement. For our mains, we had the branzino a la brasa and a chayote salad, both of which were excellent. The salad was probably my favorite dish of the night. It was incredibly fresh, light, and a perfect pairing with the branzino. The drinks were also great. I had the Besos con Queso cocktail and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. For dessert, I finished with the ganache and a black coffee. The space itself is beautiful, with a great atmosphere and a really cool overall vibe. 10/10 I would definitely go again. read more

I perused the reviews before coming here, and confirm what many say: food is quite good, but prices are insane and service was unsettling. SPACE I assumed the tent was for guests waiting to be seated to get out from the cold, but no - that's the dining space. I peeked in the windows of the main space and it looked quite small, so they must have needed more space. The ambiance of sitting in a plastic tent with space heaters doesn't match the cost of dining here. DRINKS I had a mocktail that was very nice, but mostly ice. They had a few NA options. FOOD Chips, salsa and guac: $29 The amount of chips to salsa and guac ratio was laughable - we had to ask for more chips twice. Skimping here felt unnecessary. The guac and the salsas and accoutrements were great! Pork Belly carnitas: $66 This was yummy! Was 10 slices of pork belly worth $66? That I'm not sure. And again, we were severly lacking in tortillas - 4 tortillas to make tacos is not enough. Vegetable (no longer on menu, $20?) I think we got a parsnip vegetable side, which was delicious. Mushroom gnocchi (no longer on menu, $20?) Probably my favorite of the night - so unique and flavorful! Quite small. We got a side of the beans, and rice, as well - since no entrees came with sides: $10-12 each Portions are quite small compared to the price. SERVICE The service really impacted our experience here. When we ordered, our waitress scoffed and said we definitely needed to order more for a group of 3. We'd had a midday snack, and said we understood - so we ordered one more dish, and she acted appalled that we weren't getting more. We said we'd order more if we didn't fill up. Different staff were constantly trying to clear plates from our table, to the point that I had gnocchi left and was picking some up on my fork - the server cleared the gnocchi plate and my own plate and left me just...holding my fork with gnocchi on it with no plate. She was again outwardly disapproving when we didn't order more or dessert. The whole interaction was very bizarre, almost like she was commission based and not at all in line with what I'd expect from a finer dining experience. read more

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Food 4.5/5.0 Service 3.5/5.0 Value 3.0/5.0 Decor 3.5/5.0 Overall 4.0/5.0 Food was pretty good. Very friendly service, but also we were definitely helped along to maximize the ordering quantity... it wasn't outright pushy, but you could definitely feel it. I thought the prices were just okay, maybe a tad on the pricey side, quality adjusted. read more

Overall the food was very good, there were some dishes that i needed some added flavor and spice on (see why I couldn't add salsa below), but the general consensus was that the food was delicious. We also started out with cocktails and they were all delicious as well. My favorite dishes were the Fideo, sunchokes, and the Kampachi. It was a very intimate setting, with a handful of tables both inside and out. I bet in the spring it would be great to sit on the patio. The team was also incredibly knowledgeable and kind, providing history into the restaurants venture into mezcal. Now moving into what could be improved. We walked into the restaurant about five till our reservation, and were informed that the party was still at their table. We were basically just waiting and standing, and it was pretty awkward. We were advised that we could go ahead and order drinks, as we had been standing there for almost 20 minutes at this time (15 past reservation). While it was nice to offer the option to order drinks, we were then just standing there with drinks in our hands, just waiting. Also, after waiting this long it feels like the drink should've been comped. Another issue we had was our server kept wanting to take our food. Not empty bowls or plates, but dishes that had food in them that we were working our way through. We had ordered more tortilla chips ($6 up charge) just for the server to snatch up half of our salsas in the blink of an eye before we even knew what was happening. She then continued to ask what she could take probably around 6-7 more times, and it got to the point where my friend said if there's food in it we're still working on it. It was weird. My guess is that it was nearing closing and she was trying to close up shop, but after being seated almost 30 minutes late, we weren't going to rush through our $400 meal. While the food was great, the start of the reservation was not, and looking back on the restaurant all I can think of is the server taking our food and really just ruining our experience of sitting, eating, and catching up. It's very disappointing as this had been high on my list for a while, but the experience was soured by everything but the food. read more

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I can see why this restaurant is in almost every dining guide, including the Washington Post and NY Times as one of the best restaurants in DC. I was really impressed with the service and food. We dined on a Saturday evening. There is plenty of street parking close to the restaurant. The cocktail menu is pretty good and I enjoyed my two cocktails, especially their Cadillac Margarita. A must is their guacamole, this was a great way to start your meal. I love all the sauces and creama that accompany this. It Is so good. Guacamole was so creamy. We also got the Chayote Salad and Kampachi Crudo. The Kampachi Crudo had a good spice on it. The Chayote Salad was good, but tasted like an Asian dish-lol. We weren't a big fan of the Squash Infladita dish, but it was unique! For our main dish we shared the Smoked half chicken which was great! And let me tell you the Fried Rice is like crack, it is cooked in chicken fat which makes it so tasty!! Can't stop eating it! Chicken was so juicy and tender. They provide sauce and tortillas. We also got a side of their Oaxacan Ayocote Beans. I made my own taco with chicken, rice and beans. Dinner for two with four cocktails was about $320 with tip, so it can get pricey if you order drinks and such. I wish I lived closer as I would come back here frequently. read more

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Elevated Mexican experience here at Pascual. Very unique dishes and everything was great! Service was attentive and very pleasant. We were given pillows, blankets, and heaters nearby so the patio was a nice experience. One of our favorite parts was the guacamole and salsas - really fun to pair different flavors and try new combinations. Downside is they only give you 6 tostadas for a whole lot of guac and salsa so you have to order more tostadas ... which ended up being $6 each. Hamachi and tacos al pastor are a must-try for appetizers. Pork belly carnitas were the table favorite entree. We shared two entrees between 4 of us and it was more than enough along with the appetizers. Drinks were unique and delicious. I will definitely be coming back here for a special occasion! read more

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I so deeply wanted to love this place. I got reservations for Thurs 7:15pm outdoors. There were heat lamps, and if you sit between the heat lamps, you'll be warm. They have blankets for you if needed. If you sit on the outer edge of the patio, then wear your coat since you will be cold. You need reservations to eat here. Fideos Negros - 3.5/5. It was just noodles with mushrooms on top. Quite overrated. Summer Squash Infladita - 3.75/5 Most unique dish but very strong uni flavor that comes off a bit stinky. I couldn't taste the squash at all. Ribeye Huarache - 4/5 Best dish and very small-portioned. Each person would eat 1 bite Lamb Neck Barbacoa - 4/5 Very filling. It was very heavy and I enjoyed the beans and I'm not normally a bean person. Service was great; the food was meh; the value was quite bad for the food. read more

This dinner was insanely delicious. Everything we tasted was a delight! The half chicken with green onions was definitely a highlight for me. The sauce was incredible, and the chicken was very tender. I also loved the Wagyu steak. We all agreed that the steak sauce complimented the meat and did not overwhelm the flavors. From the appetizers and sides, my favorites were the scallops and the farro esquites. I wish we could have tried the whole menu. The service was really good, and we enjoyed our cocktails and a mezcal flight. Dessert was probably the weakest part of the meal. We had the buñuelos since they were sold out of the rice pudding. The ambiance is bright, clean and stylish. We noticed the minimalist decor and the dangling pothos plants. It's a nice environment. I would 100% recommend this restaurant. One of the best meals we've had in a while! read more

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I went to Pascual to celebrate my anniversary with my wife. We really enjoyed our time there. The staff is really knowledgeable and friendly. Our meal was delicious and I was very full by the end of our meal. I tried the lamb, but would really like to try the other entrees sometime. The ambiance in the restaurant is very nice also, I really like the decor and overall vibe, makes me feel like I'm in a cozy casa in Mexico read more

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Quick summary: The food was fine & the ambience was mediocre, so neither was anywhere close to being worth the price. We started with margaritas, which were very strong & fine. We then had the guacamole, which was very good, though not as good as we get at El Presidente. The shrimp tamal & chicken entree were both fine. read more

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In terms of a cocktail bar (which technically it's not) it's a 5/5 - I love my tomatillotini and my husband loved his No whey Jose In terms of food it's a 2/5 for me, especially because it's pricey and just not worth it to me: - chayote salad (4/5) I did like this, it's refreshing and creamy like everyone says - Fideos negros (2/5) it was too salty and not enough mushrooms like we shared one small mushroom, but my husband liked this - Barbacoa (3/5) it's a lot of food if nothing else but agree with some other reviews you need more to go with it like pickles and salsa or it's just a lot of heavy meat and beans Our server was nice and all don't get me wrong but I just wouldn't recommend this place or return obviously read more

Bringing the nuevo Mexican style from MXDF to DC, Pascual is gunning for middle-high-end elegance w/o the pretention. Think cute ceramic dishes with bright and spiced sauces or mezcals served in them. Think table side splashes of wine to make sure you prefer the pairing and flavors. Think shared plates and napkins being swapped out and a perfectly timed dinner. Think freshness causing the kitchen to run-out of dishes towards the end of the night. All top-tier, Chefs Kiss service, no notes. Notes time. Caveat, I'm from the Bay Area California and was raised with Mexican neighbors passing plates over the backyard fence seeped in charm and authenticity; that is not Pascual. Refined flavors can sometimes become too subtle to validate the sticker-shock. Since we ordered the Guacamole, which comes with an assortment of sauces and pickles we were able to jazz up the sweet potatoes and Fideos Negros. The trout ceviche needed a pop and the scallop ceviche were small which changes the texture to something less elevated. The Lamb barbacoa, which was perfectly cooked needed some salsa to really get it over the "ok" to 'very good' line! Some winners? Don't sleep on the Chayote Salad. I couldn't even tell you what was in there. It was delicious!! Their roasted oysters with whipped beer-butter was....probably my favorite bite!! With a solid Mexican Wine list, excellent cocktails and mezcals Pascual will draw a lot of attention (for good reason) and hopefully expand their pallet to meet the more adventurous and well traveled DC aesthetic! read more

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Pascual was the setting for a great evening with friends over delicious food. We sat outside on the covered patio, which was warm and comfortable with plenty of heaters (and blankets if you needed them.) I definitely recommend starting with the guacamole and salsas. It's perfect for a group and we thought it was great being able to taste test different combos. The cocktails were fun and festive for the fall season. Always nice to see menus that have equally enjoyable non-alcoholic options. For our group of 4 we also did two al pastor tacos, the kampachi crudo, the squash infladita, the fideos negros, lamb neck barbacoa, and pork belly carnitas. This was plenty of food, so we left full but without leftovers (it was just that good!) We could've skipped the squash dish since it wasn't very shareable and a little lacking on flavor, but everything else was absolutely delicious. The mushrooms and noodles (fideos negros) was a standout dish, an unexpected combo that really delivered. The barbacoa lamb neck was tender and bursting with rich flavor. The pork belly added a warm, fatty element to the meal. And I could have eaten the al pastor tacos all day. Perfect balance of meat, salsa, and pineapple. For dessert, the buñuelos were served with a caramel sauce and chocolate sauce, both delicious, but the portion felt a bit small. Our server was knowledgeable and really friendly. She was great about accommodating a seafood allergy. The entrees were on the more expensive side, but the meal is definitely worth it for a quality dinner out. read more

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For my wife's birthday, we went to Pascual. (My wife loves Mexican food.) It's an intimate space with a cozy dining room with a bar and outdoor seating inside a tent in the front. We sat inside and appreciated the simple, yet inviting design. Having gone to Kenny's BBQ many times, it evoked many memories. Far from BBQ, Pascual's menu pulls from flavors found in Mexico. Their plates are meant to be shared and to feed two (we left very full), we ordered the Guacamole and Tostadas with all the fixings, Taco al Pastor, Chayote Salad, Beets, and the Fideos Negros. As a surprise, the kitchen sent over a complimentary Smoked Steelhead Trout. My wife enjoyed every dish, but the winner was the Chayote Salad with the texture of the sunflower seeds and flavors in the sauce. To drink, I ordered a cucumber lighter drink and my wife enjoyed their version of an old fashioned. I also got their white wine from Mexico and found it crisp and refreshing. Service was attentive and efficient. Also worth noting is the well-designed restrooms in the basement. Street parking nearby was easy to find on a Saturday evening around 6:30pm. read more

Pascual - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I was expecting more given the hype that Pascual was getting as a top new restaurant that had elevated Mexican food in DC. It fell short of these loft expectations. Service was basic - servers made sure water was provided, answered questions on the most popular items, but did not necessarily show familiarity with the menu. We ordered something and asked for no avocado given an allergy in our party and the dish ended up coming out with avocado. The decor and ambiance also did not stand out. Despite the connection to Mexico City and emphasis on Mexican food, there was nothing in the restaurant the suggested this inspiration - it was also pretty sterile and there was no way to really tell what kind of restaurant this was. They did have a large kitchen in the back corner where you could peak in on food being prepared. The food was good, but pricey for the portions and what you ultimately received. Both the food and cocktails were creative and brought in a range of flavors for different palates. We really enjoyed the appetizers and recommend saving room to sample the bluefin tostada, tacos al pastor, and broiled oysters. The half-chicken, while one of Pascual's better selling dishes, did not stand out. The lamb neck barbacoa was fantastic and something I would certainly order again. We sample all of the desserts and I recommend saving room for the dark chocolate ganache. That being said, when comparing against other Mexican restaurants for price, food, service, and atmosphere, other restaurants like D'lena are much better at a similar or even lower price point. read more

Pascual - Bluefin tuna tostada Tacos Al pastor (middle) Broiled oysters (far left) - really tasty - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

A bit over hyped in my opinion and quite pricey... the horchata drink is SOOOO good (the Jamaica was too limey for me), and the food and service was good. The atmosphere is super crowded (it's so small) and it is so hard to get a reservation - after so many tries, finally got one at the bar, but it's difficult to get in the seats because they are so squished together. I probably won't go back, but it was a nice experience. read more

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About a week late on this review but we visited Pascual last Friday and oh boy does it live up to the hype. Our experience started before getting seated as we were greeted on our walk to the restaurant with the sweet smoky aromas coming from the kitchen's fire pit. I'm a generally picky eater but all of the food we got was excellent and there was nothing we wouldn't order again. The smoked half chicken is really what took our experience to the next level though, and don't sleep on the fried Mexican red rice! read more

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Had dinner here with a friend and our reservations were outside but the weather was nice so didn't have to worry about the cold. I ordered the spicy margarita with mezcal which was amazing. For appetizers we got the octopus tostada which was ok. I am not sure if it was texture with this dish but I felt like it was missing something. The chayote salad was good but was better when we mixed with other items from the meal. Also got guacamole which was just ok. We were given tortillas and wanted something crunchy to dip the guacamole with. I also was hoping for a bit of spice but see that some ordered salsa to go with it. The standout meal was the lamb neck barbacao. This meat was tender and well flavored. The best thing we did was to add the guacamole, Chayote salad, and lamb to tortillas which elevated the meal. The meal was decent but didnt live up to the hype I was expecting. read more

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It was an overall great experience. We sat inside but the weather was great and outdoors looked super cute too. The menu is super rich and you can find different things to try. The drinks were extraordinary; you cannot go wrong with their cocktails. Although we were a 7:30 reservation, they were out from burrata dish and the speciality desert which were the only bummers but its an excuse for us to come back :) The service was also superb. Overall a great date-night or celebration spot. read more

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Lived up to the hype! Delicious food, warm and welcoming service, and tasty drinks. We especially loved the guacamole, tacos al pastor, hamachi collar, and lamb neck barbacoa. For us, savory trumped sweet -- dessert (bunuelos) was a little underwhelming. read more

tl;dr - The food was delicious with unique flavors, but the portion sizes were way too small for the price. 6 of us got dinner at Pascual last week with high expectations after hearing positive reviews from multiple people. The interior was clean and minimal, with a white/light wood aesthetic. As for the service, our server was attentive and good at upselling some of the items on the menu. GUACAMOLE AND TOSTADAS - 17 +12 for salsa macha, verde, borracha & habanero, smoked papaya, shishito escabeche +6 for 6 heirloom tostadas Our server told us that tostadas and guac was a bit too boring on its own and recommended the salsas. For $29, we were expecting a bit more, but we got 6 tostadas, a bowl of guacamole, four salsas, sour cream, smoked papaya, and the shishito. We weren't told that additional orders of tostadas were not complimentary. So given that we had so much guac and salsa, we just asked for more to enjoy our dips with. Fortunately, one of the servers told us we had to pay additional for them, so I'm glad someone told us after we already asked for two orders. We were able to get one of the orders comped for the lack of clarification. Besides that, the salsas were delicious and flavorful, and the sour cream was one of the best I've had. The guac was well-seasoned, but I don't know what makes this one special. Overall, great starter, but definitely not worth the price. CHAYOTE SALAD - 20 This salad was made with a base of shredded Asian pears, sunflower seeds and some black sesame-like granola?, and a creamy, chili oil-based sauce. We noticed that the salad was pushed to one side of the bowl (maybe for presentation purposes), but it looked like someone ate half of the salad before serving it to us. For the price, the portion was ridiculously small. We each enjoyed maybe one bite (or two small bites) of it. The sweetness, nuttiness, and a bit of spice blended harmoniously with a variety of textures, but again, not really worth it. SUMMER SQUASH INFLADITA - 20 The corn dough tortilla was puffed up and contained skil pak (traditional Mayan dip made of ground pumpkin seeds and tomatos?), flavorful goat ricotta, and uni mousse. Really unique flavors that were wonderful and not anything we've ever had. This was probably one of my favorite bites of the night. NC SHRIMP TAMAL - 19 Each order only came with four pieces of shrimp (nicely charred) so some of us had to share a shrimp with someone else. There wasn't anything special about the shrimp, but it sat on top of chintextle, which is a thick, herb-forward and spiced paste that had a grainy, pasty texture that was really interesting. One of my friends really enjoyed it. I personally liked the texture, but it had a bit of cilantro? flavor in it, so I wasn't the biggest fan. LAMB NECK BARBACOA - 68 With the bigger dishes, we were able to enjoy more bites of it. It had a lot of edible flowers for aesthetics along with herbs for garnish. The lamb neck meat was very tender and saucy, like a stew. We also got some corn tortillas on the side to make DIY tacos. This was very tasty. The ayacote beans were mushy and went well with the lamb. DORADA A LA BRASA - 62 Each order only comes with half of a branzino which sat on top of a pretty thin sauce? with some chili oil. The branzino was cooked perfectly and the meat was tender. The skin was very crispy but hard to cut through. Overall, this was a lighter option compared to the lamb neck, but the portion size was a lot smaller. FRIED MEXICAN RED RICE - 10 This was a small bowl of fried rice and topped generously with green onions. Overall, it was simple, but it was probably my favorite out of everything. It was incredibly crispy, with that "wok" heat and buttery flavor. The texture of some of the rice was a bit sticky, which was interesting. The green onions gave it an extra kick. I would recommend getting this side to try. Overall, good food with unique flavors and combinations I've never had before, but the price per dish was just not worth it for us. We left hungry because we didn't really want to spend more money here. I would recommend Pascual if you are down to spend $100+ per person for the meal. Otherwise, I'd go elsewhere. read more

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Hot spot Pascual can be hard to get a res but things open up is you are willing to sit outside (but may be a bit too cold now) or at the bar. They limit your dining time because of the demand of folks wanting to eat there but they are very kind and professional about when you need to leave. Me and my friend very much enjoyed our food and for me it was the SAUCES, SUACES. SAUCES got every dish that had such a depth of flavor, leaning on the earthy smoky side which was perfect for fall/winter weather. We got to dinner early - 5:30 pm, so nabbed a bar seat and one of the few duck breast plates. So rich and tender for delightful tacos. Fideos can be an interesting texture as they are like mini noodles/rice, but it really grew on me. Drinks were fabulous and service rocked. read more

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I was hoping this place would be terrible since it's so far away from me - but unfortunately it was DELICIOUS so i'll have to be back! The interior was beautiful and service was great. For small plates we got: - Squash Tetela: mildly sweet and really creamy with the cheese, loved it! - Poblano Relleno: Can probs skip - I wasn't a huge fan, think mine had seeds that made it so spicy it was actually kind of unbearable to eat. Like biting into a raw serrano pepper, and i can tolerate really spicy - Octopus Tostada: crispy & chewy - Fideos Negros: this was a little like creamy umami-buttered noodles but i loved it The star of the show was definitely the smoked duck breast special. 10/10 Tender & flavorful. They give you tortillas to make tacos yourself with the veggies and jam sauce. The duck confit flauta it came with was delicious too! read more

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I had such an amazing time here!!!! Highly recommend making reservations like weeks in advance honestly because it will fill up. We came on a Saturday night around 9pm (that's all they had lol), and it was poppin'. It was warm and cozy, but with modern and simple decor. Our server was super friendly! We got the Taco al Pastor, Chayote Salad, Fideos Negros, Celery Root Tamal, Lamb Neck Barbacoa, and Fried Mexican Red Rice. I believe they have a rotating menu! Most of these dishes blew my mind!! My favorites were definitely the chayote salad, fideos negros, and the fried red rice. The tacos are still a must to try, but personally, it is not worth $8 for just 1 taco, in my opinion. Can't wait to come back to try other dishes, and I've heard dessert is to die for! read more

I am shocked reading some reviews because we had the absolute best experience. Our server was knowledgeable, attentive and kind. The ambiance was incredible with perfect lighting, comfortable seats and not too loud music. Now let's talk about the food! Every dish we were scraping to get every last bite. We were so impressed with the pairings of flavors and textures. We came on a Sunday at 5pm and were able to be seated inside but I would recommend getting a reservation because by 5:15pm the entire place was full. read more

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All of the food was amazing, family style is probably the best way to go about it. Plus you get to try more items! I had the N/A whey Jose, and its was absolutely refreshing. It can replace my cocktails any day! Service is great and super helpful in terms of helping us decide on items we may have been stuck on! The ambiance was super cute, smaller than expected in terms of location but they have outdoor seating which is also beautiful! read more

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Home run on food, drinks, service, and decor! Get yourself a res here stat and do not sleep on ordering the lamb neck and chayote salad, you'll thank me later ;) Came as a group and ordered the guacamole with salsa (so good!), chayote salsa (our favorite veggie dish), tomatoes, fideos negros (a must), lamb neck barbacoa (star of the show!!!), and duck breast special (excellent). Highly recommend all items but would skip the tomatoes since they weren't anything special. We also got the dark chocolate ganache and coconut shiso panna cotta for dessert. So sad they didn't have the tres leches but surprisingly liked the unique flavor of the panna cotta. Alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks were phenomenal as well. Service was on point. Staff is friendly and gives good recommendations on menu items. They gave us new table settings and wiped down the table for each course, which I love. Decor gives sleek socal / desert vibes with hanging plants and winding staircase down to the bathroom. WC is dimly lit but marble sinks are cute and they have malin and goetz soap. Restaurant itself is small but has an open kitchen and outdoor dining space is spacious and well decorated with lots of plants. Would definitely come back as a big group again since it was great to be able to try various menu items! read more

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Came to Pascual last night (Sunday) had a 7:45pm res for 2 and was sat outside. Fortunately not sweltering by this time. Food was really good. We didn't end up getting any of the big main meat plates and just did a bunch of small dishes. I really enjoyed the guac and tostadas. I'd recommend adding the extra sauces. The pickled shishitos were nice and the ancho chile one and there is one that tastes like Chinese lao gan ma! As a general comment, everything has a nice heat to it without being too spicy. We loved the fish taco. Only got one and ended up ordering a second one. It is $8 so some people may think that is precious but doesn't bother me. I also enjoyed the hamachi collar, tomatoes, basically all the seafood I liked. The eggplant was a little too rich for me. We were going to get dessert but didn't because that dish hit like a dessert. The chairs we sat in were comfortable. Sitting outside it felt like I was on vacation with the decor and the plants. Husband ordered micheladas which were tasty. I had a few sips. Would recommend! read more

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Maybe closer to a 3.5. Across two trips, we've had: - Chips, salsa, and guac (3.5/5) - It was fine, although the salsa macha was really good. For $29 I would have expected more. - Scallop (3.5/5) - Good but not memorable. The serving size was really small for the price. - Chayote salad (4/5) - Good salad with interesting texture - Pinto bean tlayuda (3.5/5) - Pretty tasty but the price was surprising given the ingredients and the size. - Mexican fried rice (4/5) - Nicely seasoned with some good crunch mixed in from the fry - Lamb barbacoa (4/5) - Falls off the bone and pairs well with the excellent tortillas, although it could have been seasoned more - Pork belly carnitas (3/5) - Not really what I thought carnitas were at all, since it was just slices of pork belly. Also, the meat was a little too lean, which goes against the appeal of ordering pork belly Overall, the food was solid, but some of the prices seem surprisingly high, even for a fine dining restaurant. The ambiance at the bar is really good, so I'd still come back sometime. read more

4.50 stars. "Get the chayote salad" my friend said. The same suggestion - almost to the extent of a subtle command - came from our waitress. Admittedly, I wasn't really sure I've ever eaten chayote so I was curious anyway. The reality is I'm still not exactly sure what I ate but rest assured I don't care because that was one of the most delicious salads I've eaten in my existence on this planet. So if you have any thoughts towards potentially ordering it, do yourself and favor and go for it. This isn't to suggest that you should pass on the lamb neck barbacoa. It is splendid, rich, and delicious with fun smoky elements in the underlying sauce and all the ingredients to make your very own lamb neck tacos. Which I didn't because the lamb neck barbacoa was truly next level all on its lonesome. So yes, user error on how to eat this dish, but again, it didn't matter because frankly I liked it better my way. Drinks were also really fantastic, but it's been a minute since my visit and all I can recall is 1) I truly enjoyed my drink and 2) it had a catchy name that probably isn't as catchy as I thought because I can't remember it. Which probably says more about my memory than the drink but that could be the drink's fault as well? The only important aspect to remember is that you can order any food or drink at this restaurant and you will likely be pleased. read more

Cyndy's Bottom Line: Amazing flavors, and ingredients! *RESY for reservations *Hours: 5-9pm Thur, Sun, and Mon 5-9:30pm Fri and Sat *Street parking *Outdoor seating available *20% service charge added This is what we drank/ate: *Marigold Toddy -mezcal, xila mexican aperitivo, marigold, honey, ginger, lemon, shio koji +warm and soothing mixture *Carajillo shakeado -Buna Dalia espresso, Licor 43 +A two ingredient well shaken rich, smooth, perfect amount of sweetness makes for a dangerously addicting cocktail. *Guacamole with tostadas +Flavorful guacamole with a crisp handmade tostada *Taco al pastor-salsa cruda, salsa morita, roasted piña. One per order. +Well balanced and flavorful. The pineapple is roasted to perfection with a subtle sweetness added to the taco. *Roasted oysters -brown butter, dark lager +Brown butter + oysters = yumminess. *Bluefin tuna tostada -salsa macha, avocado, furikake +Fresh high grade tuna with a combination of great delicious flavors on a crisp tostada topped with edible flowers and delicate greens. Yummy! *Chayote salad -sunflower seeds, guajillo oil, asian pears. +A delicious salad with a fresh light crunch, a hint of sweetness and a combination of flavors and textures. *Fideos negros -huitlacoche, mushroom, black garlic +A thin black noodle that is immersed in the robust flavors of the black garlic and huitlacoche and topped with a delicious mushroom. *Bunuelo -cajeta (caramel) mexican chocolate +A scrumptious fried pretzel shape sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. The cajeta is divine! The mexican chocolate smooth rich and yummy! *Highly recommend *Friendly and attentive service read more

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10/10! Small, intimate restaurant with great food! Their reservations are booked for a while but it's definitely worth the wait. I had a nice variety of dishes & I'll be back to try more! read more

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Pascual is one of the newer restaurants on the block in Washington D.C. and for the most part pretty good, some of the dishes were excellent, most of them were just okay. The reservation was a little annoying but not much competition, just book a few weeks ahead and you'll be fine. I had a late booking at 8:15pm on a Sunday Night and was sat early. Walking inside, I would describe the general ambiance and vibe as fun yet cozy. There was music playing and conversations galore but the warm lighting and table settings still made the vibes not overbearing and just right. The bar and kitchen were quite open so sometimes you could get wafts of smoke from the al pastor station which was awesome. The service was standard, but the immediate happy birthday to a peer from the hostess and our waitress was nice. Water was refilled regularly, answered any basic questions quick and kind, not outstanding but that's fine. The drinks here are pretty good but nothing outstanding. I ordered a Marigold Ginger Mocktail & an Al Pastor Margherita, the first tasted like a slightly spiced ginger-ale. The Al Pastor Margherita was a spicy pineapple smoky cocktail, very good but again nothing mind blowing. I don't think I'd order any again. The two starter dishes: Tacos Al Pastor and the Guacamole Plate. The Tacos Al Pastor, although pricy, might actually be one of the best tacos I've ever eaten in my life. The smoky tender pork balanced with the sweet succulent pineapple, the salsas and lime juice on top for acidity & heat, everything is just tied together perfectly. I wish I could say the same as the Guacamole and Tostadas plate. My table ordered all the add-ons, so all the salsas and pickled veg to try it and it was definitely not worth it. The guacamole itself was very good and the salsas added some different flavor combinations depending if you want pure spice, more herbs or sesame tastes but the pickled veg were just very basic and not worth paying the extra money. The Smoked Steelhead Trout, was a heavy miss. The aroma of the fish didn't have any smoke to it, just the fatty smelly fishy note that shouldn't remain after smoking. The dish feels like a Mexican flared deconstructed lox bagel with the radish and Yuzu-mojo sauce. I see the vision, but the execution was not there yet. However, the Bluefin Tuna Tostada was another standout of the night: everything I could have ever wanted in this preparation of a Tuna Tartare was present. The meaty, fatty tender tuna having a hidden layer of avocado underneath for extra buttery texture & fruity tone. The furikake on top adds an umami note that complements the salsa macha's spice well. A must get dish. My table ordered the Lamb Neck Barbacoa to share with two dishes on the side: Fried Red Rice & The Fideos Negros. The Fideos was a miss, they were just over seasoned Vermicelli noodles with some cheese and one mushroom on top. Not worth the price. The Fried rice was better, was smoky and had Hainanese Chicken Rice vibes cooked in some stock but again, just not worth $10 for the serving size. The Lamb Neck Barbacoa was really good though, had some smoky notes balancing the tender and gamey lamb. I really liked the acidic salad piled on top and wish it had more. The beans had more flavor than I thought, probably because they were soaking in the sauce and wrapping up the whole dish into tacos to eat was really fun. I would order it for a first time going, but like everything here, it was not worth it's high price tag ($65). To Round off the meal, we ordered the Bunuelo. But, the staff had brought a secondary dessert as a birthday surprise: their Pastel Imposible. The Bunuelo I could describe as being able to only eat the crunchy bits of a churro, but their chocolate and caramel sauces really elevated it with the warm spiced chocolate and a cinnamon-base caramel. The Pastel Imposible I can describe as eating a Mocha in the best possible way. The chocolate and coffee cake on the bottom was super moist with a strong coffee aroma, the vanilla flan on top adds creaminess and milky caramel notes, and rounding it off with the cacao nib crunch on top for texture. I definitely recommend the Pastel Imposible, the Bunuelo is just neat but not worth reordering. Overall, Pascual definitely has some dishes worth returning for(e.g. Al Pastor Taco, Bluefin Tuna Tostada, Pastel Imposible), but most of the dishes seem fairly standard and not exceptional, I'm sure this will change the more that they set in their roots as a restaurant. Pascual makes me want to return again, maybe in a year or so, but I am not actively yearning to do so. read more

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KenScale: 8.0/10 Visit: May 2024 One of the good things about dining in DC as opposed to NYC is that you rarely have to fight for reservations, even at the most popular restaurants. Sure, I have to clear my time to book at exactly the time the reservation window opens online at places like Maydan, but I never had any shocking moment where I logged in to Resy once the window opened and the reservations were all gone within three seconds! In any event, I recently had to plan my day in advance to snag a coveted reservation at a newcomer in the DC dining scene. Pascual, a Mexican restaurant from husband-and-wife chefs Matt Conroy and Isabel Coss who made their name in DC at a French bistro Lutèce in Georgetown, is named after San Pasqual, the Saint of Cooks and Kitchens. It might be surprising that a team behind a French bistro started a new Mexican project, but less so if you know the background of chef Coss, a native of Mexico City who trained at the city's famous Pujol before working at Oxomoco and Empellón in NYC. So did Pascual live up to the hype of being one of the hottest restaurants in DC at the moment (it was also featured as the No. 1 restaurant in Washington Post Tom Sietsema's Spring 2024 Dining Guide)? My wife Jun and I agreed that there were certainly some fantastic dishes, but the overall consistency was a bit mixed. For Jun, the barometer of a great Mexican restaurant is always in how good the guacamole is, so we of course started our meal with guacamole and tostadas (at $17), accompanied by (with an extra $10 charge) a colorful spread of salsa, verde and habanero sauces as well as smoked papaya, shishito escabeche, pickled radish and piña. Despite the stunning presentation, the guacamole was solid but not the most amazing one we'd had. Jun, who is always fond of fiery Mexican sauce, was stunned that the habanero sauce was not even spicy at all! After our initial disappointment, the dishes that came after got progressively better, with the exception of prawns that were forgettable. For a successful meal at Pascual, focusing on vegetable dishes seems to be a winning strategy based on our experience. When I tried a scoop of chayote salad that arrived several minutes after the guacamole, I quickly forgot about the latter and really enjoyed the salad that was a perfect summer appetizer with its refreshing texture enhanced with sunflower seeds. My favorite dish of the night was fideos negros (think Mexican version of thin noodles) with huitlacoche (a type of corn fungus) and mushrooms. The earthy flavor from the dish was quite outstanding and I only wished we had ordered two of these. For the main dish, we shared a giant lamb neck barbacoa accompanied by ayocote beans and salsa cruda that you can wrap into tortillas to create DIY tacos. The braised lamb neck was tasty and its texture soft; the only question was perhaps the price tag ($54) that seemed reflective of the overall inflationary environment of today. For dessert, Jun and I were fans of the off-menu flan, while bunuelo didn't quite have the crunchy texture that we were expecting from the restaurant's answer to churros. As noted above, getting a reservation at Pascual will take some efforts (it of course doesn't help that the restaurant's indoor dining space has only 30 seats), although things might ease up with the restaurant also opening up an outdoor patio. I liked the sleek, modern décor of the dining space that you might see at a hot spot in Mexico City. Another plus of the dining experience at Pascual is its strong cocktail list (you really do need to start your meal with margaritas), although the skeletal wine list made me wonder whether the restaurant could've experimented more in that department. Overall, Pascual offers some standout dishes that might tempt us to come back again just to see what other dishes we should check out. At least we know have a fairly good idea of what dishes to skip next time. read more

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stopped in to the newly opened Pascual and shared a wonderful meal with friends. open less than a week but you can't tell - everything was great. Tried the entire menu, but the favorite dishes were - chayote salad, garbanzos with chorizo flan, diablo prawns, lobster quesadilla, fideos with mushrooms, sweet potatoes, parsnip tamal, the skate, and the arroz con leche. great addition to the neighborhood, not huge inside but feels spacious, service was sharp. read more

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We sat at the bar, and being able to hear the servers chit chat marred our experience. We ordered the dorade, al pastor, scallop aguachile, and tetela. Overall this is a very pricy restaurant, but I don't really think the food and service merit it. Some bites of food were stale or lacking harmony. I think both Lutèce and Lapis offer better experiences than Pascual, so I am chalking it up to the fact that Pascual is just a younger restaurant. read more

My husband and I came here for my birthday dinner this year in early May. I was so excited to eat here because I heard so many good things about it over the last year. Unfortunately comparatively to other fine dining restaurants in the area, this one didn't stack up for me personally. The good: I loved the ambiance of the place and it felt nice and clean. We were seated right next to the door, but it didn't hinder the experience at all. I loved the drink special they had on this visit, I forget what it was called but it's the pink drink in the photos. The no so great: obviously I was really looking forward to eating the food here. We started off good with the appetizer tacos and thought it would just get better from there, unfortunately that was one of the better bites of the night. The elote dish was not good to me. To be fair I didn't really know what nixtamalized corn meant even though I've definitely had it before at other restaurants. The tuna was pretty fishy which is an ick of mine but even worse was the super hard pieces of corn making up the dish. Lowkey scarred by that thankfully we got the best dish of the night which was the Fideo. The fideo slapped. We got the lamb for the main and it was super underwhelming. Luckily we were upsold for the rice bc the rice was fire. For dessert we got the star thing which looked so good online but was lacking in person imo. The caramel it came with was great though. The ugly: the service was definitely weird in my opinion. For the price point I'm expecting dish and silverware changes for each course but that was not the case. Sometimes they changed the plates but not the silverware which was odd. While I was still eating the fideo the server really wanted to get rid of our plates to change them out for the main but like I was still eating it so I felt rushed. In the end I let her change them and the fideo sat on the table but the main didn't come out for another 15 minutes, like what was the rush and now the fideo is cold lmao. I do not like how when ordering we were upsold for rice with the main lamb dish as if the lamb only came by itself. When it arrived we realized it came with tacos so what the heckie. Honestly it was lucky though bc the rice was the 3rd best thing we ate which is wild. Slightly inconsequential but it was my birthday and they didn't even acknowledge it. Not a huge deal but why ask on the reservation then. We ate all the courses and had multiple drinks but I really feel like what you get is absolutely not worth the price point. I would have rather gone to rooster and owl. If you want to come here I would go to the bar and only get a few select menu items. read more

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I was so excited to try this place since it has been mentioned at the Washingtonian, plus all the glowing instagram feeds. Service was mediocre. From the host who didn't even bother to greet us with a smile, to the sadly untrained server. The atmosphere was neither chic nor unique. The patio seating area appeared to be an old broken down tent. Cocktails were tasty enough, but microscopic. Because it was our first time, we decided to try several dishes: Fideos and 2 of their "main highlights " ...taco pastor which was not better than a basic taco place around DC. The lamb neck was ok, but served with cold tortillas (also something we were looking forward to... just not cold) ...which at that point we didn't even bother to ask the server to warm them up. For the desserts, we got the Buñuelo and the "impossible" (pretty much a chocoflan) which were ok, nothing special about it. The one thing I told myself after trying this place, was to not trust social media when considering places like this. Would I go back? I don't think so. I would not recommend this place... certainly not for the price. Sincerely, Ale Tristan read more

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This place was amazing!!! I definitely recommend trying to get a seat at the bar. The bartender was so nice and made the best drinks. The food was also top notch I loved the guacamole tacos and papaya salad. The salad was a must and had so much flavor. Our least favorite was the main entree which was the lamb neck. Had a slightly gamey aftertaste so I wasn't a fan but everything else was amazing. Ambiance inside was nice but the restaurant inside was very small so there is a tent set up for more seating. read more

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Really awesome place with unique flavors across the board. I randomly snagged a reservation here, which is SO hard to get. They do take walk-ins, which I learned after we went! Some standouts for us were the citrus ceviche and the lamb neck, which was literally so tender it was falling off the bone. The lobster tetela was also an interesting dish, sort of like a quesadilla with really authentic flavors and an amazing corn tortilla. The bunuelo dessert was super good and the cinnamon caramel and chocolate dipping sauces really made the meal. Everyone working there seemed happy and was really helpful to provide recommendations, answer any questions and check in on us frequently. Def. recommend! read more

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