The Best Mexican Restaurants in Washington DC

Beautiful ceviche. Bodacious pozole. Awesome tacos, which the chef makes himself using corn from Oaxaca — ground in-house and stuffed with fillings including lamb braised in mole. Christian Irabien is cooking some of the most exciting Mexican food in Washington right now. And he sweats all the important details.

Walking into small corner restaurants deep inside residential neighborhoods was one of many delights during a pre-COVID trip to Buenos Aires. The stand out was a place that was an Italian coffee place in the morning, a sandwich stall for lunch, and a world-class restaurant in the evening. It was also a corner store, and while always busy, it was never packed enough to require a long wait. Many US cities have zoned out experiences like this, requiring you to head to downtown areas to eat out. And that is a shame because, in this post-COVID world where many of us work from home, downtown is usually a painful drive away. Now, on Capitol Hill, which I call home, there are some restaurants, as well as some entertainment hubs, like H Street and 8th Street, but outside them, not much. All that changed with the recently opened Mexican restaurant Pascual. When the news broke of not just a Mexican restaurant blocks away but a Mexican restaurant with the pedigree that Pascual showcases (chef Isabel Coss worked at Pujol), I was admittedly more than excited. As the renovation of a former BBQ place took shape, I regularly took detours to check if they had opened. And now, finally, Pascual is open to the public, a small, simply decorated corner place that makes you feel right at home. This just being the second week, everything looked like it had been around for years, with no mishaps. The first surprise was their mezcal selection, which, to my surprise included Neta, a brand I have enjoyed in Los Angeles many times but hadn’t come across East yet. Instead of picking one of the larger dishes, we opted for several of the smaller plates, while it looked like most people went with the lamb barbacoa. But the guacamole platter with various salsas and pickled vegetables and fruits made us quickly forget our barbacoa envy. While the ceviche was maybe a bit too saucy (yet still highly flavorful), the steak tartar was probably the most unexpected dish. The dish didn’t try to be French; it was an outstanding interpretation of this dish, served with wonderfully warm and thin freshly made tortillas. The taco al Pastor was juicy, though I would have loved to see the pineapple charred a bit for more of a smoky flavor. But seeing this taco served as a single taco was refreshing since, in most places, you have to get three tacos no matter how hungry you are. Lastly, for dessert, we shared a flourless chocolate cake served with a magical green hoja santa sauce, which was another clear highlight of the dinner. While DC’s Mexican restaurant scene is growing by the day, Pascual is in a league of its own. It is the first Mexican restaurant in DC that allows for comparisons to New York and Los Angeles. And it does so in a unique way, being not just a restaurant but also a neighbor. And next time I have to try the barbacoa.

A front-row seat to sublime Mexican cooking Why go here with so many Mexican competitors nearby? Because the three young owners are doing something different - ants are sprinkled throughout the menu, for instance - and incorporating touches you tend to see in fancier places, in pricier parts of DC. Drinks are made with fresh-squeezed juices and almost everything is cooked to order, a process you can see if you park in front of the kitchen counter. Picture street food made with flair: gorditas arrive in a slender, hand-painted box and tortillas are shaped from masa harina, pressed so thin you can read through them and brushed with lard before they land on the griddle. Im a fool for tacos stuffed with beef tongue braised for hours in cloves, bay leaf and garlic.

Let’s be honest: DC is not a city for great Mexican food. If that is what you are looking for, you go to New York, Philadelphia, maybe Chicago, and obviously LA … or better, you catch a flight to Mexico City. But over the last 15 years, DC has seen its food scene evolve dramatically, from steak and potatoes to almost any cuisine you could think of. One of the leading faces of that change has been Jose Andres. More recently, Stephen Starr has pushed the envelope, first with Le Diplomate and then St. Anselm. One thing Starr’s places have in common is that they make you feel like you enter a restaurant designed by Disney; there is an avalanche of color or, to a degree, stereotypes (think of Le Diplomate and its many references to what Americans would think of when they think of a French bistro, no matter how much that has in common with reality). But one would be wrong to judge these restaurants by their cover (which usually are stunning, if not over the top). What Starr is able to do, is to back up the design with amazing food and experiences. El Presidente (just a block down from St. Anselm in the Union Market neighborhood) is his take on Mexico. What Le Diplomate is to Paris, El Presidente is to Mexico City. By making this more about a city than a cuisine, Starr is able to have a bit more room to experiment on the food side and not have to be dragged down the “authentic” debate. El Presidente is stunning. The colors, the decor, it all bests Le Diplomate (and I would not have thought that was possible). But as with Le Diplomate, El Presidente doesn’t end up being a nice shell; the cocktails, the tequila and mezcal selection, the service, and the food are all backing it up. Now, is it true, authentic Mexican as you would find on the streets of Mexico City? No. But that is not the point here. The point is a place that you will have an amazing time at. And the food will still be the star of the evening. I would definitely order the Salsas and Dips (a huge plate with five salsas plus guac) and the Hamachi Aguachile. The Crab Tostada is another standout. There is the Instagram-friendly Tacos Al Carbon (build your own) that can be shared by several people. But if you want a ready-made taco, I would suggest the Black Cod Al Pastor. Lastly, especially in times when many restaurants have a hard time finding staff, it says a lot that Starr is able to attract amazing staff. Silvia, our server, was amazing, as were all the other staff who helped us. While the food, drinks, and decor all make we want to come back, this is also a place where the staff is so nice that you want to go back — and that is a rare thing these days.

The definition of what it means to be a neighborhood restaurant. No part of the experience is overlooked. Here’s the definition of what it means to be a neighborhood restaurant, a place whose cooking, attention and prices encourage regular drop-ins by locals. The name underscores the restaurant’s theme — Mariscos is Spanish for “seafood” —and among the stars on the epic menu are tuna tostadas and whole fried flounder. No part of the experience is overlooked. Booths make for a pandemic-friendly dining room and two dozen wines are offered by the glass, at an average of $10. Don’t eat fish? The Mexican restaurant also excels at churrasco and birria tacos.

I recommend all the dips and spread with the breads at Emilie's. The family styles are delicious as well. Do not skip on the desserts. The pastry chef is the best in DC.