Él Bebe — Restaurant in Washington

Recently dined at El Bebe with my girlfriend the other night. I was excited about a New Mexican restaurant in the neighborhood as it’s easily one of my favorite eats and also walking distance from my apartment. Upon arriving (with no reservations) I was greeted by the host with a “hey, just gimme one second” in which I stood awkwardly and waited about a minute while two young ladies were trying to figure out something on the computer. A third employee walked over and I could tell she was also trying to figure out why I was jus standing there without being helped. Finally, I was told there would be about an hour wait in which I put my name down on the list. Luckily, while waiting I found two open spots at the bar where I ended up sitting, and my guest arrived shortly after. I was quickly greeted by a young woman with a glass of water, and began to browse the menu. The bartender was attentive but didn’t smile once. I have over 7 years of restaurant experience and as a bartender this is the last thing you want to do. Sometimes a little personality or warm greeting goes a long way. Nevertheless, she was attentive as the bar only seats about 10 people. I realized while looking at the menu that chips and salsa, unlike many other Mexican restaurant I’ve been to, is not complimentary. While this is not a dealbreaker because I understand that we’re in Navy Yard, it was a little disappointing to pay 4 bucks for what is usually on the house at similar restaurants. I went ahead and ordered it along with our drinks. I got the passion fruit frozen marg which was probably the best thing I had that night, and my girlfriend got a regular margarita. She initially wanted a mojito, but the bartender said they don’t really make those after showing us they did have rum but it’s not something they really make; which I found a little weird. I mean, if you have the ingredients for a drink, then certainly you can make the drink. As we ordered our food, I got the carne asada tacos and my girlfriend ordered the enchiladas; both were extremely underwhelming. The carne asada tacos were on 3 cold corn tortillas (I ended up just eating the beef with a fork and couldn’t eat the tortillas). And the side of yellow rice (with peas!) was also luke warm and overcooked. The enchiladas came out lukewarm like the rest of our food. I really do not enjoy complaining or sending food back, so I ended up just picking at the tacos and sipping on my drink which was really the only thing I enjoyed. We chose to skip dessert and left shortly after. After two drinks and a shot, chips and salsa, 3 tacos and 2 enchiladas, our bill was 100 after leaving a 20 percent tip. Probably the worst $100 I’ve spent in awhile, and as much as I love Mexican food it’s safe to say I will never go back. There’s sooo many better options for Mexican if you’re in the city. Sometimes places can have a bad night in the kitchen but make up for it in service. And trust me I know this isn’t fine dining but a smile and warm personality can really help sway the opinion of guests when the food is just not doing it. Just a little feedback for whoever might decide to dine here, although they lost me at green peas...

UPDATE:

For the last 2-3 years, my family orders tacos every Tuesday. When Santa Rosa on Capitol Hill closed, we started visiting almost every taco place in the area. Many if the best live outside of D.C., but El Bebe's frozen margaritas and its close proximity to East of the River made it a regular. However, the last 3-4 weeks, something with our takeout order was messed up. That is totally fine because we're all human, but when it's consistently wrong and the staff don't correct it and belittle the feedback, it becomes a problem. Here's our experience:

1. Shrimp tacos: It's my go-to order and a big reason is that it comes in flour tortillas v. corn. I really love flour tortillas and they add to its flavor. However, the last few times, they came in corn tortillas even after I called to verify they come on flour. Each time I was told they do and then they came on corn. When asked about it, the order wasn't corrected.

2. Bean and rice portions: The taco platters come with three tacos AND a side of rice and bean. Sometimes our takeout order included big portions of rice and beans. Other times they were tiny portions. At times, our platters came with no rice or beans. Again, when given the feedback, our order wasn't corrected.

3. Frozen individual margaritas: They used to sell them online, but now you can't. If you want frozen, single-serving of margaritas, you need to call to order them. I've asked staff why you can't order them online anymore and each time they insist they are still online. They are not.

Again, there is always grace, especially during tough times like the pandemic. However, consistent wrong takeout orders at a more expensive taco spot isn't ideal. Two words- frozen margaritas. If you're looking for quality frozen margaritas, look no further. El Bebe in Navy Yard is your spot! There are four regular margaritas and five frozen margaritas. If you like sweeter margaritas, order the frozen passionfruit or "El Corazon," a mix of passionfruit, pomegranate and blood orange. Happy hour takes off $2 from each margaritas Monday through Friday from 4-7p.m. They also have cocktails and beer. Note- the frozen margaritas carry well for takeout.

Booze aside, I enjoy El Bebe's food too. They have taco platters, enchiladas, etc. I always go for the trio of crispy shrimp tacos on flour tortillas. Yep, you can substitute corn tortillas for flour tortillas on any taco!

The service in-person is efficient and friendly. The takeout process online is easy and they always have your order on time.

Compared to other quality taco spots in the area (like Taco City up the road), the prices are steeper, but still...

Why the 3 star rating? Business is war and competition is what drives some resteraunts to provide above board service, quality, quantity and value for the dollar spent. Simply put, they know customers can choose and refuse. El Bebe is owned by the Metropolitan Hospitalty Group, same captains of industry that own Circa--that's why the two resteraunts are conjoined twins at the Nationals Park location. As a native New Yorker and international traveler, my discriminating pallet will not allow me to just roll the dice when choosing a resteraunt. I assess the location, read the reviews, eyeball the menu and do some online research. ÈL Bebe is a Mexican inspired resteraunt (their media and messaging indicates this) it is not a Mexican resteraunt. If it were, the portions would certainly be much larger and the food more authentic. According to them, "it is a tribute to those who work hard and deserve all the tacos and tequila they can handle. This is a judgment-free taco zone and we applaud the grind as well as the unwind" If you subscribe to this agenda, then El Bebe may not disappoint you in this regard. Do not expect a coma-inducing feast of meats, cheeses, and tortillas. It's Mexican inspired, so I did not have this expectation. The service was attentive and swift. We ordered the fajitas, and as the resident carnivore, I ordered the steak. The meat portions were not modest but not overtly large--my SO ordered the shrimp/chicken. Both equally flavorful and tender to touch. The extremely modest amount of rice and beans and other sides (pico de gallo, lettuce, sour cream) was both surprising and concerning. The rice was served in a measuring cup sized bowl. Take note, this bowl included the beans?? Do the math...4 oz of rice and 4 oz of beans, essentially a kid's portion. In case you're wondering, my stomach was not eating my back when we entered the resteraunt, we both had dined sufficiently earlier--I was on no way starving. Nor do we have an affinity for gluttony, as evidenced by our lean athletic build. My SO surrendered his portion of modest sides to me, so I could have a full meal. In turn, I surrendered my tortillas, so he could have a full meal. The total bill was $76 + 20 tip=$96. We did not order drinks or additional food items. In my opinion, expectation of value is always based on service, quality, quantity and price. Again, service and quality of food was very good here. Unfortunately, having to trade off food items at the table out of necessity to establish a full meal, fell short of our expectations. Could have been a better experience, but El Bebe tripped at the...