Jaleo DC

The food is amazingly flavorful, super original and creative. The ambiance and background music very pleasant. Love the place!

Still one of our favorite restaurants. Artful presentation and great flavors.

Just an awesome dinner. We got kind of lost in the menu so the waiter suggested the The Jaleo Experience tasting menu. We had our choice of choosing our tapas or having the chef decide. We just put our palates in the hands of the James Beard award winning chef. Each course came out just as we were finishing the last one. Perfect timing. The waiter explained what each course was as he brought it out. Deciding which was the best was a bit of a stretch for us. Next time we visit DC we will be sure to check if out.

We have eaten at Jaleo over the past 12 years whenever we visit DC. We always have had excellent meals there, but I wish there was more room between tables. I did not want to hear the life story of the young ladies sitting adjacent to us, interesting though it may have been, but I did anyway. I don’t sit that close to my own family! And the noise level is high there.

An excellent spot for vegetarians, and convenient for pre- or after-theater snacking. Pan cristal is always a hit, as are the pequillo peppers and the cauliflower with raisins. Changing seasonal options bring us back. The wine list is extensive, but tends toward the high side--it's a bit sparse under $50. Delicious fare, quiet, competent service and, all in all, a pretty good value.

Group of 4 was just right. We got to order 12 small plates and every one was excellent.
Quited down once hockey game started. When we arrived, seemed like 1/2 the diners were wearing Capitols jerseys so forget the smart casual dress recommendation.

Jaleo is FABULOUS! Whenever I come to DC, this will be a must-do! Food and cocktails are exceptional! Service is exquisite. Location is great! I cannot say enough good things about Jaleo!

Of course. I do it all the time! This was the first I had tried the lunch menu — and found that I much prefer the regular tapas offerings.

Great lunch special menu. Best deal in DC

We went at 4:45 and the noise level was fine. It grew more crowded later. Hanger steak and tomato bread were superb as were the cocktails. The croquettes sampler was so-so. Service was lovely and attentive. There's always a happy vibe here which adds to the meal.

The food was delicious and the service was excellent. We will definitely go back.

Recommend the tasting menu! Definitely a great way to try lots of different dishes. Will definitely be back.

Kind of disappointing, as my wife and I had high expectations. We ordered, among others, jamón ibérico. $25 for 6 slices of jamón that didn’t seem to be hand cut by knife is too much (was it actually paletilla?). The venue was packed, tables too close (we could hear intimate conversations from the table next to us). Decent food quality and good service.

The staff was very accommodating and the food was exquisite I’ll be back again very soon for my next dining experience I highly recommend this restaurant it is a fun upbeat and casual dining experience

Been to Jaleo many times, but this time my wife and I found the food slipped somehow. The menu wasn’t as appealing as past visits and we actually sent one item back. We will return and we’ll see what happens.

Service was great . Tapas , good in general , paella ... good for US standards , poor if one compares with the Spanish ones

The food was not as good as it has been in the past, however the shrimp and garlic remain a favorite. Wanted to love is as much as we have in the past, but it was sort of a disappointment. (Had a Greek lunch at their sister restaurant two days later which was AMAZING...Zaytina.)

Jose Andres is a genius. ‘Nuff said!

El lugar es fascinante, pedimos el “José ‘s way”, y todo fue extraordinario, pero reconozco que es demasiada comida, la atención de los meseros es genial y en español.
Sin duda es un imperdible si vas a visitar Washington.
¡Felicidades!

Amazing food, great atmosphere. Loved everything about it!

Fun and lively restaurant with delicious tapas. Service was excellent.

My son actually selected this restaurant and once I reviewed the menu and recognized the value for the money I agreed to visit for dinner. What a pleasant surprise as we both enjoyed the food and service. The staff accommodated our early arrive with class. Very apperatative of all that was done to make our visit extra special. We will return!!

Bad service - good food

First meal in Washington... outstanding flavors with surprises in each dish. Pretty sure the Flan changed my life 🤣

Outstanding as usual.

We eat here on a fairly regular basis and I am pleased to say that Jaleo never disappoints. At our most recent experience, where I arrived late and we were a bit rushed, we had really great service. Everyone from the person who greeted us, to the waiter, to the fellow who filled our water glasses, was a real pleasure. And the food was as great as ever.

Everything was fabulous ... as ALWAYS.... wish there was a bigger bar area.....

Always a great time at Jaleo! Consistently delicious food, yummy drinks, fresh ingredients, clean and pleasant service.

Jaleo never ever disappoints ! Even after all of these years and being one who tends to order some of my same favorites every time, there is always at least 3 or 4 or more of us and we share so that some things become new favorites. It is the go-to place before the theater.
Love it, and of course, we all think Chef Andre hung the moon and believe he justly deserves the most serious humanitarian award the world has to bestow.
Cheers,
Ann Creager

Took 30 minutes after we were seated to get our drinks. Asked for more bread and waited 15 minutes. Food was greasy and poor quality (fatty duck).

Food and service were excellent!

The tasting menu for lunch was perfect. Many good options with different tastes. Food well presented, fresh and tasty. Service was excellent. A perfect place for lunch and catch up with an old friend.

Had a business dinner and while the initial welcome was odd, the dining experience was fantastic! There were 6 of us, and we all did the tasting menu. Great for group dinner. We had a little of everything and our server seemed to be very knowledgeable.

The food was fine but in my opinion, nothing special. We were originally seated at a table that was overrun by foot traffic, but they were gracious and moved us when we asked. The men’s and women’s bathrooms are adjacent and there’s a divider between them that’s open on the top and bottom, so we could see under it to the other side. The service was friendly and attentive. We had a nice time overall.

Yes, I will always recommend Jaleo. We have gone there consecutively for the past six years when we travel to DC for business in March. However, this experience was not as great as past years. First time we had to return food, vegan paella was bland.

Our waitress, Olga, was top notch!

I love Jaleo. It is my go to when I am in Penn Qtr. the service is attentive without being overbearing, the food is wonderful.. I keep meaning to try the paella but always end up ordering tapas...maybe next time😀

Jaleo is consistently a great experience--great food and great service. Yesterday was an exception. I was part of a party of 3 with reservations at noon. Restaurant not yet busy. It took half an hour to get drinks. After an hour, one person in our group engaged in a very calm and polite discussion with the server raising concerns about the amount of time to receive drinks and wondering if there was an issue with the order. The server was not defensive, but did not seem to understand the concern. We were brought some food, but it actually belonged to another table (as it turns out, the table next to us). That table eventually left after not receiving their food. We finally received the our food, but the entire experience lasted 2 1/2 hours. I am writing this not to dissuade persons from going (again, Jaleo is usually quite good and Jose Andres rocks!), but instead to alert the restaurant. The food was up to pay, but our level of service experience was abysmal and the server did not appear to understand that. He was not defensive or argumentative, he just did not seem to get it.

Buenísimo. Great food and excellent staff.

I took my mom for dinner( she is a huge food snob) all I can say is... Thank you sooo much for the experience she had a grin from ear to ear the entire time!!! Outstanding!!!