La Famosa — Restaurant in Washington

I have a series of comments regarding our visit last Thursday Dec/30th around 7:00 PM with my wife, my 2 children and my dog (in a stroller). I’m sure you already heard about our visit.

At our arrival, my wife asked about the table that is right at the entrance which had room enough for our party but, the manager replied back saying that the table was for a party of 6, although she did not mentioned it was reserved. She offered us to sit at the bar, which had 4 or 5 stools available, or outdoors. So, we decided to sit outdoor where she explianed that we had to order our food and drinks and pay in advance.

Approximately five to ten minutes passed when the rain started while we were going throughout the menu and placing our order. So, we had to call the manager and ask for a table indoors. The bar wasn’t an option because, at that instance, it only had 3 stools available. The party of 6 table that was available was being offered to a new party of 5. So, initially our party of 5 wasn’t good…and her only option was to offer us the “table” and stools on the right side of the restaurant, a countertop table against the wall. By that time, my wife was pretty upset about the situation and immediately decided to write a review in google while waiting for our order.

So, this happened…just 5 minutes after my wife posted her review while we were eating, the manager decided to visit our “table” and inquire about her comments. Why you did not come to me first? She asked. My wife replied saying that she did, we felt that she discriminated against our dog, which is a service dog, and that we didn’t liked the seating options but decided to stay anyway. Then she started to raise her voice and argue saying that those were the restaurant policies, that it wasn’t about the dog, but a space issue.

Well, these are my comments and/or questions:

Is your policy to place a family at the countertop against the wall instead of having them to wait 15-20 minutes for a proper table? Is part of your policy to inquire a customer about a review while eating? I found that very disrespectful and unprofessional of her. We were trying to have a good time, although we were not because of what happened earlier. But at least we deserved to enjoy our meals…or not? She decided to ruin our meal. At the end of the day, she acted on behalf of the restaurant. Is part of your policy to seat minors at the bar? I’m not sure if that’s legal in DC but maybe I’m wrong.

Puerto Ricans characterize ourselves as humble people, friendly and familiar with a stranger or fellow Puerto Ricans. It’s part of our culture. That is not the atmosphere that we felt at your place. Fellow Puerto Ricans wouldn’t mind to share a table with a solo guest. They wouldn’t mind to wait 15-20 or 30 minutes for a proper table...neither wouldn’t mind to take a 6-person table, for an hour or 1-1/2 hours, for a party of 4, although if that meant to waive the income of 2 guests.

The issue wasn’t space. The issue was money.

It’s a shame we felt that way. The food was pretty good, although we find it on the expensive side and there were waiters that didn’t know how to pronounce some names of our food, but that’s not their fault, it’s the...

Wow...just wow. I came to La Famosa with a party of eight for dinner, and we were absolutely blown away by how delicious and authentic the food was (and how many plant-based options there were)! When we walked in, it immediately felt like we were teleported from DC to a Caribbean haven, with the cozy and adorable decor, the mood lighting, and just the bright and cheerful energy of the staff and the overall restaurant. And if that wasn't enough to immediately lift your spirits and make you think of walking through the streets of San Juan or along the coasts, the food definitely will!

We ordered a bunch of different dishes to sample, with a mix of vegetarian / pescatarian and meat-based dishes. We started the meal with the bolitas de queso, pastelillos, croquetas de bacaloa, and ensalada de pulpo. The bolitas de queso were a table favorite, as well as both the vegetarian and beef pastelillos. The vegetarian one was made with impossible meat, which was not quite what I was expecting, but it was a pleasant surprise and absolutely delicious. The filling was incredibly flavorful and the outside shell perfectly fried and crispy, and it all paired beautifully with their dipping sauce. I also loved the croquetas de bacaloa, and the ensalada de pulpo was light and refreshing, yet still incredibly flavorful.

We were already filling up from the starters, but we just couldn't resist sampling a bunch of their amazing entrees as well. I was obsessed with their ensalada tamarindo; I know it sounds boring and obnoxious to say that a salad was one of my favorite items at any restaurant, but it was so incredibly fresh, and the tamarind dressing had the perfect balance of salty, sweet, and sour, and complemented the greens and shrimp incredibly well. And the shrimp! The shrimp was beautifully cooked, still perfectly springy and with a light char that paired wonderfully with the subtle natural sweetness of the shrimp, as well as the sweet and sour tamarind glaze on the outside. We also ordered their chicken, pork, and vegetarian picadillo mofongos; the chicken and pork ones received high praise, and I absolutely loved the vegetarian dish. It used the same impossible meat filling as the vegetarian pastelillo, which was amazingly flavorful and just so warm and comforting. It was a great pairing with the crispy mashed fried plantains, but the dish was definitely heavy. It put me to sleep almost immediately...not that I'm complaining, especially because it felt like a warm hug on a cold winter day.

All in all, I really can't recommend La Famosa enough. The menu is delicious and authentic, and the restaurant does a great job of accommodating most dietary restrictions (you can request that almost anything be made gluten-free, and there's a solid number of pescatarian and vegetarian options). The restaurant's ambiance is casual, cheerful, and all-around delightful, and is the perfect place to unwind after a long workday or hang out on...

I have to say the food is very good. I might suggest to friends but today was a disaster.

On the ordering app, which you have no choice, you have to order that way, there is a part where they allow to ask or state specific instructions. Well we had 3 things we requested and they simply told us "oh we can't do that.

We asked to change Tostones to Amarillos, if they did that the portion "HAD" to be smaller. What?

I asked for the Mofongo with Shrimp, which the Shrimp comes with a red sauce I don't like, to be served Separately...you know on the side. "Oh we can't do that because of the presentation ". I ordered something different which was a tiny portion of seafood, Tiny.

My dear friend just wanted white rice with her Chilló Frito, instead of the seasoned rice. That took about 5 minutes to find out if it could be done. Then they served the white rice without beans. "You didn't asked for it, SHE DID, and that had to be ordered separately". If the chef is Puerto Rican, which I have my doubts, you know that white rice is married to beans...period.

Two deceiving items on the menu as well.

1. They write it as Carne Frita in Spanish and if you're Puerto Rican and you don't need to read it in English, you'll later find out your getting Pork Bellies. Which is NOT carne frita...and I suggested they change that and they most certainly won't. They portion was ridiculously tiny..like 6 pieces for over $10.

2. My wife saw Chuletas Kan Kan on the menu, again in Spanish, and at first glance, the image looked right. However if you read a little more IN ENGLISH it now says bone-in Bershire pork chop, again, which is not a Chuleta Kan Kan. OH, her beans were not Puerto Rican style either, tasted a little spicy, and totally different. But I'm sure thats the way they do it. Again probably not a Puerto Rican chef.

On the way out, we overheard an owner explaining to another customer, " that's how WE do it".

One other thing that drove me crazy and it was my 3rd time visiting, is I ordered Mofongo and seafood plate, ( because they wouldn't serve my shrimp on the side) they don't come out together. I told one of the owners that I ordered them at the same time and it was very annoying that they're served separate. During my 1st visit the same thing happened. One of the owners said "appetizers, main dishes and other items are served separately. They will not fix that either.

Remember, special instructions/request don't really happen because that's " not the way they do it.

My wife and my dear friends say we're...