Typical corporate DC restaurant. Cavernous interior, largely disinterested staff, and uninspired…read morefood. I ate at the bar on a weeknight. The restaurant was relatively busy, the bar was not. After finishing my first glass of wine, I waited 15 minutes for the bartender to return, but he never did. I had to ask the woman behind the bar whose job seemed to be busing -- she couldn't serve me, but found someone who could. This place is a really just a caricature of Spanish food. Well, I suppose that's DC these days. Sigh . . .

Happy hour. Every. Single. Day. Three to six, seven days a week, and the prices are genuinely…read morereasonable for food this good. There aren't a lot of places in this city doing that, and certainly not at a location like this. If you want a great deal at one of the best spots in town, this is it. The food is outstanding across the board. I'd say they have the single best seafood tower in all of DC. Fiola Mare used to hold that title for me, but they went all crudo, so Del Mar wins now. If you want exotic Mediterranean seafood, this is where you go. They also have Ibérico ham that they hand slice the way you get it in Spain, which is worth ordering by itself. The tapas are great too. The garlic shrimp is outstanding, and those little stuffed peppers with cod inside are divine. Then there's the steak. It's expensive, no way around it, but the strip is hands down the best steak I've ever had in the Washington area. Not exaggerating. You sit out on the water and it genuinely feels like you're in another country. My one complaint is parking. It's expensive as heck around the Wharf and really hard to find. Fifty dollars is extreme in my opinion, especially when you have to hunt for a spot to pay that much. But here's the trick: come for happy hour at three and parking is wide open, because nobody's there yet. The nightmare starts in the evening. Honestly, you could make a business selling your parking spot to the people who've been circling that lot for an hour. That's the reality down there. Come early, park easy, eat well, pay less. Best happy hour in DC.

Drink of Choice: water during the work day but the sangria is definitely great to try!…read more Food: Flauta de Queso This is my go to place for lunch during the week! Their lunch specials are priced well and are filling!

Great business lunch! Pleasant energy imbues the whole of the restaurant. Service was excellent…read moreand servers were all friendly. Tomato bread, a signature dish, was refreshing. Gazpacho had a nice subtle spice and was full of flavor. Salad was quite fresh and well prepared. The vegetables were the stars. I did not try to the Patatas Bravas but loved the way the dish looked!

*Review purely on Saturday night drinking vibes* We came…read morefor Happy Hour! Had such a fun time here on a Saturday night with a group of 5... great vibes, good music, and the service honestly made the whole experience even better!! Big shoutout to Brook, who was our main bartender most of the night and made fiiiire cocktails. Also shoutout to Eden, John, and Kee who were awesome too and made everything feel really welcoming. Also lucked up when we came and had a spot/table without a reservation! Definitely a spot we'd come back to for good music and drinks. Catching golden hour was also a huge plus! Beautiful view.

The bar is located inside the hotel. We entered through the lowest level and you can indicate on…read morethe elevator that you are going to the bar and it'll drop you off right there. It was bar service and so we ordered at the bar and collected our own drinks. There is both indoor and outdoor seating. Some tables were already reserved but we were able to snag a table outside. The views here are excellent! The river, the lights, the airplanes taking off and landing. All so great We got the Whiskey Charlie Mule, Old Scallywag, and Idillwyld Spritz. All were excellent. The old scallywag was a great old fashioned. The spritz was very refreshing and not too sweet. Overall, would recommend and would definitely revisit.

A very swanky place. Me and a date were walking around Galleryplace for a place to sit and when we…read morewalked in and we knew immediately to ask for a table. The dark warm mood lighting, the corrugated wall, the intimate seating, and of course the small share plates makes for the sexy experience tapas is suppose to be! It is typical of Spanish flavors, heavily relying on high-end cured meats and cheeses, and classics such as croquetas. There is something very special that goes into tapas because its suppose to satisfy you based on good taste over quantity. Large shrimp in a generous skillet of olive oil and slow cooked garlic slices and a iberico mac and cheese are some examples of how they elevate classics we are familiar with. We really liked that they learned into garlic and spice. We found dried Aji Caballero in our meal, great attention to source country. They have a very robust and generous drinks menu. Loved watching others not dining alone and embracing that share quality of the menu design. Perhaps it is not the best tapas I had, I would have liked to see a balance with lighter citrus flavors but maybe that was an ordering issue. At some point, since the menu heavily leans towards rich and decadent, its better to plan around that. Our waitress was amazing, she explained the questions we had on the ingredients and was on it with the refills.

We wanted to try it for a while and finally we got the time. It's week day lunch, and it was quiet…read moreand nice. Waitstaff were pleasant and helpful. It's a typical Spanish tapas food, we ordered a few dishes, and we both loved MONTADO DE BISTEC Y CHORIZO. I have been thinking about going back to try other dishes.

No matter what city I'm in Barcelona does not disappoint! We have visited Barcelona in three states…read moreand always have a great meal and great service. They are a great spot for celebrating a special occasion because of the atmosphere and decor, liveliness, and complimentary desserts and drinks. At our last visit, we were celebrating a graduation and our server made sure our guest of honor felt celebrated. There was something for everyone on the menu, even our pickiest eater. Some of my favorites are the whipped sheep's cheese, croquetas, pork belly, and gambas. And we always order a pitcher of red sangria. :)

Listen, when it's still 95 degrees at 9:30 p.m. in DC, any restaurant requiring outdoor seating…read moreonly is automatically disqualified. After striking out at two other spots, we landed at Barcelona Wine Bar, and honestly, it ended up being a pretty good save. As expected on a Thursday night, there was a wait for indoor seating, so we did what any reasonable adults would do: grabbed a drink at the bar and waited it out. I started with a Sauvignon Blanc while my friend ordered an espresso martini made with tequila, which was surprisingly delicious. Since we'd already survived happy hour elsewhere and had plans to continue the evening, we responsibly switched to water during dinner. Hydration is self-care, ladies and gentlemen. For food, we ordered the garlic shrimp, crispy mushrooms, chicken thigh, patatas bravas, and branzino. The stars of the evening were definitely the garlic shrimp and the patatas bravas. The chicken thigh was also flavorful and well-prepared. The crispy mushrooms, however, didn't quite do it for us. The flavor itself was good, but there was so much breading that we felt like we were eating the concept of a mushroom rather than an actual mushroom. Now for the plot twist. Everything came out fairly quickly except for the branzino. After waiting about 30 minutes, our server kindly informed us that it would be another 30 minutes before the fish arrived. At that point, we collectively decided that while we enjoy seafood, we do not enjoy it enough to wait an hour for it. So, we politely waved the white flag and called it a night. The service throughout the evening was genuinely good. The hostess was friendly, our server was attentive and communicative, and the bartender was cool despite operating under what appeared to be combat-level crowd conditions. It was packed, so ordering required decisiveness and a strong sense of purpose. The restaurant itself isn't huge, but it's a great size with a lively atmosphere and plenty of outdoor seating--which I'm sure is wonderful during the approximately three weeks of the year when DC weather is actually pleasant. Would I return? Absolutely. I'd just skip the mushrooms, order strategically, and maybe avoid arriving after spending several hours participating in Happy Hour Olympics beforehand. As I always say: I'm not difficult to please. I just have standards.

Came to Boqueria during DC's Winter Restaurant Week and had a great time! It was a good deal too,…read moreand I left so full. Started off with the "Taste of Spain" which included Pan con tomate, Aged manchego, Jamón Ibérico de bellota, and Boquerones con naranja. Since I couldn't eat the latter two, the server said they could double the first two, which was so appreciated. For my first course, I chose the Escalivada (fire-roasted eggplant, red pepper, labne yogurt, fresh herbs, olive oil, served with focaccia) and Croquetas de setas (creamy mushroom croquettes with truffle aioli). The Escalivada was tasty, but more on the tangy side; the bread was more crostini-like than focaccia. The Croquetas were so good: creamy, savory, umami inside and crunchy outside. Next, I got the Zanahorias (spiced baby carrots, sweet and sour reduction, orange honey yogurt, mojo verde, Marcona almonds) and Patatas bravas (crispy potatoes, salsa brava, pimentón, garlic aioli). When I tell you those carrots had me dreaming about them later, I'm not kidding- all of the different flavor combos paired with the perfectly cooked carrots were amazing. The Patatas bravas was pretty classic- crispy potatoes with creamy aioli and tangy tomato sauce. Finally, for dessert, I had the Tarta de naranja (orange olive oil cake, citrus-honey yogurt), and my friend had the Tarta vasca de chocolate (Basque chocolate cheesecake, macerated strawberries, chantilly cream). Both were tasty, but the Tarta de naranja was so good: perfectly dense cake, refreshing citrus, and great contrast with the yogurt. For my drink, I got the Forget-Me-Not refrescante (butterfly pea flower, thyme, honey, lime, ginger beer). Very interesting drink, not sure I'd order again but it was good. Service was great, super willing to accommodate my vegetarian dietary restrictions. Ambiance is really nice, very modern and elegant. Very accessible by metro, just a short walk from the station. 10/10 would recommend!

First... man the chairs were UNCOMFY. Theres two types of stools and the padded one feels slightly…read moreslanted forward and small. But anyways Paella was delicious, the flavor profile was super fun. We got the short rib and seafood, and we all preferred seafood as the short rib was a bit heavy. The fish in it was crispy and so good, especially with the green sauce- nice herby and refreshing contrast. The figs were interesting and fun. But not that filling... I did not like the patatas... sauce was good but the potato itself had none of its own seasoning and was tough. Yes crispy but not pillowy inside. The octopus was delicious and super tender. Would come back for seafood paella and charcuterie.

3.5 stars but bumped for 4 for the cocktails, space, and service. Came to Taberna on a Monday…read moreevening and had an overall nice time. Service was great and attentive throughout with multiple waiters serving our table and the space is beautiful and cozy. It wasn't too crowded around 5:30 when we came and wasnt too busy overall. We left a little before 8 and it never got too loud or too crowded. I think walking in without a reservation would be fairly easy. They have a great cocktail list and I really enjoyed mine! It was a unique cherry and almond flavored drink while my friend went for a cucumber type drink. Both great. We shared 4 tapas which were surprisingly quite large and ended up being plenty for the both of us. We did patatas bravas, mushroom croquettes, fried manchego, and calamari. The tapas were good/average but nothing to rave about. Our bill came to about $120 which is probably about standard now but felt overpriced for what we got. They do a 20% service charge with 5% being operational and only 15% going to staff. Not my favorite...I dont mind a service charge but burying an operational charge into it made us confused on whether the expectation was to still tip or not. I wish restaurants were more transparent about this. I wouldn't come back for a full dinner but drinks were nice and service was great so I'd consider spotting in for a happy hour if in the area. Worth a try overall. I hope they consider giving their servers the full 20% of the service charge. 5% for operations should really be baked into the prices or otherwise listed separately.

We came to DC for a long weekend and because I didn't know how the flught would go I didnt make any…read morereservations uoon arrival and decided to wing it. We passed Taberna Del Alabardero on the walk from the subway to the hotel. It looked festuve, pretty and there was outside seating. We glanced at the menu and decided to go back. The staff were friendly, attentive and provided great service. The first place I've been where they poured Gray Goose in my glass in front of me. Fantastic! The decor inside was beautiful and my favorite color, green. The pictures on the wall and the colorful drapes with wood accents made it very spanish and kund of historical lookimg. The food was amazing! We ordered the octopus off the main menu and 2 items off a June experice menu. The octopus tasted smoked to me. I ordered because based on what I read about the restaurant I felt they would do it well.. and they did! The potatoes needed a touch of salt for us, but we are salt people. The Croquetas were so creamy and delicious with the garlic shrimp. The cream cheese on the toast set off the flavors of the carleized onions and whisky reduction pork. The coup de grâce was the Cheesecake desset. It was warm and a combo of airy and dense. The granny smith apples on the side were tart and pallet clensing. So good! We also received shirtbread cookies and a chocolate cookie thing that were delicious! The prices are on the expensive side, but definitely worth it. Great place for sharung and date night.

It was the finals of the World Cup 2026 and between Spain & Argentina it was going to be an…read moreexciting match! There was no way we were going to stay home - and so we found our way over to El Mercat in Pentagon Row! It was simply perfect - we got seated at a table and began with the task of ordering tapas. Out came the pan con tomate which you have the option of adding anchovies to. Don't skimp out - got for it! Setas Salteadas (mushrooms, scallions and loads of flavor) and the Bunuelis de Bacalao (cod fritters - don't wait - just eat - I didn't even get a picture because they were devoured). Although I'm not a drinker, my spouse who is super selective, swore by the vermouth. (The end of the afternoon BTW was exciting as you can imagine: Spain won and the red and yellow national colors and happy cheers abounded!) FYI - the decor is gorgeous - with prints of wines, flamenco dancers on the walls... lovely restaurant!

I've been wanting to try this Spanish tapas restaurant and bar for sometime. They have outdoor…read morepatio seating and indoor seating at the bar and tables as well. We sat outside since the weather was nice and service was quick. We went here during happy hour and shared the seasonal sangria pitched which was rose wine and strawberry. I love the drink and the pitcher was a great value for $30. We got about 3-4 drinks each in their glasses. We also shared a couple of food items. We got the lamb meatball dish and the chimichurri steak on bread with olive oil. I loved the steak bites more but my partner loved the lamb more. We will definitely return to try out the rest of their happy hour food and drinks. I'll also have to come back for the flamenco night sometime and try their paella.

This is such a good place to eat with friends and have a catch-up! I came on a weeknight so it…read morewasn't busy at all. The waiters were all wonderful and did not stop helping us. The food was some of the best tapas I have ever had. Literally everything was delicious and perfectly balanced with umami, tart, spice, sweet. My personal highlights were the mussels, croquettes, grilled kebab, jamon, hummus, and cheesecake. I also grabbed their purple gin drink and it was very yummy!

My girlfriends and I came in after visiting the Lip Lab nearby. Thankfully, they were open and had…read moreavailability to accommodate us! The establishment is spacious, with plenty of seating, and I really loved the decor. The food was absolutely delicious, although I wasn't very familiar with traditional Romani cuisine. I ordered the steak and eggs, which came with meat, eggs, and breakfast potatoes, basically a full breakfast. My only complaint is that a lot of the other menu items didn't come with sides, and they didn't really offer an à la carte option to add something to complete my brunch. So, just keep that in mind when ordering. I honestly cannot remember the name of the drink I ordered, but it was so good that I got it twice! LOL. If you're in the area, most definitely check them out. The bathrooms were also nice and clean, and our waiter was excellent! Overall, we had a really good experience and I'd definitely come back.

If you are looking for Puerto Rican food at a reasonable price, then La Famosa is for you. They…read morehave a great variety of choices that are tasty and great portions. As a traveler passing through, I'm so glad that we chose to eat at this location! Try it you'll like it Buen Provecho

I've been coming to La Famosa for years and realized I've never left a review, easily 20+ visits…read more My apologies, because this place has earned one many times over. The food is excellent, the atmosphere is welcoming, and the service is always top notch. It's rare to find a restaurant that delivers this level of consistency, but La Famosa does it every time. The best part is your favorites are always on the menu. If you have the chance, grab a seat at the bar and ask for Brandon. He's an outstanding bartender who is friendly and very attentive. One recommendation you absolutely should not skip is the pastelillos. They are incredible and have become a must order every time I visit. If you're in the Navy Yard area and looking for a restaurant that gets everything right, La Famosa is an easy five star choice.