Excellent ambience, dark, warm and romantic setting. I went with a friend but this would also be a nice date night spot. We had 2 nice servers who were very knowledgeable and friendly. The clearing service was decent but not top notch, they let our waters go empty twice. They were busy on Saturday dinner and enforced their time limit of 1 and 30 minutes for a party of 2. I ordered the maryland crab guacamole and wagyu empanadas based on other positive reviews on Yelp and our server's recommendations. We also ordered the bone marrow and tuna chicharon dish because it looked delicious when the table next to ours ordered it. The Maryland crab guacamole was my favorite dish. Our server told us that the crab was cooked over the fire and you could definitely taste the smokey flavor. The avocado chunks were delicious and the guac was bright and acidic. I would skip the wagyu empanadas. It tasted kind of British since the wagyu came in a truffle sauce that tasted more like a gravy. The empanada shell was thick too almost like a pastry. The bone marrow tuna chicharron was the biggest dish and fun build your own taco style. I think this dish was a great value since it's not often that you see bone marrow on the menu and it also came with tuna, pickled veggies, peppers, tortillas, guac, tomatoes, and salsa. It was flavorful and unique, just got a little too unctuous for my taste at the end. Would definitely recommend trying it. The tuna was cooked medium rare and breaded then fried like a corn dog almost. My friend ordered the Mexican coffee which came with a delicious cold cream and the alcohol was strong. We also received a hibiscus sample which I found very tasty. read more

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The food here is great but the parking is tricky. With patience you'll find something on a weekend night because the food is worth it. I've been here both on weekday and weekend and the service was great both times. The food option is good and pricey but of great taste and quality. The environment is nice, not loud music unless you go downstairs where there's a bar and live jazz band playing I think. Never had a drink or eaten down there but it's cool if you're in area and want to try their drinks and food with music. The food we ordered was delicious and they were different plates so we never really felt the food was taking long as they came out in waves. Service was excellent the first time I went which was a weekday and the second time which was a Saturday was good too except sometimes our waitress would go missing and it was hard to order another plate since she was busy. Overall, the food is great and worth it for me to visit again. read more

Everything was absolutely delicious!!! The ambiance is nice too. Really great for date nights or friends gathering. But the servers seemed to really rush us to go so they could turn the table for the next one. There were at least 3-4 servers came to buss our table and our main server asked us to rush as they have a 8:30p that's the only reason I didn't give it a 5 star. read more

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I've been for HH, dinner, and brunch, so I believe I can give a detailed review. Reservations: Can be made on OpenTable. You will not be seated until your entire party arrives, it doesn't matter if someone is parking. Parking: It can get busy depending on when you come. It was hard finding parking in the summer on a Friday during HH, naturally though. Happy Hour: HH prices are reserved only for those sitting right at the bar. No standing at the bar, not the high top tables near the bar, only the bar. This isn't my favorite practice, but I get it. The margaritas are the most delicious margs I've had stateside. The HH food is also magnificent. You could come for HH and have that as your dinner because the tacos are so delicious. Dinner: - You have to get the crab guacamole. I was nervous about the aioli on top of the guac because I thought it would be too fatty (not calorie wise, but flavor) but nope it was delicious and I like how it's served with pretty homemade charred tortillas + extra chips. Some restaurants never serve you enough tortillas to go with your guacamole but that didn't happen here. - I was nervous about the waygu empanadas because it had truffle in it and I'm not a fan of truffle, but they were TOO good. I squeezed lime on each bite and it really set it off with the green sauce (maybe a salsa verdeor chimichurri). The tacos with the peanut sauce were amazing too. You really just can't go wrong with any of these options. Brunch: They were rated best DC brunch for 2023 and I have to say it was well earned. I think DLena and the Four Seasons are neck and neck for brunch. I like that DLena has margaritas on their brunch menu. The "May May Mimosa" was my favorite. The food was served a little slow at brunch, BUT I think it's because it was a good quality. Most brunches fill you up with bread and fried foods, but they had a great mix of food on their menu. They didn't spare anything with the flavor. The salmonw as cooked perfectly, the shrimp cocktail (or was it ceviche) had a great flavor, I loved the pickled onions on the chicken & waffles and how you could just pick it up and eat it. read more

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Wow I'm surprised I am now just writing a review for Dleña! Absolutely one of my favorite spots in DC. I've been here several times between brunch, dinner and happy hour and all hits, no misses. The drinks, tacos, empanadas, crab guacamole, omg so many items are always so amazingly delicious. The ambiance is beautiful! It's sexy it gives very romantic. It's a perfect spot for a date night, night out with the girls or solo date. The speakeasy downstairs is also such a vibe. When it comes to Dleña I can always expect amazing food and awesome service. read more

incredible dining experience. can't recommend it enough! The highlight of my meal was the Aguachile Campechano, a vibrant dish that perfectly balanced freshness and heat. The ocean shrimp were succulent, with just the right amount of citrusy tang and spice, making every bite an explosion of flavor. I also tried the Carnitas Pork Shank, and it was absolutely divine. The pork was perfectly tender, falling off the bone with ease, and the rich, smoky flavors were complemented beautifully by the accompanying sides. The atmosphere at dLeña added to the experience--warm, welcoming, and with impeccable service. Every detail, from the presentation of the food to the attentiveness of the staff, made the evening memorable. If you're looking for a place that delivers on both flavor and ambiance, dLeña is a must-visit! read more

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Favourite. Restaurant. In. DC. I've dined at dlena 2 times-- once for dinner and once for the bottomless brunch. Both times, I was blown away. Definitely order the short rib tacos, churros, and the fruit cup. As for the ambiance, the ambiance for dinner was very date-night, while the ambiance for brunch was more casual. Both times, the service was great. read more

dLeña - Seasonal Fruit Cocktail - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Me and my family went here for my birthday dinner and it was a great choice! The restaurant is very vibey and modern. We ordered a few items but my favorite was the crab guacamole. The cocktails are very unique. I had the guava me honey and it was absolutely delicious! Service was great! Our waiter was very helpful with answering our questions about the menu. There is a gorgeous lounge downstairs that I would love to return to try! Overall a great experience! read more

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This was very lovely when we first survived we were seated, and the server brought us complementary juice, and that tasted amazing. The service was amazing. Our server checked up on us. I love the setting of the restaurant. I would definitely recommend all of my family and friends to come and try dLeña!! sit read more

Chefs kiss for the aesthetic at Dlena. Once you arrive you definitely feel like you've left DC and been transported to a nice restaurant in Mexico. I loved all of the cacti and Halloween decor that they had during my recent visit here for lunch. Our server was very friendly. It seemed like he was the only person working during the lunch hour which explains why he'd accidentally forgotten my drink and didn't send it over until half way through my meal. He was apologetic though which I really appreciated. During my visit here I had the, - Guac and chips 10/10 perfectionnnn! - Salmon and elote 7/10 - plating was beautiful but the salmon lacked seasoning in my opinion and the char on it came through a lot. The salmon was cooked wonderfully however - spicy cocktail (I forgot the name) 3/10- wish I would've skipped out on this one it had wayyyyy too much lime/lemon juice in it and it really messed with my taste buds. Not sure if this is how it normally tastes but I would skip this $17 cocktail. Overall, I loved the vibe. Would come back to give their tacos a try. read more

dLeña - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I don't have a single bad thing to say about Dleña. I've been about 3-4 times, and my most recent visit solidified my love for this place. A friend was in town visiting, so I recommended we meet @ Dleña for happy hour. (FYI: happy hour is only at the bar and seats fill up quickly, so get there as close to 5 as possible if you want to indulge in HH cocktails.) The happy hour margaritas are all delicious and well-made. My absolute fave thing to order here, though, are the camarones a la diabla. They are fantastic! The sauce is so good! I always use my fork and knife to scrape up every last bit of it, lol. On my last visit, I also ordered a ribeye which was delicious, tender and perfectly cooked. Lastly, I found out there's a speakeasy on the bottom floor! After we closed out at the main dining room bar, we went to the bar in the speakeasy and ordered a tequila flight while listening to the live band. Great happy hour option! read more

dLeña - 14oz 30 Day Aged Boneless Ribeye* - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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We made a 5:00 PM reservation for a party of 8 for my friend's birthday. It was clearly marked as a birthday when we booked it. This was not a walk in. We planned it. We chose 5:00 specifically because of Ramadan so we could break our fast at 6 PM. The timing was intentional. Before we even ordered, Henry told the birthday girl that we had to be out by 7 because there was an event after us. So you accept a birthday reservation for 8 people at 5:00 and expect the entire celebration to be wrapped up in two hours. Why would you assume a birthday dinner for 8 people would be done in two hours. Celebrations usually require more time, not less. If anything, you allocate more time for a birthday table. If there was a strict time limit, that should have been communicated when the reservation was made. You use OpenTable. You require a card to secure the reservation. You send confirmation texts and reminders. OpenTable allows restaurants to message guests directly. So you can text to confirm and hold a card, but you cannot text to communicate a hard out time. That makes no sense. The manager never came over. No apology. No explanation. Nothing. At 6:36 PM, which I have timestamped photos of, we were told we could not order any more dessert because of the time restriction. That is twenty four minutes before 7. We were being cut off from ordering with almost half an hour left. They dropped eight spoons on the table when they brought the small birthday dessert, which clearly signals ordering more. When we tried to order churros, Henry said no because of the time restriction. When we asked to take them to go, we were told no because the ice cream would melt. I have worked in food service for four years and have never refused to sell a dessert because ice cream might melt. That felt like an excuse. We then tried to order crème brûlée to go and were told no because of the proportioned container it comes in. That makes sense from a packaging standpoint, but it was still unfortunate. At that point it felt like everything was being shut down instead of accommodated. Henry's service was not terrible, but it was very mid. He made a couple recommendations and that was about it. Nothing particularly attentive. Nothing warm. Nothing that balanced out the rushed feeling. It felt transactional. While we were packing up, Henry and the busser stood there watching us. It was uncomfortable and obvious we were being pushed out. A 20 percent gratuity was automatically added. I understand automatic gratuity for large parties and I usually support it. But with very mid service and how poorly this entire situation was handled, it did not feel earned. The food was okay. The regular and crab guacamole were the best items. The short rib tacos were good but overpriced for the portion. The salad, branzino, and prawns were good. The chicken was mediocre. The short rib entrée had good flavor but was very fatty and turned congealed once it cooled. Bottom line, if you accept a birthday reservation for 8 people, you allocate proper time for that table. If you cannot, communicate it upfront. Do not wait until guests are seated. Do not start cutting them off at 6:36. This was avoidable and it needs to be fixed. read more

dLeña - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

10/10 no notes. Some of the best food I've ever had. Go to the express lunch for an amazing deal read more

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Food was superb. A bubbling cast iron skillet of cheese?! YES PLEASE! We ate at the bar and it was still a nice experience. The bartenders were busy; but attentive. I booked my reservation for the wrong day so I was a walk in at 7pm on a Friday night and was able to get a seat at the bar very easily. The downstairs bar is a vibe, too! Definitely check this place out! read more

dLeña - Mercado (left) - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

$30 Lunch Special. Pumpkin soup, ceviche, barbacoa tacos, pollo Al canton, & pastel de elote. Exquisite from start to finish. The wood fire grill smell and tastes within the food is salivating & smokey. A must try. read more

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Went here for a birthday dinner. Very cozy atmosphere. Tables are close together, dimly lit but it's relaxing. The Maryland guacamole was good. The adjacent table told us we had to get it. It was good but on the smallish side. Lamb Shank great. I'd get it again. Drinks-great. Service - great. They know what they are doing here. Highly recommended. read more

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Such a good meal. We loved the crab guacamole and my mushroom tacos were spectacular- so much flavor. The gazpacho was lovely and refreshing. I'd recommend without hesitation! read more

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I made a reservation on Opentable. I showed up right on time but a few minutes before my friend. I took the time to ask about the layout- I was confused about how many bars there were based on all the pictures. He explained the restaurant I see and bar I see and the downstairs bar ( aka lounge) are part of this place. The lounge is the speakeasy. What is not part of it is the business next door (in same building) and rooftop bar. Mystery solved! At first she tried to seat me all the way in the back near the kitchen swinging door but I requested something else closer to civilization. She offered a two-top against the outside "wall" close in-between other two-tops, once it was clean. But I thought the high top tables in-between the bar and the two-tops against the outside "wall" were better. She said two were about to be pushed together and asked us to wait for her to check if we could have one of the other two. She came back and we were seated at a high top table next to the other two that were eventually put together for another reservation. Perfect! I started with the guava cocktail and it reminded my of Hawai'i. Loved it! It was called "Guava Me Please?!" and had reposado as the base. We did an assortment of small plates and appetizers. Our waiter explained they come out as done, not all together. This is what I prefer so great! We ordered the guacamole and chips and they were good. Worth noting is the second kind of chip that was included. The queso was phenomenal. The texture the flavor, and the small tortillas it came with were a nice touch. Totally recommend. However... The 1/2 dozen baked oysters were the star of the show. So much flavor! Would get them again for sure. Maybe even two orders! My only complaint would be no small forks. I did ask and got a small spoon which worked. That delicious of a dish deserves its own utensil! But omg the flavor was off the charts. The ceviche Amarillo was good but too spicy for me. I would skip it next time. More like a salad than a ceviche. It was more liquid. It was good but not worth writing home about. I will definitely come back here. Ambiance is relaxing. Lighting is flattering. Service good. read more

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Beautiful ambiance! Though, it seemed everyone at our table was being polite about the taste of their food. A bit of overpriced dishes for the lack of deliciousness. I was disappointed to get a $17 salad that was difficult to enjoy. Though, it looked tasty. The waiter was great. Though, I wish he could have been more intuitive before insisting everyone split the tab in half when someone at the table only got a water and salad. Thus, should not be added to split a $300+ tab. I usually do not mind splitting a tab for group gatherings. Though, due to fasting, I was not indulging in the additional orders made for the table such as appetizers, including alcoholic beverages. Nonetheless, I was charged $89 for items I did not eat or drink. As we wrapped up dinner, the waitress was visibly rolling her eyes waiting in the corner for our birthday dinner to conclude. Which, we had been chatting quietly and sharing fun stories before taking pictures and leaving. When I noticed her perhaps simply exhausted, I flashed a warm smile. She returned a smile and seemed to feel less overwhelmed for the moment. read more

dLeña - Ensalada de Kale - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The food was delicious. We had the Maryland Crab guac and Waygu empanadas for our appetizers. Plenty of lump crab meat in the guac and just the right amount of "kick" in it. Oh they also give everyone a free shot of hibiscus which I thought was cool. I had the MAR Y TERRA (filet mignon with seafood enchiladas) and he had the LAMB BARBACOA SHANK (birria style lamb). Both were very good, flavorful and tender! I wasn't a fan of the corn tortilla on the enchiladas but that's just because I don't like corn tortillas. I got the passion fruit margarita with no salt rim. They bought it with a salt rim anyway but took it back when I reminded them. My problem is they didn't remake the drink they just poured it into a different glass so I still tasted the salt in my drink which was why I asked for no salt on the rim to begin with. He ordered a Coke. Each refill tasted different but not bad. At the end they gave us some churros on a plate that said "happy anniversary". They were the BEST churros I ever had! Troy wasn't our waiter but I stopped him a few times to ask questions and he was AMAZING! He didn't make me feel like I was bothering him and he was just the nicest, professional and most polite person ever. I really like him! We also met Joshua the GM. He was also really great. He was making his rounds checking on guests when he seen a look on my face and immediately came over to see if there was something he could do. I told him we were waiting on a coke refill and he bought it back very quickly himself. I think our name was Kathyra. She was a very nice person, nice and polite but very slow and forgetful which is why Josh bought our refill over. This with the salty drink is the reason for 4 stars. Nice dimly lit place for date night or girls night. I 10/10 recommend. read more

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dLeña is my absolute favorite brunch restaurant. The food is beyond spectacular and always amazes me. Also the hospitality you receive when coming here is just .. outstanding. Truly. I always recommend dLeña for anyone looking for delicious food and drinks. Ambiance 20/10 read more

dLeña - Dleña Crispy Chicken Waffles** - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Fantastic experience from start to finish, featuring delicious food, excellent service, and welcoming ambiance. Everything felt thoughtfully prepared, making this a place I cannot wait to revisit again very soon. read more

Didn't eat here, had to cancel due to an emergency. This is based on service. Called 3 times and no one answered the phone so I finally emailed. There's something wrong when a restaurant won't let you cancel a reservation HOURS in advance and threatens to charge $25 per person. When I called the 4th time, a woman answered the phone. She said she has to charge me $100 (4 ppl) for cancelling even though I was cancelling at 12pm for a 7pm reservation. Forcing ppl to come to your restaurant is not good practice . read more

Had time after work so I walked 15 blocks to find this place. It was well worth it. Ordered the Mercado Margarita and the 14oz 30 Day Aged Boneless Rib-eye The drink was so refreshing and presentation was on point. So I ordered a second one. The steak was cooked perfect and the grilled Serrano chili on top was a nice touch. No steak sauce needed perfect grilled flavor and no fat on steak edges. Yes a little pricey but I don't mind paying for quality $100 after adding in tip. Stop in while in DC but take a taxi or Uber my feet are hurting. Jk. read more

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The brunch is so worth it. I don't know how many plates we got but I love that everything was portioned out per party number too! read more

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Great ambiance, good tasting food with fresh ingredients and well-balanced flavors. Went for their bottomless brunch, with bottomless drink options and it was great value for the price. read more

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The service was AMAZING. I noted that it was my boyfriend's birthday in our reservation and as soon as they greeted us they wished him a happy birthday. I highly recommend the crab guacamole. It was so good and definitely worth the hype. I am not a Mexican food person so the meal wasn't my favorite but my boyfriend LOVED it. So take his word for it over mine!!! The vibes are amazing and it's definitely more upscale Mexican food, perfect for special occasions! read more

dLeña - Ribs and chicken - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

High Prices, Zero Hospitality -- This Place Turns Tables, Not Cares for Customers This restaurant is far more interested in turning tables than valuing customer experience. They charge high-end prices, yet the service is far worse than places like The Capital Grille or even Great American -- both of which consistently treat guests with basic courtesy and professionalism. This restaurant completely ruined my boyfriend's birthday, and I want others to avoid the same disappointment. We arrived with a confirmed reservation -- verified by phone and confirmed again through the OpenTable app -- yet there was no table available. When I asked what the point of making a reservation was, the host said: "We try to turn tables as guests come in." So, reservations here serve no real purpose. They did give us two complimentary drinks, but no amount of free champagne can cover up the poor service or how disrupted the evening became. The service went downhill from there. I asked our server to take a photo, a completely normal request on a birthday. The first picture was taken from across the room, so I politely asked if he could take another. His response? "I don't have time to keep taking pictures; I have to do drinks." That level of dismissiveness and unprofessionalism is unacceptable anywhere -- let alone at a restaurant charging premium prices. When he brought out the birthday "cake", he didn't acknowledge the occasion at all. no "happy birthday," nothing. He simply put the cake down and walked away. To make matters worse, when the manager came around checking on tables and asked how we were doing, I clearly voiced the issue -- and nothing was done. That alone says everything about the culture of this place and why the staff behave the way they do. By the end of the night, we wished we had gone anywhere else. If you care at all about your celebration, your mood, or your loved ones: Do NOT come here. read more

I've been to dLeña twice. Once for dinner and once for drinks on the bottom floor. They have live jazz music a few nights a week. Now, to the food. Everything was delicious! I had the half chicken which was very filling. We ordered all the desserts and they tasted amazing. My favorite was the Carajillo Crème Brulée. The service was amazing as well. Every time you turn around, someone is within earshot to serve you. read more

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This was truly the best Mexican food I have had in DC. The server was super friendly and explained the menu and drink flights. The food was super high quality. We got the waygu on a hot stone, that you got to cook in front of you. It had an insanely flavorful marinated grape to put on top of it. We got oysters with crab, bacon relish, and caviar- SO GOOD. We got short rib tacos and my favorite thing was the seafood enchilada. It had so much crab and shrimp inside and every bite made me want more. We tried a tequila flight that was really smooth and went downstairs to check out the speakeasy. It was too crowded and loud to sit down there, but we overall had a wonderful experience and will be rushing back. read more

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Amazing food. Loved the bone marrow and octopus, ceviche, crab guacamole! We also got a martini and was presented with what seemed like a drink someone drank half of already. read more

dLeña - This is the portion size of one martin straight from the bartender. Where's the second half? - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I went to both restaurants in Chicago and they were excellent. So you can imagine how excited I was to try dLena during my DC visit. Unfortunately I was very disappointed. I tried the Restaurant Week special and my appetizer (lobster tortilla soup) was luke warm. I sent it back and it was reprepared much better. My main entree was also luck warm. It had the grilled chicken with broccolini. I probably ate 3 bites and let the server know I was done. I was quite surprised that he did that ask about the amount of food that was being discarded. W will try Casa Chi again when I'm back in Chicago :-/ read more

dLeña - Bar area - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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This establishment gets a high rating on service. Troy, the waiter, took care of us two nights in a row . He had a great personality and was very helpful in making our reservations. Now to the food... If you're looking for authentic Mexican food, this isn't the place. They take traditional dishes and add American glamor to them. Presentation is A+ but portions are small; although, filling. I had the short rib tacos on my first visit. These tasted amazing. They had a great flavor that I wasn't able to narrow down what I was tasting. For desert, we all shared the following: Carajillo Crème Brulée, Mil Hojas de Panqueque and the Smoked Chocolate Fondant. Each one had a unique flavor of their own and were great. Day two, our party shared their camarón (shrimp) tacos. These were a bit odd. The tortilla was ice cold. It caused the tortilla to break in half when folding it over to eat it. The shrimp was hot and crunchy, as a traditional shrimp taco should be. Other than the frozen tortilla, it was great (non-traditional). We also shared the guacamole and chips. This was very tasty and close to traditional. Next I had their Birria de Hongos tacos. The only way I can explain these is as follows: shredded beef marinated, cooked slowly and thrown in a tortilla. Then topped with bbq sauce. This was nothing close to traditional birria tacos he hongo. After the first bite, I was grossed out. In fact, I had to force myself to eat two tacos. Pure garbage for me. Overall, service and atmosphere is great. I'd recommend it just be cautious of what you order. read more

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My partner took me here for a surprise birthday dinner. And when I say I was surprised to see my friends waiting for me..... she really got me!! I was clueless and thought it was a coincidence. Ha! DC has changed so much throughout the years I almost didn't recognize where we were. If you've been around DC awhile you'll remember the OLD Busboys & Poets on K Street. Dlena is right across the street. But the area looks so different. Enough about that tho... She's been bragging about this place since she came with friends. It's somewhat tapas style, but with a Mexican theme. Let's start with the drinks, cuz that's how we roll. That Mercado margarita was a sneaky little devil. At first I was a bit upset because I couldn't taste the alcohol (after all, it's my birthday). But you know what they say about those types of drinks; they sneak up on you and SHE DID! ...got me feeling all warm & happy! It's made with serrano-infused blanco tequila, passion fruit, agave, lime, and hibiscus-rosemary foam. Our server brought us the hibiscus juice so we could taste it. It's refreshing without being too sweet. Anyway, the drink was bangin'! I had another. Secondly, the Maryland Crab Guacamole (yes, you read that right) was amazing! I even looked up the recipe after I left to see if I could make it myself. I ordered the Empanadas de Wagyu, Pulpo al Pastor (octopus tacos), and the seafood (shrimp & Maryland blue crab) enchiladas. The food was good, the tacos tasted FRESH! The crew all loved their food, we ordered various items. And of course they brought me some churros on a "Happy Birthday' platter. Those churros were YUMMY! They tasted like they were stuffed with some sort of cream, but when asked our server relayed they were not. She said, due to the way they're cooked they have that moist center. I could have had more of those! Lastly, they have a little speakeasy downstairs. It appeared to attract a large clientele. The manager told us it was standing room only and once it gets to that point they manage those entering w/1 in 1 out. I'd like to check that out at some point. It was a pretty cool spot. read more

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Recently had a girls night at Dlena and really enjoyed myself. The whole restaurant is a vibe, especially the downstairs lounge which had a live band performing r&b covers. A WHOLE VIBE. For dinner we had the empanadas de wagyu and crab guacamole to start and a couple orders of the short rib tacos and pulpo tacos for the entrees. To my surprise, the crab guacamole was the stand out dish.. Idk what they did but crab and guac did not go together in my mind and I'm so glad my friends talked me into it. Don't skip it. The empanadas were creamy and the meat tender. The short rib tacos had good flavor but the sauces made up for the meat that was a bit dry to me on it's own however, my friends loved it. For the pulpo tacos, I only wish they had more of a char or grilled taste to them! This is def a spot where you can order a bunch of diff things to share amongst the table. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience. The ambiance is very sexy and perfect for a girls night or date night. read more

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Had a great HH here with friends, however HH is exclusively at the bar only and it full by 5:01pm, so we sat at a high top. The margaritas were all phenomenal, especially the cold foam hibiscus one. We shared the pork belly (melts in your mouth), corn empanadas (favorite), guacamole and prawn tacos (divine). Overall we would come back! read more

dLeña - Corn empanadas and prawn tacos - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Absolutely love this space. Beautiful inside, incredible flavors, and really wonderful staff. I enjoy most of the menu. I recommend the crab guacamole, tacos hongos (mushroom), zanahorias rostizadas (carrots), and for the love of God the skirt steak *I recomment you order this medium, it's been prone to overcooking, especially since it's served on a cooking stone . I cannot say this enough: Even if you're not a veggie fan, you MUST order the carrots. They're worth it! The drinks are great, the vibes are great, the location is perfect for a nice walk after eating, and apparently they have live music downstairs...so I'll be back soon. read more

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Second time visiting and can confidently say this is one of if not our favorite spot in D.C.! The food is not only beautiful but absolutely delicious but what makes a place special is the service and the atmosphere. We thought it was luck the first time but tonight Kathia F. was such a joy and made our expierence even better. Top tier food. Beyond top tier service. read more

The food was incredible. But why I am posting on here is BRI our amazing waitress & bartender- gave us her recommendations for food as it was our first time there. It did not disappoint. Every dish came out full of flavor and with great style and presentation. If you plan on going here- I highly recommend asking for Bri and following her lead! She knows what she's talking about!! read more

dLeña - Wagyu Steak a la Piedra - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This was a culinary experience that almost busted my belly. The food for the bottomless brunch was amazing. The ambiance was soothing and artistic. The service was right on time the whole time. I would finish my drink look up and the waitress was there instantly! A wonderful experience and a must visit if in the area. read more

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