Espíritu Mezcaleria

I walked into this place just by luck. It was a weekday afternoon, and it was empty, so I sat at the bar. The bartender and owners were super friendly and welcoming, and incredibly knowledgeable about tequila and mezcal. Happy hour food specials were really reasonable. I had a salsa sampler and two a la carte tacos. Everything was fresh, flavorful, and truly exceptional. Since my visit, I've told several people how great this place is, now I'm telling you. Try it, you won't be disappointed!

This may be the most expensive Mexican food I've ever had for lunch. There were two of us... we each had a margarita, we were charged for chips and salsa (the salsa tasted like it was a can of Ro-Tel tomatoes), and we each had a taco plate. The tacos were "micro" tacos - 4 bites to each taco. Our bill including tax and tip was $92. And we left hungry.Never. Again.

Went here last night for a break from deep fried Cajun food. Nice looking spot. Was maybe half full at 7:00 on a Thursday in April. We ordered the Creole Queso dip for an appetizer. Very tasty. Not enough chips for the amount of dip. Asked for more chips - nothing. That was about the time that I used up the two street sized, thin corn tortillas came with the Mole and asked for a few more. The Lamb Mole was pretty generous for the two tortillas. My husband ordered the Chicken Tinga tacos. Three street sized tortillas with some Tonga. My husband is a big eater. I wish our waiter had mentioned that it was a light meal, so we would have ordered sides. Now, if you have read many of my reviews, you know that my restaurant mantras is: People do not eat out to get full, they eat out to have fun. Too bad our waiter was having an off night. My dinner was cold by the time the few extra chips and two more tiny tortillas arrived. His female college really saved the day for us and ran interference for us. Long story short- everything was tasty. Portions off. They said they had a new chef. Chef should figure out not to scrimp on the cheap stuff - tortillas and chips are on that list. Being short and then having to wait a long time for more kinda wrecked the evening for us.

This was the best dining and drinking experience we had on our 6 day trip. Adventure to this alley by the federal courthouse and have a great time! The place is unassuming from the outside but don't let it fool you! We went for happy hour on a Friday night. Our $4 tacos and $5 margs turned into a $100 bill because we realized how amazing the rest of the menu was! The elote alone is worth the stop. There is a video running on loop that shows the production of mezcal. I would have learned alot if I hadn't been laughing with the people next toUs. I would have told you before this afternoon that I didn't like mezcal. I said as much to the bartender when we were talking about what to order next. He proceeded to educate me about the finer points of the spirit and all of its varieties. I agreed to try a flight and was pleasantly surprised to find one that I liked. I still wouldn't order another one unless I had such an expert helping me make a choice. He was amazing! There were very few patrons so we had a lot of attention and good conversations with the staff. All were amazing.

Food was good but not out of this world. Also the portions are very small for the price, I think you could go to a better Mexican restaurant with bigger portion sizes and prices. Though the service and ambiance was very good as well as the creole queso. The Birria tacos, and the flan (best thing on the menu outstanding) I would recommend going here just for the flan. Additionally, I thought that the strawberry soda was going to be amazing but it tasted like bath and body works (ifykyk)

The food here seems to trend on the smaller size while the prices trend on the more expensive side. I found my food to be good while I didn't find the price to be in line with the portion of food I received on my plate. One of the biggest selling points of this spot is their specialization with Mezcal and they do offer a weekly presentation and education on Mezcal. Parking in this area is a bit challenging as most of the parking is reserved for people working in the Federal Building next door so you might have to park a bit further away. If you're in the mood for some high quality cocktails along with smaller portion food then this might be your spot. Overall this is a spot I enjoy occasionally but it isn't a regular standby type of joint for me.

I walk past this place at least once a week while catching the Magazine bus and I finally got around to trying it. The ambiance is homey and the staff are nice. The food came out at a reasonable pace, too, and the flavors were good. There were a few small things I thought could be improved. One: they don't offer mix and match tacos. I was assuming they would since the rum house has a similar selection, and they allow you to order what is basically a taco flight so that you get to try three different kinds. I had noticed several interesting kinds on the menu and it was difficult to choose just one. I realize this would be more work for the chef, but their prices also aren't super low for what you're getting. Which brings me to number two: the price to portion ratio wasn't very appealing. Basically, the trio of tacos is so small, you have to get a side if you want to leave even semi full, so you are going to be spending over 20 bucks after tax and tip. I got the Baja fish tacos for 15 dollars and a side of arroz Rojo, but the meat tacos are 18 and I bet they're the same tiny size as mine were. I mean, I'm not unfamiliar with street tacos; I know they're meant to be small, but they're also usually like 3 dollars each. But like I said, they had good flavor and texture--delicious mild breaded whitefish with fresh pico, crisp slaw, and a zesty cilantro lime aioli. The rice was good--different from the CA rice I grew up with, but moist and flavorful nonetheless. So overall not a bad experience--I'm glad I tried it--but probably won't go back since I'm a fan of places with bigger portions.

I immediately noticed this place was filled up with eccentric people. That weren't bothersome but still very awkward. Even the servers. But they were nice. The Birras tacos were okay, and the salsa sampler wasn't spicy at all. Overall I didn't think the flavor was there, however, the meats and products they used were soft and upscale. Just lacked flavor. The best part was the server recommended a mezcal sampler for $12. We said yes and after a bit of a wait we had the coolest tour. The bartender came over and we learned all about mezcal as we did the testers. This by far was the coolest part.I wouldn't expect that on busier nights but this was a Thursday early evening. He is very knowledgeable and passionate about Mezcal. So very cool! I don't think I would return but it's worth a shot if you're in the area!

A genuine tourist trap. The food was average. The servings were deceptive as you will get 1/3 of the amount you will get at an average restaurant for a premium cost. The waitress was very rude to my group. The ambiance was good at least.

Vast array of agave spirits. Be sure to inquire about price before ordering. Clearly communicate any preferences or food allergies to the staff. Clean establishment.