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Oyamel, Washington, DC
Award-winning

Oyamel

4.6 (9731)
$30 and under
Mexican
401 7th Street N.W., Washington, DC 20004

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 122 times today

About this restaurant

  • Lively
  • Great for happy hour
  • Hot spot
At Oyamel, José Andrés and his team combine Mexico's rich regional diversity with the vibrant urban atmosphere of Mexico City. The liveliness of the dining room is matched by the creativity of the menu and cocktail list, featuring antojitos--Mexican small plates--ceviches and tacos.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican, Tapas / Small Plates
  • Hours of operation
    Mon, Sun 11:30 am–10:00 pm Tue–Thu 11:30 am–11:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–12:00 am
  • Phone number
    (202) 628-1005
  • Website
    https://www.oyamel.com/location/washington-dc/
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Executive chef
    Claudio Foschi
  • Private party facilities
    At Oyamel, it feels like a fiesta the moment you walk through the door. Our bright spaces and vibrant décor paired with savory Mexican bites and unique cocktails come together to create an event you’ll never forget.
  • Private party contact
    Coleen Bendig: (202) 638-1910
  • Delivery & takeout
    Order direct
  • Location
    401 7th Street N.W., Washington, DC 20004
  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2022
  • Neighborhood
    Penn Quarter
  • Cross street
    D Street
  • Parking details
    There are ample public lots in the Gallery Place/Chinatown/Penn Quarter area. Metered street parking is also available.
  • Public transit
    Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro or Archives/Navy Memorial
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Featured in

Private dining

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 9,731 people are saying

Oyamel reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.5Ambience
  • 4.4Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

  • Washington, D.C. Area

    Mexican

  • District of Columbia

    Mexican

  • District of Columbia

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Oyamel offers a vibrant dining experience with "innovative Mexican food" and "outstanding tacos and tamales." Its "excellent service" and "delicious guacamole" are frequently praised. The lively atmosphere can be noisy, but its convenient location near cultural landmarks makes it a popular choice. "Highly recommend for authentic Latin cuisine."
9,731 Reviews

  1. Thomas VIP

    Washington DC46 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    This is a well known and popular restaurant. So the noise level can be high. Sitting outside in nice weather is a great option. The food is very good and reasonably priced. Don’t miss the cauliflower. Staff is very friendly. I’ll be back soon . . . sitting outside.

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  2. Celia

    New York City7 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The tacos were juicy and delicious. We enjoyed the fish (California), Carne Asada, and beef tongue tacos. The octopus dish was more enjoyable than the one offered at Zaytinya, although the octopus was charred more than I expected. Salads were a high point of the meal for hubby and me. We enjoyed the salad with hearts of palm, and the one with the cactus paddle. My personal favorite dish was the Ahi Tuna ceviche. We both enjoyed the agua frescas offered - hibiscus and tamarind.

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  3. Kate

    Washington DC1 review

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    We sat outside, which was nice, although it could be decorated a little bit more festively to match some of the Oyamel spirit. Good food, not quite hot but still so tasty when it got to us. Friendly service, good vibes.

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  4. Karen VIP

    Greater Boston7 reviews

    1.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 2
    Restaurant is very overrated. Great waitress, but the restaurant has someone else bring the guacamole over. That person brought it to the wrong table. We finally got guacamole towards the end of our meal. The people sitting next to us also got their guacamole towards the end of the meal. Also, even though the restaurant was half empty and we arrived exactly on time, we had a substantial wait for a table. Many people were seated before us. Also, the guacamole is $32. And we were charged for 2 guacamoles, even though we only received one and it was towards the end of our dinner, so our guacamole charge alone was $64.. Our very nice waitress was only allowed to take the one guacamole charge off our bill. This restaurant is resting on its reputation, which will deteriorate if our experience happens to other customers.

    1 person found this helpful

  5. Martin

    Washington DC7 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food, and the outside dining was sublime. No real notice by the restaurant or server other than an acknowledgment of the fact that we had notified the restaurant it was our 40th Wedding Anniversary. I guess we were spoiled last year for our 39th anniversary at the amazing Jaleo where the great server surprised us with cava to toast each other as we did in 1985. It was a real nice moment we did not expect and will remember forever, just not at Oyamel. Also, our rather small water glasses frequently ran dry, and my wife was only consuming water. She had a few semi-spicy dishes, and I had to refill her glass from my limited supply until I was empty. What bugged me is the server at the immediately adjacent tables served those diners water and left, ignoring us and our empty glasses. I thought that in a high-end restaurant, all customers are the responsibility of all servers. Anyway, my wife paused eating for about 5 minutes when she ran dry until our dedicated server arrived, and then had to come back with water. A trivial (I guess) issue, but for such a celebrity chef's establishment, I expected a little better. I guess I expected perfection for our 40th as my wife has been to me!

    1 person found this helpful

  6. Grace

    Washington DC1 review

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent meal and service!! Great recommendations from the server.

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  7. Peter

    New York City5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    we arrived about an hour early for our reservation but the staff got us seated within 10 minutes. waitstaff was great and food was awesome-we probably ordered too much food but i suppose that means leftovers! restaurant was a little loud for my wife. drinks were good - wife loved the margaritas and their foam. it was nonstop in that place but we never felt rushed. a fun place for a belated 27th anniversary! the grasshopper tacos were great! awesome gauc. the tamal green sauce was special. the white beans very very good. the only disappointment food-wise was the smoked tuna, not what we were expecting. otherwise everything was delicious!

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  8. Jordan VIP

    Washington DC17 reviews

    2.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    Longtime Oyamel customer. Food is always great. However service has gone down hill and not the typical Jose Andres standard. -No soup spoon, had to go to bar ourselves and get one because server next check on us -6:15pm our drinks were out/dry. Never saw our server again until 7pm - despite trying to flag her down several times. -Once ordered drinks, drinks were left on bar and had to go get them ourselves. -After that, server never came back to table or checked on us or asked us how things were. Would not even bring check to us - sent another server to then bring us a check (PS, we were polite. It was a typical Saturday evening - but not "Slammed" by any means as far as customers/business)

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  9. Jeffrey

    Washington DC5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Always a great experience with Jose's restaurants!

    Is this helpful?

  10. Gaëlle

    Washington DC1 review

    2.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 2
    Too much noise, it took a long time for the servers to take ours orders. Average food

    1 person found this helpful

FAQs

Oyamel offers delivery in partnership with Uber Eats. Oyamel also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (202) 628-1005.

Oyamel is rated 4.6 stars by 9731 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. Washington, D.C. Area
  4. District of Columbia
  5. Penn Quarter

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 122 times today
Google Map for Oyamel

401 7th Street N.W., Washington, DC 20004

Additional information

  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2022
  • Cross street
    D Street
  • Neighborhood
    Penn Quarter
  • Hours of operation
    Mon, Sun 11:30 am–10:00 pm Tue–Thu 11:30 am–11:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–12:00 am
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican, Tapas / Small Plates
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    There are ample public lots in the Gallery Place/Chinatown/Penn Quarter area. Metered street parking is also available.
  • Public transit
    Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro or Archives/Navy Memorial
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Claudio Foschi
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Delivery & takeout
    Order direct
  • Website
    https://www.oyamel.com/location/washington-dc/
  • Phone number
    (202) 628-1005
  • Private party facilities
    At Oyamel, it feels like a fiesta the moment you walk through the door. Our bright spaces and vibrant décor paired with savory Mexican bites and unique cocktails come together to create an event you’ll never forget.
  • Private party contact
    Coleen Bendig: (202) 638-1910

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