Any of the tacos are delicious, you can’t go wrong. The Salt Air Margaritas are fun and delicious even if tequila isn’t your thing. Please note that this is a tapas style restaurant.
Photos
Menus
We dined here twice during our recent visit to DC. The first time we shared four appetizers and two desserts between the two of us and it was plenty of food. Maybe a bit too much. The second time we had tacos and guacamole. The guacamole is probably the best I have ever had. Very fresh, with onion and jalapenos, as we ordered it spicy. The queso fundido was a small skillet of melted cheese that was not terribly interesting, served with corn tortillas. The taco fillings were very fresh, but not that flavorful, really a bit disappointing. However, overall the food was very fresh and tasted good. The margaritas we had were dangerously refreshing. Over the course of our two visits we tried all three desserts and they were all very good. Highly recommend.
The four tacos we have ordered were very tasty. The fresh guacamole we ordered to dip our tortillas was amazing. Best one we have ever had.
I first went to Oyamel about 6 years ago and loved it! Food and service were great and it was busy. It was pretty busy tonight too but we didn't have the best service and the food wasn't that great, not nearly as good as 6 years ago. First, it took a long time to get seated even though we had a reservation. Then it took a long time to get our drinks. We ordered some plates to share and we all had the single tacos. Those were good and so was the shrimp. The rest was pretty unremarkable. Then we ordered a couple more plates and that took a long time. Apparently the order didn't get in? Then we had to wait for the bill. It was just mostly disappointing and not what I had hoped for. I likely won't visit if I'm ever in D.C. again.
Atmosphere VERY busy and loud on a Friday night. Great margaritas but no frozen drinks. Great Mexican beer selection. The food was oily and very salty. The spice level was expected given the cuisine but not the salt. The tuna both in ceviche form as well as the taquitos was great. They accommodated our vegan guests well which was appreciated. Overall too noisy and crowded which took away from the experience.
Guacamole was not good. Tortilla chips have changed and are no longer good. Salsa was watery. Fish taco was mushy. Service was average at best. Host and hostess were unkind and unhelpful. The only thing that was good was the margarita. We have loved this place since it opened, but this may have been our last visit. Very sad as this restaurant has always been one of our favorites.
Mother’s Day
Definitely worth a visit. We had a great evening here. The server was kind and friendly. The food was amazing. They bring you warm chips and salsa, which are great. We tried two different margaritas. The Serrano Margarita was a spicy delicious kick in the face :) The Al Gusto was good as well. All 3 tacos were excellent. Really well done. And the place feels reasonably priced. The decor is super eclectic and fun as well, butterflies everywhere. We would highly recommend this place.
The place was busy but we were able to get a table. They warned us that the food portions are small so we ordered a few things. It was good to get a taste of multiple dishes. We also ate quite a few chips with the spicy homemade salsa. Our wait staff was very attentive and the food was very good.
Oyamel is a solid Mexican restaurant. Great service and unique ways of serving certain food - such as eating guac in a homemade tortilla!We got the tasting menu because we couldn’t decide what to get. We got such a variety of different food that it was truly a tasting menu. The only thing that we didn’t like was that the tasting menus were individually portioned, but rather 2-3 people would have to share a plate. We got two pitchers of margaritas and that was a solid drink.Be sure to book this in advance as it can get quite busy during dinner time!