Boqueria Dupont — Restaurant in Washington

The meal was good, my group went with the Boquerira experience. The staff was great and brought out new dishes in a measured pace for communication. I liked the small portions that everyone shared but at the end we were all quite full. My main complaint and suggestion is with the noise and table sizes. Inside it became a bit difficult to manage with 3 people especially since we weren’t finishing all of our food so we could prepare for more. I would highly recommend eating outside on the patio, unfortunately it rained most of the week I was in DC so the patio was not available.

Two notes: Spanish food is not Mexican food. I often forget that due to how little I get Spanish food. Additionally, due to not always hearing the dish correctly from the noise, I may have some of the various items confused. I am comparing based on flavors, descriptions, and pictures of the dish. The pictures posted should be line up with the order of the listed items.

The Boquerira Experience – fantastic time, minimal decision making, multiple dishes are brought out. If there is something in particular you are interested in, mention it so they can bring that. I imagine each time could be different

Charcuterie Meat

Jamon Iberico de bellota – definitely the best aged pork I've had and was delicious. I would love to try the different ages to really identify where the flavor differences start to change.

Artisanal Cheese

Truffle goat cheese – I love a goat cheese and this was stellar with the meat and cheese. Very light on the earthy flavors with a sweet and slight tang.

8 month aged Mahon (may have this mixed up) – this was a thicker slice white cheese - my whole table was not a fan of this cheese.  This had an initial sweet/nutty mild cheddar flavor but at the end really moved into something reminiscent of hay. Similar to a taste/smell of a clean barn/farm.

Paella

Paella de Mariscos – honestly kind of disappointed. This was the last dish and did not provide the flavor I was expecting. This was my first Paella, but I was hoping for more. The shrimp, mussels and clams were good but I found the monkfish, squid and Sepia(cuttlefish) to be lacking in flavor but appeared to be cooked well. These are also items I've not had before so I have no comparison. But were a novel experience I’d be willing to try again.

Vegetables – one of my favorites

Pan con tomate – this was tasty, think puree bruschetta, certainly a good addition.

Aceitunas – Tasty olives, not a fan of seeds but the olives were very good.

Croquetas de setas – oh my, these were delicious. The inside was very creamy and went so well with the truffle aioli. I wish for some more mushroom to come through in this, but no part was over or under flavored. Very well done.

Patatas bravas – also phenomenal, at the end the tomato started to become too potent, but a dish split between friends is just right. their aioli is very well done.

Bruselas Con Naranja – unexpected and delicious. Since we didn’t have the menu with us, we were surprised by the flavors the dishes brought. These brussels sprouts were cooked wonderfully and the salted ones went so well with the sweet and tart sauce that was brought with them. I've never had a sauce quite like it and I was such a fan.

Carne (Meat)

Croquetas De Jamon – Heck yeah, this was stellar, and the quince puree was such a splendid addition. If you’re unfamiliar, the taste is similar to a fine, light applesauce puree. The texture and consistency worked so well to cover the croquets in it.

Pintxos Morunos – absolutely the best lamb that I have had. Incredibly tender especially with it being on a skewer and the meat had absolutely none of the gaminess I'm used to on lower grade meat.

Pescados Y Mariscos (Seafood)

Gambas Al Ajillo – This was very tasty shrimp. I'm not generally a shrimp fan but I was happy here. The brand and lobster reduction were delicious with a nice tang...

Four of us went here for the tasting menu on a Saturday evening. The restaurant is in the same location that Penang used to be many years ago. What a restaurant that was!?! Great atmosphere! It is lively and noisy. You have to shout to be heard by the person next to you. Our waiter was soft-spoken so we tried to read lips. Luckily he could tell from where we were pointing in the menu that we'd do the tasting menu. :-) The first dish that came out was a meatball. It was juicy and tasty! Next came a crisp ball sitting on a white (maybe garlic) sauce. The inside was potato I believe. The dish was fantastically prepared! The shell of the ball was delightfully crisp and the insides cloud like fluffy. Then we were inundated with a bunch of dishes including a charcuterie board. I really liked the lightly heated cuts of pork. There was also some grilled bacon wrapped dates, and a garlic butter shrimp with bread. A version of curly fries with mayo probably. It was soon apparent that the dishes were potato heavy. The garlic shrimp with bread was meh. The unfortunate part was that these dishes were dumped on our table almost simultaneously. The table went quiet while we tried to eat quickly so things didn't get cold. Consequently we couldn't really appreciate the dishes. The food also vanished quickly. We agreed the food was tasty and good but with the heavy presence of potatoes across dishes we all felt like the spread lacked variety. There was no beef, poultry, or lamb that I remember (I suppose the meatball was it in terms of meat?) Then came the paella. This was the most delicious paella that I've ever had! The meal wrapped up with a churro dessert. The margaritas were OK. For the four of us the bill came to approx $350 with a drink each. I gave it 3 stars because we felt rushed and couldn't appreciate our meal - tasty though it was. There was also a lack of variety in dishes with potato being a common element in a few. We were done with our meal in...

Over the years, I have been in other Boqueria Tapas Bar locations (Brooklyn (now closed) , NYC inside the AC Hotel Times Square and their other DC location) but not to this one. I am a fan of Spanish tapas bars, and I really prefer authenticity to Americanized dishes. Boqueria does not disappoint. As it is my custom, I sat at the bar (they also have a lovely open area outside, but I'm not a fan of roasting in the sun. The service was extremely friendly and easy-going. This was at the end of a Friday lunch time, so the restaurant wasn't particularly full, which was nice. I asked the bartender about Albariño white wines, but they had run out of the half-bottle I wanted, so he recommended a voignier based Catalunian white by the glass , which was excellent. I proceeded to order from the lunch menu a escalivada(a common Spanish roasted pepper salad) which was quite tasty, but a very small portion (maybe a tablesppon?) served with roasted bread; roasted octopus (this was good, but not excellent) accompanied by an amazing roasted broccoli (I asked the chef to substitute the fish's mash potatoes), which was a very good portion size, and "pinchos morunos" (mini lamb skewers) which were, again, quite "mini" but tender and delicious. When I asked for dessert, I was told that besides the churros and flan on the menu, they also had Vasque-style cheesecake! I did a beeline to it: also known as "burnt" cheesecake (I promess, is not!) and it was also delicious! The whole meal was great as a lunch-not-brunch-almost-dinner, the service was super friendly and relaxed. I would have given Boqueria a 5* review if it was not for the very small portion size of three of the four dishes I had. I know that restaurants struggle in the post-pandemic universe, and specially in DC, but portions could...