I've been here a handful of times and I vouch for the food, drinks and the basement, which I think they call the tequileria. Â I'm not a fan of the young party crowd on the rooftop with questionable music taste. But the basement is sexy and the bartenders know their tequila. Â If you like tequila or want the full experience, El Centro is a tequila specialty restaurant. Â I recommend a sampler and the Red and Smoky. Â The food is really great as well. I haven't tried a bad meal yet. I will warn you that dinner is not a late night affair because the place turns into a club at some point.
Review Source:Food and prices here were reasonably good, which earns Centro 3 stars. Â But if you want to be able to have a conversation over dinner, don't even think of going to this noise factory. Â Appetizer ceviche was fresh and nicely seasoned. Â Skirt steak was tasty and grilled to order (very rare) correctly with delicious accompanying corn masa - obviously made fresh. Â The signature margarita didn't really taste like it was made with fresh squeezed lemon juice, but reasonably priced malbec by the bottle compensated. Â However nothing compensates for the maddening din.
Review Source:Incredible food, Â insanely sketchy behavior.
So I have never written a yelp review before much less a bad one, but this was upsetting enough to me that I wanted to put it out there. I had gone here a few times and really loved the food. Â I'm really particular about mexican and this place does it so well.
So, I decided to bring about 6 friends to dinner there on my birthday at the end of may. We split the check between us and all the receipts looked fine. However I just saw one of my friends again recently and she told me that when she saw her bank statement she had been charged for the entire cost of the dinner in addition to still charging everyone else for their parts. This was a difference of about 130 dollars. And because her receipt says that she only was charged the correct, smaller amount, it suggests
that someone went in and changed the total.
What makes this even worse is that she spent about 2 weeks calling them almost daily to get this resolved and they kept putting her off. She finally called her bank and got rhe charges reversed . But she still hasn't heard from the restaurant.
Its a shame because I had been actively recommending this place. Now I'm warning people away. (During one of her phone calls to the restaurant, a staff member mentionwd that they deal with stuff like this a lot. Which is extra disturbing to me.)
This review is just for the drinks- I have heard the food is great and wouldn't mind going back to try that.
On a Saturday there was a really fun vibe in the upstairs deck area. However, the fiance and I ran up a $100 drink bill in the blink of an eye and didn't even get tipsy. Their mojitos were $10 a pop and were mostly soda water- in terms of flavor they were not very good and in terms of alcohol...well, there wasn't much. They are definitely watering down their drinks a significant amount, including supposedly unmixed shots (we watched them shaking them up with a bunch of watery ice before pouring them), and I have a problem with any establishment that is watering down supposedly pure liquor and charging premium prices for it (in my humble opinion that's a little bit dishonest, really). I know my Latin drinks and this place rates a "meh" on that count.
This would've been a 3 or a 4, but you don't water your drinks like that, people.
I've never been a huge fan of Mexican food, but this place blew my mind. They were having a 'guacamole festival' so we ordered a special guac--the Yucatan which was made with shrimp ceviche, oranges, and other amazing ingredients all prepared table side. Wow... best gauc ever. I don't know if that is on there regular menu or not, but I would get down on my knees and beg them to make it again.
I almost never order steak outside of a steak restaurant, but I am so happy I did. The steak was steakhouse quality. Not the best steak I ever had, but pretty close. And for a Mexican restraint, that's pretty amazing.
For desert we had the tres leches. Now, in college, I had a Mexican roommate, who's Mom would bring us some homemade tres leches at least once per month, so I consider myself a bit of a tres leches expert here. Double wow! Amazing! Best tres leches ever. So soft, sweat, moist. Sorry Momma Lopez, El Centro has you beat.
My only complaint would be that it is very, very dark. I understand trying to set the mood... but they went a little too far here.
So best ever guacamole, and best ever tres leches. Two 'best evers' in one meal? Easy 5 stars!
We came here on a visit to DC and it was really good. Â We got some margaritas on the roof deck while we waited for our buzzer to go off signaling our table was ready. Â The margaritas were STRONG. Â WHOA. Â I did appreciate it though and also appreciated the water cooler thing they have out to slow me down a bit. Â When we were seated we ordered two guacamole bowls on top of two pitchers of sangria and entrees and it was delicious and not overly expensive. Â We were with another couple, so don't think we are crazy or anything. Â Although I do love sangria AND guac. Â The location is good, the roof deck is really nice in the warmer months, and the food was delicious. Â I ordered the chicken salad which I hoped would come in a tortilla bowl but it did not. Â No worries, I put chips on top. Â Ha!
Next time I am in DC I will need to check out this bottomless brunch...AND sangria night!
I went to a late dinner at El Centro last night and really enjoyed my experience. Â We sat at the bar in the basement. I thought the atmosphere was fun and enjoyed the music. The bartenders who served us had great personalities and were attentive and helpful. Â We had the queso with chorizo to start. Â My husband had the crab and shrimp enchiladas and I had the carne asada (which was flavorful, tender, and delicious). My sides were also really good (a sweet corn tamale and beans). Â There were also a lot of fun cocktails. I had a spicy mojito and my husband had a jalapeno infused margarita. Â I was very pleased with our meal and will come back again.
Review Source:I've been here three times now, with dramatically different experiences.
1) On a Saturday night for a birthday party. The roofdeck was jammed full, but the bartenders miraculously seemed to be able to manage the load of people. It was a fun vibe, full of birthday party revelers and a separate bachelorette party. The only problem is that the roofdeck isn't massive, so people were constantly bumping into each other (and other's drinks), particularly as the night wore on. The drinks were reasonably priced for the area and it was a fun atmosphere though.
2) Brunch three weekends ago. It wasn't very busy here at 1:30pm downstairs, especially for a table for two, so that was a plus. However, the service was pretty slow for the $35 all you can eat and drink brunch and we were brought items we didn't order (including one item that was filled with shrimp -- which I am highly allergic to). Since we weren't told what they were putting down on the table, I mistakingly took a bite of the shrimp item and my date ended up having to run out and grab me some allergy medication. Not a fun way to start a Saturday. The server wasn't overly apologetic  and said "these things happen." I was surprised by this response since it wasn't overly packed at the time. Aside from that unfortunate experience, the meal was mediocre. A few things weren't hot, and nothing we ordered was especially noteworthy. The drinks were fine. Nothing to write home about.
3) Monday night happy hour on the roofdeck. The $4 margaritas were delicious, and the rooftop was pretty empty, so a few friends and I ended up staying up here for a few hours, enjoying the breeze and great service. Our waitress was really attentive, but didn't hover.
Although we had (what I hope is) a more unusual brunch experience, the food wasn't that unique. I'd recommend El Centro's fun rooftop for an evening drink or snack, and brunch elsewhere.
I went to El Centro for a early birthday dinner and was seated in the basement just before 6pm. The atmosphere was kind of strange, with dark walls,  loud pulsing music, and  hipster waitstaff studiously ignoring you, it felt more like a club than a restaurant. But no one in the long room except for the two of us and one other couple wearing matching high water khakis. While we waited for our food to arrived we discussed what had made the hosts consign us to what was clearly loserville.
But then the food was awesome so we didn't care. Fabulous guac (although it needed a bit more salt for my taste), enchiladas and fresh chips. Where have you been all my life El Centro? Â When we left 45 minutes later the place was still empty. It definitely wasn't pleasant enough to hang out in. However, the first floor was packed and very pleasant to walk through, especially with the warm light from the setting sun pouring into the front windows. I will definitely be coming here again for the food, but I will be insisting on sitting upstairs in the future. Or maybe come late enough at night that the scene downstairs is less oppressive.
Walked here for a weekday lunch. Â It was about 12:45 and the place wasn't too crowded. Â Sat at the bar and ordered a chicken quesadilla. Â Chips and salsa were solid. Â Salsa was a bit too mild for my liking. Â I like a bit more heat, but I can understand a lot of people don't.
The quesadilla was phenomenal. Â Just a great mix of flavors and cooked perfectly. Â This place gets 5 stars just for how delicious the quesadilla was.
Service was what you would expect when a place isn't too busy. Â Got in, got my food quickly, and got out in a timely manner. Â Had my drink refilled when needed.
I'll be back just to get me another one of those quesadillas.
I've been here twice: once for dinner and once for late night dancing. Loved it both times!
For the dinner, I came right around when they first opened, so I think they were still trying to get the kinks sorted out. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt. In any case, my friend and I got there super early for our dinner reservation, so we decided to drink and have some chips and guac at the bar before our other friend came. The drinks were fantastic, large, and CHEAP. Unfortunately, we had to wait about 20 minutes for the guac to come. And bug the bartendress 4 times for it. After speaking to the manager about it 19 minutes post ordering the guac, he immediately apologized, got our guac to us in less than a minute, and then made sure to comp our first round of drinks at dinner. Â So, while waiting so long for chips and guac was a pain in the ass, the manager did a great job of making up for it. So that was much appreciated.
The dancing. Put me on a rooftop blaring salsa music on a warm summer night and I will be as happy as a clam. Nay, happier. The happiest of clams. I had SO MUCH FUN. Wasn't too crowded, men weren't creepy, music was great.... just a great vibe! Highly highly highlyyyy recommend for dancing!!
I updated the stars on this review because of the way the management actually took steps to assist me with this issue. Â Nice job to the GM. Â
This is odd for me to review this place like this but it's a must. Â I love the space I love the decor and the food is always delish. Â Well....
We came in on a Sunday and went to the roof for drinks first. Â The bartender at the back bar was more interested in his cell phone than me. Â I'm sorry, i'm a GM and this made me boil a bit. Â Finally we got our drinks and hopefully my displeased look on my face was good enough because I can't tip less than 20% i just can't. Â We went down to the host stand and put our name in and I just looked around at empty glasses, dirty plates on tables, it was chaos. Complete chaos. People were trying to flag down the server and you could see the dismay in people's eyes. Â After waiting forever for a table which I can't complain about - good for you! Â We were sat on the street level closest to the left and furthest to the back if that makes sense. Â No problem on our real estate. We sat and sat and sat and sat. 15 Minutes went by and nobody acknowledged my table. Â Nobody. Â So I got up and left. Â On the way out I stopped by the host stand and told her that nobody even came to our table so we are leaving and they said oh sorry.
Ok listen. Team meeting. Â When this happens, STOP the customer BUY them a round of drinks or an appetizer and personally ensure that the experience is going to be nothing more than WOW. Â I'm sorry for the review but whomever the entrepreneurs are should know that they have areas of opportunity in their very well designed amazing decor venue that produces really good food. Â FOH fail.
Came here for a night out with my boyfriend and his friends. I'd never eaten here before, only late night hang out. The food was fresh and tasty. I really didnt expect anything earth shattering and it definitely exceeded my expectations. I had the baja tacos and after queso and guac I could barely finish my second taco. I ate the filling out of the third. The margs were great and the staff was super friendly and awesome.
Definitely worth coming in for dinner if you're heading for a night out around U st.
Ladies Night review only- I went to ladies night on Thursday for the free drinks from 11-12 and have a few complaints. The good things first: the music was good and the space and lighting was cool. The bad things: the drinks were pretty terrible. My friend got sprite and gin when she ordered a gin and tonic, and the margarita was pretty bad. Secondly, the guys there are very predatory or just not attractive. A bunch if them just stand there at the side and watch the girls dancing, which is gross. I guess you can expect that, at a ladies night, but still. I can't wait I try their HH and food though.
Review Source:This review is for the rooftop bar during happy hour.
The rooftop is beautiful, and really is the place to be on a weekday between 5 and 7. And for $4 Margaritas, sangria, beer, and wine? The prices can't be beat. Â The chips are pretty standard Mexican restaurant chips, but the guacamole is standout. Guacamole is served with both house made chips and salsa for just $6 - which I thought was a great price considering the generous serving size.
This is a great place to meet friends after work, but be forewarned that it tends to get a bit crowded/loud.
**While I'm sure this review will get lost in the sea of 300+ other reviews on this place, I figured that one specific to brunch would help someone.**
Brunch crew strikes again. We made reservations for the rooftop Saturday morning. There ended up being a group of nine of us, hungry, thirsty, and ready for all you can eat and drink brunch (Important note: for this to work, everyone at the table has to be willing to pony up the $35)
As all Sandoval restaurants are, El Centro is decorated accordingly with a thoughtful drink menu and tapas-style dishes that pair well to the theme. Being the Mexican-fusion restaurant it is, the all you can drink menu included margaritas, bloody marias, bloody marys, and most importantly MARGARITAS. Our bartender made them to order, down to the fresh squeezed lime.
For the food, we ordered basically everything. Favorites for us included multiple orders of the Mexican french toast, even though it is listed as dessert (postres), the egg and chorizo tacos, and of course the guac. Nothing was utterly outstanding, but then again, nothing was garishly lacking either. Our servers were awesome, and the bartenders even better.
Do yourself a favor: if you are craving brunch and can't decide what you want to eat or drink, make the trek. Taking one to one half star off because although the food was good, it wasn't five-star worthy either.
El Centro is many things. Restaurant, rooftop bar, and basement club.
This review is for the basement/downstairs club.
A few details to get out of the way which I always find helpful. There is no dress code, but most girls are in nice going out clothes and dresses. Most guys are wearing collars and jeans.
There is no cover I know of (we got there at 11 on a Saturday and there was no cover).
But there will be a line! A line to get, and then another line to get in downstairs. We got there around 11 and the line was long outside, about 11:30, very long. However, getting in to the club around 11:15 was just fine as it wasn't packed yet.
Standard drinks and standard prices, enough bar tenders the wait isn't too long. Good music, lots of good dancing, and fun lights everywhere.
Bathrooms are all shared, so prepare yourself for the confusion ahead of time and enjoy!
Absolutely love this place! The food is fantastic. The bartenders are awesome. I've been the the rooftop and first level, which have completely different vibes. My wife was having a craving for black beans. Yes, thats all. No entree. No meat. No salad. Just a bowl of beans. The bartender didn't even blink an eye and served it up with a smile. The tacos are really really tasty and nice selection of Mexican beers (all bottled). I've had some good Margaritas on the rooftop bar too. Keep em flowing!
Review Source:I LOOOVE brunch and having recently lived in the Pacific Northwest, Portland and Seattle were ammmazzzing places to have brunch at and now that we are back on the east coast, I have HIGH expectations for DC and cannot wait to brunch it up every weekend here.
First brunch place in my adventures was El Centro DF right at the end of PRIDE weekend. I've been here before just for the drinks up on the rooftop and never realized how large the place is vertically as we were seated in the cool basement dining room.
We of course had the bottomless brunch with mimosas and it was fantastic. I do agree with one of the other yelpers that you can eat ALOT here if you want to but instead of the I'm full satisfied feeling, you do get the OMG I am so stuffed and feel somewhat gross feeling but only because the nature of the food here is super heavy....don't get me wrong, it's delish and love the Mexican flare/twist to the brunch menu but if you come for brunch, come on a super empty stomach, pace yourself and expect to be drunk/tipsy with your bottomless drinks...hey YOBO (you only brunch once!)!
Bottomless drinks, menu for thirty something bucks...definitely worth it. Gracias El Centro!
The staff here are fabulous. 5 of us came in with no reservation on a thursday night and they were so nice about finding us a spot. Â We went up to the roof deck to have some drinks while we waited but they came to get us right away which was lucky because the deck was packed! It was impossible to get to the bar to order but looked like a fun crowd.
On to the food... We shared the guac which was delicious. I had the crispy shrimp tacos which were the perfect combination of spicy, fresh and crunchy. Â The spicy mango margaritas were also amazing. Â The drinks were a bit pricey or I would have had a second but prices are on par with the area. Overall a solid place for mexican food (even my friend from Mexico didn't grumble much). I'll be back soon!
I'm a lover of anything with chorizo and this place won me over with their potato and chorizo pambazo - DELICIOUS! Â My husbands favorite was the chicken tinga - he said he could eat a ton of that! Â The chorizo mollete was good too, but the bread got in the way. Â :) Â Everything looked and tasted fresh. Â I wish the salsa and chorizo were spicier, but it's not a deal breaker. Â We had margaritas and micheladas. Â The margaritas had too much sweet & sour mix in them, but it was still good. Â The micheladas were spicy - which is always a plus. Â Next time, I'll have to try their version of the bloody mary; I just didn't have any room in my stomach for more.
I had really wanted to leave room for dessert, but that will have to be for our next visit.
Service can be a little slow, but it wasn't bad. Â When we got there, noon, there were still a good number of tables available, but I don't think I'd chance it and not have a reservation.
Great place, would love to be eating El Centro DF's food now!
Don't bother going here midday, everyone will look at you like you're crazy to  want service between 3-5 on a sunny Saturday afternoon. We went to the rooftop area slightly before 3, pulled two hightop tables together in the bar area while the bartender looked at us very annoyed, kept giving us looks like we were doing something wrong , and didn't speak to us. The server ignored us - going over to other tables and walking passed ours several times until I finally approached him to ask if we should go to the bar and he immediately hushed me before I could finish my question to say "no food from 3-5" and was just annoyed at me in general for coming up to him. Umm ok sorry?
So we went to the other bar area (because we didn't want to give the bartender our orders who had stared at us rudely) and the other bartender ignored us as well, not a "hey guys be with you in a second" (there was only two other people seated at the bar so he wasn't busy) and finally says "ordering just drinks right?" It's like we get it, you don't want to do anything from 3-5.
We ordered one expensive drink only because we were waiting on someone and left. Will never go back, very rude experience. Disappointing as we looked forward to going there.
Delicious tacos, guacamole and margaritas. Attentive and friendly service. A fun place to kick back with friends. What more could you want?
I've tried both the happy hour on the rooftop and dinner in the restaurant options at El Centro. If you plan to focus on drinks, with light snacking, head to the rooftop. With $4 margaritas specials and refreshing vibe, it's no wonder the rooftop is a popular standing-room-only happy hour destination. However, if your focus will be eating, you'll probably want a seat, and'll be better served in one of the lower two floor options.
On my most recent visit, my friend and I settled into the "taqueria" restaurant on the ground floor, and took two places at the bar, where we watched the cooks at work in the open kitchen. It made for a fun, high energy backdrop and allowed us to preview dishes to order on future visits.
El Centro is a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for. The guacamole is made fresh and comes in a large serving and can be customized spicy, medium or mild. The medium is pretty tame, so if you like a little heat, you should definitely go for spicy. The regular serving was more than enough for two to share.
I've only tried the crispy shrimp and al pastor tacos thus far, but both are excellent. The shrimp are fresh and crispy, and thanks to the pickled jalapenos, deliver a nice, spicy kick. The al pastor tacos combine marinated pork, grilled pineapple, and a salsa verde for a sweet, savory and spicy tang. The tacos are served on double corn tortillas. I look forward to trying the beef tongue and carnitas versions on a future visit.
We had incredible and considerate service at the bar, and I'd recommend that option again in a heartbeat. On a 90-plus degree day, our bartender refilled our waters liberally, without prodding, and perfectly walked the line between helpful and too helpful. Wonderful experience all around.
Service is a bit better than your ex-girl friend angry "what else do you need" style. Â Tables might be wet and not one will bother to come fix it. In general it will not be your great spot for a perfect date although it should all depends on your date.
So many people passing by as you are sitting in Istanbul rug bazaar. If you only care for food and the rest is non-sense let me tell you that chicken enchiladas was not better than what you can get in tex-mex! the basement is good place for dancing only when there is less than 900 people ignoring each other and the deck is fantastic if they let you in there when you do not want to drink. I am giving A-OK because it has a full package if you do not know what exactly you want in a Friday night.
We went yesterday for brunch and I was reminded how much I love their rooftop! It is like totally different world up there! It doesn't feel DC at all.
We requested the rooftop seating and they delivered and our server was amazing, he just kept bringing out more food for us! Drinks were always filled (I really hate seeing the bottom of my glass!) and he ended up just bringing us a carafe. Love that.
The tacos were all tasty, the quesadillas were delish, and the other items we had were good, too. Not the best ceviche or guacamole, but it is an all you can eat brunch that comes with them automatically so I assume they just make a huge batch of it and call it a morning. I have had the guacamole before and it is tastier when they actually make it for you.
Definitely a must do brunch in dc. And I will be back to that rooftop a few more times now that the weather is nice!!
I've wandered by many times on my CoHi to downtown strolls, and it's always intrigued me. Some friends and I met here one night for a happy hour and I was impressed with the quality of food but it seemed a little pricy. I didn't get to try much while I was there, so I avoided reviewing it until I'd had a chance to really spread my El Centro wings.
Last week a friend was in town and we decided to check it out for dinner. The place is huge inside, and the downstairs area is cooler and quieter than the main dining room--definitely more my style. We were having a hard time deciding what to eat, and our waitress did a good job of keeping us moving, while also allowing us time to browse and decide.
The chips and salsa is really good--I especially love the homemade chips that are the perfect texture. I ordered a margarita (strawberry blended), though, and wasn't completely impressed. Â If I'm going to pay $11 for a margarita, it better be a phenomenal margarita--not one that leads me to say "meh." It wasn't blended properly so it was hard to drink, and most of the strawberry portion that I paid $2 extra for wasn't small enough to go up my straw. The waitress told us it would take a few minutes extra to get mine, but didn't mention that it wouldn't be as good as she promised.
The fish tacos were fresh and delicious, and while I'd love to have them again next time I visit, I feel like I'd need to try other items on the menu (including the guacamole). What I especially like about it is that it's not "pub-food," which I get really tired of in this area.
Check out their daily specials if you want to head over--you can get $2 tacos on Tuesdays and one night a week the margaritas are $4--I know I will. I've also heard rumors of a fantastic brunch, so I'll definitely be back for that.
The lighting is so dark it goes way past romantic soft, intimately cosy, or even trendy hip dim and straight into OMFG YOU JUST LOCKED ME IN A DARK DANK CELLAR I CANT BREATHE. Â The stone walls are closing in around me and there are awkwardly lit creepy ~latin~ face masks staring at me. Woah.
This place serves fairly decent food at exorbitant prices. I would feel a little better about being price gouged if I could ACTUALLY SEE MY FOOD though. The guacamole they serve is delicious but for $10-15 a "table size" stone bowl should actually adequately serve 3 small Asian girls no? NO. The large stone bowl was actually quite shallow and probably only 1/4th of the way/size deep. Total rip off. They prepare the food for you at the table but I couldn't even see what they were preparing bc it was SO DARK.
Also, the margarita carafe (which I kept thinking our waitress was pronouncing as 'crap') was incredibly weak. We got drunker off of light wine. Our waitress was also annoyingly attentive. She kept coming by to ask what we thought, how we were doing, did we want more - no, no, no. It was also impossible to talk over the loud music. It's 6pm yo. It's not nightclub party time just yet.
Don't get me wrong though, the food? It's good. But the whole ambiance and price and general feel of the place is TERRIBLE and unsuited to me and my friends. and dinner in general. El Centro does bottomless brunch and that seems like a great option for when you're so fucking hungover the only thing you can eat are fatty chorizos and tacos and hair of the dog bottomless drinks, and even the mention of sunlight/daylight makes you wince in pain. Â
They do rooftop HH and its GREAT prices for decent drinks and lots of light fare. Dinner however? is terrible. You should only come here for dinner if someone else whose face you have no interest in seeing is paying.
After returning to DC from a business trip in Mexico City, I couldn't kick the taco binge. In the hunt for a Saturday Happy Hour that served tacos and the like... I searched yelp and came across...
The best taco joint I've experienced in DC.
Their own unique flavor on food, $35 'bottomless' brunch (Sat), hip-hop/bachata/meringue tunes, and an environment reminiscent of the locations I just returned from. Waiting staff was attentive and polite!
After talking with the hostess, she let us know that the restaurant turns into just a bar after 5 and then a club after 10. Sounds interesting!!
I will be back!!!
Al Pastor tacos and the guacamole.
Actually 2 orders of Al Pastor tacos and guacamole.
And margaritas. All amazing.
This place is definitely one of the better Mexican food places I've been. The service was great and the food came out quickly.
Piece of advice, the wait might be long, but the tables in the front are fair game, so grab one!
We walked in on a Friday evening without reservations and we were told the wait would only be about 10 minutes. At first, the restaurant seemed way too loud and I've heard that it's difficult to find good Mexican food in DC, so I wasn't quite sure I wanted to try this place, but I'm glad we did.
We were seated downstairs where it was less loud and chaotic. I loved the decor and my watermelon agua fresca cocktail was delicious- it wasn't overly sweet, it was perfectly refreshing, tasty and a little too drinkable. For a starter we ordered spicy guacamole and it was very good- they make it at the table and so it's very fresh, just as if should be. For my entree I ordered chipotle shrimp, which was mediocre; I thought it was a bit salty and it wasn't at all spicy, as I had hoped it would be.  I'd dine here again  for the drink, atmosphere and guacamole, but I think I'll try a different dish next time.
Went here on a Friday evening, with the girls, for my birthday. Our reservation was for 6:30, and as usual, folks were late. Â It was pouring rain too, so that didn't help. I think the reservation was for 6, and there were only 3 of us there, so they wouldn't seat us unless we changed to a table for 4. Â We didn't want to change, so we decided to sit at the bar until our 4th person arrived. Â We (they) had drinks, and chips and guacamole. The guacamole was very good. Â They said the drinks were good too. Â I guess you can't beat decent $4 margaritas. Â Finally, our 4th person came, so they gave us a table for 5 instead. Â We sat downstairs, which had a nice crowd and another bar area. Â
For dinner, I had the chicken enchiladas, and my friends had chipotle shrimp, shrimp tacos, and veggie empanadas. Â The veggie empanadas were not a hit, so she sent them back and got the chicken enchiladas instead. Â I loved the enchiladas, and my friend enjoyed her shrimp tacos, but the chipotle shrimp dish wasn't really a hit. Â No dessert...nothing seemed appealing. Â We got out of there around 9:30, so while the crowd was getting larger, it still wasn't really that live. Â I'm sure on a nice day, and later in the evening, it's probably a very live crowd. Â
I would like to see the rooftop bars, so a return trip is definitely in order.
I haven't been here a second time because the one time I went, was the last time I'd set foot in this place.
Had dinner reservations, which were not accommodated on time, but finally got in. Dinner was decent, nothing to speak highly of, and we decided to stick around at the bar afterwards for drinks. It was dead inside, while three male bartenders were chatting it up like a bunch of girls chatting about who was going to do who's makeup -- and they finally got around to taking our order. Once we got our drinks which came out to $28, I tipped him a well deserved $5 to put towards his DVD copy of "Bring It On" -- that's when the guy said "isn't it funny how I pour you a drink, and then I give you your drink, and then....." and that's when he trailed off. I asked him "what the f*** did you say" and he just walked off. I'm sure it wasn't anything nice, and I'm sure he said something like "and now I have no money to buy any stuffed animals."
The food was very yummy, but I think I was most impressed by our server. She was so sweet, accommodating, and knowledgeable about the food and margaritas. Her suggestions were great, and she made it a point to check in on my table to make sure we were enjoying our food and beverages. Her name was Christiana (sp) and I absolutely loved her. I really hope to see her when I go back.
Finding very good food in DC is difficult. And while El Centro is not the best Mexican I have ever had (by far) I really enjoyed visiting this establishment, the great service, and the yummy margaritas.
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