Aggressively, wantonly flavorless. Why a Mexican place is so deathly afraid of Mexican spices and flavors is beyond me. Across the board, salsas were closer to watery marinara than anything else - no chile or heat or cilantro, just the flat tang of cooked tomato. The "rajas" on a recent huevos rancheros weren't poblano, they were minced, soggy red and green bell peppers. It's a real tragedy too, because the view is so good that even modestly tasty Mexican food in that location would make it one of the best places to eat In DC. read more

Came in while crusing through navy yard, craving some tacos. Accidently ended up spending a couple hours at the bar enjoying Baja fish, Beef barbacoa, and pork belly tacos. All while enjoying some founders all day ipa and some great tequila! Great place, talk to Sarah and Sean, they're great! read more

Agua 301 - Half their liqours - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Friends of mine came to visit from out of town. We planned on going to the Nats game. Place wasn't packed and our service moved at glacier speed. Food was ok. Could've shown my friends a better time eating some place else. read more

Great food, yummy drinks and fabulous service! I couldn't ask for more. I have been here for date nights with my husband and family meals with the kids. It is always a great experience! read more

Went for happy hour was disgusted and appalled as the bartenders were using their hands to add fruit in sangria, add lemons to drinks while handling money and making drinks. I ask why they didnt use a fork or a scoop oppose to their hands. Unsanitary. I will NEVER LET them give me fruit in any drinks read more

I want to like this place but I am consistently underwhelmed. The menu always looks so inviting but the food is always just so so and it makes me mad I am paying $10 for guac that is just chunks of avacado. I love the fact that they use corn tortillas but they were kinda soggy. The beef barbacoa was awesomely marinated but the carne asada just so so. The service is always slow and the waiters don't seem to know much about the menu. For example, one of the sides listed on the menu was drunken pinto beans. We asked what was in it and our waiter didn't know. I'd dismiss that if it hadn't happened multiple times over our three visits (dinner, brunch and dinner again a couple months later). We've finally decided we won't be going back. Not worth our money. read more

I went to the restaurant part about two weeks ago and now I understand all of the other reviews. The best way I can describe the service was: low rent. The service was just not classy. Three requests to get a coke. Being part of a herd to be taken to our table. Low rent. Otherwise, lunch was great. The food was excellent. In the future I am going to stick to the bar. read more

Sister and I went in for happy hour yesterday. Planned to eat and drink the night away. Sat at the bar facing the water but also facing the interior of the bar. Unkept, busy, not pleasant. Can get by that with great food and drinks but we never got there. Nothing Happy about the bartender. Very unfriendly, not a smile or welcoming word. Opposite of what you expect at happy hour. We mentioned that he must be having a bad day, he ignored us. Can't comment on the food. One drink and we were out! Definitely will not return. read more

Came here on a Friday for happy hour. The bar was packed but we managed to get seats about 15 minutes after we arrived. They only had two bartenders working that night. They were helpful but service was a little on the slow side. They offer a pretty good happy hour menu. The frozen peach margarita was just "okay" but the food was pretty tasty. I enjoyed the fresh guacamole and fish tacos. read more

This was my third time at Agua, the first was when they first opened and it was okay but I gave them the benefit of the doubt because it was a new place. The second time I went they had been open for about 8 months, food was tasty however the service was notably poor. Today I returned for what will be the final time, the food was again up to standards but not good enough to make up for the AWFUL service. We had to wait 35 minutes to get water and menus on our table even though 2 waiters came to our table within that time. I went inside to finally ask the manager for some water who was hardly interested in the non-existent service. Don't come here if you want a quick lunch, it took us two hours for a group of 4. read more

Wish I could review the food. Sat down for twenty minutes before leaving without being acknowledged aside from the preliminary water service. On the plus side, the food is supposed to be excellent. read more

Slow, rude, bad food, bad service. Will not return. Menu and design were good, but the people there do not understand restaurant business. They almost turned me away from an empty restaurant for lack of reservation, never really got us a server, gave us food that was salmonella-worthy, and charged entirely too much for the trouble of eating it. read more

I've been trying to give Agua 301 another chance after earlier reviews, where I had horrible, horrible service. Surprise, I had another bad experience with the same bad server almost a year and a half after my first experience. How is Katherine still working there? If you get Katherine the blond woman as your server, just give up. Everything will be bad. She entirely abandoned my table for long periods of time while we were waiting to try to order additional rounds of drinks. At one point it took thirty minutes for us to get a margarita we ordered. Thirty minutes and then she finally came back to the table and I was able to remind her. When leaving, there was a food item that I had not ordered on the check. When I let her know, she insisted that I had ordered the food and attempted to argue with me about the check. Our table was covered with the glasses and plates from everything we had ordered because she never cleared the table of anything, even empty baskets of chips. She was extremely rude but in the end backed down and changed the check. Will not be going back. read more

The location for this place on the bank of the Potomac fantastic. The service and the drinks were quite good too, but the seafood paella was extremely disappointing. Perhaps it is an interpretation of a paella that I am not familiar with, but it was extremely oily, bitter and lacked socarrat (the crispy rice on the bottom), which is essential for a good paella. The enchiladas that my wife ordered were just ok as well. Overall, the place has a lot of potential, but the food leaves more to be desired. read more

Location makes this place three stars instead of two. Food is meh and over priced. Offer happy hour to tables and not just bar.

We went on Sunday and were excited that it wasn't very busy, even though it was Happy Hour. We asked for the Happy Hour menu because we were not given one. We placed our food and drink orders from that menu. About 5 minutes later our server came and told us that they don't do food from the Happy Hour menu on Sundays, just drinks. I explained the website says that Happy Hour is every day and she said that they do the drinks, not the food. The food I ordered isn't on the regular menu so I had to choose something else. We felt it was very misleading. When our food arrived it was very delicious. The flautas were very overpriced for the small amount given, but they were very good. The chicken tacos were unique but good. read more

This is probably the worst service I've ever had in any restaurant, and this is the first time ever I leave no tip whatsoever to a waiter. Very disorganized hostesses, clueless waiter, salsa stained menues, cancelled drinks after 20 min wait, no apologies, just a simple "are you sure?"... 50 min to get the food, missing one order. Boss boy dropping food on the floor while clearing tables... no wonder a mouse showed up creating havoc among the tables... i read some of the reviews and the reply of the restaurant manager; they're just empty promises to address issues. I find myself repeating what others had said over and over. What a waste of a beautiful DC afternoon. Needless to say, never setting foot in that place and making sure that all acquaintances know. read more

We went here before the game on Saturday. Absolutely delicious. Short rib dinner, beef tacos and pork tacos are incredible. Great view of the river too. I highly recommend. read more

The food was really good, service meh, The frozen peach sangria was recommended, not a huge fan. But overall a decent place to eat

Great little restaurant overlooking the Yards park. Warm, tasty chips and salsa, spicy ceviche (served with wafer-thin yucca chips). Great service, dog friendly. Wife's salmon and my Baja fish tacos very good! Would eat here again! read more

Food was fantastic and we had an excellent view of the river. Service was kinda slow, maybe because the place was pretty crowded. I'd go again for sure though. read more

I've had mixed experiences here. They have nice drinks and a couple good vegetarian options such as the mushroom tacos. However, when I went more recently, their "grilled" eggplant basically came out as an uncooked slab. read more

This review is almost exclusively about the service. Our server, Deyonce (sp?), was very inattentive. We were a two top and it took us a while to get an order of guacamole in (guac was good), and then when we put in an order for our main course, we never got it. About 20-30 min later, she came by and asked if we were ready to put in an order, when my friend and i reminded her that we already put in an order, to which she responded "oh yeah, right. I already put it in." She said it would be out shortly. It was obvious that she did not put it in. At that point, my friend and I had eaten so many chips, that we requested that she cancel the order and give us the check. When we asked her to do this, she said sure, but also claimed the food would be out shortly. At this point it had been 45 min so if the food was coming it would've been out. Just before she gave us the check she brought the food and was like hey it's ready but at that point we had just stuffed ourselves on chips given that our food wasn't out. Overall a disappointing experience. Also note - ask for the habanero salsa. The one they start you with is bland. read more

My first try through this restaurant was through UberEats. The delivery was great, but I had higher expectations for the food. I ordered the Crabmeat Empanada, Queso Fundido and Chipotle Shrimp. Although I would not order the crabmeat empanada again, the portion size for this dish was spot on. In addition, there was filling with every bite and the shell was golden and tasty. What the Chipotle Shrimp lacked in portion size, it made up for in flavor. The chipotle sauce had a little kick, the shrimp were succulent and the sprinkling of spinach was lovely. A bit more rice and this would have been a 5-star dish. The queso fundido fully matched its description in terms of presentation and the flavor was fine, but I had to pour off about 2 tablespoons of oil before tasting it. Again, not a horrible dish, but not quite what I expected in terms of consistency. In all fairness, I'm sure I didn't help the oil content by adding the house made chorizo but I actually think that helped the flavor. My overall experience with Agua 301 was meh, to put it best, but I believe in second chances so I'll give them another try. read more

Excellent tacos and margaritas. Heavy on the alcohol and fantastic service. Ate in bar...loud but it was on a concert night at navy yard. Excellent food, attentive staff and great drinks!! read more

Made a reservation weeks in advance since it was a large group. On a Friday night with 13-15 people, our server, Caroline, was amazing! She's been a server for me before with one or two people and she was great then too. The food was wonderful - everyone ordered multiple rounds of drinks (sangria and triple swirl marg are my two favs), a bunch of appetizers (queso fundido and black bean cheese dip are the way to go) for the table and then a meal (I always stick with the salmon tacos). We had the back room to ourselves which was nice too. I've been to this restaurant a bunch of times before (brunch, dinner during high and low time, lunch, happy hour) and have only had one poor experience but every other time has been great - food is delicious, service is good. They have a habinero salsa that is SO good but you need to ask for it because it's not advertised. I recommend making a reservation (you can on yelp or open table) especially if you have a large group or are wanting to eat during weekend dinner rush. read more

I ate and had drinks here for a birthday happy hour before the Nats game. Great drink specials and the food is outstanding! I assumed the the happy hour food specials would have smaller portions but the nachos were a full size order! Great mix of flavors, fresh guacamole, and their queso is great. Highly recommend for pre-game food and drinks! read more

Delicious food and atmosphere! They make an effort to seat you quickly even when they're busy and the location on the water is fantastic... great for a long Friday lunch. Left full and happy. Get the margaritas and the flautas! read more

The Agua 301 is a restaurant situated in the heart of the Capitol Riverfront Boardwalk's waterfront at the Navy Yard. As you enter the place, you are welcomed by a magnificent setting by a wonderful gentleman that goes by the name of Roger. Sitting at any table you have a wonderful view of the beautiful wterfront. For those who do not book a table and are waiting, there is a cozy lounge area to sit. The menu offers a wide variety of mouth-watering starters. I had the guacamile de jaiba accompanied by the beef flautas and Queso fundido, which were exquisite! The yucca fritas with the special dipping sauce that my extraordinary waitor, Marlon, reccommended was scrumptious! Speaking of Marlon, he is what made our visit stupendous. Never in my life have I had such a kind and attentive waiter. He was charming and delightful from the minute we stepped in to the minute we left. I'm telling you, I work in D.C. and was exhusted and over-worked when I walked in and seeing his smile seemed to instantaneosly put everyone in a good mood. The only thing I regret is not getting dessert but I was just too full from my fabulous dinner, so maybe next time... read more

Tried this place with friends on the weekend. They had happy hour on drinks only and they were good. The food was good too, nothing too exciting. The tacos are good but I would suggest trying this place for weekday happy hour. Empanadas were good. Beans and rice tasty. The server was nice. I will say in the summer the view is amazing. read more

We went for Restaurant Week but ordered other items, as well. Not too crowded on a Sunday morning but got busier by Noon. All of the food was delicious and came out hot from the kitchen. Our server was attentive and took care of us - drinks promptly refilled, along with the irresistible house-made chips & salsa. The manager was friendly and even provided a surprise bonus dessert after our child appropriated ours :) Well Done! Looking forward to visiting again soon. Nice views of the Waterfront - we'll be bringing out of town friends & family here for sure. Thanks for the great experience. read more

Our favorite watering hole. Perfection = Pork belly tacos with extra pineapples + Spanish rice. Now take the extra pineapples and pour it over the rice with the taco sauce. Pair it with a regular/frozen peach sangria + free chips and salsa (addicting). Top it off with outdoor waterfront seating on a beautiful day. Buen provecho! read more

As fans of Zest we thought we'd give this place a try. Let me caveat this review by saying that it's based on one visit and we only had a few small bites but those bites were pretty darn good! Service, on the other hand, still needs some work. I think it was just our server though seemed like she was still a trainee. There was another server there, though, who was really on the ball and helped us out a number when of times when our service was lacking. This place will rock in the summer with the view and concerts. Could totally see ourselves hanging out here before/after Nats games. Likes: decor; small bites. Dislikes: service needs to work out some kinks read more

So disappointing!!! The waiter was really bad. About 1/3 of our items never made it to our table. The food that did make wasn't correct. We ordered beef empanadas and got one beef one crab. The food was good but not excellent. The drinks were ok but the pisco sour was horrible! The bathrooms are unisex and not well maintained. The toilet and the floor were "wet" there was no soap in the dispenser and no toilet paper. I would recommend a different spot to eat in the yards. read more

Nice place as far as atmosphere and outdoor seating is a us on cooler summer days. Service was good on the day we had brunch here. They need to work on food though or it would become a typical DC restaurant where food is average to low but people go and eat there anyway because they don't care. Food here is not bad but it's not memorable in anyway. It lacks flavor and is tiny in portions. We will come here for drinks but not the food again. read more

Lots of sauce on their food giving you a feeling you want to explode after all is said and done. I've never has "lomo saltado with gravy--gravy was my dish's main ingredient. Yuca fries were tasteless and not thoroughly cooked. Do not recommend. read more

Absolutely fantastic in seating a large group. But when there is a large group, cater to a large bill. For 27 min, no menus, water, or waiter was present at the table. As a group, we left and took our service to another restaurant where we had to split up the group. read more

Abysmal service whether empty or full. They should consider hiring a hostess when there are Nats games or concerts going on concurrently.

This place was terrible. The hostess acted like she didn't want to be working there. The manager seemed to be the husband of the hostess- but not totally sure. Not one employee had a smile on their face. They told us there was an hour wait for outdoor tables- and they never followed up. We also saw open tables outside. I was extremely disappointed. The place has potential based on location but the people working there make it a miserable experience. People and service make a restaurant. This place has major work to do if they want to last in an up and coming neighborhood. Very disappointing evening. read more

Took my parents there for my mom's birthday this weekend, and they were more than happy! The hostess was so nice and energetic! Definitely made me feel like I had made the right choice the minute I walked in. Had reservations and were seated right away! Server was nice enough but it was the food that my parents raved about all night! We had the guacamole with crab meat appetizer, great choice! Also had the sopa de marisco, pesto grilled salmon, and chipotle shrimp, everything was so tasty! Well presented, great taste! Moderately priced! Loved the atmosphere and everyone there! read more