El Sol Restaurante & Tequileria — Restaurant in Washington

I ordered 'a lot' by regular standards,but a normal amount for a Mexican restaurant: tacos dorados el pollo, guac & chips, 3 nopales tacos, rice & beans, hibiscus fresca, & flan.

Idk what region (contrary to the paintings of Mexico City upstairs) the food is based from,but it somehow missed the mark... on everything. It wasn't bad, but it was bland. Genuinely, even the nopales lacked flavor- and that's a hard feat. The basic staples of rices & beans, and chips will cost you $20- again just very contradicting for a Mexican restaurant. Also, worth noting, the beans are/were 'bean beans' if that makes sense. They were quite literally reminiscent of black beans straight from a can-watery and soupy, with a few strings of cheese. The rice was not good, nor bad, but edible. Honestly, you could buy some sazón packets and get more flavor though. The guac definitely needed some work- more pico (especially onion) is highly needed. The biggest disappointment was the flan though. It was flavorless. It wasn't bad, but it literally lacked flavor.

Everything in here somehow manages to miss the mark- like it's the right food, but there's no actual flavor. Dare I say, it was unseasoned- again a hard thing to do for Mexican food. The kicker(s) has to be the flour tortillas, the only TWO salsas (both extremely mild), and charging for [grilled] jalapeños-and still not getting the flavor right on those.

If, and only if, the goal of the restaurant was to immulate those restaurants in Mexico city that specifically cater everything to the gringo tourists- then they hit their mark. As for being an 'authentic' restaurant- that's definitely not the case.

Also, I don't necessarily mind the gratuity included, but the pricing has to be questioned. Even in Alaska (where Mexican restaurants are few) you would NEVER pay the jalapeños. If this were a fine dining restaurant, I could get it (maybe), but it's not. For 30 pesos (starting price) there's an amazing taco cart in Tijuana right outside from the San Diego east crossing entrance. For the same price as my meal, I could catch a flight, walk over, & get food 10x more flavorful and actually authentic.

Nothing was bad, but nothing was good- it was as bland as an apolitical person. Strong advice to the owners: there's a Mexican store right next door- seasoning and produce is fresh and affordable- utilize them.

Wouldn't recommend, but wouldn't mot recommend. The staff was chill. I had to wait for a second (more bc they thought I was takeout), but they were quick to seat when it came time. Idk my waiters name- [about 5'8", a medium tanned skin with gold undertones, small(er) adams apple, brown eyes, 1b hair [short], and long fingers] -but he was cute, and that made up for a lot of...

There are many factors that go into the process of reviewing a restaurant. For starters, the interior is an important detail to consider. El Sol makes do with what little space they have. Yet, when filling with many diners, the small entry way can be claustrophobic while waiting for a table.

When going upstairs, the dining space is tight. Though what's more disappointing is the quality of attention to detail in regards to the service. We were a party of three seated at an unset table. We had to ask for napkins and silverware. Not to forget, we had to ask for water a few times. Moreover, being given chips and salsa before a 20 minute wait for water.

Fortunately, the food wait came soon after receiving waters. In the photos below we have a maracuya served with a Chile salted rim. The drink was mild. The second photo is of a vegetarian enchilada with goat cheese and mushroom. I personally enjoyed the enchilada stuffing. Though as for the flavors on the plate, the rice was lime forward. In the next dish we have the chicken enchiladas. The main critique for this plate is the amount of salt. The refried beans are heavily salted. As for the final dish, I was told the party member enjoyed their carnitas quesadilla- especially regarding the crispy texture.

Overall, the main criticism of the night lays in service. In truth, we were not attended to in a professional manner. Further, we were not expecting to tip for poor service. Yet, there's an unexpected service fee. Even after paying, there was a selection to asldd a tip.

When eating out, there's an expectation to be welcomed regardless of capacity. We've been to restaurants in the past that treated diners like family. So, of course in this case when our table is being disregarded- there's only one option- share...

I was in DC craving Mexican food restaurants when I was .3 miles away from El Sol Restaurante. The reviews where good and I like trying new places so I decided to get them.

Atmosphere- 4.0 stars Off the bat, the restaurant is small and quant. Simple decore with red white green streamers, piñatas decore and Hispanic figures and art. It feels very inviting but the only thing I had trouble is the low light at the bar reading the menu.

Service- 3.5 stars The service was the one thing I struggle with here. It wasn't bad but could have been a lot better. Maybe it's sitting at the bar, (I usually take a seat at a table or booth) but who knows! I was ignored a few times. I had to advocate for complementary chips and salsa after my food showed up, had to call bartender over to get another margarita traditional and asked for my check.

Food- 3.0 stars Chips and Salsa [complimentary] 2x traditional margaritas [11 dollars each] Tacos de mole [17 dollars]

I go to Mexican restaurants for chips and salsa. I'm gonna say I'm a harsh critic when it comes to Mexican food due to living in SoCal so I usually have high expectations of the food that most adore. Needless to say. The food was okay but not mind-blowing delicious. The chips are not freshly made which is always a disappointment. The tacos de mole was overly sauced where took a bite it squart out mole sauce overpowering the cilantro and onions in the taco. But on a positive note, the chicken wasn't dried and the rice and beans were pretty good as well.

The best part was the margarita drinks. They were strong, rim salted and hit the spot with the warm...