The service was super quick! There may have been a 10 minute wait between ordering our food and…read morebeing served which was perfect. We got the guacamole to start which was some of the best, and most flavorful, guacamole that I've had in DC. Being from Texas, I'm very particular about my street tacos. These were the closest I've gotten to Texas street tacos since I've been in DC, and I've been here for 2 years! The place is small and intimate but full of energy - great place for a happy hour with friends or a more casual date!

Solid local Mexican spot!…read more Food- shrimp dish was flavorful and tacos consistently good. Meats are prepared well and side dishes a great compliment. Drinks- hibiscus sangria and hibiscus margarita were refreshing and tasty. Vibes- great patio space

We sat at the bar and it was the best decision. We were so well taken care of! Dlena is one of…read morethose places that makes dinner feel special. It's a great place to go with friends, date night or solo. It's very intimate, dark and cozy. We came for the steak which was amazing but the star of the show for me was the branzino. I loved the sauces on the fish -the red side was my favorite. I was also super shocked at how good the carrots were! They were sweet and savory perfection. The crab guacamole was also delicious. Everything was so good! Can't wait for my next visit.

I've heard great things about dLeña so I decided to have my birthday brunch here. The decor was…read morebeautiful and there was plenty of space inside. They offered a bottomless food and mimosas option so that is what we ordered. Their brunch is a bit different from other bottomless brunches because they bring out everything on the menu to you instead of you picking. Everything I tried was good but there were some items I favored much more over others. I would likely visit again to try their dinner menu. The atmosphere was nice, the service was great, and the food was good. I also got a birthday treat.

The restaurant was crowded on a Wednesday night, but we had a reservation and got seated right…read moreaway. Make a reservation if you can! The restaurant was lively and the decor matched it. It was a bit loud so conversation with our larger party was difficult. The food was good but nothing memorable. Overall a fun place to with decent food. The prices aren't too crazy.

Always enjoy the food here! On my most recent visit my server was Larissa and was super hospitable…read moreand helpful! We had two gluten allergies at the table and she made us feel taken care of and answered all our questions. My favorite dishes were the appetizers and sides, the equites, guacamole, queso, and refried beans were the best. I found the enchiladas to be a bit bland, but that was all I tried that I didn't care for.

Mi Vida has nice interior decor & dining areas. Reservation recommended; very crowded during dinner…read moretime. Shared a Ponche de Lola pitcher. Ordered from the 3 course menu: - tatanachos (pretty good, portion was huge) - pollo con mole poblano (came w/ rice & beans; super delicious & entree was massive) - churros (not my type, texture was funky) Friend got a complimentary birthday dessert. Overall 4 stars; experience was great.

Paola's service was amazing. I really can't say enough about how attentive and helpful she was. She…read morerecommended a fruity, sweet drink that ended up being one of the best parts of the whole experience. The food, though, was hit or miss . The birria tacos were just okay. They were a little dry, and the sauce that came with them had no real flavor at all. The salsa was actually really good and honestly the only thing saving those tacos. But then the chips that came with it completely dropped the ball. They were hard, the texture was off, and just not enjoyable to eat. The ambiance was definitely a highlight. Sitting by the window with a view of the water was chef's kiss.

Had a great time and dinner! Chicatana is unassuming and unpretentious, staffed with attentive…read moreservers who do an amazing job (water was always filled and empty plates removed quite efficiently). The decor is simple, no table clothes or frills but it does live up to 'fine cuisine' with excellent food and presentation (another subtle touch is if you leave the table, you return to a nicely folded napkin). We got nearly everything on the menu including all the desserts and Mexican hot chocolate (yum, lightly spicy and piping hot!) . As others have said their guacamole is excellent...do check the charges though bc they added salsa and chips to the tab which we did not order (they removed). Also, the first order of guac came with big bowl of chips, but none with the second order of guac- not a problem though because you do not go hungry. Portions are quite generous. We even tried the ants which was a fun novelty

This was the valentine's day 2026 stop. I had no idea it was in the area it was, but alas, we made…read morethe trek from lowly ballston anyway. After parking in the Giant parking garage (decent price), we walked the few blocks to the restaurant. We spotted it with the poster sign hanging up on the outer walls. Inside you head up the stairs and you're greeted by the host stand. We checked in and got our table, right at the window (hellya). There was a rose and a candle on the table (vday vibes) and we also received a vday specials menu. We landed on queso fundido to start and a cocktail each: prickly pear marg for her, a viva mexico for me. After fundido'ing it up, we ordered our entrees. We're simple folks it was a 2 carne asada tacos, 1 al pastor taco, 1 pescado taco, and 1 chicken quesadilla. Unfortunately we weren't bold enough to try the insectos. Food was great, drinks were great, service was great. You can pay your tab via Toast for no additional fee which was convenient. There are two, single use bathrooms in there too. Overall, solid spot.

Amazing restaurant…read more The location is great and the vibe and energy in the restaurant is great. The employees were so kind and very attentive. Prices were good. The food was amazing. 5 stars. My girlfriend loved her burrito de asada. It was so full of flavor and tender asada. I loved my enchiladas de mole. The mole sauce was perfect. The rice and beans were great also. Finally the gorditos de asada was generational. Not only were they filled with great tasting asada and grilled veggies, but the plain Gordito literally brought me back to my abuelas gorditos she would make me growing up. Brought me to tears. I definitely plan to visit this location anytime I'm in DC.

This place hit the spot, even toddler approved! We ordered take out and it was prepared pretty…read morequickly. The menu is quite extensive, it took us longer to decide on what we wanted. I got the nachos, my husband got tacos, and we got a chicken quesadilla for our toddler. The nachos were PILED with toppings and so colorful - even in a take out container is looked beautiful. They were SO tasty, very full of flavor and spice. My husband said the tacos were delicious and our toddler actually ate a lot of the quesadilla. Win all around. Highly recommend!

Came by for happy hour and had a great experience! The atmosphere was lively and fun, and the…read moreservice was friendly and attentive throughout. We ordered the Salsa Macha-Honey Glazed Wings, Esquite Fries, Mexican Street Style Corn Off the Cob, and Chips & Salsa. Everything was delicious, the wings had the perfect sweet and spicy glaze, the esquite fries were packed with flavor, the street corn was creamy and satisfying, and the chips and salsa were a great starter. For drinks, we tried The Margarita, the Frozen Pineapple Margarita with Tajín, and the Pregame Shooter. All were refreshing, and the cocktails were definitely strong. Great food, strong drinks, awesome vibes, and excellent service. We'll definitely be back!

El Presidente knows exactly how to look the part. Whether it delivers on the substance behind the…read morestyle is a more complicated answer. El Presidente is a festive, neo-retro Mexican eatery anchored inside DC's Union Market District, built around the theater of going out. And the theater is real -- the interiors are dramatic, intentional, and genuinely photogenic. We arrived with a reservation, were checked in with minimal wait, and were seated smoothly. The front-of-house experience was efficient and the waiter was personable throughout. I was craving a frozen piña colada and asked the waiter specifically about coconut flavor before ordering. He recommended the Piña Piña, which arrived in a festive shark cup -- a fun, unexpected touch that set an optimistic tone. Unfortunately the drink itself didn't follow through. Rum was the dominant note by a wide margin, with pineapple running a distant second. Coconut was essentially absent. When the waiter returned and I mentioned the disappointment, he offered to swap it out -- a gracious move that I appreciated even though I declined. The spirit was right; the execution from the bar wasn't. We ordered the classic guacamole, the tuna ceviche, and the cucarachas as starters. The classic guac was the clear standout -- well-seasoned, balanced, and exactly what a guacamole should be. The ceviche featured an interesting white coconut sauce that was visually striking and genuinely curious in flavor, though it didn't fully cohere for our table. The tacos were our main event across the three of us, and while they were fine, nothing about them demanded a return visit. For a restaurant billing itself on heirloom ingredients and regional Mexican technique, the tacos felt underwhelming against the ambition of the concept. The noise level was the other significant issue. The room was loud to the point where conversation with friends sitting directly next to me required real effort. That level of ambient noise at dinner crosses from energetic into fatiguing -- and for a restaurant leaning heavily into the experience side of dining, the acoustic experience actively works against it. El Presidente markets itself around the theater of going out, and that framing is honest -- the decor investment is visible everywhere. But a beautiful room only carries so much weight when the food doesn't match the price point or the ambition behind it. The guacamole and the waiter's attentiveness are genuine positives. The cocktail execution and the overall food quality need to close the gap with the aesthetic before this becomes a restaurant worth returning to. Meal type Dinner Price per person $40-50 Food: 3 Service: 4 Atmosphere: 3 Noise level Very loud, hard to hear Group size 1 person, 2 people, 3-4 people Parking space Difficult to find parking Parking options Paid street parking, Paid parking garage

Food and vibes are just magnificent. Hands down the best Peruvian restaurant in the DC area, by…read morefar. Honestly it doesn't matter what you get, everything is just so freaking succulent. The ceviche is really good, can never go wrong with ceviche, especially if you're going tapas style. The ají de gallina, lomo saltado and lamb are so freaking good, the meat is tender, the sauces are perfection, and when you mix the rice to with the sauce it's absolutely delicious. Heard about this place a while, finally tried it out a couple times now, already can't wait to go back!

My first time trying Peruvian food. Apparently, it's heavily influenced by the Chinese immigrant…read morecommunity, so it's somewhat Chinese in a way. You can definitely taste some Cantonese influences. Corazón: Very unique. The beef heart was grilled very tender, and the spicy and tangy dipping sauce was refreshing. I've also never had such large kernels of sticky corn before. Lomo Saltado: Similar to Cantonese black pepper and beef cubes stir-fry, but noticeably coarser. The meat was a bit tough and dry, the sauce didn't coat it well, and it wasn't very flavorful. Chaufa Mixto: Chaufa = chaofan 炒飯 (fried rice in Chinese) A very straightforward transliteration. Similar to Chinese fried rice, it had plenty of wok hei 鑊氣 (wok aroma), which is rare in the US. The beef and chicken were quite tender; however, the shrimp wasn't fully cooked, and you could clearly taste the raw texture inside. Vegetales Salteados: Seasoned exactly like Lomo Saltados, it's even stranger to use it for stir-frying vegetables... It was entirely for the vegetables' benefit; otherwise, it was completely unnecessary. Suspiro: Dulce de leche custard, meringue, and passion fruit glaze, sprinkled with cinnamon powder--it was far too sweet.

We went to their brunch and got their loaded waffle fries and bottomless mimosas and it being my…read morefirst time there, it was worth it. Be mindful of certain weekends when street fairs are happening, gps won't redirect.

We hosted a party for ~ 30 people at the Front Bar and it was a spectacular venue! Our event…read moremanager Mackenzie and the bar's manager were attentive and communicative throughout the entire experience from planning to hosting. The Front Bar was perfect for 25-30 people (a bit cramped if you wanted more, but the venue has other rooms you can reserve). I would highly recommend hosting an event here, and get the margherita pitchers!

Lauriol Plaza is just how I remembered it to be...the food was tasty…read more Was definitely excited about the valet parking lot which is literally connected to the restaurant. When it comes to hanging out in DC, the parking situation will make you reconsider your plans hahahaha! For me anyway... One of my girlfriends suggested this place & made reservations but I don't think you really need them here. We arrived on time and was greeted by the hostess and opted to sit outside since the upstairs was closed. The lime and mango combination swirl was delicious...we ordered a pitcher and it was plenty for us 3 gals. The seafood quesadillas was seasoned very well. Full of flavor...I enjoyed these with a garden salad minus the feta cheese and corn. My salad was fresh and the house dressing was perfectly distributed throughout my salad. My girl friends enjoyed their meals as well. One ordered the same as me minus the salad and added rice and beans and the other ordered the salmon with the stuffed crab...can't remember what it was called on the menu but it also was served with broccoli and she added a side of Spanish rice and beans. The maduros were also delicious! Sitting outside was cool but the birds flying all around was kind of annoying lol next time we'll just sit inside lol. I don't think you can go wrong coming here...tasty well seasoned Tex Mex cuisine... Our server needed to be reminded of a few things...maybe it was just an off day for him... Anyhoo- you can't go wrong if you decide to come here. GNO, date night, birthday celebration...I'm sure it'll be a great time. Happy Yelping!

I remember a few months ago, my makeup artist recommended I check out Lauriol Plaza and that they…read morehave really good food. When she first said the name, I actually thought it was a some short of shopping plaza and never would have associated it as a Mexican restaurant. I'm not sure it's history, but seems like a staple in the neighborhood as every time I drive by since that conversation with her, I notice how packed and busy it is. I recommended to my friends who were in town that we check it out and we were able to get seated outside relatively quickly for a Saturday evening. Our table started with their drinks. Half of us got the pina colada and the other half had the margarita swirl. I'd say the pina coloda was pretty good; not too strong and the ones who ordered the margarita seemed to enjoy it. We all had eaten before arriving, so we didn't order too much. They also served complimentary tortilla chips with salsa so that was pretty good and gave us something to nibble on. I ended up getting the shrimp tacos and their tortilla soup. The shrimp tacos were good, but the tortilla soup was the highlight for me. It was very flavorful, and full of vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, and corn. It also had shredded chicken and cheese in it, and was so delicious. I would definitely order it again. Our server was also very friendly and regularly checked in on us. The reason for one star off is just due to the cleanliness of the cups and plates on our table. I noticed food residue still on it, and although I personally didn't use the cup or plate, I didn't care to see it on the table.