oyamel

good, not great. thought the food here was really fresh and tasty, but somedisheshad almost overpowering flavor of the sauce or spice and you couldn't actually taste the fish or vegetable underneath. i know the guacamole is like $13, but get it, it's really good. yes, the small plates can add up, but that's true of every tapas place.

overall service was very good - we got a little 'tude from our server at first, but when he realized he forgot an iced tea he was more attentive and didn't charge us for it.
atmosphere is cool - but can get very loud.

oyamel has a great buzz, vibe and energy. the food is good and some of the offering like the cactus and grasshopperdishesare down right unique. be mindful though that the place offers everything as 'small plates' so you just get one-piece-of, one taco per order.

treat your taste buds. wecalled to reserve but there was nothing. since we are traveling and found ourselves close, we walked in and were told it would be a hour wait. we decided to wait and had a drink once we got a bar seat and in only half an hour we had a table. what a menu, there were all kind of choices i decided on a gazpacho salad and the favors were great! this was followed by shrimp wit an aged black garlic that was also good. after my margarita i decided to try the grasshopper taco, abit salty but crunchy and with guacamole in it they balanced the flavors well. also a tip from the bartender i ordered a ron cooper margarita, you get a margarita with a shot of this smokey tequila...oh wow that was a treat. we spent a little more than we expected but then the places with t.hat assortment and the smalldishestends to run that way. it was fun with good eats.

on june 15, 2016, chef josé andrés will be hosting his 4th annual dine-n-dash with proceeds going to support world central kitchen, a non-profit organization that focuses on smart solutions to decrease world hunger and poverty.

you couldn’t ask for a better event where you can pay one price (general ticket or vip ticket), walk into 30 restaurants in one night, sample some of the venue’s most populardishesand libations and walk right out without pulling out your wallet throughout penn quarter and the 14th street neighborhoods.

sunday’s media tour offered a sneak peak into 4 of the restaurant options.

oyamel cocina mexicana

first stop was oyamel and this was by far my favorite stop for food and drinks.  a few of thedishesthat were offered were the oyamel margarita, taco -carnitas estilo michoacán, pescadilla sinaloa, and table-side guacamole.

oyamel is mexican food that packs a punch from your standard street foods.  their margaritas are topped with “salt air,” so there’s no need for a messy rim of salt around the glass, you get a pinch of salt with every sip.  the pork taco was topped with a crunch chicharrón satisfying the soft and crunchy textures.  their take on the fish “empanada” which is steamed not fried, is a surprisingly flavorful moist ingredients tucked inside of a crisp shell.  table-side guacamole, need i say more? ...

this was a fun, tasty meal. the star of the evening to me was the salted foam margarita. that's right. salt in the foam. it was life changing. the pozole verde and ceviche was particularly fantastic. the table side guacamole was very good as well. this is not a cheap night out, but still very good.

tip: a great review covers food, service, and ambiance. got recommendations for your favoritedishesand drinks, or something everyone should try here? include that too! and remember, your review needs to be at least 140 characters long :)

i enjoyed a wonderful, superb meal at oyamel. it serves small dishes; i tried to sample as many different types ofdishesas i could. the meal starts out with chips and salsa, but what chips and salsa! the chips are not only the best i've ever had, they were so good that they make me want to never again eat those pale cardboard strips that everyone else passes off as chips. the salsa exhibited the complexity that was the basis for all of the dishes: the base isn't just tomato but also tomatillo and other ingredients; the chiles were clearly of several varieties, some smoked, each with their own contribution. this is the bass ceviche. the acid taste is just enough to be fresh, not overwhelming. the bass was cooked just enough without being either too raw or too tough. several other citrus flavors and a bit of pepper complemented the bass. these fries are coated with a chocolate mole sauce and a crema sauce. the mole had all the complexity that you expect of a great mole; none of the component flavors overwhelm the others. the fries themselves were perfect, possibly fried in lard. i had to try the grasshopper taco. grasshopper is not a metaphor. yes, if you look carefully, you can see the little grasshopper legs. the texture was a little scratchy but not hard. a dollop of guacamole was at the bottom. if it weren't for that, those little buggers would be dry but the overall effect was very nice. i noticed a definite citrusy taste, which i think came from the grasshoppers themselves. the duck was extremely tender, just falling off the bone with the slightest push from my fork. the mole sauce was rich and subtle. a chocolate dessert was an inevitability. the chocolate itself was of the richer, more robust style that one expects from mexican chocolate. a nice citrus note is a great way to complement the strong chocolate.

i count it among my favorite mexican restaurants. it's menu offers a great balance between favoritedishesthat are always available and seasonal specials. i recommend aiming for a mix of both.

small plates at oyamel. **detailed food item review follows**

when i arrived at oyamel i was displeased at the very loud noise level. i had reservations so we were seated immediately. my companion and i were shown to a tiny table, on the lower level, located on the aisle and directly in front of a bar. ugh! i absolutely was not sitting at that table. it was so tiny, i knew all our food would not fit. dumb idea for a small plates restaurant to have such tiny tables plus my companion has broad shoulders. he would get bumped into all night if we sat there. i immediately asked the hostess if we could be seated elsewhere. she was very kind, and accommodating. we were told to have a seat at the main bar and they would re-seat us in a moment. sure enough in about 3 minutes we were seated in a booth. the booth was on the same lower level but a wall of sorts wrapped around us shielding out the noise and the table could seat five people. ahhh! now i could relax and hopefully enjoy my meal.

i had been wanting to try oyamel for some time because i am a fan of jose andres' jaleo. i read a lot of oyamel reviews and walked away with the impression that people really love oyamel for happy hour, their margaritas, and the guacamole made at the table. very few reviewers were ecstatic about the food.

spoiler alert: this is exactly my impression of oyamel. the food is okay, nothing spectacular, nothing to make you return for just the food.

of what we ate, there were a few delicious dishes. i am a fan of small plate/tapas-style dining or in the case of oyamel "antojitos" for littledishesfrom the streets.

the food
complimentary salsa & chips: the chips are good and our second batch was warm. the red salsa made with smokey chipotle chiles has just the right amount of heat, and is flavorful.

guacamole: yes, it is fresh. yes it is good. it is not the best guacamole i've ever eaten but it is a must order item. at $13.50 i think it is the most expensive guacamole and chips i've ever had. rating: 4 out of 5 stars

gaspacho (salad) estilo morelia: a salad of seasonal fruit (mango, grapefruit, orange), jicama root, cucumbers, queso fresco and chile pequín. the salad was very refreshing, the fruit was firm, and juicy; nothing mushy. i would order this on each visit to oyamel. very nice starter and is a nice change from all the 'salty' foods and heavier dishes. rating: 4 out of 5 stars

elote con calabazitas: sautéed sweet corn, baby zucchini, & serrano peppers with mexican cream, queso fresco & chile pequin. meh! don't waste your money or calorie allotment. it is not that flavorful or special. sounds much better than it is. i was surprised how small a portion it was compared to the otherdisheswe had received thus far. rating: 2 out of 5 stars

enchilada placeras: house-made corn tortillas filled w/ spiced beef, pickled chayotes, a roasted tomato salsa, red onions and radishes. my dining companion liked this.

pescado con mostaza: very tasty blackened grouper, roasted tomato and pasilla de oaxaca chile salsa, pickled mustard seed purée and pickled mustard seeds. the grouper alone, away from the salsa and mustard seed puree, was excellent. made me long for an entire piece of blackened grouper fish as an entree. the salsa served with the grouper was good, the mustard seed puree was even better. rating: 4 out of 5 stars

pescado mexicano/fish taco: seared fish with salsa mexicana and a tangy cilantro pesto. translation: a lot of mediocre flavored green stuff, and a teeny-tiny piece of fish. pass on this item. there was only a small bite of fish in the small tortilla; the piece of fish was no more than one and three-quarter inches long! at least put enough fish to extend through the tortilla. note tacos are $4 per taco and one order is 1 taco. rating: don't bother ordering

cochinita pibíl con cebolla en escabeche/pork taco: yucatan-style pit barbecued shenandoah valley pork with mexican sour orange and pickled red onion. i did not taste this but my friend said it was okay. he said he would order it again.

note: my ratings for the individual food items are within the context of the food at oyamel that i ate.

service:
the staff pushed alcohol a lot. we kept saying no but they kept asking and pointing out alcohol drink menus and specials. at the main bar, while waiting to be seated the bartender looked visibly surprised when i ordered "unsweetened ice tea" and stuttered slightly upon repeating my order. the hostess was very nice, polite, and accommodating. our waitress was adequate.

do i recommend oyamel? sure. small plate restaurants are fun for groups and friends, sharing food, and trying out different dishes. is it the type of place i'd return to often? no.the food isn't standout fare.

decidedly delectabledishesand colorful, calavera-clouding cocktails come alive at oyamel’s annual dia de los muertos festival. a compelling meld of the common with the exquisite, head chef colin king demonstrates his well-honed craft by fashioning traditional mexicandisheswith refined ingredients and delicate garnishes. lasting until november 2nd, this is an event you will not want to miss.

in from minnesota and a local friend recommended this place. guac and all of thedisheswere great. the waiter had fantastic recommendations that we normally would never have tried. we will go again.

delicious and fun. it is expensive so you need to get over that part because experience is too fun to pass up. the point of this place to is order multipledishesthroughout your meal for variety and sampling fun. the small portions keeps you from filling up too fast.

think of this tapas style similar to dim sum. you sample here, taste something awesome there and keep your meal going as long as your stomach and wallet lets you.

i highly recommend the fresh fried churros with chocolate sauce at the end of your meal! also one of their bigger dishes!

a+. if you’re craving mexican for brunch, head to oyamel for authentic comida mexicana with a twist. from the traditional dinner cuisine to the eggdisheslike huevos rancheros we were hooked. start with the signature mimosas and end with the churros, then roll yourself home for a siesta.

jose andre's oyamel brings antojitos or the littledishesfrom the streets of mexico to dc's ever-expanding fine dining scene in penn quarter. this bustling, vibrant, and loud restaurant is yet another tough dc reservation to score. but if you are patient, and can handle a wait at the cramped bar area (made much easier with a potent, margarita in hand), you will be rewarded with the best mexican food in the area. we began with the queso fundido topped with chorizo, which is flambã©ed with tequila and served with hot hand-made tortillas. after that, there were so many possibilities. from a delicious take on black refried beans stuffed with cheese to a tamale verde with shredded chicken, eac

from october 17 th until november 2 nd , oyamel will feature two new cocktails and a menu showcasing classicdishesfrom michoacan, the home of mexico's famous forests. get a taste today of oyamel's day of the dead celebration at the penn quarter freshfarm market where sous chef ryan collins will demonstrate a recipe from the festival . demo starts at 4 pm. menu highlights include: toritas de papas con salsa hoja santa, fried potato fritters with cheese; truches en hierbas, fresh lake trout with mexican herbs; and pan de muertos, house made day of the dead bread . my favorite was the silky butternut squash soup. the day of the dead menu items will range in price from $4 to $10. for the perfect pairing, guests can sample some amazing cocktails including the jarritos, made from a combination of local charanda, pineapple, orange, lime press, chile piquin, sea salt, house made squirt and shaved mango as well as the harvest moon, made with del maguey mezcal vida, grilled white and yellow co

amazing tacos. this is a very good, very unique restaurant. everyone in our party of 5 was very pleased. a few were sensetive to spicy foods so the staff kindly lowered the volume on theirdisheswhich was very nice. the mexican gin and tonic was a fun twist on the drink. i know... everyone says, "get the guacamole"... and they're right, it is worth the price.
apart from the food, the interior is a very bright and whimsical modern aesthetic. great atmosphere.