We were excited to try Pascual given all its accolades. Our main course, the Dorade, was very good. However, the appetizers we ordered (including the octopus tostada and chayote salad) had good components but felt over-sauced and gloppy. We also really disliked our dessert, a mixture of flan and chocolate cake with a weird texture, and felt like the cocktails were way too sweet and unbalanced. We understand that everyone has different food preferences but the most disappointing thing about Pascual was that our server never once checked on us throughout the meal to ask how things were going. Perhaps with the tip already included she didn't feel the need to be more attentive but it did impact our dining experience. read more

I truly enjoyed my meal at Pascual. I went with two friends so we just ordered multiple plates for the table. Everything was delicious! We had the Nixtimalized Figs (9/10), Lobster Tetela (10/10), Octopus Tostada (very flavorful (10/10), Chayote Salad (8/10), Fideos Negros (nice and creamy but a little cold 8/10), Dorade a la brasa (10/10), and an order of rice (7/10)For desert we had the buñuelo (7/10) and the special which was an ice cream with peaches (6/10). Overall it was a nice experience. Our waitress was very knowledgeable about the menu and provided excellent service. The dining room isn't that large but it was a cute setup. The outdoor seating looked nice as well. I look forward to returning. read more

After a few weeks without luck, I was able to snag a Saturday night reservation for a group while friends were in town. We sat on the patio, which is very cute and decorated with plenty of plants and string lights without being too crowded. I am really glad we were seated there since it sounded very loud (in a fun lively way!) inside and we wanted to catch up. All of our server's recommendations were on point, and we ordered a variety of items across the menu. Standouts included the chayote salad, charred eggplant tamal, and the lobster tetela. Everyone loved the drinks, really really yummy classic margaritas with tequila or mezcal. Two things we didn't love- guac portion was not much to share between 5 people, and the bunelo was not comparable to a churro as described by our server. Overall we left happy and full! read more

I was very excited to watch the progress of this little gem as it went from my former "meh BBQ" joint to Pascual. The transformation part was truly amazing and adding another high end eatery within walking distance from our house was a win for us. Many reviews mentioned that the place was "veg heavy" (I think I read that on EATER & also Washingtonian?) so having a pescatarian/bad vegetarian husband I was excited to have a place where we could both be satisfied. Unfortunately we brought out of town guests and one is vegan. The vegan options are the Chayote Salad, and the tomatoes, both very good, but not exactly substantive after a day of sightseeing and walking. I will say that all the dishes served were beautiful and well presented, so I want to give it a second chance. From a chef's point of view, the food was on point and I want to support a team who showcases their talents. The not so good... the out door dining. I get it, I've also been in the business for over 40 years, so if there's a patron who understands there's only so much you can control outside that's me. The patio is set up for some spectacular and amazing IG/FB/TikTok pics, it's BEAUTIFUL! However, peek through those pretty palms and you'll see the neighbors trash cans front and center. Also, as I was crossing 8th street my friend (also a chef) said "smells like someone tossed their fish stock bones a few days ago and they've sat in the heat for a few days" luckily for us, we didn't actually smell it once seated on the patio. It was 6pm and the mosquitos and flies were relentless. I mean it was a full on 1980's "For the price of a cup of coffee" Sally Struthers commercial relentless! I started to tune into the tables around us, and EVERYONE was slapping, shooing, or scratching. The check in desk does offer OFF which I overheard the server offer to another table, we quickly took them up on it. The OFF helped with the mosquito issue some... but we were already bitten up and fairly miserable. The OFF did nothing for the non stop flies. My friend noticed small little fans put into everyone's umbrella but ours, though they were not forceful enough to move the air at a speed to help reduce the number of flying insects. It got to the point where we (especially me) were all just wondering what the point was for putting ourselves through this misery when we had plenty of leftovers from our night before at Daru sitting in our fridge, and we had 8:00 plans. I asked for the food ordered to be bagged to go, which caused some kind of ripple effect within the restaurant from our server seeming REALLY nervous to need to ask the kitchen to bag it, to the host desk staff bringing over a little fan and then minutes later telling us there was an inside table available. I was curt (even jerky, which having been a waitron myself was uncalled for) and said "we've just had enough, put everything on this credit card and just bring us the remaining food to go." This is where it got a little funky (as if the mosquito and fly attacks weren't enough) we had sat at 6, ordered drinks and apps (which were a little slow to deliver, but fine dining takes time) it wasn't until 7 pm that the server even took our "entree" order, so we had sat for over an hour with drinks, apps and menus. The bill was delivered at 7:48 and yes the 20 or 22% was added and the bill for 4 of us was over $545.00 but then we had to continue to wait for our "to go" for an additional 20 minutes sitting in awkward uncomfortable atmosphere while wait staff and hostesses ignored us. Did I tip? Yup. I left an additional $50 bucks. What I hope they do with that money is get LARGER higher powered fans (you only need 1 or 2) to actually MOVE and circulate that air to discourage our flying friends. Oh, BTW... the one time I did walk into the restaurant to use the restroom, it was very pretty, sleek, well thought out, but the bathrooms which are multi use were in need of some tidying up. Sloppy guests with "bad aim" and thoughtless attempts to place the hand towels in the trash which ended up on the floor had used the facilities before me. If you're charging close to $150 and above per head, hire a bathroom valet. read more

Food was ok. Lamb neck was disappointing. Margaritas were excellent and so was the guacamole platter with all the fixings. Service was excellent. read more

Featuring Oaxacan cuisine, Pascual is a welcome addition to the Capitol Hill neighborhood. The staff was attentive, the service was timely, and the small indoor space that used to house Kenny's Smokehouse and Hogs on the Hill was packed. The food did not disappoint. Consider the lobster tetela, the chayote salad with guajillo oil and crushed sunflower seeds, and don't miss the fideos negros, a noodle dish popular in Mexico. Most patrons appeared to be opting for lamb barbacoa, but a delicious smoked duck taco with a tomatillo jam special accompanied by a flauta with shredded duck meat attracted our attention. read more

Pascual - Smoked duck taco and flauta served with tomatillo jam. - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Had a nice dinner at Pascual. The food was tasty and the frozen margarita was refreshing on a hot summer day. The prices seemed on the high side -- especially $27 for guacamole and tostadas with all of the fixings. read more

Pascual - Lamb neck barbacoa - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Food was underwhelming- Service was " okay " ...did not find it warm and accomadating .. Overall it was not a great experience- it was disappointing- we will not go back and we are locals read more

Excellent service, guac was amazing, as was the al pastor and the Amish chicken. Margaritas were tasty and strong. Only disappointment was the crab chile relleno dish, which was a little bland. Will definitely be back to try the lamb barbacoa at some point. read more

I am sorry that we had a very unpleasant evening at Pascual. Our dinner took 3-1/2 hours. We arrived at 6 and were finally done/released around 9:30 pm - very cold, very crabby and hungry. We were on the patio. It is at an angle, the floor was very cold/ the top half of us was warm. The chairs are broken-- they are wrapped string and the string has giant gaps. We moved our chairs around and fixed them. The staff watched. The server asked how we liked our drinks. We said okay. She said fantastic. Every time we were asked a question, she responded fantastic often before we answered. We asked where our food was. She said our table was very full of dishes and she was waiting for more room before bringing more dishes. Did she expect us to clear the table? We had not been eating anything for about 40 minutes at this point. A few of the dishes were good. Others were mediocre. The quickly became cold and inedible, but the server did not notice or much care. She seemed distracted. We saw few other staff. Maybe it is more pleasant and the service is better inside. It is expensive. read more

We ate here last night. Let me start off by saying the food was delicious. There was no problem with the quality of the food at all. It was the service that we had a problem with. We were a party of seven and they were told us that they were a family dining establishment, but everything they sat in front of us was too small for our party. read more

Incredible food, atmosphere, and service! Drinks were well crafted too! We can't wait to come back

Absolutely fantastic. Bold flavors, attentive service, organized staff We had the scallops which literally melt in your mouth like butter. They were some of the best scallops we've had anywhere. We also tried the Uni rice, the delectably seasoned prawns, asparagus, and lobster tetela. But the start of the show was the lamb neck. It literally falls off the bone. It's tender, juicy, and well marinated. I see why this reservation is one of the hardest in the city to come by these days. Bravo Pascual!!! You've made 2 new fans read more

Great food and service in a very charming setting. Walk in at 5 is a great option after a visit at the museums.

I was slightly hesitant after reading some of the negative comments. But we had a fabulous experience. The service is top notch. Everything we ate was delicious - chayote salad, mushroom tostada, al pastor tacos and the duck. The tortillas are so fresh and soft, not something I've ever eaten state side. For dessert we got the flan and chocolate ganache. Definitely recommend the flan. We will be coming back! read more

Really wanted to like it... great drinks, good service , and food was good but nothing memorable.

We'd been looking forward to dining at Pascual but were unfortunately underwhelmed by the experience we had on Saturday night. When we arrived, there was no one at the host station and we waited for about 5 minutes for one of the waitresses to greet us. Given how popular this place is right now, they should probably have someone stationed there regularly since throughout our dinner we saw multiple parties of diners waiting for someone to greet them at the host station. The restaurant is beautifully decorated - really simple design and clean looking. Sidenote: I loved the all the lighting in the restaurant. It's small inside with nice views of the kitchen and bar from nearly any seat and a nice big patio outside. The tables are very close together, so we ended up hearing a lot of our fellow diners' conversations. Like I said the space is small so that really can't be avoided but made it feel less romantic and cozy. It's also incredibly loud in the restaurant - we could barely hear our waiter or each other and heard other diners remark on this as well. The music was also really strange - it would be nice if they played music that fit the atmosphere or cuisine a bit better (maybe some modern instrumental Mexican music or classic Mexican rock?). The cocktails were one of our favorite parts of the meal - I had the Cactus Blossom (such a fresh and clean flavor) and the No Whey Jose (also good, really tomatoey flavor and so fresh) and my husband had the Charanda Colada (really yummy tropical drink). The food was gorgeously presented with our favorites being the fish taco (really, really good well-cooked tempura cod), the fideos negros and the salsas offered as an add-on for the tostadas. We shared the lamb neck barbacoa which was fine but nothing to write home about - the beans were bitter and seemed undercooked. We also got the chayote salad which should have come with the appetizers but was sent with the lamb which threw us for a loop since the flavors were totally different. There was something off with the pacing - we had our small plates and then sat for about 15 minutes with no food and then got our salad and lamb. I noticed it was similar for other diners as well with lots of people sitting for long periods and then getting lots of food at once. We got the chocolate ganache for desert with a guajillo meringue which was really nothing special - the chocolate was far too sweet for the meringue. Overall, we really liked the atmosphere and would love to come back for drinks and small plates at the bar but not sure we'd drop another nearly $300 for a full meal here (there's 22% gratuity added). read more

We've enjoyed upscale Mexican cuisine in Mexico City, Puebla, Oaxaca and other cities. Really wanted to love this place but found the food disappointing and very overpriced for DC standards. The guacamole, chayote salad and margaritas were pretty good. The several other dishes we ordered, including the smoked half chicken, were unimpressive. We sat on the patio and as others have noted the mosquitoes were a real problem. Cloth napkins would be appreciated, as well as better service wiping the table between courses. The restroom downstairs is nicely done, but too dimly lit. Would definitely not recommend eating on the patio. read more

Unbelievable experience. Staff was amazing. Food unbelievable. Could not recommend high enough.

Food is great, but that's about it! Service and ambiance are lacking. Drinks are too watered down and took 35 minutes to arrive.

We were looking forward to trying this restaurant after reading the positive review on the WP. Unfortunately, the food left us totally underwhelmed. We ordered the chayote salad, scallops, steak tartare to start with, followed by the half chicken. The flavors and textures just didn't meld together at all! Yuck is the best way we can put it. read more

Great ambience and service. The food lacked balance. I wish it had some spice and more complex flavors. Every dish seemed a bit too sweet. The lamb was cooked really well, just needed some spicier salsa to add flavor. read more

Enjoyed everything we had. Lamb neck barbacoa, skate, taco al pastor, prawns and fideos all excellent. The only quibble is that they might want to reconsider the tostadas served with their otherwise excellent guacamole. read more

Food was amazing. Michelin star level in my opinion. Definitely best high end Mexican food I've had in the DMV and perhaps ever. I went on day 2 of them being open and I think they've already hit their stride. Extremely attentive. Was already crowded with nice white and bright feel with oak type wood. They have a great patio area which I think they'll utilize when the weather gets warmer. Hopefully they add brunch too. Chefs were there and chatty. I will be back for sure. read more

I have been watching for this place to open and even so, this was a tough reservation to get. I felt lucky to get the last reservation on Sunday night of the opening weekend! One tip is to arrive at the time of your res. because there is no place to stand or bar to have a drink. Everyone is nice about it but it's awkward to stand over someone's table. As an aside, the entry area is nice with heavy curtains to shield from the cold. Good work on the decor which is light colored wood with subdued lighting. Now to dinner! We enjoyed everything! The guacamole is fantastic and fresh with yummy salsas and assorted pickled/ candied vegetables as add ins. Very filling. We shared the garbanzo bean dish that was flavorful with the right blend of textures. The chicken dish was amazing in a word! Perfectly prepared and seasoned with the right amount of char. We took home the leftovers! The Mexican chocolate cake sounded fabulous but will save that for our next visit. Looking forward to it. And shout out to our waiter, Oscar who made the evening fun! read more