Jaleo DCAuthentic and deliciousWe had a great lunch here with 2 teenagers. Though they (who avoid seafood) had fewer suitable options to choose from, everyone left full and satisfied. There are plenty of delicious choices, and many are authentic based on our time spent in Spain. The pan con tomate was perfect. The bacon wrapped dates were a savory-sweet surprise. It's not cheap to fill your bellies, but it's a great time.6/14/2013 12:00:00 AMFavorite place for yearsStill my favorite place to eat . First eat here over 10 years ago.6/13/2013 12:00:00 AMLove the renovation!Gravitated to Jaleo in Crystal City over recent years, finding DC location a bit too shabby and uncomfortable. Not sure when the restaurant was renovated, but the new-to-me tables, decor were fantastic! Of course, the food and service never disappoints. Two thumbs up for this DC mainstay.6/12/2013 12:00:00 AMAlways Great!Every time I get to DC, Jaleo is this place I want to go. The food was, as always, fantastic, the service was friendly and quick, and I discovered yet another wonderful wine. I brought three new diners with me and all very much enjoyed the evening.6/11/2013 12:00:00 AMDelicious and great for vegetariansOodles of options for vegetarians. MUST MUST visit.6/10/2013 12:00:00 AMFantastic foodsThe concept of small dishes(tapas)is very good because you get to taste different things and all are delicious and very well presented. The service was very helpfull and corteous without being intrusive. The ambiance is great.6/10/2013 12:00:00 AMAWESOME DINING EXPERIENCE!My husband and I dined at Jaleo for our Anniversary, we were seated at the best table in the restaurant (a big thank you to the staff!) and started off with José's Gin & Tonic that was poured table side - fabulous. The food was delectable, try the Liquid Olives, Gazpacho and Berenjena Miel, such a treat. The dessert menu is really inventive - try the "Gin & Tonic", a really creative take on the drink in dessert form. The service was perfect and everything was well-timed, thank you to Zamantha for a great dining experience! We will definitely be back soon!6/9/2013 12:00:00 AMAfter Shakespeare Matinee GemWe much enjoyed a 5 PM after theater supper very much.
Peter Kimm6/9/2013 12:00:00 AMWe make a point of comingWe make a point of coming to Jaleo when we are in the DC area! This time to celebrate a birthday! All was great
as usual.6/8/2013 12:00:00 AMThe best locationHave been to the one in Crystal City also. This one is so much better!! The food was great. The drinks were great. The atmosphere was great. We'll definitely be back again!6/7/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food! Great service!I've been to Jaleo twice in the last few weeks. Both times I've received great service. Your staff is friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. The food is great and I can't wait to come back.6/7/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful FoodDid the classic jaleo tasting menu. Everything was terrific.6/7/2013 12:00:00 AMBest Tapas in the USJaleo is probably the best tapas restaurant in the US. With the mix of traditional plates, updated spins on classics, and totally new ideas, Jaleo's menu will wish you had two stomachs plus a hollow leg. Their drinks menu is equally inventive. All in all, a meal here doesn't disappoint.6/7/2013 12:00:00 AMJaleoWhat an all-around joy to all the senses! Sights, smells, sounds, comfort, and tastes all excellent!
Thanks to my son, Chef Adam, for the recommendation.6/5/2013 12:00:00 AMThe Jaleo ExperienceMy boyfriend and I went to Jaleo for his birthday and we decided to go all out. We ordered the Jaleo Experience tasting menu without looking at most of the items on the menu. We were quite impressed with the twelve courses of food that were brought our way. The meal started out on a high point with a fun amuse-bouche: an olive, which had gone through the molecular gastronomy process, and was--essentially--a fruit gusher olive. The dishes that followed were equally fun and playful. The only low was their take on paella, which had chopped up spaghetti noodles instead of rice. It sort of tasted like Chef Boyardee.
The servers were very good and knowledgeable and the food was served with a flair. I'd recommend Jaleo to others.6/5/2013 12:00:00 AMperfect eveningA small group of us ate outside at Jaleo on one of our recent perfect-weather days. I love the Bethesda Jaleo, but hadn't been to the downtown one for several years and hadn't been that impressed then, but any problems it was having then are gone now -- we didn't have one dish that wasn't terrific. The oysters in gin and tonic (and the gin and tonics themselves), spinach in pine nuts, endives with goat cheese, warm brussels sprouts salad, seared scallops with pine nuts, and dark chocolate mousse are all worth going back for.6/5/2013 12:00:00 AMLove the new interior design,Love the new interior design, as it's much more conducive to conversation! No change in the high level of food preparation and delivery.6/5/2013 12:00:00 AMNever Disappointsthis is my second jaleo (visited the one in vegas first). special event and they did not disappoint. food was fabulous and our waiter was awesome-wish i could remember his name...will check receipt. blessed to be able to eat señor andres' food.6/5/2013 12:00:00 AMAn old favorite enhancedThe cooking at Jaleo is without equal; I have never had a dish I did not like, and some are memorable. While one's initial server may seem to disappear at times, there are expert expediters constantly in motion to bring your small plates as soon as they are prepared. The new decor, and somewhat greater spacing between tables has made the restaurant event more agreeable than it was.6/4/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food was very good, allThe food was very good, all dishes were very tasty.6/3/2013 12:00:00 AMTapas to RememberYou must try to slightly spice and garlicky
shrimp al olio. MMM. Ditto the patatas bravas. The sauce and cheese is fabulous, and anything with romescu sauce is to be ordered.6/2/2013 12:00:00 AMJust a Great Place!We ordered the Jaleo Experience along with the drink pairings. It was fantastic! The food was fresh and delicious. The service was superb. I loved it. Can't wait to go back!!!5/31/2013 12:00:00 AMWe love it for pre-TheaterWhen going to one of the Shakespeare theaters, we often choose to dine at Jaleo. The variety and quality is very good, and the staff are quite understanding of the need to make a curtain.5/29/2013 12:00:00 AMnice--and getting priceyExcellent, freshly prepared food. (Avoid the reconstituted olives which were heavily promoted by waiter--weird and not as good as real olives). Some nice wines on the list and good recommendations. Pace of service is nice for tapas.5/29/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent tapas restaurantWe had a party of four. Table was ready when we arrived. Wine steward was attentive and our glasses were never emply. All of the tapas we sampled were excellent. Service was attentive without being intrusive. Even the simple items like pan con tomate were great.5/29/2013 12:00:00 AMGave me ideas!Loved the food. All the small plates gave me ideas for something new to make. Who knew cauliflower cooked with olives and dates would be a great combination. Every plate was knew and different to me. Lamb chops were great but I really liked the squid made with the ink. The cocktails were also a nice change of pace too.The aromatic bitters added to one of the drinks made a big difference to the taste. Next time I will make someone else drive so I can try more than one.5/28/2013 12:00:00 AMGREAT FOOD, crowded and noisyFood here was excellent, service outstanding (server never steered us wrong), BUT, very crowded....we were there on a Tuesday night and they were very busy, which was great, except when the table next to you on both sides are only about 10 inches from your table. we could not hear our own conversations but got to hear plenty from the tables next to us....Go Here and enjoy the food it is all great!!5/28/2013 12:00:00 AMalways fantasticBeen here numerous times and always had a delicous dinner with lots of tapas variety. White sangria a must!5/28/2013 12:00:00 AMThe best!Jaleo was our favorite restaurant on our recent trip to DC. The Chef's tasting menu was fabulous. High recommend going to Jaleo!5/27/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Dinner with Visiting FamilyI had a great dinner at Jaleo with some family that was visiting. The restaurant was very accomodating for a party of 8, including two children under the age of 6. The food was spectacular, as always, and there were plenty of options for the kids. The highlights for me were patatas bravas, arroz cremoso, and gambas alhino. Granted, EVERYTHING was delicious. I had a "Jose's Choice" gin and tonic that was great. The only downside was sitting at the foosball table - the benchs they give you to sit on are not very comfortable for a long period of time. This is a place I frequent and will continue to do so! Jose Andres has yet to disappoint me.5/26/2013 12:00:00 AMOutstanding Dining ExperienceFood, Service and Table - all very good. Very enjoyable experience.5/25/2013 12:00:00 AMLoved it!We had the best time at Jaleo! The food was just beyond what we could ever have imagined! We only wished we had more room in our stomachs so we could just not stop eating! We wanted to order more of the same of each dish, but that would have stopped us from trying everything else! And the drinks were so unique! I could drink the Cuba Libre's all night! I need that recipe! We will probably go back every time we visit DC!5/24/2013 12:00:00 AMAlways a Fav!I first ate at Jakeo's 9 years ago. We stumbled upon it looking for a decent place to eat not too far from The Mall. We had never heard of the place, but what a lucky find! The food was excellent then and has only gotten better. I eat at Jaleo's every time I come to DC and recommend it to everyone who goes to DC.5/24/2013 12:00:00 AMLatin Eclectic ElectricMy husband and I had been talking about going to Jaleo for months now--just kept putting it off. Sometimes because we knew it would be too busy, often because we're getting tired of DC's love for tapas/small plates. But it was my husband's birthday, so we made reservations and headed down--willing to drop some real cash on lots of options.
The decor is a wild mix of new & old, casual, modern & old-world kitchen. They mix several drinks table-side--a nice option and come nice and steady with your mix of orders. Every item ordered--we had 11 in total with deserts were hot and delicious, adventurous and satisfying. Some of the plating felt lazy, and then at other times it was inspired. But all in all we loved every minute and will be back.5/24/2013 12:00:00 AMDelicious Tapasfirst time at Jaleo. Rsvp’d for 7pm but called & told them we were 10 min late so they changed our rsvp to 730pm but we actually didn't get seated until after 8pm. i wanted to order a tasting menu but was told i couldn't because my friend wasn't interested in ordering one. so i asked to speak to a mgr who came out, & stated that it's encouraged but not mandated. Ordered Jose’s Way + wine pairing. 19 courses instead of the 22 and 5 of 6 wines that I was told. I didn’t think the dishes were unique and adventurous but they were flavorful and fun. Wine was paired well with dishes. Fun décor and great ambience. Fit for foodies, groups, date, friends night out, not a place for kids. Convenient location. I would recommend this place.5/24/2013 12:00:00 AMOutstanding dinner experienceAuthentic Spanish high quality food, even better than many restaurants in Spain. And what can I say about the Wine list? Incredible.5/24/2013 12:00:00 AMWow!Our neighbor recommended this restaurant to us and we were not disappointed. Great food and attentive service. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit. We were creative and selected several items that were unknown to us and were surprised with each plate. Bravo!5/23/2013 12:00:00 AMsecond visit better than first,second visit better than first, I will make a point of visiting each time I'm in town. The gambas al ajillo and lomo de buey con valdeon are worth special mention5/22/2013 12:00:00 AMReliably OutsandingWe have eaten at Jaleo several times and have never had a bad dish. The food is consistently well prepared and delicious.5/22/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat care for vegetarians!My friend and I enjoyed a healthful, tasty vegetarian supper with a bit of scrumptious deep-fried cod before ambling next door for a 7:30 performance at the Shakespeare Theatre. The service was efficient and unobtrusive. A lovely start to a lovely evening in Washington.5/21/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful Service and FoodJose Andres' Jaleo exceeded the high expectations I had. The food was delicious and offered some unique flavor combinations. Presentation of the food was beautiful as well. Service was excellent--adequate attention without hovering.5/21/2013 12:00:00 AMOutstanding foodExcellent food better than in most restaurants in Spain (i'm from there). But service is slow and inefficient, be patient5/21/2013 12:00:00 AMFun, happening placeGreat atmosphere, great food and excellent service5/20/2013 12:00:00 AMPlace rocksDelicious, unique tapas, great wine list with a bunch of Spanish wines you'll see nowhere else, inventive drinks.5/20/2013 12:00:00 AMPerfect Graduation LunchWe had a group of 9 and they were so nice about moving it up an hour since we got out of graduation early. The food was incredible and we had the sangria which was spicy and delicious.5/19/2013 12:00:00 AMWe've always enjoyed Jaleo,We've always enjoyed Jaleo, and this time the food was even more amazing. Each dish was beautifully plated and just as delicious.5/19/2013 12:00:00 AMSuper ricoEverything delicious!!! We will return to Washington just to go again to JALEO :)5/19/2013 12:00:00 AMTerrific pre-theater diningTerrific pre-theater dining spot....plenty of up-beat ambience with seeming "frantic".5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMMother's DayI just had to comment on the mother's day service we received when I took my wife and our 2 and 3 year old. The service was outstanding, for a minute I felt like royalty since there was someone there to help us literaly in 5 seconds. I don't know if it was just because of mother's day that they were so attentive or if that's regular service but definetly would be coming back because of that.
Their tapas were really good except for their lobster paella, man was it salty, and they were rank some how as having the best paella in town, I've had better pealla sadly in South Beach, Miami of all places. Never the less will comeback because of the outstanding service.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMJaleo.. is consistently good..Jaleo.. is consistently good.. the food is fantastic I love the chicken croquettes best of all!!5/11/2013 12:00:00 AM