| Address | 401 7th St., Washington, DC |
|---|---|
| Phone | (202) 628-1005 |
Food was alright. I wasn't too impressed. I find it absolutely ridiculous that at a Mexican restaurant, you have to pay for your chips and salsa, I don't care if the first one is free! If little hole in the wall Mexican restaurants can afford it, Oyamel, I'm sure you can too! Not to mention their guac is $13!!!! Sure they make it right in front of you (Again, big woop! I can make guacamole too. It's not that hard), but come on! It was extremely spicy, so much so that I didn't even really want to eat it that bad and theirs didn't include any tomatoes which is usually a staple for guacamole.
The service was not great either. I was there at 3pm on a Sunday, so it was very slow. I believe there were, maybe 6 other tables. Our waiter was MIA most of the time. Our empty chip basket and salsa dish (which went fast due to the lack there of) sat on our table for over 20 minutes (my boyfriend and I had a bet) while busers and waiters, including our own, walked by it like 50 times.
I will say, the fish taco I got was very good, but thats about the only good thing I experience there.
Overall, extremely disappointed in pretty much every aspect of this restaurant. Never again!!!!!!!!!!!!
(I'd recommend La Tolteca in Burke, VA. Absolute best Mexican restaurant EVA!!!)
Food: good; service: lousy. The waiter was inattentive: An ordered second round of drinks was never delivered. The waiter suggested ordering a few dishes of tapas, keeping a menu, and perhaps ordering more if we wanted--which would have been useful advice *if* the waiter had reappeared to take an order for more. When he did finally reappear we thought we needed to move on to dessert, so he left a dessert menu. But then never reappeared to take a dessert order. When we went to him to get the check, he delivered it, but then we have to go to him again to get him to pick up the credit card.
The food is good, interesting, creative. But the service (or lack thereof) trumps all. Go elsewhere.
Oyamel made a very yummy lunch. The service was excellent and the meal was great, although a little messy. It was refreshing to see unique items and sandwiches on the menu. There was one complaint from my friend...the black bean soup was a little bland for her liking. It was served with a huge smoked pepper that was supposed to add flavor (she had to ask to figure out what to do with it), but apparently didn't add all that much taste. Overall, I'd say it's a good lunch spot (I haven't tried dinner or the tapas)
Oyamel is a very nice restaurant. Although, not nigh enough that it was worth the wait. To their credit, it was restaurant week and a Friday night. But after eating my meal, I couldn't see why the tables weren't moving faster. I can't think of the name, but almost every dish I had contained a smelly cheese. It was good the first time, but the second, and third it was overkill. Also, I found that the dishes were very salty, luckily their mango juice killed the taste. Oyamel was an experience and I'm glad I checked it off my list, but I'm certain that I won't be returning.
(This review was originally written after my visit during Restaurant Week, Aug 8, 2007).
"Oyamel: You Disappoint Me, Young Grasshopper."
Through many meals over the years at two of my favorite DC spots, Jaleo and Zaytinya, I’ve grown fond of Jose Andres’ inventive cooking and tapas-based approach. Little plates make a social meal more communal, as well as scalable. You can pig out if you’re starved, or eat more lightly if you (or your bank account) prefer. And if there’s something you don’t care for, you can move right along to the next item. With high hopes, I arrived at Oyamel during Restaurant Week, but I unfortunately found myself wanting to move along to the next item far too frequently.
Since it sells itself as a kitchen that prepares authentic Oaxacan/Mexican cooking (unlike most of what passes for “Mexican” food in the US), I will allow the possibility that Oyamel is offering dishes and preparations that are unfamiliar to my palate. But when I’m paying for a meal out, I do expect to enjoy the food on a basic level, and I just didn’t find most of what I sampled particularly tasty.
An adventurous eater, I started my meal by making a beeline for the grasshopper tacos (tacos de chapulines), after reading about their presence on the menu in various reviews of Oyamel. The menu described a soft tortilla filled with guacamole and insects sauteed in garlic, shallots, tequila, and chipotles, so I expected some crunch, a bunch of familiar flavors, and then perhaps some unexpected ones. Biting into my taco, unfortunately all I got was bitter, sour greasiness. The chipotles, which were marinated in heavy oil, overpowered the taco with their sour, smoky flavor and I could taste nothing else, while in the meantime, a stream of orange oil leaked all over my plate and the table. Other reviews have described this dish as having an unexpected sweetness, but if it was supposed to be there, the heavy hand on the marinated chipotles obliterated it.
My companions passed on trying my grasshoppers and we shared a tuna ceviche, a red snapper ceviche topped with avocados and crushed pumpkin seeds, and a salad of nopalitos, chopped Prickly Pear Cactus blades (with the spines removed, of course). The ceviches were hideously tart – all one tasted was the lime juice, not the fresh fish, the onions, or the accompanying fruits. Part of the problem is that they were drowning in marinade, and part of the problem is that they were served on a flat plate, rather than the traditional presentation in a deep bowl or martini glass, which would have prevented every spoonful from coming up with a ton of overpowering acid. The tuna ceviche pieces were ensconced in little rice-paper wontons, an odd wrapping, since the wonton was destroyed and made soggy by the flood of lime juice. The nopalito salad was tastier and more straightforward, accompanied by diced tomatoes and red onion. I did find myself thinking that chopped nopales would be tastiest in an omelette, used as green bell peppers might be.
For our next round of tapas, we sampled pollo con mole poblano, salmon with a green mole and crushed pumpkin seeds, and enchiladas in a red sauce. The chicken mole was tasty enough, accompanied by plantains and rice, but it was nothing special. The mole was more chocolate-y and not as spicy as some I have tasted over the years. I did not have a chance to sample my companions’ enchiladas or salmon, but they reported that their dishes were “fine, nothing special”.
Dessert was the winner by far. We had a mole poblano-stuffed chocolate cake that was delicious, and I think I understood why the mole used on the pollo was not so spicy – my guess is that the chef was cutting corners, and a sweeter mole was doing double duty! I and another table companion had the delicious tres leches cake, a favorite of mine and recommended by our waitress, accompanied by a yummy dulce de leche ice cream. In addition – despite the hot outside temperatures – I opted for a divine chocolate caliente with cinnamon, chilis, and steamed milk.
Service was good, not exceptional, and the décor was interesting enough. The restaurant occupies the space formerly taken by Andale, and I have to admit, my dining companions and I departed from our meal wishing that Andale was still in business there.
Andres has been very successful in Washington, and I think he needs to stick to what he does best – making inventive food that doesn’t lose its basic tastiness at the expense of the razzle-dazzle. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a tastier Oaxacan meal, give newcomer Casa Oaxaca in Adams Morgan a try.
Don't judge this book by its cover. The atmosphere and presentation are lovely. But as the meal drags on, things get ugly.
We arrived early for our reservation, but were seated immediately. Yay! We waited 10 minutes until we gave up, walked over to the maitre d' and asked for some water. Boo. If only we had taken the hint and left at this point.
The chips and salsa were delicious, and we eagerly ordered the guacamole custom-made at our table. It was fun to watch. Yay! But it was salty and flat. Boo.
The concept of tapas that arrive 'as prepared' is very romantic and fun. Yay! I got my mushroom taco tepid. Boo. Then my hot shrimp soup. Yay! It smelled like feet. Boo. And my neighbor still had nothing 5 minutes later. Boo. We all finished everything and my other friend hadn't gotten his steak. Boo. Oops - forgot to put that order in.
Some of the food was good. The service ruined that. Thank goodness for the margaritas.
I happen to go to this restaurant a lot, not because it is great, but because my office is located across the street. Having been so many times I feel confident in saying that the service stinks, and the food? Well, the food is good enough, but paying 4$ for a single taco just seems wrong to me... I dunno. I will say that the aguas frescas, or fresh fruit "waters," are delicious. There's nothing like having ice-cold cantalope juice on a hot Sept. day. Like other similar establishments, Oyamel charges approx. $12 for a guacamole appetizer: highway robbery. If an avocado costs me $1 at Giant, just think what restaurants get them for. Again, no reason two avocados and some accoutrements should sell for $12. They skimp customers on their boring tortilla chips and wait staff impress with their disapperaing acts.
I have been to Oyamel on several occasions, all at the bar. I enjoy their drinks and appetizers. However on this visit, one of the bartenders was very dismissive and loud. She was barking orders in Spanish to the other bartender/wait staff and was obviously annoyed when a large group came into the restaurant. This type of atmosphere is unsettling especially when you want to come in and enjoy a drink with a friend or two. Perhaps it was an off night, but I would think twice before coming back.
We went to lunch at Oyamel with high expectations, and are happy to say that we were not disappointed. Having lived in Mexico a few years, it was nice to see some authentic, well-prepared and beautifully presented Mexican food. One of the highlights of the meal were the chilaquiles, which although they are a breakfast dish, I can eat at any time of the day. The serving was the largest of the small plates, and it had just the right combination of tortilla chips that have soaked up the delicious green tomatillo sauce and bubbly melted cheese on top. They sprinkled cilantro microgreens on top, which I thought was a nice touch. The chayote salad, with queso cotija and peanuts was very good--crisp and fresh--as was the salad of nopalitos. Other good options were the tacos of cochinita pibil (yucatecan style pork with pickled onions) and carnitas, and the tamale verde with chicken. We really did not have a bad plate. The only real disappointment was the horchata, which maybe hadn't been strained enough--chalky to the point of almost being gritty and hardly sweet at all. The service was unfortunately a little unpleasant, but that may have just been our waitress. The dining room is light and airy, with fun artesanias decorating the walls, and a swarm of tin butterflies dangling overhead. Will definitely go back.
The evening begins at the bar where my friend orders wine but I am tempted by several large jugs of colorful liquids: fresh, red watermelon juice; bright orange mango juice; yellow pineapple juice, and something that's stark white, which I order: horchata, a Mexican rice milk made with sugar, cinnamon, and almonds, served over ice. The perfect non-alcoholic semi-sweet refreshing drink. Dinner is a collection of authentic Mexican tapas; this is not Spanish tapas like Jaleo, and this is not the slather-everything-with-cheap-cheese Tex-Mex of any typical Mexican joint. This is the real deal: high-quality and gourmet, with attentive service, a well-designed ambiance, and a huge selection of goodies. And, lucky for me, my well-traveled-to-Mexico friend has always pointed me in the right direction when she's joined me for some of my six or so visits (counting Oyamel's former branch in Crystal City): fresh cactus salad with tomatoes in lime dressing, plantain fritters stuffed with black beans and dipped in coconut sauce, and quesadilla huitlacoche, for example. (Fyi, huitlacoche is described as a "black Mexican truffle," which is a fancy way of saying the fungus that grows on corn during the rainy season in Mexico. Sounds gross, but it's damn good.) Not everything rates as high, however: the fried potatoes with mole are nothing but limp French fries, and while the made-at-your-table guacamole is to die for, shelling out $13 for an avacado with some spices is too steep when there's so much more on the menu that you can't make at home. Ordering three tapas each, coupled with drinks and chips and salsa, would have been an adequate amount, but it's hard to keep your eyes from growing larger than your stomach when you see the menu; we over-order and have to forgo dessert. But I remember the fresh caramel with shortbread and the warm chocolate cake as being nearly orgasmic from previous visits, so I vow not to fill up so much for next time.
Except for the papas de mole (which are just foodservice fries with mole sauce) everything here is amazing and well worth the money. Oyamel has the best black bean soup I've ever had. I would also highly recommend the mushroom taco and the tableside guacamole. The guacamole is simply stunning; they use enough fresh peppers and just the right amount of lime juice to bring out the flavor without being overbearingly acidic.
We had a variety of small plates. definitely try a ceviche, we had the shrimp and crab ceviche and it was a good balance between citrus and seafood. we found the portion just right for an appetizer. we tried the grsshopper taco and found it very tasty, but also very salty. the Quesadilla huitlacoche was very good too. we also had a chorizo dish that was tasty, but again, ver salty and the cheese was more like a blanket on top of the chorizo instead of being evenly melted throughout the dish. all in all, a fun and enjoyable dining experience. for dessert, we ordered the Cajeta tradicional y moderna, and it was not very impressive and not at all what I expected since I am use to eating traditional cajeta. I would definitely ask the server to describe the desserts more carefully at my next visit. Our server was very inattentive and we had to ask for used plates to be cleared from our very small and cluttered table.
Take a few bites at Oyamel, it’s like dying and going to foodie heaven. The small plates are mouth watering and are as close I’ve gotten to authentic Mexican outside the border.
First out pork tacos reminiscent of the street food I ate in Valladolid and, at $3 bucks, the same price.
After the tacos came a tortilla soup. This one surprised me because the broth was heavier than typical tortilla soups. The new twist was an exciting prelude to the rest of the meal.
I shared three small plates. The camarones al epazote was full of robust flavor?shallots, chipotle, and a slight tang?that highlighted the taste of perfectly cooked shrimp instead of drowning it. I’m a nonprofiter so $9.50 for four shrimp would usually leave me feeling ripped off?not this one. I will save my pennies and order it again. Another hit was the costilla de res con mole verde. This dish of braised short ribs sat on a bed of tomatillo, chilis, and cilantro. The meat was tender and delicious. I still daydream about it. Next came the cayo de hacha con salsa de pepitas de calabaza. The sauce for this scallop small plate was a perfect concoction of pumpkin oil and seeds with a dash of cream. Unfortunately, no sauce, no matter how tasty, could have saved the bland scallops hiding underneath. This surprised me. A restaurant of this calibur should negotiate higher quality scallops. This was my only complaint.
The service was spot on and overall Oyamel is a great place to enjoy tasty food and drinks with a friend.
i took 3 out-of-towners (lawyers from big chicago firms) for dinner over labor day weekend and received compliments from all of them for my restaurant pick. one in the bunch was a vegetarian and was really impressed with the large selection of veggie-friendly small plates. our server was friendly and his recommendations were very helpful. the made-to-order guacamole was good, but perhaps not as impressive as the same dish at rosa mexicana. we probably had 12 of the small plates between us and liked them all, although the short ribs were the consensus favorite.
Very disappointing. We wanted to try the grasshopper taco which was good. As mentioned above the ceviche was good, but extremely tiny. In fact all the portions are tiny. Much smaller than at Andres other restaurants. Everything else we tried was not very good or worth returning for. The service was really bad too. Our server didn'teven bring out the food, yet was absent most of the time. I would avoid this place as I felt ripped off.
It is hard to swallow that Jose Andres may have come up short, but at Oyamel was disappointing. First, the script of introducing the menu as "100% Mexican" needs to go--it sounds pretentious and completely unecessary. The service did not have the efficiency or refinement as Mr. Andres' other establishments; the long lapses between tapas that were ordered together was extremely frustrating given that we came at what we thought would be a slow time. In spite of ordering the recommended number of antojitos, the dimunitive portions left us hungry and the menu seemed like a parade of dishes dominated by mole or some form of chocolate. The waiters were constantly out of sight inspite of the empty dining room. They did manage to consistently spill our beverages everytime they appeared. Finally, while not ordering it, the table-side made guacamole seemed so contrived it was hard not to laugh at the choreographed show that tries too hard to elevate the humble guacamole to something more than it is.
Oyamel delivers an Oh No meal. The cocktails seem innovative with fresh ingredients like cilantro and cucumber, but the foamy margaritas make me feel like I am drinking soapy water rather than a swanky cocktail. The seafood selection from the ceviche bar is enticing and sounds delectable, but ultimately the taste is sour and the portions are stingy. The tapa-like menu is equally intriging with Mexican grasshopper tacos and savory scallops, but just as equally disappoints in flavor and portion size. The desserts sound exotic with divine sweets from afar, but the pairings- like chocolate flan with anise ice cream-left a bad taste in my mouth. The service and ambiance, however, were funky, fresh and accomodating. Overall, in Oyamel's attempt to set itself apart from the rest by serving a new spin to traditional classics, it lost what makes me come back again and again ... a good meal that tastes good.
