Oyamel

Oyamel is a good option if you have various appetites in your group and love to try lots of things you may not have come across on other menus!

Cute place for small plates to share in a bright, happy, butterfly themed dining room. I enjoyed everything, especially the ceviche verde, but the portions were very small even for small plates. So, 4 stars.

I highly recommend glancing over the menu before you arrive to make sure you'll be satisfied with the small plate style for Mexican food - I did not see basics like a quesadilla or burrito (not a criticism!) Just be prepared for creative, tasty small plate options.

Cannot attest to the drinks, but based on our food, this seems like a rockin happy hour place for nibbling.

From the margerita selection,  all throughout the menu,  the creativity is incredible.  This is not your two-dozen list of burritos and tacos.  Great entree variety and mix of flavors.  My taste buds are still celebrating.

Even the chips and salsa are above - a flavorful smoky, chipotle salsa.  Salsa Verde selections, pork, beef, chicken  - all excellent.

You need to try this place.

this restaurant does not miss. for the past 10 years to date, the service, food, beverages, and ambiance continue to be spectacular and consistent. i recently went to oyamel for sunday brunch. with many dietary restrictions, our server jan michael was wonderful at double checking with the kitchen about ingredients and helpful at making suggestions. they also provide a special menu that accommodates nut, dairy, vegan, vegetarian, soy, and gluten allergies.

i ate the (gluten free) vegetarian quesidilla, chicken tamal verde, (the amazing) chips and guacamole, and the tradtional oyamel salt air margarita.

if you are a foodie, this gem is a must try!

We came to celebrate my 50th birthday on a Thursday evening in late June. Open Table gave a very early timeslot that the restaurant was able to manually move for me by a half hour to give us adequate time to arrive. We found parking on the street just a block away.

We lucked out and got a corner table around back that looked like it could seat 8-10 but we were a group of 5. They had makeshift plexiglass dividers as an extra precaution and this felt really safe and was nicely done. We ordered a few happy hour items and items from the regular menu as well as a pitcher of margaritas. It was so nice to be able to celebrate with my family and just dine out.

Delicious food and drinks made for a very memorable outing!  Not sure what to eat?  Try everything!

Cannot say enough about this authentic Mexican restaurant. Chef Jose Andres creates the smoothest sauces and guacamole. One could just drink the salsa verde from the Verde Tamal. It is one of the finest verde salsas I've had. The enchilada verde is a mix of white and dark chicken meat. This is a different tasting sauce with cheese. It is very good.

The corn tamale tastes like warm sweet soft cornbread. It was warm and sweet. Think of corn pudding in solid form - so good!

Good environment. The place was extremely packed and seems like it is best to make a reservation. We got there around 6PM and the next available table was estimated at 9PM. We ended up seated at the bar so it was okay.
The bartender was very attentive and made great suggestions.

The restaurant was a little overrated. The prices were quite high and everything was a la carte style. Personally, I wish the chips were saltier or had more flavor- they weren't my favorite. The margarita (flavored but can't remember the name) was delicious as were the steak tacos.

I think next time I would try somewhere else but it was still a good atmosphere and experience.

We stopped at Oyamel after getting rejected from the National Archives for not having tickets (sad face).
The chips and salsa were excellent. The chips were nice and thin and well seasoned and the salsa was smoky without too much heat.
I had the Oyamel margarita and it was good enough that I had two.
Hubby had the brunch special taco which was a pork fat flour tortilla with beans, eggs, chorizo, and potato. He said it was excellent. I decided to order it too but they ran out. Hubby also had the fish tacos and said they were good but not as good as what he's had on the West Coast.
I had the chilaquiles and they were ok. They were supposed to have chorizo but it must have been a very small portion because I didn't detect much of it.

Oyamel has solid food and an even better vibe. The interior is decorated beautifully, the staff are super nice, and the outdoor seating is comfortably out of the way of pedestrians and traffic (but great for people watching).

I LOVE that you get free chips and salsa here, it seems like it's not too common in DC. The seasoning on the chips was amazing, as was the salsa. We also got the guac - at $15, definitely overpriced, but it was very good, and a fairly generous serving. I really appreciated all of their vegetarian options, and went for the hongos taco and the chilaquiles. The taco was perfect, and though on the pricier side, I'd get it again. The reason for the 4 stars instead of 5 is the chilaquiles. They were not good. They had almost no sauce, and resembled an underdressed plate of nachos more than actual chilaquiles. I've seen mixed reviews on Yelp about them, so maybe I got them on a bad day. I'm looking forward to trying the rest of the vegetarian menu!

The vibe at this restaurant is cute and sexy, love it for date night.

Best dishes of the night:
- Brussels sprouts with peanuts and sesame
- fish tacos
- chicken enchiladas

I thought the beef and pork tacos were just ok. The flavors underwhelmed me.

The service was great. His staff was accommodating to our many requests. Lol

Pro tip: if you plan to get a vaccine soon, brings your vaccine card to the restaurant and they will give you a $50 gift card until the DMV is 70% vaccinated.

Happy Eating!!!

Looks like I am determined to try all of Jose Andres' restaurants! While The Bazaar didn't really do it for me, this place knocked my socks off! Their food was all around amazing. My favorite was the quesadilla and the Plato de Suadero. Both so good. Even though they're small plates, there was still more food than I expected. I took some leftovers home to enjoy later that night for dinner. Aside from the food being delicious, our server, Jan, was so awesome! Friendly, attentive, and knowledge. We had a few members of our party that have food sensitivity, and he made sure that the chefs were aware and made sure they ordered dishes that they would have no problems with. My recommendation is to make a reservation, as we went a little past lunchtime and it was still busy by the time we left at 4 pm. There is garage parking conveniently located across the street. I can't wait to go back!