oyamel

good, not great. thought the food here was really fresh and tasty, but some dishes had 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, thesmallplates 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.

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 thesmalldishes tends to run that way. it was fun with good eats.

high end mexican food by famed chef jose andres. good, geniune fare withsmallplates to share. great drinks. food is very good but not as amazing as offered in other andres restaurants. service was spotty with a slow waiter a dish mixup. definitely worth a visit if you want genuine mexican food. if you’re feeling brave try the cricket taco, a rare mexican delicacy

this is very good mexican food. if you are the type that typically orders the combo platter at mexican restaurants than this may not be the place for you. this is asmallplates type of place. food is very good and the tequila selection is top notch!

oyamel is one of restauranteur and chef josé andrés’ creations. just as the restaurant is full of fun, eclectic decorations, the menu has interesting, unique options from cactus salad to grasshopper tacos. i decided to be adventurous so i tried the latter. it was a mistake, but more about that later. my experience at oyamel made me realize that i do not like thesmallplate fad or eating insects.

>> 01 october 2014 –  andres , art , dc , dinner , famous , gallery , guacamole , jose , meal , mexican , museum , oyamel , plates , restaurant ,small, tapas , trip , vacation , washington #fullpost{display:none;} the girls and i flew to washington via porter, from billy bishop airport in toronto. as our flight was at 6:45 am, we decided to be smart and efficient with time and meet the night before to catch the last ferry - then simply wait at the airport for 6-7 hours before the flight. 

i enjoyed a wonderful, superb meal at oyamel. it servessmalldishes; i tried to sample as many different types of dishes as 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.

oyamel boasts some of the finest mexican cuisine in the city, but deviates slightly by offering asmallplates style menu...

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 asmallplates 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 ofsmallplate/tapas-style dining or in the case of oyamel "antojitos" for little dishes from 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 howsmalla portion it was compared to the other dishes we 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 asmallbite of fish in thesmalltortilla; 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.smallplate 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.

oyamel is definitely a great restaurant to celebrate a special occasion. the decor is funky and hip, the staff is knowledgeable and attentive, and the menu is diverse and delicious.

however, you shouldn't expect large portions of filling food. thesmallplates nature of the restaurant makes it possible to order a few different things, then share them with the table. jose andres has done a great job of putting a modern spin on classic mexican. guacamole is made table side, and the complimentary salsa is sweet, smoky, and spicy all at the same time.

oyamel definitely may put a dent in your wallet, and you're paying a premium for the experience. however, it's a great experience, and well worth the occasional splurge.

plates average $10 each, and each person in your party will likely want to try two or three. tacos are more reasonable at $4 each and are of average size.

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 multiple dishes throughout your meal for variety and sampling fun. thesmallportions 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!

pleasantly surprised. i tried this place by myself one night and tried a few of thesmalltacos and a shrimp dish and they were all good. i'd like to go back and try some of the odd stuff like the grasshopper taco.

absolutely loved the food and i literally wanted to order everything on the menu! wait time for 2 was around 45 min on a friday night. our waitress was amongsts the best i've had, i believe her name fwiw is alhairie. anyways, the atmosphere and restaurant ambiance is nice, fun, chic and busy. i will have to object to the $15-25 per person however. my buddy and i both ended up paying about $40-50 per person, not including alcoholic drinks. between a salad, 4-5smalltacos, one entré, and splitting the guacamole chip plate, i spent $44. i was told though that i was an outlier so to say for eating so many tacos. ha, i wanted to try them all though! keep in mind that it is a tapas style menu. realistically one could expect to pay perhaps around $30-35 per person

completely incredible. if you go to one dinner while in washington, let it be to oyamel. everything we tried - and we tried quite a range - was simply amazing. the food is served assmalldishes (tapas, in a way), so bring your wallet because it does get expensive, but it was so worth it.

we ordered the spicy tableside guacamole, which was so creamy and delicious, and it went well with our bohemias and negro modelos. the chips were homemade, as were the tortillas, and they were delicate and crispy and wonderful. i ordered the arbol shrimp and a yucatan-style pork taco, while my husband ordered a slow-braised short rib, a chicken taco, a fish taco, and chapulines - a taco with sauteed grasshoppers! he is much braver than i. we loved every bite we could stuff into our mouths.

additionally, we had a lovely waitress who couldn't have been more accommodating and pleasant. on a scale of 1 to 10, this visit was off the chart! i wish we lived nearby because we would go back over and over again.

good food,smallportions! the guacamole is great! if you're hungry and want a big meal, plan on ordering 4-5 dishes here. i'd say 4 out of 5 stars.