Excellent food, service, and inclusive. My husband and I have have been fans since Mezcalero first opened, and eat there regularly. The menu is extensive and the pictures are so helpful. We haven't had a bad meal yet at Mezcalero. Portions are tasty and generous. Pricing is more than fair for portion size and flavor. I'm a big fan of the guac, ceviche, tacos, enchiladas, and honestly any seafood dish. Favorite tacos are the lengua, pastor, tinga, camarones, and carnitas. My husband loves the tortas. I have food allergies, and deeply appreciate how well informed staff are on allergens, and their willingness to ask management if they don't know something. I've never been treated as a pain or inconvenient, which can't be said often when dining out with allergies in DC. Cocktails are consistent and well balanced. Bar service is efficient but always warm and friendly. We usually sit at the bar, but have been here with big groups and visiting family, and each visit has had a thoughtful, attentive server. I think I just made myself hungry for some tacos and a margarita. So thankful to have Mezcalero and their team in the neighborhood! read more

I am a fan of El Sol since it opened. We were around Columbia Heights and decided to try Mezcalero, since we know is the same owner. I ordered chilaquiles with egg white, something I can always request at El Sol and the very rude sever told me the kitchen had no time to do it, I explained I have done it before and that I am allergic to egg yolks, and she said again they didn't have time to do it. I changed my order. I ordered a plain cheese quesadilla for my son and they brought a chicken quesadilla, I didn't say anything. A friend ordered the beef fajitas, meat was chewy and overcooked, we complained to the server and she said she had taken the plate to the kitchen and tried it herself and it wasn't true. By that moment we were not happy at all and requested to speak to a manager, we were told that there were no managers. I had to walk to the kitchen to ask to speak to someone. Both FOH manager and kitchen manager were kind and apologize after we explained the situation and fixed everything for us. So sad to see people as rude as her to bring down the name of wonderful owners this place has. I will stick with El Sol read more

If you love El Sol, you will undoubtedly fall in love with Mezcalero - seriously, it's the same owner and same menu and it is amazing (I am biased, because I love El Sol to begin with). So, this was my first venture to this location and I was not disappointed. I was celebrating the weekly holiday that is known as Taco Tuesday, and came in sans reservation at about 7:45pm for a party of two. They were packed - to no surprise. But, within a few short minutes the hostess accommodated me and my +1 at a cozy table for two. We were served a complimentary platter of tortilla chips with three accompanying salsas - verde being one of them, all varying in spice level. It was delicious. We then decided to order guacamole because DUH. They make it so fresh you can just taste that it was prepared to-order. It was also delicious, more chips were served. For the tacos: none of the "street tacos" (see back of menu) are over a $3.00 price point. Being street tacos, you would be safe to order 3 for your meal unless you are getting these as an appetizer, in which case you should order two. I went with a classic trio: carne asada, shrimp and avocado, and carnitas. They were all perfectly sized and delicious. I was scraping everything off my plate that was left. There are two restrooms, two TVs (showing soccer at this visit), a full bar, two beers on tap (One Negro Modelo and one being DC Brau) and some cans/bottles. Tacate and Pacifico were obviously the choices for our evening. TL;DR: Inexpensive, authentic, and delicious - will be back soon. read more

I went back two nights in a row! The food here is beyond exceptional. This is a must try whenever you are in DC! First night I had chicken enchiladas. The second night I had a burrito with pastor. Amazing to say the least! read more

Have been to Mezcalero many times. Always enjoy the quality of food. Great job to the Chef and great service.

Food used to be better, service used to be better, and ambience is not the best one, there used to be a guy that I think his name was Jose, he always gave a very professional service and make you feel welcomed, but looks like he's no longer with them... now most of the waiters are not friendly, (not all of them) and a fun fact is that if you ask for napkins you'll have only one napkin for the whole meal funny and annoying at the same time. And something that really disappointed me and friends is that lately they include 20% of the tip even though if it's only two people, I know most of the restaurant include the tip when is a party of 6 or more people but not for two, I wouldn't complain about that because I like to pay my tip, but it's kind of disappointing that you don't receive a good service and have to pay not even the 15% but 20%. Bad, bad service unprofessional staff! Never again... read more

Came here with my regular group of Taco Tuesday adventurers and loved it. On the Tuesday night we visited, the restaurant was fairly busy as every table and booth was taken. Yet, we were able to get seated rather quickly (within 5 minutes). For as busy as it was, the noise level was fine, meaning our table of 4 held conversation with no problem. The service was decent, they only checked in on us once to get our orders and didn't fill up our water glasses ever. For the food, we ordered the Queso Fundido to start and it was excellent. Highly recommend you order it. For dinner I had 4 tacos: (1) Taco Carne Asada, (2) Taco Campachano, (3) Taco Baja, and (4) Taco Pastor. The Baja and the Campachano were my favorites. I definitely recommend you get either one or both! Overall, I would definitely come back because I enjoyed the food. read more

La comida es muy buena pero el trato de loas Meseros deja mucho q desear, mala atención de parte de ellos nada amables con los customers , la vd la Comida me gusta mucho pero es injusto pagar a donde te van a tratar mal y con malas caras creo q necesitan tener un Entrenamiento de como saber atender a los Costumers read more

Try the Baja California fish tacos and cuerito tacos. They're flavorful and will make you want to come back. Our server made the recommendation. The service was exceptional! Don't forget to tip! read more

This might be the most slept on taco spot in The District! I've been on a DC Taco Tour and this is definitely top 2 spots I've tried. Their drinks are also bomb. I'll be back to try more soon read more

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Service was a tad bit slow this time and a little attitudy. I usually recommend this spot to everyone I was a bit disappointed to bring a larger group of friends this time around read more

Hands down the best Mexican food place in DC. Alfredo brings his heart and culture into the restaurant and creates a joyful place to dine. Queso fundido is one of the our fave appetizers + their salsa verde is the best. As well as the chilaquiles, milanesa, all the tacos, gorditas and drinks are excellent. read more

Came here for a happy hour event after work. Decent happy hour prices, but it's very limited. Drafts (which were only 3 of them...) were the only ones on happy hour prices, for $3.5. The regular margarita was $6 even though the waitress had told us it was $5 to begin with. Not a deal breaker but annoying to deal with after having ordered. For food I got the California and carnitas tacos. The meat was okay, portions were filling but not too overwhelming. Paid about $6 or so total for the tacos. Was really disappointed with everything overall, don't think I would come here again read more

Mezcalero - Carnitas and California tacos - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

After trying Taqueria Habanero I couldn't wait to compare to Mezcalero!!! Take it from me - don't waste your time and just go to Taqueria Habanero! While the prices and menu options are similar, the quality and atmosphere differs greatly. Mezcalero's service felt like the waitress didn't entirely want your experience to be great, but she'd still get your order correct and bring you extra chips. Tough to complain but she was never going to go above and beyond. I ordered the Carne Asada tacos which were AMAZING at Habanero. Here they were dry and almost flavorless in a bland way. My group ordered the fajitas which were better but nothing to write home about. A breakdown of my experience: Service: fine Margarita: fine not great Chips and salsa: warm chips, couldn't find a good salsa Tacos: eh Overall: still hungry. Should have gone to Taqueria Habanero literally 2 doors down read more

Love Mezcalero. We have come here since they open, and it has always been a good experience. We love their tortillas and the salsas. I really like their variety of tacos and mexican antojitos. I also like their margaritas. This restaurant is as authentic as it gets im the DC area. I have been to "la puerta verde" "guapos" "taqueria del barrio" but you can't compare the flavors. The chef-owner is always very nice and accommodating with our family. read more

Mezcalero - Carne asada huarache! - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Mezcalero... more like Meh-zcalero. Let's start with the drinks - the house margarita at $8, the only remarkable thing about it being that the cocktail glass was only filled about 3/4 of the way up. I asked for a club soda, receiving a 12.5 oz. bottle for $3. The 'club soda in a bottle' thing is a pet peeve of mine when bars have soda guns, but if that's the only option, at least tell the patron that it's by the bottle in advance. The chicken in the chicken tinga quesadilla had a nice flavor, but I wasn't a fan of the use of the corn masa instead of the usual flour tortilla - it gave the exterior a bit of a grainy, soft texture, making this more of a knife-and-fork quesadilla. I happen to love chiles rellenos, but I immediately knew I ordered wrong when my entrée was placed in front of me, the chile also having a limp, soft texture, a relatively flat chile with just a marginal amount of filling. Perhaps this is the style the chef was after, but it really paled in comparison to other chiles rellenos I've had in the past. On the plus side, we had two small baskets of chips but weren't charged for them ($5.95 on the menu). On the service side, it became obvious that the goal is to get people in and out of here as fast as possible. Our server asked us no fewer than five times (spaced roughly 90 seconds apart) whether we were ready to order, so we ordered our appetizer (the aforementioned quesadilla) to at least keep her at bay for a little while - but when *we* needed something, we couldn't easily get her attention. We even saw the chef hustle along the people at the booth next to ours the moment their check was paid, offering them a small two-top so he could seat another party. As you might surmise, those patrons were less than pleased, declining the table and heading for the door, their facial expressions telling the story. While I totally understand that a restaurateur needs to turn their tables , the rush to churn shouldn't begin within minutes of sitting down -- and don't get friendly all of a sudden when you bring the check to the table just to try to get a better tip. The place will probably do somewhat well due to the lack of dining options on this stretch of 14th Street, but with just OK food, unwelcoming staff, and a tough parking situation, this is a 'one and done' for me. read more

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The food is very good from dinner to drinks. They have a bar area and a patio. I would highly recommend.

Meh. Good food, but not for the prices. Tacos are good, but below average for a $2.50 appetizer-sized taco. Went there on a Wednesday night, and it was busy, but not full. Regardless, service was pretty spotty/inattentive. Food seemed to be coming out based on the kitchen's schedule, not on ours. Ordered a couple of items that didn't come out - didn't say anything because we had plenty of food, but then there was a bit of protest when we asked to get them off of the bill. read more

I had been in Arlington for two years, sad and complaining about how the DC area had no good Mexican food. As a Californian Mexican Latina, I have to say- stop right here everyone- THIS is your spot. Yes, it's a bit distant up in Columbia Heights- but it is well worth the trip. The meat flavors were authentic and distinct to their kind- al pastor, asada, chorizo, chicken. They all were flavorful and did NOT taste the same NOR did they taste like it happened to be boiled flavorless meat. The tortillas for the tacos were legit, fresh, small and not too thick. Whoever is their tortilla person-is right on the money. No, the tacos did not fall apart or did they crumble. Remember-tortillas that crumble-are NOT FRESH TORTILLAS. Mezcalero's tortillas-ON POINT! The nachos competed well with my favorite spot back home in California-so let me tell you! You won't get red or purple generic chips here. There ARE beans in this and there's no "kay-so" dip here ! (Thank Goodness). They also have Pambazos which are typical in some Mexican regions- basically-sauce dipped tortas. Pretty delicious flavors. My friend and I ordered a good amount of the food mentioned above and it was finger-licking good. DC has, well, Mezcalero has restored my faith in authentic and outstanding Mexican flavors. Good Mexican food does exist in DC- and it's HERE @ Mezcalero! I 100% approve of their solid, and wholesome flavors. Keep doing what you're doing Mezcalero- it's working! read more

Mezcalero - Chorizo & Potato Pambazo. Aka Torta dipped in special sauce. Tyypical in most mexican regions. - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Hmmmm....This review is only based on 3 tacos I tried the carnitas, shrimp, and carne asada. Would highly suggest the shrine taco here. The flavor is amazing. The other tacos I would suggest going next door and getting their carnitas and carne asada. Overall the experience was night here and I would try more tacos here. read more

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

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This is by far one of my favorite spots for Mexican food in the city! The food is consistently good and service usually spot on as well. My favorite dishes are the chicken enchiladas and the short rib chile relleno. And have the best rice and beans. Also try the pineapple margarita, so delicious! read more

My favorite Mexican restaurant! This place serves up some authentic and extremely delicious Mexican food! I love everything from the queso fundido with chorizo to their amazing tacos and gorditas. I've never had tacos like these, this place is definitely worth checking out, you wont regret it. This place is perfect for a night out with a group of friends, the drinks are amazing and the food is to die for. The atmosphere is great and lets not forget about the service, I'm literally here at least once or twice a week and the staff and servers are super friendly and constantly check up on our table. I absolutely love this place! read more

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Check your credit card statements! We went the second night it opened and had to wait ages for a table - which is fine. The food was good - pricey for that neighborhood. The ambiance was lively. My gripe is post-meal: My credit card has been billed multiple times. This also happened to the other three people I dined with. It's been two weeks, three phone calls, and one in-person visit later, and still no action. I am hoping this will get their attention... read more

Sooo happy El Sol is basically reincarnated here. Came on a Monday night so was able to get seated at a table for two right away. The dining room wasn't quite full and there were still seats at the six stool bar. Our server was nice and friendly. I tried the lengua tacos (seriously the most tender lengua ever), the nopales (delicious and flavorful), and the salmon (fish was fresh but it was the least exciting). They do have three different fish taco options though so that's nice for the pescatarians. I'd ordered a barbacoa one, but it never came out. When I asked the server it took her a little bit to figure out but she eventually came back and told me the kitchen had run out and hadn't told her. Small hiccup, but instead I branched out and tried the gordita, which was really saucy and rich. Total recipe for food coma for days. I'll be back to work my way around their extensive menu. Though maybe not on a weekend when they look pretty packed all night. read more

1st Time here and I was excited because the menu just looked like pure deliciousness. I had three tacos; steak, salmon and tilapia. They were good and fulfilling. They had a very limited drink menu and the Blackberry margarita was nasty. Everything was going well until they opened the door and about 10 mins later I noticed a little mouse run across the floor. That's when my night ended lol. read more

You can't expect people to read the small print or the whole menu to know that you charge extra for a quarter size dish of cilantro and radishes! When people ask for such things, let them know there is an extra charge! Food was nothing to brag about Too small of a portion for it to be so expensive read more

Hands down the best margaritas in DC. Their mezcal selection is respectable and the great food is an added bonus. The aesthetics of the place are inviting and the patio is perfect on warm summer nights. I've been here a couple of times with different people and we've always left satisfied. Definitely worth the trip up 14th street! read more

Mezcalero - View of one side of the dining room - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Really bad service!! This is my second time giving a chance to this restaurant unfortunately still bad!!! Uncompleted order that what I order, server didn't check our table if we need something and was slow afternoon!!! Food wasn't that good tacos need more condiments was pretty plain with no flavor, unfortunately i dont recommended this place to anyone,,,hoppe they trained staff and check that quality of the food. read more

Finally some legit ceviche. Loved this. Don't skip the margaritas and save lots of room for tacos. But the ceviche is the star.

Came here recently for dinner with some girlfriends and really enjoyed it. The margs are tasty and the food is good. Only complaint is that they're pretty stingy with the chips and salsas. I liked that we got 3 different salsas to try, but would have liked more chips to go with the dips. This place isn't really all that convenient for me, but if I was in the area and craving enchiladas I'd definitely go back! read more

While my experience here, overall, was pretty good, I hate to admit it, but I was relatively disappointed in the street tacos I had. El Sol is much more flavorful than what I had here. When we arrived around 7:30pm there was a 30 minute wait. We happily put our name in and headed to Red Derby for some after happy hour drinks-little did we know they still kept it rollin' til 8! After about 40 minutes, we received a phone call letting us know our table was reaady. When we walked over, it, in fact, was not ready. We had to hang out up front-since there's nowhere else to hang out-for about another 10 minutes. After we were seated service was smooth the rest of the night. I must commend Mezcalero for still giving free chips and salsa! The chips were hot and crisp and the salsa had a nice kick to it. We decided to start with an order of the chicken nachos, which were plentifully topped with bean, jalapenos, sour cream, pico de gallo, and guacamole. There was a good amount of chicken as well. The chips were crisp despite being topped with all of the ingredients, and all the ingredients were distributed evenly-it's always a pet peeve of mine when they are not. Since we did the appetizer, we each ordered two street tacos, which was fine since, although they are authentic in size, we did not need any more to fill us up. I was quite disappointed they were out of the barbacoa (goat). I ordered the pastor (Spit-roasted Marinated Pork/Pineapple, Onions, Cilantro) and the Tinga (Chicken Marinated in Chipotle Sauce, Lettuce, Queso Fresco, Sour Cream). While both were "ok", I thought they lacked spice. The Tinga was probably my favorite with the nice combination of the spicy chicken and mellowing sour cream. My dining companion ordered a chorizo (Spicy Sausage, Onions, Cilantro) and a carnitas (Slow-braised Pork, Onions, Cilantro). He thought his were flavorful and cooked to perfection. He thinks Mezcalero may have El Sol beat! I'll have to agree to disagree but I would still stop back here in the future- hopefully they have the barbacoa next time. read more

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Please go here!! Amongst the best tacos and spiced cocktails in the north east. This is comparing to California so this is serious real deal stuff. Beautiful place and staff. read more

The food is good but really the Chef opens when they want. It's 11 am, they open at 10 am. The chef told me that she opens when she wants. When I got here, she said it's 20 minutes from 11 that they will open. What a disappointment! She said that they open at 11. Everywhere online states 10 am. That's not okay. I've come here for years. I am not sure if they have new staffing but it's unacceptable to run business like this. I have literally come since even before they opened. I was here for the menu tasting. That's too bad. read more

I'll start off with the positives: the food here (at least from what I gleaned from glancing at other's plates, in addition to my own plate of carnitas street taco) was fantastic. Meat was moist, sauce was on point, and freshness was indeed the case. They also provide chips and salsa which is always appreciated, especially with the salsa having a lil kick to it. The drinks were also superb--their draft selection is small but adequate, and the margaritas seemed top notch. In terms of atmosphere, it was comfy and consisted of seemingly decent people. Now for the criticism: food and drink prices were a bit on the expensive side ($5 for a tecate?!). This was somewhat prohibitive for my purposes, and definitely a deterrent given the other cheaper establishments on the block. That said, I'd still give this spot 4 stars if it hadn't been for the experience with our waiter. Initially he was very friendly, but once he realized we weren't ordering full entrees, there was a stark contrast in personality. Now, I understand we live in a monetarily-driven society in which one must relentlessly apply cost-benefit analyses, but it became particularly unappealing when we couldn't even flag him down to get our check. read more

Great food, always busy, good vibes and atmosphere. They serve some incredible margaritas by the pitcher!

I expected there might be a crowd on opening night, and there was! Luckily the host was more than happy to take a name and number, allowing us to wait the 45 minutes at a neighboring bar (since the Mezcalero bar area was full). We started off with some mezcal naturally, with one in our party being fairly well versed in mezcal and requesting the detailed menu while the others went with La Flaquita (i.e., skinny margarita with mezcal instead of tequila). All were pleased (although the Flaquita is quite sweet). We opted to share two apps - queso fundido (which was decadent and paired with delicious tortillas) and the cocktail de camarones (large and well seasoned). We also shared a huarache (steak, at the recommendation of our waitress) and each ordered a different taco. The huarache was large and lovely, although it might have been waiting for a few minutes for its taco partners to be ready. I'm a big al pastor fan, and Mezcalero's is top notch. With such an extensive menu, attentive service and a great atmosphere, I will definitely be back! read more

I've tried tacos, huaraches, and guacamole- all fresh and delicious. Service is fast even during busy periods and the menu is pretty extensive. read more

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

If I could give 0 stars I would. The food was horrible and un-flavorful. My girlfriend ordered a glass of wine and she received it in a dirty cup. When she asked for a wine glass they said they would give her a margarita cup. The cup was not clean at all. ~The ceviche was cube blocks of something I did not know. It was just cubes. The shrimp was cold, dry, and horrible. ~Long story short save yourself some time & money and go elsewhere. read more

Another great meal. I've been coming when it was E Sol and would visit their food truck. The food is on point, and I appreciate that the owner Alfredo walks around and greets his guests- he really cares about guest feedback and wants to hear how his staff can improve. It's great to support a family business and see someone succeed. Also, ask to sit with Vivian; she's an awesome server and really takes pride in her work. Andy and I are so proud to see you follow your dream, Alfredo! You should feel so proud for what you've accomplished. read more

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

We arrived around 6 PM and were promptly seated. It took awhile for someone to come over and provide us with silverware, menus, and water as the restaurant seemed understaffed. Eventually, we got to ordering chips and salsa, guacamole, tacos de canaste (which the Washington Post recently recognized as a Top 40 Dish in DC), al pastor burrito, and various tacos. Portions are very small, save for the burrito. If you want authentic Mexican food, check out places in Hyattsville. DC lacks many authentic eats. read more