Location: 401 7th St. NW, Washington, DC 20004
Cuisine: Mexican
Cost: $$$
Website: http://www.oyamel.com/
During SnoGasm I had plenty of time to eat. On the first day of snow a girlfriend of mine and a friend of hers decided to grab something to eat for a late lunch. Her friend was from Brazil and highly recommended we meet up at Oyamel. I've always walked past it and noticed it was uniquely decorated with little skull clad looking dolls that are reminiscent of New Orleans Mardi Gras vibe.
Anywho I digress, I walk into Oyamel and noticed how interesting the decor really is! I love it, there are these really cute metal butterfly fixtures on the ceilings, the booths are intimate, and there is a party room in the back. The butterflies are a nice contrast the more dark latin theme, that is actually very festive (think Mardi Gras).
I strongly urge folks to make reservations for the restaurant. As they tend to always be busy unless you are coming in just after they have opened when business tends to drag for the first hour or so. However I strongly suggest making reservations. Well we were quickly seated. The servers are really good, I've had a few that took a little time getting to our table, but overall they all have been good at making suggestions. The first thing I HAVE TO ORDER is the guacamole, you can get it mild, medium or spicy. With my foreign roots I have to get mine spicy and they never fail to deliver.
The menu is fairly basic with tacos, salads, soups, and its meats, poultry and seafood dishes, but they have perfected having a diverse variety of flavors. There is also a very extensive vegetarian selection on the menu, which is a big plus when you are eating out with groups of people. People who have dietary restrictions to only Halal, Kosher, or vegetarian have no problem ordering food from Oyamel.
There are a few distinct items on the menu that make this place stand out: Grilled cactus paddles, beef tongue tacos, and grasshopper tacos. I wasn't brave enough to try he grasshopper but I did try to beef tongue tacos, and despite the fact that the texture is a bit tough, it wasn't so bad. I'm not a fan of the tacos, but the fact that they have unique types of tacos helps. The tortillas are pretty authentic though. I had the goat and that was probably the best out of the selection of the tacos. The chicken taco's were okay but not super savory.
The ceviche is awesome! I've had the tuna and the yellowtail ceviche and they are both so delish, I can't wait to try to the blue marlin ceviche. =) I highly recommend getting the scallops. They are savory and seasoned just right. The black bean soup is really, really good. The mussels are fairly decent, as well as the camarones dish. The tamales are small but are decent bite sized deliciousness. They have the right amount of seasoning and cheese where it's not overwhelming.
I'm sure there are more dishes that I tried but cannot remember. The plates are served antojitos (small plates) style so you definitely have to order more than one plate to fill up. It's pretty good for groups because you get a chance to try a little bit of everything but beware if you order the tacos, you usually only get one so there aren't too many to share, but if you don't like it you won't be stuck with eating more than one. Makes life simple. The plates are reasonably priced, however your tab can start adding up after order all the different plates.
One benefit of this place is the variety of non-alcoholic beverages. Don't get me wrong I like my liquored up beverages but my palate doesn't always require it so it is nice to have other options. Their menu has some very authentic drinks from milky spiced to the sugary sweet flavors.
All in all, if your craving some good Hispanic food and you want a nice atmosphere I would HIGHLY recommend Oyamel. You really can't go wrong. If your having a large group dinner plan it in advance and they can set you up with a prix fixed menu, however it can be slightly costly, but really worth your money (learned this from experience). And like all restaurants if they are busy expect the service to be a bit slow.
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