Hands down one of my favorite restaurants! Love the over all vibe of this spot and the food is on point. I gave it 4 stars because although the food is really food, it can be inconsistent. When you have you tastebuds set on a certain taste and the food isn't hit'n the way it did the last time you had it, it's kinda disappointing. But at dLena it's not the end of the world as I've never had anything I absolutely didn't like. My favorites out of what I have tried so far are the oysters and short ribs . Everything is made in a wood stove so that automatically gives everything this smokey unique flavor. The oysters also have that smokey flavor with bacon jam which is absolutely amazing. I had this once and they forgot the jam and it changed the taste completely. It's a small amount but makes such a big difference. Now the short ribs come off the bone. I think your supposed to make a lettuce taco with it...but I didn't realize it until I devoured all the meat. The service from the waiters is great, always. The manager is also very nice and seems to genuinely care. The hosts I've interacted with were just ok, not super pleasant and you may gave to pull information from them. But they got the job done. They have a speakeasy downstairs which is super cute and sexy. It has it's own small menu and sometimes has a jazz band playing live. The atmosphere at dLena is very nice. read more

See all

pros: -best service specifically because of our amazing server ricardo who was super friendly and attentive -BEST MEXICAN RESTO: pork belly; branzino; broccolini, short rib tacos -cute date spot or an intimate night with friends -clean restrooms -easy to make a reservation online cons: none read more

See all

The food was pretty good for the price. The portions were bigger than I thought. The service was amazing they were nice and quick with water refills. The ambiance was real chill and fancy. The bathrooms were fancy as well read more

dLeña - Medio Pollo al Carbón - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

A group of 7 friends and I came here after visiting the Cherry Blossoms. The restaurant sat us within 10 minutes and the service was great. The cocktails were tasty and the food was delicious. I ordered the empanadas and grilled oysters. I probably wouldn't get h to latter again but those empanadas were delicious. I will be back again. Great ambiance and decor. read more

See all

I love dLeña! Theres always scrumptious food, good vibes & exemplary customer service. Haven't been here in a while but I'm glad to be back! Came for happy hr and Paul took great care of us. We ordered: -chips & habanero salsa -The happy hr barbacoa tacos -wagyu empanadas -the short rib tacos -a couple rounds of margaritas Everything was amazing! Cant wait to come back. read more

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

This place is a must try in DC. I found this restaurant on Tik Tok and it did not disappoint. Make sure you make a reservation as this place is booked in advance and they charge a cancellation fee. When I arrived, there was limited seating in the main dining room. The hostess said we could check out the lounge below and sit there if we've liked. We picked the lounge, the vibes in this place is spectacular. Wednesday- Sunday they have live jazz performers downstairs in the lounge. You only have your table for an hour and half but we stayed for longer because there was no one waiting for a table at the time. Now the food 10/10 definitely get the shrimp tacos, and ceviche. The corn empanadas were tasty! I never know corn and chimichurri would taste so delicious. This is a must restaurant in DC. read more

See all

After several months of changed reservations, we finally made it to dLeña and it didn't disappoint.

Our server Troy was phenomenal. We got the bottomless option and most of the food was good not great except for the fruit cocktail and churros. Overall a good experience as the ambience is nice but not sure it's a repeat for me. read more

See all

I was in town for a work trip and my team went out to dinner here on a Monday night. We were able to be seated immediately and our staff was super nice, constantly checking in on us. I had a couple margaritas which were excellent. We got a couple apps to share, including the guacamole and the pork belly. The guacamole was super fresh and citrusy which I loved. The pork belly was so tender and melted in my mouth! For my main, I got the pulpo tacos. When they arrived, I was surprised at how tiny these were, especially for the price. The flavor was great, but I definitely felt hungry at the end. Overall, loved the vibes of the place, but would probably order something else if I came back. read more

dLeña - Pulpo al Pastor** - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Joined a friend here for drinks at the bar and we had an amazing time. The bartender was helpful and the drinks were amazing. I thought I would have an appetite before leaving but I didn't so I didn't have a chance to try the food but my friend said the food was amazing as well. I will be back to try for myself read more

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

Went again but this time for my husband's birthday. Service was so-so I told him at the beginning of the meal it was his birthday but he didn't do anything special for him. I saw in other reviews that they got a special treat at the end. He was aloof and when we asked questions about dishes he did not really answer our questions. The service made our experience not so great this time around. What a disappointment read more

Fun restaurant vibe. Good shareable foods. Tasty cocktails. Good service. The tacos were just okay but everything else tasted good, might not be worth the price point but if you want a nice place to catch up with friends or for a date this could be a good spot. read more

See all

Reservations are recommended. This place was booked days in advance. The first thing you notice walking up is the outside seating decor. Inside is warm and inviting. Decor is great for date or small intimate gathering. Our server was knowledgable and had great recommendations. She was able to provide an experience based on diner palette. I really enjoyed the Mezcal flight. The food was fresh and presentation heightened the experience. About $120 for flight, drink, appetizer and 2 small plates. Would recommend parties of 2-5 read more

See all

TL;DR: Nice date spot, good service, elevated food Came here before walking over to a show at Capital One Arena. Highly recommend making a reservation! The interior is super cute and dimly lit for an intimate feel. Service was friendly and informative, but definitely tries to upsell you through recommendations. FOOD: ~Ostiones a la Lena (3.5/5): Good smoky chipotle flavor, but the flavor and oyster flavor gets overpowered by cilantro and onion ~Queso Fundido (4/5): My favorite type of cheese! Crisp bottom, melty top, flavorful beef. Wish there was a little more beef to cheese. Very heavy/oily dish, but delicious ~Corn Empanada (2.5/5): unfortunately underwhelming. Pastry was okay, but the filling needed some additional seasoning ~Pork Belly (4/5): Pork belly was so tender, sauces all worked well together, and balanced out by the onions ~Short Rib Taco (4/5): so tender and the toppings were great! ~Dry aged ribeye (4/5): was able to cut through this with a butter knife! Flavored perfectly and cooked to a great medium rare. Chimichurri was also delicious ~Wagyu Beef Tiradito (3.5/5): beautiful presentation, great flavors! The guac on it had a very off putting texture for me (almost like a paste). The one bite I had without it was perfect for me ~Carajillo Creme Brulee (5/5): This was the star of our meal! What a great way to end. Liquor is poured on top and flambeed off. Parts of the espresso cream on the bottom was a little frozen still, but I loved it! Gave an ice cream like texture Definitely worth a visit! read more

See all

My boyfriend and I visited this restaurant for dinner last night and everything was very good. We had the traditional guacamole as an appetizer, I had the wagyu as an entree and he had the shrimp tacos and for dessert we had the crepe cake. I will definitely be making another visit to dLeña soon. I highly recommend this restaurant if you are in the area read more

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

First time ! Truly Truly a smooth vibe ! Was able to have dinner on the lower level where there was a live band . Just added to the WHOLE experience .The server was great. Had great knowledge of the menu and good suggestions as well. I am vegan ... So I got the mushroom tacos which were Perfect . The guacamole and chips for appetizer . Guac was so rich ! Loved it . The bartender also worked with me on a nice cocktail that wasn't on the menu. Majority tequila tho. Ask for others... If you're thinking about going ,add this to the list . read more

dLeña - Traditional Guacamole** Birria de Hongos** Corn Empanadas** Corn Empanadas** Zanahorias al Carbon - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This place is amazing. Clean. Upscale. Nice vibe. Just everything you'd want from a dining experience. This was legit a 10/10 experience all the way through from the service to the delicious meals, to the choice of music, to the cleanliness of the restrooms, to the speakeasy downstairs. We had a reservation so the Wife & I were quickly seated, and greeted by our friendly waitress. For appetizers, we got a double dose of Wagyu; we ordered the Wagyu Beef Tiradito, and the Empanadas de Wagyu. Both were excellent. One of the Chefs was nice enough to come to our table to show us how we were supposed to eat the Wagyu Tiradito, and we had so much fun and that Wagyu was absolutely amazing. For entrees the Wife got the Lamb Shank Birria Style, and while lately, I've not been the biggest Lamb fan - maybe I've eaten it too much over the years? - I thoroughly enjoyed it. I got the Hot Stone Wagyu - bc clearly I didn't get enough during appetizers right? Lol. My beef was cooked to perfection, and the presentation on the hot stone was first class. 10/10. For drinks I got the Mexican old fashioned - which came in a cool little glass case filled with smoke. My drink wasn't all that, it tasted like medicine to me, but the presentation was so phenomenal I ordered another. The Wife ordered a Mercado which was really delicious. For dessert we ordered a Crème Brûlée. Or should I say, *I* ordered a Crème Brûlée bc my wonderful Wife said she couldn't eat another thing. The presentation for this was great as well, as our server brought a blow torch to our table to light it in front of us. By the time all was said & done, she had eaten more of it than me. In closing, this experience was first class and I enjoyed myself a lot. read more

See all

Came here for lunch with a friend on a Sunday around noon, and although we didn't have a reservation, the bar is first come first serve. I was able to snag two seats after waiting for 25 minutes. My friend was stuck in traffic so I had to wait a bit for her, and thankfully they let me sit in the two seats in the meantime. I had the bottomless food ($37) while my friend has the bottomless food and drinks ($60). The food come in small portion sizes, but you can keep ordering. The beef tacos were the most delicious imo, followed by the tuna ceviche (although very little tuna and lots of everything else). The carnitas tacos were alright, very pork-y. The chicken and waffles looked super cute, but the chicken to waffle ratio was off and I felt like the waffles over-powered the chicken. We also got the corn and shrimp enchiladas, which was mostly tortilla and corn, didn't see a single shrimp in there. The churros were fantastic and super fresh, highly recommend getting them! Okay one last note is that one of the servers in the bar area was SO rude. Truly felt like he was picking on us and at one point, argued with us around how we worded our order wrong so that we got less food than what my friend and I ordered. I won't get into details here since it's not necessary, but my friend and I were silent after the argument and then were like, wait did that just happen. Really nice vibe, it's a good brunch spot. The food could have been more delicious, but I'll still give this spot 3 starts since the combo of the mediocre food, good price and great vibes would make me come back here again. Would've given it 4 stars if the waiter wasn't so cold and rude to us. read more

dLeña - Bottomless Brunch - Chicken & Waffles, Tuna Ceviche* and Birria Beef Tacos** - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Fantastic happy hour! And the short rib tacos are everything!! Great date night spot. Or sit at the bar for drinks and apps.

Decided to try this place as an impromptu option, and it exceeded expectations. We had a tamarindo margarita, Paloma, their traditional guacamole, queso fundido. All delicious!! The best were the ostiones a la Lena! We sat at the bar and the service awesome. read more

Came here for a work lunch and had a very pleasant experience. One of the members of our group was Gluten Free, and everything on the menu was very clearly marked and easy to interpret. Any questions we had were easily addressed by the server who let us know about all the cross-contamination issues, etc. We tried a variety of things and everything was very tasty! We started with the guac (avocado / tomato / onion / cilantro / lime) which was delicious. The chips came and had a nice smokiness and char to them which I really enjoyed. We also split the Ceviche Amarillo (hamachi / yellow aguachile / ají amarillo / mango / orange) which was beautiful and refreshing and really tasty... I practically licked the bowl clean! For my main, I got he Camaron tacos (breaded prawn / jicama tortilla / chili powder / pickled onion). I didn't realize that by jicama tortilla, they meant literally just pieces of jicama cut into the shape of a tortilla. I was a little thrown off by that at first, but the dish came together and was super tasty. The tacos are teeny tiny so I will say that's the only thing I didn't love, but they are packed full of flavor. I tried some of the Birria tacos, and they were really meaty and packed full of flavor. The restaurant was also named one of the most romantic in DC, and I can see why! read more

dLeña - Ceviche Amarillo* - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Planned to have a fine dining after having a 25 mile+ walking tour on Thursday, but the experience was a bit disappointing. It was undoubtedly a gorgeously decorated restaurant and serves delicately prepared food and has good, welcoming service. However, the taste and the dishes are too standard. Plus, the paper menu was confusing and not friendly enough to people who have food allergies. I ordered a grilled avocado, a plate of short rib taco (recommended by my server), and lamb shank birria stew. I would say the avocado was the best... The taste of the short rib in the taco contradicted the fried sweet potato topped on it, and the flour tortilla was something like what you can buy in a cheap supermarket. The lamb shank was huge, but the meat was burnt and it contained too little sauce. Also, if you are allergic to certain seafood be careful. Many dishes on the menu contained shellfish or other kinds of seafood. Some of the dishes, like the crab soup, contained octopus blend, according to my server. However, such details are not presented on the menu. read more

See all

Brunch here was EXCELLENT and ambiance/cocktails are on point. Worth every penny! Taco selection and service is amazing! read more

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

Was in DC for the weekend and I had my niece decide on dinner reservations. She was between a few places but was hoping to get one at dLeña. I was excited to dine at one of Richard Sandoval's restaurants so I too was hopeful. She was able to secure us an 8:15 pm reservation. The restaurant is beautiful. I love the ambiance and the decor is well done. The service was on point. We had perused the menu ahead of time. I landed on the camarón tacos with a side of broccolini and my niece selected the seafood enchiladas. Both the tacos and seafood enchiladas were delightful. We saw a lot of mixed reviews about the enchiladas but they were quite tasty in our opinion. The broccolini was cold. The server was very nice and took it back to heat it up. It came back over charred and not edible. He was understanding and just removed it from the bill. We had coffees to end the evening. The Spanish coffee was good. It was served cold. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be hot or cold. I would've preferred it hot. If it is a cold coffee, it may be good to let the diner know as I would've selected a hot coffee and just added Kahlua. There's a speakeasy downstairs where the band plays jazz. Finally, parking wasn't a problem, there's both street parking and parking garages in close proximity. Overall, I'm glad I was able to dine there and check out the speakeasy while in town. It's a great place for GNO or a date night. read more

See all

@dlenadc is by far the best elevated Mexican restaurant I've been to in the DMV AND THAT SAYS ALOT because I'm coming from Texas where the Mexican eaaaaats are the best. This is the perfect restaurant for a girls night out or an intimate date night. I recently had the opportunity to visit with my girl friends and we truly did a menu tasting!! * * * Here were all of our faves: Eaaaats * Wagyu Empanadas * Lomo Empanada * Corn empanadas * Short rib tacos * Tacos Hongo (Mushroom) * Enchiladas Draaaaanks * Paloma * Southside Mule * Mercado Margaritas * Tamarindo Margarita read more

See all

Came for brunch with a friend. It is truly a bottomless experience, so bring your appetite and your high tolerance. Service was speedy and friendly. The food was good in my opinion, but not amazing. My favorites were the chicken and waffles and Baja fish tacos. I did not love the fruit cocktail. The may may mimosa was excellent and the margaritas are strong. Overall, a good experience at a decent price. I will be back! read more

I went to the downstairs Roja Lounge last Saturday night for dinner. Dleña is one of my favorite spots and the bar downstairs has great ambience. No reservations so plan to get there by 6pm on a weekend to make sure you get a seat as the area is quite small. Live music starts around 7pm on Fridays and Saturdays. The drinks are excellent. My favorite is the La Diosa. Food is also very good. I had the short rib tacos and ceviche. read more

dLeña - Short rib tacos, enchiladas and a La Diosa. - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

The brunch here is an absolute joke. You get bottomless food and drinks for $65. The ceviche and shrimp both come in little cups and there is really no seafood for the most part. The regular price for these items are more than you'd pay at other places for much bigger and better portions elsewhere. The tacos were the only good part of the brunch and my advice would be to have a taco heavy brunch as the other options I had sucked. The service was very rushed. They have a large bar and there were only 3 of us there. The bottomless option is 2 hours and the bartender kept pushing food on me even though I wasn't hungry. The mimosas are fine but I'd never return here because I feel the price doesn't equal the quality and the fact I was pushed to order food and such just turned me off. read more

See all

Hubby and I came here for our anniversary. The shrimp tacos were so delicious!! Their strawberry margarita was tasty! Definitely want to come back and try their lunch menu. Our server was nice and recommended a few things to try. read more

dLeña - Shrimp tacos and Wagyu Empanadas - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

DLeña was DLightful but there were some hiccups. Came here on cinco de mayo to meet some friends. It was packed, probably bc it was Friday and it was Cinco de Mayo. It took me more than 15 min to find parking. Your options are basically street parking or garage (both paid). Next time, I would probably take the metro in. It was a nightmare. My friend had made a reservation 2 weeks in advance bc one of our party members requested to come here and she was coming from out of town. About two days before our reservation, we got a text saying it was overbooked and thus our reservation was canceled. After some discussion with the staff members, they said that they could accommodate us a bit later. The place was loud and packed. They have a bar and seating area downstairs, which seemed more lax than the upstairs restaurant. We got the traditional guac, Wagyu empanadas, queso, hot stone Wagyu, and many drinks. The guac was great, the queso was to die for. The guac quantity was a bit scarce for the price but still good. I really enjoyed the casa margarita. I would definitely recommend the queso! It was lovely, and I would get it again. Same goes for the casa margarita. I think I might try the pork belly at my next visit. Dress code: casual. TLDR: give extra time for parking, reservations are a must, casual attire, get the queso and casa margarita, it's pricey $$$ read more

See all

I decided to come here since I had a concert at the Capital One Arena and this was nearby with really good ratings. I definitely recommend making reservations in advance as this place gets packed for a reason! The service was exceptional and the waiter was very attentive and explaining the entire menu, cleaning up our plates quickly, and handing us new silverware. The drinks were amazing! My friend and I got it flavored with passionfruit and mango which was the perfect mix of sweet, salty, and sour. For our appetizer we got the wagyu beef empanadas which was packed with flavor inside. I love the crispy outside and soft inside. It comes with two different sauces to eat with it. For the entree I got the lamb shank birria which I highly recommend. The meat is extremely soft and falls right off the bone. It comes with two different salsas, blue corn tortillas, and carrots. The dessert was the mil hojas de panqueues which is essentially a caramel crepe cake with ice cream. This was my favorite item I got and I could have definitely gone for seconds! read more

See all

dLena is hands down one of my best dining experiences. I had a 10:00 pm reservation but arrived 90 minutes early, the hosting staff was able to accommodate my request for early seating. The food, service, and atmosphere were top tier. The restaurant's snazz is prefect for a few IG post. I can't rave enough about the staff. Isabella our server was friendly and personable. We closed down the restaurant... Mike and the rest of the staff were cool with us taking last minute pictures as we left the building. Shoutout to the bartender who photobombed by picture. dLena has four dining areas: patio, bars, main seating, or lounge (i.e., speakeasy) with live music. If you visit the restaurant, I highly recommend you check out the lounge. If you are into people watching, request patio seating and have an after dinner cocktail in the lounge. And, please order the Maryland Crab Guacamole! Thank you for MY birthday churros read more

See all

This place is a 10 out of 10. The decor, the vibes, the drinks all what you expect when you dine in DC. The food was a total flavor bomb. If you're into tender grilled meats, this is the place for it. Run don't walk and check it out for yourself. I'll be back soon. read more

dLeña - Guacamole with Maryland lump crab - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

Went there for dinner with some colleagues, and had a great time. The restaurant has an upscale but not stuffy feel, with a wonderful terrace, and bar area. We shared several appetizers, the Maryland guacamole was good but had more crab than guacamole, the queso fondido reminded me of a mix between a fondue & raclette back home in France, and the corn empanadas were amazing. I have to admit I was a bit sad when I saw my neighbor's short ribs come out; the presentation is beautiful and the meat was literally "fall off the bone" juicy and perfectly cooked. However, 1 bite of my branzino made me forget all about that! The fish was scrumptious; well cooked, not fishy, and with a sauce that was the perfect balance of herbs and acidity but didn't overpower the fish's natural flavor. The Wagyu steak "a la piedra" also looked amazing and the people who chose the seafood enchilada raved about it. I will definitely be back to try out some of the other options. At the end of your meal, make sure to go down to the "speak easy" bar for a last cocktail while listening to the band. read more

What an experience! Date night with the husband! The ambiance is what we enjoyed most. We showed up without reservations but was able to have dinner in the lounge area downstairs which was very nice. Seating was tight but still enjoyable. There was a set up for live music but unfortunately no band while we were there. The servers were very nice, but probably not as attentive as they would be in the main dining room. The lounge area is definitely more relaxed and laid back. We ordered the traditional guacamole (which was amazing), the corn empanadas (which I also thoroughly enjoyed but my husband would have preferred the empanadas de waygu), the short rib tacos (also very good) and the branzino (which was good just not what we expected. We also ordered two drinks... the Tamarindo and the Paloma Prima. We order them virgin because we don't drink much and enjoyed them both. My favorite was the Tamarindo. So again the experience was phenomenal. The ambiance was amazing, the service was really good and the food was exceptional. We will definitely visit again. Side note: When dining in the lounge area they hold the credit card you are paying with from the time the tab is opened until you're ready to close the check out. This may be normal but it caught us off guard. So to avoid the confusion we felt, I thought I'd share. read more

See all

Patria & Adrian were so amazing to our service and they serve us but very well. I would definitely recommend this place and definitely come back again. read more

Came here for DC restaurant week lunch and was blown away by the flavor. I'd never had Mexican pork belly before, and it was the best pork belly I'd ever had. Every other item on the menu was delicious, and the desserts were exceptional. Service was slightly slow, but well worth it! read more

Absolutely amazing experience. Ate too many appetizers and small plates so barely touched my entree. Highly recommend the queso fundido and corn empanadas. Drinks were good but nothing to rave about. read more

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

See all

Dleña was a wonderful experience in food and drink. Everything our server recommended was excellent! From the tequila shots to drinks the guacamole appetizer to dinner. The table ordered guac, short rib tacos, kale salad, zarandeado (branzino), and medio pollo al carbon. Because we were downstairs in Roja for drinks we had the spiked flower, passion fruit fizz and paloma de tamarindo. Everyone was very satisfied with their choices. The flavors on everything were exceptional. The attention to flavors and balance of spice...chef's kiss. I'm sure anything we'd select would be just as yummy. Put Dleña on your shortlist and go! I don't think you'll be disappointed read more

See all

Dlena is definitely a trendy place for dinner and well rated for a reason. Their bar downstairs is spectacular in terms of the esthetic. I would love to host a party there is i lived in the area. I also love rue complimentary shot of hibiscus juice given upon sitting down. One dish that did disappoint were the octopus tacos which were mushy in texture for some reason. Not what we expected. Everything else we tried was spectacular. Service was efficient but lukewarm. read more