dLeña by Chef Richard Sandoval — Restaurant in Washington

Don’t dine here unless you want food poisoning! My husband, son, and I dined here on 10/28 for a 7:15pm reservation celebrating my birthday. Every year I dine with Flemings in Virginia but decided to try Dleña after hearing such great reviews. Unfortunately my experience was far from what I heard. I made my reservation well in advance for my husband and I, but called later to ask if i can add 2 or 4 more people to my party. I was told that wasn’t possible and that the restaurant was fully booked for the night. After arriving, we were seated at a 4 person table, even though i was told i could not add 2 others to my party. The restaurant itself doesn’t even have seating for 2 at a time. Each table is 4 or more, so whoever set up tables this way designed it poorly.

Once I was sat by my host, i looked up and saw i was seated under a vent. My son complained that he was cold so we asked our server if we could move. She promptly moved us and the unprofessional host came over and loudly said to us that we’re not allowed to sit there because she planned to seat others at this table and that we need to move back so that she can combine two tables. After my husbands suggestion to move to the table next to that table, further from the vent, we were all okay. I’m not sure why the host didn’t think to seat us there or why she didn’t privately tell the server about her seating plan but that rubbed both of us the wrong way and set the foundation for our experience dining at Dleña. I need Dleña to train their hosts better because I expect better service from a restaurant featured in a Michelin Guide.

Onto my appetizer, I ordered Guacamole and Wagyu empanadas. The chips tasted burnt and when my husband and I bit into our empanadas, they were cold. The outside of the empanada was hot but the inside was cold. It was clear the oil you used to fry them was too hot because why else would the outside be hot to touch but the inside is ice cold. My husband sent them back and they came back out at a better temperature inside and out. We then ordered the ribeye. My ribeye was under seasoned, his ribeye was over seasoned, it was also very grainy and the quality of the steak was poor. For the price we paid I expected WAY better quality for a restaurant that prides itself on their steaks. The only part of the steak done right was the cook on the steak, but it lacked everywhere else and barely had sear. After the steaks, we planned on ordering the short rib but decided to wrap it up as we were so disappointed in our meals so far. I didn’t receive a Happy Birthday leaving or arriving, nothing was even done when i mentioned it was my birthday. At least at Flemings, it’s acknowledged with the tables decorated, free dessert, and a card signed by staff. But Dleña is clearly not the place for celebration as I was treated like any other. Let’s fast forward to when i arrived home. I felt sick to my stomach and my husband did too. Once I found myself vomiting, i was brought to the emergency room where they told me I had food poisoning. I was unable to keep down liquids, foods, pills, etc.. and had to get an IV to replenish my electrolytes and zofran to stop the puking. I spent the entire day after in the ER trying to recover. So much for trying a new restaurant on my birthday. I do not ever see myself dining or recommending Dleña to anyone. I now know if I want a great experience and quality food to stay away from Dleña and go to Flemings. I called the manager once i was out the hospital and he told me to email their team of reps… i have yet to hear anything back. Don’t dine here. I could’ve saved over $200 and...

I visited this establishment for a birthday celebration on Friday, 3/14. Let me start by saying the food is amazing. If you’re dining with one or two other people, I highly recommend it. However, my party and I were extremely disappointed with the way we were treated.

To begin, the lady GM who reserved the party was so extremely sweet. I would like to make sure she gets credit for the kindness she provided. However, there was a miscommunication between the guests and the restaurant regarding the reservation time. Even after our main guest was deeply apologetic, we were still held to the two hour time limit, leaving just over an hour left to enjoy our meal. We had purchased a pre-selected menu along with the drink package, yet our server reminded us of our remaining time after EACH course. Respectfully, we are all adults. This isn’t some marathon. We all have phones with times on them. We only needed to be informed once when we were expected to leave. This constant reminder made everyone in our group incredibly uncomfortable, as it felt like we were being rushed out the door.

At no point did we scream or yell. If you’ve been here before, you know the restaurant’s ambiance is lively. There is loud music, dim lighting, and a band playing downstairs. This environment naturally encourages a more energetic atmosphere. We were a group of girls, laughing and having a good time, but never once were we inappropriate or disruptive. Yet, shortly after we arrived, the manager approached us and told us to “keep it down.” If this establishment aims to provide a quiet, intimate dining experience, they are doing a horrible job of communicating that through their ambiance and aesthetics.

Later, another manager came over and asked how we were doing. One of our friends made a lighthearted joke about needing another drink (as most people might on a Friday night). Rather than responding with a playful remark such as “Don’t we all?” or “I can see why you got the drink package!”, he instead made a comment about ensuring we would be able to walk out of the restaurant (with no smile on his face). Let me be clear: no one in our group was slurring their words, stumbling, or exhibiting any signs of intoxication. The remark was unnecessary and condescending.

Despite there being no visible need to rush us, we were given a strict exit time of 10:05 PM. There was no indication that another large party was waiting for our table. Instead of being flexible, they made us feel unwelcome and pushed us out.

I, and others, can accept that the reservation miscommunication ultimately was on our party. But, our party spent $3,055 here. Given that, it is beyond disappointing that we were treated like children, and they weren’t a little more accommodating regarding an honest mistake. That’s what true hospitality is.

As someone with over 4 years of experience in fine dining, I found this particularly frustrating. While our server did a good job, the overall hospitality was extremely poor. To make matters worse, staff even followed us downstairs to the band area, making us feel like some kind of liability—again, despite there being zero indication of excessive drinking or inappropriate behavior.

If you’re dining with 1-2 people,sure, give this place a try. But if you’re planning a celebration or dining with a group of 6+, I strongly suggest...

Wow, what a memorable experience! My review will contain spoilers for the Chef's Table experience - you have been warned! Upon checking in, we were greeted by the manager (Josh), who welcomed us to the restaurant, took our coats, and escorted us to our table. To our surprise, we quickly realized that the Chef's Table is an incredibly intimate end exclusive experience because there was only one table! Josh introduced us to Carlos Camacho (executive chef) and Chris (wine pairing guide extraordinaire). Food: I'll label the photos that accompany the review with the dish names; however, Carlos does create new menus throughout the year, and we came in at the end of the Winter menu. As we worked through each dish, we were impressed with how the flavors included in the dish paired with each other. Clearly, Carlos focuses on creating cohesive dishes, while paying careful attention to each component separately. Do yourself a favor and take small bites during each course. Try the components of each dish (especially the sauces!) and take bites with all the components together. What Carlos is doing here is really impressive. I'll also add that I'm not generally a fan of peaches or lamb, but the way Carlos used both ingredients in this menu are my favorite preparations of either that I have ever had. Who knew lamb could be so good?! We were also impressed with how Carlos is using local ingredients across his dishes that show a beautiful range of Latin American cooking. Wine: We did the beverage pairing with our meal; all the pairings were wine, so if you are not a wine fan, take note. Chris was on his game all night, quickly following Carlos with the pairings for the course (there was a pairing with each dish). Chris was very familiar with the menu and the different tastes and components of each dish. In addition to describing the notes of each wine, he explained why each wine was chosen with each dish (there were often multiple tie-ins). This really made everything seem very purposeful and gave us a challenge to see how well our palettes could pick up on what Chris described to us. Experience: The placement of the table is such an interesting juxtaposition of a private, secluded experience (you cannot see any other patrons) and the busy nature of a kitchen line. It's artistry. Seeing the kitchen work cohesively and effectively was impressive as well. Dishes come out beautifully presented and are quickly swept up to be delivered to their destination. When mistakes happened, everyone remained calm and focused on correcting the mistake for the customer. Post-Dinner: We were given gifts at the end of our meal; I won't spoil what they are, but everything about them is beautifully done. Josh offered to escort us downstairs to the lounge, which we excitedly took him up on. He made sure we received quick service at the bar and even stopped by later to make sure we were able to grab a seat (the lounge was initially full when we arrive). Overall, this is one of the best tasting menu experiences we've had in the District. We have already recommended it to several friends and are planning to return to celebrate some special occasions (and we aren't typically the type of people to return to a restaurant to repeat a...