Lilian's Restaurant

I dropped in Wednesday night before Thanksgiving for a few beers before I did some food shopping at "MOM's" next door.  Place was packed with hombres who had the next day off from work.  Caught up on the local Mt Vernon Ave gossip ... apparently the block next door has been sold and is going to be developed into an upscale condo/apartment complex.  So long MOM's and CVS!  

Now that urban renewal has come to Mt Vernon Ave I hope it doesn't mean that Lilian's is going anywhere, anytime soon.  This place has one of the more attractive  wait staffs in the DC area and one that is minimally dressed as well.  Anyone who believes otherwise must have grown up in a strip club!

Anyway, how will the new upscale tenants enjoy being located next to a Mexican Hooters?  I suspect there will be a few complaints, not necessarily regarding the girls in hot pants and boots, but the guys that hang around in front and the occasional visits by Alexandria's finest.

In the meantime, let's all enjoy the good food, the cold beer and the pretty girls.

Ok, I have no idea what everybody's talking about.  After visiting this place for a second time (Saturday evening), Lilian's is hardly a Mexican Hooters that people talking about.  Nothing is falling out of anything here.  And if you believe otherwise, then you're a 17th century Puritan.  Food wise, this okay.  Ordered the steak and fries ($13.95) which was a hearty platter.  Food is okay but nothing out of the ordinary.  You can probably find dishes cheaper along Mt. Vernon Ave.  Kitchen is pretty slow.  So I'm dropping this down to a 2-Star review because it's really "Meh, I've had better Latin cuisine elsewhere."

The service here is low-class.  My friend and I could have left without paying since no one was taking care of us for at least 20 minutes.  It took 34 minutes for the food to arrive.  

The ambiance is pretty hilarious.  Bunch of men sitting around flirting with the servers.  People standing outside playing bouncer.  It would seem that everyone there knows one another, so if you are an outsider, like myself, you might not get good service.

If you are already drunk or you just want to drink and look at some booty, go there.  If you are looking for a real mexican or tex mex experience, go to mexico, texas, or california, or make the food yourself...but good luck finding authentic ingredients in this area.