Mezcalero Cocina Mexicana — Restaurant in Washington

Unfortunately, I had an incredibly lackluster experience here. We were seated inside immediately (the table was cleared but never cleaned from the prior customers), but didn’t get waited on in a timely manner. It took a really long time for the chips and salsa to come.

All those things I could’ve overlooked, as someone who works in the service industry I know that they were understaffed and I’m empathetic.

However, my food came out completely cold. And then it took FORTY minutes for my friend’s meal to arrive after mine got there. After about 10 minutes, I was able to flag someone down and politely ask (“hi ma’am, just wanted to check on my friend’s chicken enchiladas”) the status of her food. I was then dismissed and told it was coming. About 15 minutes after that, the server comes back to re-take my friend’s order. So my friend waited about an hour for her food, which didn’t come until 40 minutes after my food arrived. I also had to get up to refill my own water, and I had to ask for the check twice.

I would say that out of all the folks in the restaurant, 70% were frustrated with the service. Everyone was complaining to one another. Another huge issue was that their computer was down, so orders were being taken and communicated manually and payments were taken by the servers to the restaurant next door to process.

So it boils down to being understaffed and having tech issues. These things are no fun, but the way the restaurant handled it exacerbated the issues. After a party left, they would immediately bus the table and sit someone else, rather than waiting on the customers they already had and telling new customers there would be a wait.

It was just a situation of mismanagement that resulted in a terrible restaurant experience for most of their customers last night. I feel for them and wish them the best, but I don’t think...

More Mexican? Sí, but the arrival adds something different to the mix: a focus on seafood dishes from the Yucatán Peninsula, Acapulco and elsewhere. The name of the newcomer references the charcoal-fueled clay pots Solis remembers his grandmother using in the countryside near his native Mexico City. Indeed, the burnt-orange walls of Anafre share the color of the stove.

A few things haven’t changed at this location. When you walk through the door, you’re greeted by the twin red carpets of cooking aromas wafting from the rear open kitchen and bouncy music that cures whatever ails you — or at least

Sad news first: The best black bean soup in recent memory is history, and so is the fanciful mural of a sunny Havana. I, for one, miss Little Havana and its seductive Cuban cooking in Columbia Heights. But then, I wasn’t the boss who had to pay bills and retain servers.

As proud of Little Havana as owner Alfredo Solis was, the Washington chef and restaurateur says he couldn’t compete with the Mexican outposts on the block, including Taqueria Habanero and his own consistently busy Mezcalero. He and his crew at the Cuban retreat would see the lines outside the friendly rivals and wonder where the audience was for their roast pork lit with bitter orange juice and pina coladas served in pineapple halves. After mulling the idea of closing Little Havana in April, Solis shuttered the storefront in October. The eatery’s successor, Anafre, made its...

Came in on a Saturday night for dinner with family and was surprised to see that they weren’t packed… Reason I say that is the food was AMAZING! Seriously, some of the best Mexican eats I’ve had in a very long time! They food they make and serve here isn’t the typical Mexican stuff you get from many locals, neighborhood joints that cater to the typical American… the food here would 100% be appealing to everyone, including the bland, typical American… but it’s also unique in style, preparation, and flavor!

Their ceviche was incredibly fresh and tasty. The basic chips and salsa they provide when being seated consists of a nice, smokey red salsa as well as a spicy verde which was loaded with heat and flavor. Their queso fundido was incredible and came out bubbling and piping hot! The best thing was their Solis Molcajate was OUTSTANDING! It’s a protein buffet served in a mortar (Molcajete) along with some other garnishes, cactus and onions and cheese and it’s truly incredible! It comes with sides and their most amazing homemade corn tortillas too. A few of us shared this and it was definitely enough for 3 – 4 people!

Overall, we tried many items on the menu and all were great! Highly recommend stopping in for great Mexican eats! And like I said at the beginning, not sure why they weren’t packed on a Saturday night for having...