How can you screw up tacos? Apparently you can. We got the fish, steak and pork. Fish was ok. Couldn't even eat the steak and pork tacos.

So disappointed in this place!! Came here for HH and was told of the "time limit" long after we started to order food and drinks. Ended up with a $100 bill and was rushed out of this establishment by the staff without being able to finish the drink we had already paid for. It started to drizzle outside and there were PLENTY of tables available inside to move to YET we were told that inside was closed despite the numerous people sitting inside. After we received our to-go cups for the drinks we were forced to take with us, we were then told there was a 45 min time limit and they had reservations coming that needed the tables. As I looked around there were more than 5 empty tables just in our area. I will NOT be returning here for HH or any other business. read more

The best Spicy Margaritas. You need one. Seriously go get one right now. P.S. they also have super delicious quesadillas. read more

If you are thinking of visiting this establishment, go to the 14th st location. The food is made better and the service is faster. I came for my bday after debating with myself if I should just order Pizza Hut and stay home, I so wish I would've ordered that pizza. The calamari was cut too thick as was the super fatty beef on my hanger steak tacos. read more

Service tonight was truly horrible. We were on the patio and our waiter was so rude, inattentive, and never checked in with. Been here many times and won't return because of him. Felt very targeted as we were the only gay couple on the patio and the only ones to not be served. read more

I heard stories of people experiencing racism at this establishment but I decided to give them a shot, hoping for the best... Well, i was completely wrong. Two stars is extremely kind considering what I endured at EL CENTRO. My friend and I came here on a Thursday night. There was a total of 4 customers at the bar and one bartender - a woman with dark shoulder length hair, glasses, around 5'3 and probably about 180 pounds (she wouldn't give me her name so I wanted to describe her for your reference). My friend and I sat at the bar for a total of 15 minutes. This bartender served the other 2 customers, engaged in what appeared to be friendly fun conversations (they were all laughing) yet didn't once acknowledge us. Not a single "hello" - "I'll be right with you" - "what are you drinking". Absolutely no communication for 15 minutes for 2 out of the 4 customers present at the bar. Of course, my friend and I were African American and the other two customers were white. I didn't want to automatically assume the worse so after waiting for her to speak and provide us with some service, i got her attention and i asked for a menu. She informed me that this restaurant doesn't have menus. She immediately walked away after i asked, still didn't offer to take our order. I then asked her "did you see us sitting over here trying to get your attention" she answered with an attitude "no" and walked away. (THERE WAS A TOTAL OF 4 PEOPLE SITTING AT THE BAR, THERE IS NO WAY SHE DIDN'T SEE US!). At that point I immediately went to find her supervisor because I never experienced such blatant disrespect. The manager on duty and another bartender who was working downstairs, Giovanni, are the ONLY reasons why i am giving this place 2 stars instead of one. The manager was apologetic and the woman who was bartending was immediately replaced by someone much more friendly and welcoming. Giovanni was amazing, very kind and tried to help us enjoy the remainder of our time at the restaurant. I am super grateful for their immediate attention to the apparent discrimation we faced. I heard this is an ongoing issue at EL CENTRO, as far as people being discriminated against in this establishment because of the color of their skin. I strongly encourage management to work to rectify these issues and properly train their staff on how to work with individuals from all different walks of life. This was unacceptable. read more

This is the second time I've been here, first time for lunch/brunch on a Sunday. While I had a good time at dinner, I was severely disappointed by today's experience. We had awful service for a group of 5 - it took one of us going up to the waiters at the bar to get someone to come take our orders and even had to go up again to ask them to refill our water. My friend ordered the steak tacos and by the time everyone else's food arrived, hers hadn't. Only after all the food arrived for everyone else did the waiter come and tell us that they were out of the item she ordered - nearly 45 minutes after arriving at the restaurant. To top it all off, the food was cold when served. These multiple errors are extremely frustrating and we were not compensated for these frustrations. read more

My first time at this location in Georgetown. I normally go to the 14th location but was in this area. Antonio immediately greeted us! Off to a great start. I order his personal favorite happy hour drink, El Centro Margarita. My girlfriend ordered the pineapple seasonal agua fresca. The Pineapple Agua Fresca was okay. It had a weird after taste to it. The ambience of El centro is very rustic wood. A lot of space, with plenty of seating for guest. They have 4 bars and a outdoor patio. I can only speak on their happy hour because always here during that time. All the happy hour drinks are $5. On Wednesday their margaritas are $5 until 10. They give everyone complimentary chips and salsa. I order vegetarian tacos of the menu. They were lukewarm and tortilla taste like it was a corn tortilla. I prefer flour tortillas. Antonio removed it off the bill immediately. For our second round, I had another El Centro Margarita and my girlfriend tried the hibiscus aqua fresca. I love their margaritas! It's my "go to" when I'm here. read more

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Came here for brunch and saw a bunch of open tables, but was turned away at the door as they said they didn't have any walk-in tables available. So we literally stood right there and opened up the Open Table app and booked a table on the spot. Pretty sure it was an embarrassing moment for them. I'm just confused as to why a business would TURN AWAY BUSINESS? If it were up to me, we would've just walked out and never came back. But since we were under time constraints and had to get food - we felt like we were left with very limited options in Georgetown that were appealing. So we just took the Open Table approach. Anyway, we ended up doing the bottomless brunch option. Our server was really nice and helpful so she definitely made up for that initial rude experience. My sister was on the Whole 30 diet so she had to ask for some alterations to the dishes (i.e., taco without the tortilla or eggs without the sauce, etc.) They were really accommodating to her needs so that was great. Overall, the food was pretty good but definitely not mind-blowing. The service we received at the front was terrible but again, our server made up for it as she was great. Food came out quickly, water was constantly re-filled and the vibe was pretty fun. I would probably opt for a different restaurant next time but wouldn't be opposed to going back if the majority of the group wanted to go here. read more

It truly depends on service as I've been here twice. That's what makes or breaks your bottomless brunch experience. The best news is that the menu items are all delicious! The guacamole is consistently seasoned fantastically, and the shrimp ceviche hits home with its citrus goodness. The carne asada and grilled chicken quesadillas are both excellent, single-serving appetizers to try. The picadillo empanada has a thick outer layer, so it's pretty filling. The filling itself was delicious & hot, everything I'd expect out of a picadillo empanada. The chicken tinga is the best out of the chicken, steak, or carnitas tacos. All are delicious though. The churros for dessert are not the typical cinnamon-sugar churros seen in America. They're pretty dense and very doughy. Split an order between the entire table. You're probably already dying towards the end of the meal anyways. It's a nice sweet treat to end brunch though. The drinks are honestly either too strong or too weak, but the mimosas taste great every time. The drinks are easy to drink, and if it's the first meal of the day, you'll be tumbling out of this location and feeling litty. My first round here was excellent- our guy was relaxed and on top of the drinks. It was seriously bottomless. The second round was slow. Our girl seemed either new, not attentive at all, tired, or hungover. She was nice but seemed more pestered, but then again- catching you as you try to zoom by wouldn't be such a chore if you were on top of your game on a Saturday morning brunch hour. Just hope you get someone who's trying to make money that day. Service is so important to make sure the drinks keep coming and the food orders arrive in an orderly fashion. Other than, I'll continue to come here and hope I have a great server or hassle a mediocre server~ read more

Best restaurant great food exceptional service. Devon was great polite and service with a smile. Busy great food great ambiance. The GM Adriano is hospitality at its finest. This is a must try. So many restaurants in this area. This is a must try. read more

El Centro - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Giving this Mexican restaurant a 2 star is me being generous. The bartender was also our server and the only person making drinks for the entire restaurant. The drink weren't good. I returned both drink and decided to stick with club soda, which he couldn't manage to keep filled. The food was average and they put some white flavorless cream sausage on everything even the plantains. My mother always said to try and say 1 thing positive about a situation and that 1 things is that the hostages were cute‍ read more

We got here at 930pm on a Saturday night, they were closing and they got us in and got our food so quickly to us. I ordered the chicken tinga tacos, bf got the mahi tacos, the girls got the carne asada and we all got margaritas. We were a mess when ordering our drinks but Van got it all correct. But Van, who was our server was EXTREMELY kind; gave us great service and got our order all correct. We had an awesome experience and he even informed us that the following week we'll be able to go on the rooftop (probably due to DC opening--semi post COVID). Van was awesome and super informative. Enjoyed our time at El Centro! read more

I enjoy this place, particularly for brunch! We never do the bottomless brunch deal, because we usually come on a Sunday with plans afterwards, but it is an option and includes drinks. The guacamole is fresh and has a lot of flavor. The brown salsa that comes with the chips is SO good, I actually like it more than the guacamole (which says a lot)! I got the chorizo & egg tacos which were good, but not great. The negative I would say is that they were lacking some flavor. My husband got the bacon, egg, and cheese tacos and we both agreed we liked them better. This is an awesome place to go with a group of friends for brunch - you won't regret it! read more

El Centro - Egg & chorizo tacos and guacamole - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Had the best time at brunch with waitress AJ. She was phenomenal and explained everything. She was attentive and so fun!

Our server AJ is absolutely amazing! We came for a late galentines day brunch and she was amazing!!! We quoted the office and laughed together! Amazing food and the beat waitress! read more

Came here for their weekend bottomless brunch. We arrived at a pretty busy time, at least we worked up our appetite for this place. As far as service goes, it was weird. I understand weekends can get pretty crazy for servers, but we waited almost a whole hour just for someone to finally come to our table to get our drink orders. Meanwhile, I caught all the servers (including our own) look at us while they tend to other tables, so it's not like they didn't know we were there. We just wanted to order our drinks, man. Eventually, our server warmed up to us after we ordered all the food we wanted at once. We ordered all the tacos on the bottomless menu among a bunch of other things that I can't really remember anymore because they aren't really remarkable as far as taste goes. The only thing I can really specifically say is that all the tacos were great except for the bacon, egg, cheese taco and the egg & chorizo taco. Not really a fan of that mix. In all honesty, I'd recommend this place if you just want to eat a lot without spending too much money and if you're okay with "decent" brunch food. I gave this place 4-stars because I'm that type of person who eats like that. Just wasn't a fan of the service though. read more

Chips and salsa were awesome, the refried beans are incredibly delicious. That's about it. Service was not good, the rest of the food was not good at all, no seasoning, no flavor. I don't know how you can botch street tacos so thoroughly, but they managed it. Do not recommend. read more

Mexican is without a doubt my favorite so it's really hard for me to consider a Mexican joint bad. This place is no exception! El Centro stuck out to us for it's happy hour which we sadly weren't able to attend, but we decided to try for dinner instead. And how excellent of a decision that was! We made reservations for 7:30pm on Sunday. When we arrived there was no wait and we were seated right away towards the back of the restaurant. Tables are very, very close together. Like so close that we needed to physically move our table over to let the gentleman next to us get up. This is the only reason I am giving El Centro four stars and not five! When sat you are greeted by your server and offered complimentary chips and salsa. Salsa was really good and chips were warm and fresh. I usually never order frozen margaritas because I find them very weak, but El Centro made one of the best frozen margaritas I've ever had! It was tasty w/ a bite. And for $11 thats exactly what I look for in a frozen drink that I every so often find. -- For a starter we ordered the guacamole. We were not aware that it was made table side, but we were definitely happy about it. The guacamole was very fresh and delicious! For entrees I ordered the braised beef tacos and my husband ordered the chicken tacos. Presentation was great! The braised beef tacos were so good and they had cheese at the bottom of the tacos which made it perfect. My husband loved his chicken tacos as well! The entire experience was very impressive and we surely will come back if we are ever in the area again! read more

El Centro - Fresh guac made at table! - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Not a bad brunch deal at all. Service is slow and we had 10am reservations ie the only people in there. We had to send back water glasses and plates because they were not clean. The food is good and the agua fresca is even better!!! $39 brunch. Tapas style. Theres a drinkless option for $25. read more

I've had the worst dining experience in years at El Centro. To begin, I had ordered a drink from the non-alcoholic portion of the menu and even specified that I wanted it non alcoholic. For personal reasons, I cannot imbibe. After walking around Georgetown all afternoon, I was parched and took a huge sip of what tasted and burned like tequila in the back of my throat. I didn't send it back, but I gave it to my partner. I figured, the damage had already been done. Secondly, when the food runner approached, I picked up our huge appetizer plate which was empty and ready to be bussed, anticipating that the runner would drop off the entree in front of me and I'd hand him back the empty appetizer plate so we'd have more room on our table. Instead, he plopped the entrees in front of us, and walked away. I had the plate still in my hand when another server saw the encounter and took it from me to return to the kitchen. The food was slightly below mediocre. Even if had been stellar, it would have not saved the experience. Anyways, that all being said, I've thrown up twice already from the alcohol; I have a very sensitive digestive track and CANNOT DRINK ALCOHOL. Not to be vulgar, but the amount of spice used while cooking to cover the fact that your food is in fact very f*cking bland burned the hell out of my esophagus coming back up. I will never return to this location or 14th st. I was hoping for more from this location because service is profoundly non-existent at the 14th location. Please train your staff better or hold them to a higher level of performance or employ competent new hires. read more

Went for the club scene and was very disappointed. I ordered 4 shots from the bar as soon as we got there and the bartender told me that my tip wasn't enough. Definitely not how I wanted to start a long night of drinking and spending money at a club. Staff seemed unhappy. read more

I was hungry for some mexican food so we tried this restaurant. I was not impressed at all. The food quality was very poor. They served nachos initially and the salsa dip was not good at all. No flavor and it does not even taste like salsa to be honest. Then we ordered enchilladas. The fried beans was too salty. The echilladas itself was just fair. The service was quick; however, me and my fiance left the El Centro not feeling satisfied at all. We were hoping the quality of the food would be better. We sat inside and there were only 4-5 tables because of COVID restrictions. It was very bare and didn't feel comfortable. I think it would have been better to sit outside. The price was also fair but for the quality of the food, maybe it should be cheaper. I do not recommend this restaurant at all and I am not planning to come back. Parking is also difficult since it is located at the corner of wisconsin avenue and M street. read more

El Centro - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Great ambiance and food: I expect nothing less from the team at Richard Sandoval. But I really have to give a hand to the staff here, you really know how to step things up in terms of service. Everybody that I came in contact with from the hostess, to our server, to the managers milling around was so kind and helpful that I have to send you all a big virtual shout out. I had walked in only intending to grab a quick drink but the call of their Korean beef taco was just too loud so I ended up staying for an entire meal. To put it simply: the cocktail list is just lovely and I wish I had unlimited funds and a non-Asian alcohol tolerance level to try all of their delicious house infused tequilas which come in flavors such as blueberry lemon, apple cinnamon tamarind and cilantro. My Korean Beef Tacos were not very Korean-y, but none-the-less delicious. $14 for three tacos, rice and beans is a fair deal and if you come on Tuesday, you can try several of their homemade tacos for $2 a piece. Solid! Even though it offers the same menu as the El Centro on 14th Street, I would say that this place seems a little bit less scene-y and more relaxed which is just my style. Next up, bottomless brunch! read more

After we sat ourselves we were immediately frustrated with ordering. The site wasn't working correctly which caused us to have to order three times! Staff didn't know why it wasn't working and finally after all that it took us to the take-out menu instead which left us wondering where our food was. After the frustration of ordering we then found out we even had to get our own water which we didn't expect in a restaurant! It left us wondering why we even tipped when we were the ones doing all of the work! The food wasn't very good either-could have made it at home with less hassle. The only good thing was the ambiance was eclectic. read more

For a Richard Sandoval restaurant, I wasn't impressed. My girlfriends and I dined here for bottomless brunch priced at $35/pp and although we were stuffed at the end -- the quality and taste of the food wasn't up to par with the other Richard Sandoval bottomless brunches (Zengo, Masa 14, etc.). The drinks were a little watered down, but the servers were consistent on the refills. The memorable tapas were: chicken flautas, carne asada con huevos, nachos, and lengua tacos. We also ordered a few dishes before the 3PM cutoff time that never arrived... When we reminded the server, she only brought 1 out of the 4 dishes. FYI: The bathrooms are separate for men and women, but there's no wall to split the two bathrooms, you share a sink with the other bathroom. Kind of odd, but I didn't mind it too much. read more

10.17.14 Friday night. This place is poppin. Even with reservations, we were sent to the back bar to wait a bit. No biggie. Let's get started with margaritas! Feeling adventurous, I ordered the spicy margarita. Recommend if you like a kick with your cocktail. Light and refreshing to start, then the heat rises. I like the decor and the atmosphere. I like the food and the drinks. No complaints here! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/el-centro-df-georgetown-washington?select=FoYt_HNORzWaUHEXzyHAtA#FoYt_HNORzWaUHEXzyHAtA Total damage for four: $166 read more

El Centro - guacamole supremo. baja tacos. grilled steak tacos. - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

As far as drinking goes, I love the outdoor patio and I love the margaritas. If you're into salsa music, staying inside is your friend although it can be quite crowded. I have only brunched at the El Centro on 14th Street but I am confident that the brunch here would be equally delicious. read more

I've been coming to this place for 5 years now, very fun environment and the food was absolutely delicious. Recommend this to anyone who wants Spanish food with drinks in the area! read more

The endless brunch here is AMAZING! For $35 ($38.50) with tax you get unlimited food and drinks. The food can be any and every thing they have on the food menu and the drinks can be anything from a selection of six drinks (includes mimosas, margaritas, etc). The food tastes delicious and comes out tapas style/small plates and the drinks are equally as good! We had a birthday brunch here for my husband on a Sunday morning and our group (15+) was seated on the patio. The patio is very nice, but if it is hot outside (as it was on the day we were there) you may want to try to sit inside because there is no shade or fan of any kind so you will definitely feel the heat. There is a bar area where you can get a little reprieve from the sun and cold drinks (which is where our party spent the rest of the time after we finished eating). Heat aside though, we had a great time and can't wait to go back for brunch one of these days!! The staff was amazingly pleasant and attentive! Anything we needed they made sure we got and they definitely helped to make our brunch and my husband's birthday even better than it already was! This review is specifically about El Centro D.F. - Georgetown's brunch, however, El Centro is a great option for any meal any time of day! read more

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It was a Guys' Night Out and our group decided on the Georgetown edition of El Centro DF for dinner on a Saturday night. I arrived a few minutes early for our 7:45 reservations. Unfortunately, Georgetown on a Saturday night (and pretty much every night) was a traffic and parking nightmare. As a result, some of our party was late and we couldn't be seated until our entire party arrived. No worries, though, it allowed us to start off with a pre-dinner drink. I had the Spicy Margarita ($12) made with serrano infused tequila, fresh lime, agave nectar, and chili-ginger. It was well-balanced and had a nice, upfront, but not overpowering spiciness. While I liked my drink, it was the type of drink that you have one, then switch it up. For our food, we shared orders of the Traditional Guacamole ($10) and the Chicken Tinga Tamales ($11) that were served with avocado and a crema fresca sweet chipotle sauce. The guac was good, but it wasn't anything I couldn't make at home for a lot less money. The tamales aren't something I could make at home. They were moist, light, and very flavorful...much of that coming from the chipotle sauce. For my entrée, I had the Pork Carnitas ($16), a surprisingly generous mound of slow-roasted pork shoulder served with sides of guacamole, pickled onion habanero salsa, charro beans, and corn tortillas. Damn, it was savory goodness...and a lot of food for the money. While I still prefer the El Centro DF on 14th St. (I like the downstairs Tequileria), the Georgetown version does the original proud. read more

I came here with my meetup group last night for dinner. It was really packed for a Tuesday, a rainy one at that--this was my first time so I don't know if it's always this packed so early in the week. So, the first thing I should mention is the bathroom--there are two separate entrances (one for female and one for male) but when you walk in you can see men on the other side. The only thing separating the men from the women are the sinks (oh, hello there, sir.). Now, let's talk food/drink. I ordered a modelo especial, two other people in the group ordered red wine and one other person ordered a mojito. Everyone liked their beverages. I ordered the vegetarian tacos and the sweet corn tamal. Overall, I liked the tacos; however I wished they would've used corn tortilla instead of flour. I think the veggies would have tasted better with a corn tortilla since there isn't any fat like you would find in meat to absorb into the flour tortilla. I don't know I'm not really a Mexican food expert; all I know is that it was kind of dry, but the sauce that was given on the side helped. Plus, I loved the crispy cheese. The rice and beans were okay--pretty standard. The sweet tamal was a little disappointing because they put mini cubed cheese pieces on it and it was strange biting on these little pieces of cheese. The cheese is mild but I just don't think it works (and that is saying a lot because I love cheese). Everyone else enjoyed their meals but we all thought it was a bit high in sodium. Also, I should mention that they say they have gluten-free options but when asked, there was a lot of cross-contamination, which was disappointing (one of the people in our group has gluten allergies). The service was good, never lacking even though it was very crowded--the hostesses, manager and waiter were friendly. All in all, I would go back. read more

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George and Belsy were amazing at bottomless brunch. Had a fantastic time with great service, great drinks, and great food! Will be back!

Jane is a queen! Thank you! Will definitely be back next time i'm in DC. She was absolutely amazing

all i have say abt el centro is their free chips n salsa lit. im not just saying that bc im a peasant im saying that bc the salsa is that good. if you had a headache this is so refreshing itd clear it up. perfect consistency, taste, and flavor- none of that chunky acidic tomato stuff. chips hot n fresh too. i usually never even touch tortilla chip/salsa bc i dont wanna fill up on something so meh but these im tryna fill up on w them chips and the al pastor im more than full- the tacos are just alright, but the beans that come w it as lit as those chips. read more

First time having dinner here. Tacos were so DRY!!! We got appetizers also which was the guacamole and the queso fundido which was good, we added chorizo. The whole table got tacos- I got the chichoron (sp) and they were so dry. they came with retried beans and rice. read more

El Centro - Dry tacos - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Any place with a weekend happy hour gets extra points from me. I came here a couple weekends ago to enjoy a Saturday happy hour with a dear friend. She always lets me pick the place when we meet because . . . well just check my profile for reasons lol. Anyway, I chose this place because it was close to where I was going to be for another event. It's right in the center of bustling Georgetown. I started with an agua fresca because what are happy hours for if not to drink, which was as the name suggests, refreshing. It's a simple drink comprised of agave tequila, agave nectar, lime and a seasonal fruit; I had hibiscus and watermelon. For bites I chose the jalapeño beef and chorizo sliders and mole fries. Really enjoyed the sliders. So much so that I recreated them for my housewarming party. The mole was good too. Not too sweet and the perfect consistency. You really can't go wrong when you throw delicious sauce on fries. I'll definitely return to have tacos and anything else with mole on it! read more

Overall this place was just ok. Service was kind of slow (they weren't busy at all so I'm not sure why) and the food was fine. Everything came out really quickly so I do question how much of their food is made ahead. The BF had the breakfast enchiladas and I had the carnitas tacos. All of it was a little bland. The habenero salsa was the saving grace to my tacos, otherwise I think they would have been really boring quite frankly. The tacos came with a side of rice that was ok and a side of black beans that were delicious. I was actually really surprised at how good the black beans were since I don't normally consider them the star of the show. Other than the black beans the food was lackluster though. Also, this place looks like a bar more so than a restaurant. Not sure I'll be back. read more

El Centro - Breakfast enchiladas - just ok, bland - Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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My wife and I were in town to visit our college kid and wanted to take her and the roomies out for brunch. El Centro got the nod and there we met the kids on a beautiful Sunday Georgetown morning. A bit unsure how to proceed, the waiter suggested some dishes to get us started and so it went, several small plates of delicious Mexican food. Admittedly, I was unsure how Mexican food would play for breakfast (outside of huevos rancheros, et. al. - it worked, really well. Our server was excellent and everyone in our party enjoyed the food and upstairs atmosphere. We opted to go booze free for brunch since we had hit it the night before. Brunch was in the $25/per person range. I'm sure we didn't eat our money's worth of food (compared to a Mexican dinner out at $15-$18/plate), but I didn't feel ripped off, so it must have been reasonable for the overall brunch experience. I'd definitely return to El Centro for another Sunday brunch - bottomless drinks next time! 4.25 stars. read more

Came for my birthday brunch and George upstairs was AMAZING. I don't think my mimosa hit bottom once which is perfect since I got the bottomless option. The steak tacos and the churro were SCRUMPTIOUS. Seriously amazing service, my best outting since feeling comfortable after getting vaccinated and re entering normality. read more