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Last weekend during our break, Scott and I had a day out in DC exploring a few different museums, and of course, eating. If you know him/us at all, you know that we go out of our way to find the BEST of the best of the best foods. Scott definitely has a more refined palette than I do, but I’m happy to join along in our quest for the best (see what I did there.) We pretty much can’t go out to eat anywhere without checking the menu ahead of time and reading too many Yelp reviews.
He suggested Oyamel, a José Andrés restaurant right by the Capital One Arena that I had passed by a million times. It has so many butterflies all over the window, so if you’re a local, I’m sure you’ve either eaten there or recognize what I’m talking about.
We wanted to go to a different restaurant, but all of their reservations were booked. We thought we would still try the other place to see what the wait was, but made the reservations for Oyamel as a backup. Long story short, I decided I wanted to try Oyamel since I hadn’t gone before.
We lucked out that a few reservations slots were still available, because when we arrived around 5 or so, it was packed and waits for tables were going up and up.
We passed by the freshly made guacamole stand, placed right near the bar. Smart thinking on their part because right when you walk by you instantly know you’re going to order some of that guacamole. Looks so good!
One thing to note, it was loud in there for sure. So, if you’re looking for a quiet intimate setting, this probably isn’t the place. Scott and I could still chat no problem, but we did notice that. It’s a big restaurant, and totally packed when we were there, so it makes sense!
Also, in terms of the service, our waiter was really great and super nice. Some of the food did take a while to come out though. Our guac took a while, and we had eaten a lot of our chips by the time it finally got to us. Maybe that’s our fault for not having self control lol, but it did take a bit. Everything else came out soon after that. It’s a busy place, so if you go when it’s packed, be prepared to wait a little bit. Not the place to go if you’re in a rush.
I think everything on the menu is small plates, meant for sharing. We decided to split a bunch of things: guacamole (obvi), papas al mole, camarones al mojo de ajo negro, quesadilla de chicharrones, and enchilada de pollo con salsa verde. Plus, chips and salsa that came with the meal.
They use the mole sauce in lots of their dishes FYI, so if you’re not into that, definitely read the menu carefully to see which dishes don’t have it. Lots of smokey flavors in most of the dishes we tried.
Thoughts on the food:
Papas al mole 
Camarones al mojo de ajo negro 
Quesadilla de chicharrones 
Enchilada de pollo con salsa verde
Chips
Really fresh tasting and warm. So good. We demolished our entire basket. They have a chili or smokey type of seasoning on them, really good.
Salsa
Different than your average salsa, again with the chili or smokey kind of flavor, I’m guessing that’s from incorporating some of the mole sauce that is used in lots of the dishes. A few steps above mild on the spicy scale, definitely had a kick to it.
Guacamole
You could choose between mild, medium, and spicy. We went with medium, but it wasn’t spicy at all. It tasted fresh, but honestly wasn’t our favorite guac we’ve ever had. I thought it needed a little salt or something. Not bad by any means, but just okay. It was really good on top of all the other dishes though.
Papas al mole – José Andrés’ favorite potato fries in a mole Poblano sauce of almonds, chiles and a touch of chocolate, topped with Mexican cream and queso fresco
Probably the most interesting way I’ve ever had fries. Definitely unique. Smokey and creamy, we ate them all but still weren’t sure if we liked them or not by the end. We did feel like they were worth trying though, but that we wouldn’t order them again.
Camarones al mojo de ajo negro – wild caught Gulf Coast white shrimp sautéed with shallots, árbol chile, poblano pepper, lime and sweet aged black garlic
These were good, but it only came with 5, so we didn’t think it was worth the price.
Quesadilla de chicharrones – pasture-raised Rocky Hollow Farms pork belly fried until crisp and served in a house-made tortilla with, refried black beans, cilantro, onions, Chihuahua cheese and a sauce of five chiles
A teeny quesadilla made with a taco sized corn tortilla, but DELISH nonetheless. The little crunchy pork belly bites were so good. We both thought the sauce it came with was just okay, and it was wayyyy better with the guac on top. Duh.
Enchilada de pollo con salsa verde – chicken enchilada served with a salsa verde made of serrano and cilantro, topped with melted Chihuahua cheese, rajas and green onions
Another winner. Came with two, and this was probably one of the more filling dishes we ordered. Really really good. Also amazing with the guac. Highly recommend.
It’s worth checking out, but go with people down for sharing so you can try a little of everything since it can be a little hit or miss with the dishes. Make a reservation if you can, it’s a popular place. It’s a bit on the tourist trappy side, so if you’re not into that experience, you may want to go elsewhere.
Scott wanted me to add that if you’re local it’s worth trying, but if you’re from out of state looking for some solid Mexican food, to check out elsewhere. We haven’t found the “best” Mexican food locally yet, but we know that there are definitely some better places in DC. In Penn Quarter, where Oyamel is, there isn’t a lot of good Mexican options, you’d probably have to go a little bit further out.
If you’re looking to eat in Penn Quarter though, we’ve heard the Indian restaurant Rasika is really good. You can make reservations on OpenTable, and I’d suggest doing so because it’s one of the highest rated restaurants in that area.
Did we agree with Yelp?
Yelp gives it a 3.5 stars, and we both agreed with that rating. So, if you’re a Yelp snob like us, the overall rating was pretty accurate.
