Casa Fiesta

 

1

44

Lia D.

Washington, DC

I really enjoyed my meal here.  I thought the service was fabulous and the food was tasty.  The chips were really good--baked, not at all greasy like Cactus.  Plus the salsa was homemade and awesome.  Although the pupusas weren't as good as my salvadoran friend's mom's, they weren't too bad.  They were just really really cheesy, which I'm not a big fan of. I ordered the veggie burrito, which I really liked, but I didn't see any avocado in it. Oh well.  J. Biz ordered the chicken burrito and loved it (he also loved the pupusas).  

I passed by this place a lot and always wanted to try it.  I'm glad we did.  Went home w/full tummies and a doggie bag for $25.  Can't beat that!

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7

81

sarah y.

Washington, DC

Tenleytown area on a Saturday night is not exactly thrilling and I could not really find a place I was looking for. I wanted something sweet and it was late; I noticed the menu on the outside said flan so I thought what the heck, right? I went in and they gave us an order of chips and salsa. Chips were cold (but it was late so I am not picky), the salsa was really spicy for me but not bad. The flan was eh. Not too impressive, it could have been those ones in the fridge aisle at Safeway, you know kozyshack or something? It was way too soft! Not bad, but I would not return, at least not for the flan. The service was pretty good and they were quite friendly, so I can't complain there.

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Elite '08

409

599

alexis g.

Washington, DC

It was Friday night and all I wanted to do was drink sangria before going to the movies. My husband just wanted some guacamole. Guapo's was packed solid, with a wait time of 25 minutes -- no thanks. We ended up coming here on a whim. We had driven past this strip 1,000 times but never noticed there was a Mexican place ... why not?

We walk in and I feel like I stepped into a travel machine or something. It reminded me of so many small Mexican places I've been to in the South. That was promising. We sat down and it took awhile for the staff to wait on us, but I realized it was because they want you to place your menus, closed, at the edge of the table where they can see them. Otherwise, they don't "know" to come over. So that's a little tip.

Never, ever, order one glass of sangria here. One glass is $6, but a half-pitcher is $11 and has about 4-5 glasses in it. And let me tell you -- don't take a sip of that sangria if you are driving. It knocked me on my butt. I loved it (thank you, my always sober husband).

The food was pretty good too. I am boring and just got the quesadilla, but their salsa is amazing. And it's free, unlike some other places that nickel and dime their customers (cough, Mixtec, cough). Overall, this is a great alternative to Guapo's in the area. I might even prefer it now, just because it isn't so crowded. Street parking is really easy here too.

You can hate on me if you want, but I am slightly obsessed with this place.

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0

5

Charlie P.

Phoenix, AZ

I've walked by here a million times and wondered why there's never anyone inside... Now I know.

I'm a Mexican snob, so I never expect much when I eat Mexican here but this place has taken the cake. I've that ordering "Mexican" with local flavors is a pretty safe bet so tonight I ordered the crab and shrimp chimichanga and started out with an order of chile con queso dip. The queso dip was a molten core of cheese covered in ranchero sauce with lots of jalapenos, some zucchini and onions... The chips don't seem store-bought but they weren't fresh by any means... The queso dip was runny/gooey and broke half of the chips as I was trying to get something solid to stick.

The salsa here is probably the highlight of my experience.. It has some kick but not too much kick.. but it's a lot better than most everywhere else around.

My chimi came out just as I was ready to give up on my queso dip.. If there was piece of chimi filling that didn't come out of a can, I'd be very surprised. Very little crab and the shrimp were the really tiny ones you can find in cans... Mushroom was the overpowering flavor of the dish (they looked canned as well) and it was overall just soggy and yuck.

It was topped with sour cream that had come out of a Taco Bell style gun in little curley-qs all across the top.

The rice was bland, though I did pick a few lima beans out of it to try to get rid of the overpowering mushroom taste.

Thank goodness the Diet Coke comes served with a lime... Otherwise, there would have been no flavor at all in my meal (except for the salsa.)

Oh, and I had to ask for a refill of my soda after it sat empty for a good 10 minutes... There were more waitstaff than customers (3 customers, 4 employees...) and the service was still horrible.. The server had to get up to leave her dinner to bring me mine.

If you clubbed me over the head and drugged me, I might return.

2 stars just because the food hasn't made me sick... yet.

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0

51

Jimmy S.

Washington, DC

This place is very very good. I would venture to say better than Cactus Cantina (on some days) or Guapos. The pupusas are unreal, and the margaritas are solid.

I enjoy hole-in-the-wall mexican places, and this one certainly fits the bill. Not too expensive, but the service can be a little on the slow side.

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8

20

Amelia S.

Washington, DC

This Salvadorean/Mexican restaurant is located between the Tenleytown and Friendship Heights metro stations. I must confess, I haven't tried many of the foods on the menu because I keep eating the pupusas! I can't describe them really well, but they are like savory pancakes stuffed with cheese (and sometimes meat). They are served with pickled cabbage, and the crunchy tartness goes really well with the chewy cheesiness. They are also insanely cheap -- about $1.50-$2 each, and I can barely finish two.

The service is at best unremarkable, at worst slow, but pupusas are always worth it. Casa Fiesta has a buffet on the weekends (for lunch at least, I don't know about dinner), and if you want a wide selection this might be a good choice, but the pupusas might be fresher if you order them a la carte.

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