Anafre

Came here with my friend on a Tuesday. Based on the reviews I've seen on social media I expected to see more ppl there. I also was expecting the ambiance to be more fun but it was very chill and quiet. However, I appreciated that I didn't have to wait to be seated. Our server was nice and patient as I awaited my friend's arrival before ordering too much. We got the seafood guacamole which was delicious and the submarino was great too. I was full by this point but I still managed to eat a Baja California taco. That was pretty basic but not bad. Everything was good until we were getting ready to leave. I decided to use their bathroom before my trip home. I was welcomed by a dead roach just openly on the ground. Needless to say I was grossed out. It was very visible so I find it hard to believe that none of the staff saw it. Unfortunately that ruined the experience for me.

My friend and I were drawn here after seeing some reels, yay social media. We came without a reservation on a Tuesday around 715. It was empty. For some reason, I expected a lively atmosphere, but it was quiet and dark. When I arrived, my friend had ordered the seafood guacamole which was yummy! We both orders the seafood submarino, on the menu it said crab meat and shrimp but it only came with fried shrimp that had a lot of breading that was peeling off. Other than the menu discrepancy( no crab meat in burrito)--the food was delicious. We each cleared our plates! I will try this place again to check out the Mexican pizza !

A nice spot if you're craving Mexican food. Everything is fresh and flavorful. Nice, clean dining room, too.I will say this - we had come because their website says they have happy hour until 6.30, which is not true! It is till 6. Nevertheless, we were enjoying the vibe, and there were plenty of seats, so we enjoyed food and drink. We left satisfied.The quesabirria is spectacular. A birria quesadilla is the dish I didn't realize I needed, and this is one of the best quesadillas I have ever had, period. So good. Thick, fresh, and delicious. We also tried the seafood guacamole, which comes with chips and a heaping of guac topped with lobster meat (or maybe crab, I'm no expert). It was good, too. The dish is very simple, and maybe a tad under seasoned, but the fish tasted fresh, and that is most important. For drinks, we tried the rum old fashioned. It was boozy as can be, and had a nice brown sugar coating on the rim. Yum.Bonus points for the amazing pizza oven, which is adorned with skulls and bright colors. Yes, they have pizzas on the menu with Mexican flavors. We didn't try them on this visit, but I can't wait to check that out.

Really nice restaurant for really good Mexican food. Found this spot online searching for good places to eat and this did the job. Here are some of my thoughts: EnvironmentFun and vibrant space with space for dining and a long bar that takes a up much of the space. It was pretty busy when we arrived for dinner on a Saturday night but not too packed or loud. Not a ton of seating so reservations are probably the best if you want to make sure you have somewhere to sit. There is also outside seating that would be great for when the weather breaks. The cool art on the walls adds to the ambiance and the vibe. ServiceThis is your normal dining experience - sit and be served. They also have a full bar that you can order from if you're not interested in sitting at a booth. The service was fine. Our server did a great job welcoming us and making sure we had everything we needed. Food and drinksThe food was delightful!! GET THE Nachos Al Carbon RIGHT NOW. Its not your normal nachos - they're really like small tacos so be careful cause they might fill you up if you're in a smaller party. They were amazing. I will be back for them for sure. I also had to try the tacos so I got a chicken taco and shrimp taco. They were packed with flavor and tasty. My friend had one of the pizzas and devoured it in seconds lol. We also had to try churros for desert which were pretty good as well. Overall the food was great - definitely a spot to go back to. OverallGreat spot with great food and a great vibe. Definitely will be on the list of places to go to again for great Mexican food.

4 stars for a pretty solid Mexican food spot.My wife and I were looking to grab a bite to eat (and a marg) recently in the northern DC area and saw that Anafre was listed as a new entry on the Washingtonian Top 100. After looking through the reviews, we booked our table and headed over.We arrived to find a pretty cute-looking venue with some tables outside, a large interesting mural on the inside with tables lining the wall on the right, a bar on the left, and the cooking/pizza oven area towards the back. The venue isn't gigantic, but it also is not too cramped.We took a seat at our table and the server brought us over menus. Despite the venue not being terribly busy, our server seemed pretty busy and wasn't able to stop at our table very much for too long. He was pleasant when he stopped by, but it seems like this venue is light on staff.I started out with an old fashioned, my wife started out with a marg, and we both started our meal with the los cabos guac and oysters with crab meat. The drinks were hit or miss (mine was solid and very strong, my wife's marg could have been a little stronger but tasted good). The guac and oysters were both awesome! Each dish was a good size for the price and tasted great. We then put in our orders, with a Chile Relleno for my wife and the submarino for me. Before getting to the food (which was so good that the place is close to a 5 stars), what really held this place back for me was the wait. While we were only there for about 75 minutes (not great when you start checking your watch and know that fact), the wait time between ordering and receiving food in a somewhat non-busy restaurant can be frustrating. I know it takes time to cook fresh food, but 30-40 minutes for entrees is a little too long in my book, and other reviews I have read reflect this is a recurring problem.However, once those entrees came out, my wife and I were in for a treat! My submarino was packed with seafood, guac, and just tons of flavor. My wife's chile relleno was made "California style" in her words and packed all of the punch that she remembered when she ordered the dish in Cali. Overall, Anafre provided us with some fantastic Mexican food for a really great price. We may order take out in the future to avoid the wait time issue, but overall this is a solid spot.

Met up with work colleagues who made reservations for dinner. Found street parking about 1/2 block away. We arrived a few minutes late, but our colleagues were already seated. Sat down and our friends shared that they hadn't eaten here either, but had heard the Mexican seafood was distinctive. Yes, I was definitely trying their Mexican seafood. Cocktails?Ordered a house margarita for a cocktail. Whoa, this was on the stronger side, so I stuck with 1 cocktail for the evening.Appetizers?Anafre Ceviche-crab meat, octopus, lobster, cucumber, radish, fresh lime and cilantro. This was a big hit with our table. They also serve with a couple of raw oysters and I managed to grab one of them. Very good appetizer.Los Cabos Guacamole-lobster, crab meat, serrano peppers, cilantro, fresh lemon juice, EVOO. This was very good, but I couldn't taste the lobster or crab meat. They provide only a few chips to scoop, but it ended up working out perfect.Entree?Seafood Enchilada-crab meat, shrimp, cheese, morita sauce and served with rice and beans. This was delicious. Even the rice and beans were very good. My only critique for the evening is they appeared understaffed and our server was very slow the first 30 minutes taking our order and delivering drinks. Things improved when another server arrived about halfway through our meal.Great restaurant if you're craving that Mexican seafood of Cabo.

Anafre is by far one of the best seafood Mexican restaurants in DC. Their Menu features plates from the region of Veracruz , Mexico, with food unique to this region. We have the salmon with an special sauce that brought so many flavors together. The Parillada was very well cooked, with great seasoning, and onions maintain their moist! Beans and rice uniquely season as wellThe service was great, and the ambiance is always nice, with them always having space for my whole family to come and eat!

Bravo, Bravo, Bravo to this hidden gem! This place will continuously get my business because my first experience (by good recommendations) is not going to be my last. Arrival: I'm not too familiar with the area so it took a while for me to find the building between other restaurants but once found, the magic began. When I walked in, one of the servers came to me and immediately greeted me and sat me down while I waited for my party. Giving great eye contact, the server accommodated my wait time with water and stayed nearby until my party arrived-to which he immediately started to take our orders. Establishment: the only place which needs to be worked on is the bathroom area. It was a bit messy and I can imagine that it stemmed from a long day of service. But, it's always great to practice in checking on it to make sure it's stocked and clean. The general seating area in my picture was very clean and well kept and the staff upheld the use of mask pretty well. Food: I didn't drink any of their speciality cocktails but my friend raved about her margarita. Let's jump into the food...I ordered the Los Cabos Guacamole and honey...THIS IS A WINNER! It's paired with fresh homemade chips and topped with lobster meat. SO absolutely delicious and very filling. I couldn't make myself think about anything else after this because I was pleasantly full. Okay, I lied lol, I couldn't visit this fine establishment and not have dessert. That's when more love hit my heart...I ordered the Tres Leche cake and THIS BABY WAS WORTH THE ADD-ON!!!!! Ahhhhhhh what an amazing end to an already delicious dinner. Overall, this place is worth visiting. It's a gem and I'm glad that it thoroughly illustrates authentic Mexican culture and delicious food. I enjoyed every moment here and will be coming back for more!

The ceviche is outstanding!!! Also enjoyed a spicy tamarind margarita - I'll be dreaming of that later :) We enjoyed every bite during dine in and their takeout pizzas are amazing as well. Highly recommended!

Came back for a second visit. It was pretty good, I had the fried oyster tacos again (yum!). I was disappointed that they didn't serve the lobster dish anymore. I gave 4 stars this time because our server was nowhere to be found for most of our visit and the seafood wrap I had was kind of soggy. I ate half and sent it back. No one offered to swap out for a different meal or discount the tab. Ehh, everything else I had was good.