dLeña

Who wants to drive to the D.C. on a Friday night after work!? I definitely did not want to but I did and glad I did! What a beautifully decorated restaurant, it was a vibe! The hostess was polite and our server was very friendly, knowledgeable, and charmed us and our guests. Appreciated the lightness after a long work week. Now let's get to the food, Honey. The Maryland Crab Guacamole was very tasty, should have gotten a to-go order. All of our dishes were delicious. My only critique would be to add a little more seasoning to the white fish entree (apologies can't remember the name) but other than that it was all good. Overall, we had a wonderful experience and would return to try out more beautifully plated entrees.

I've been to dLeña twice and each time has been increasingly underwhelming.i will say the establishment is absolutely gorgeous! The first time i done at dLeña was a few years ago for happy hour. The only thing I remember from that experience was the subpar service. This time a friend and I dined at the restaurant for lunch during Restaurant Week, and it started off well. The host was great and attentive, and the server was decent. For my first course I ordered the ceviche and it was delicious! Truly the best thing to come to the table. My friend ordered the lump crab soup, but we were told it doesn't actually come with lump crab in it (not even as a topper). A very strange response considering Ive worked in the industry for over 10 years and its pretty customary for a soup to visually represent the contents of its description. The soup itself didn't taste like seafood, it only tasted like the butternut squash and roasted green apple as described on the menu.. i tried it and thought it was overwhelmingly sweet and lacked depth.For my second course, i ordered the birri barbacoa tacos. I will say the arbol peanut sauce was fantastic and made the tacos! The plating of course was gorgeous, but where it lost me was the portion size. Two medallion-sized tacos? Serving someone two tacos has to be some kind of bad luck... three tacos is standard unless its an a la carte order and that's in nearly every mexican restaurant I've been to and even evident in reviews and my first time dining at dLeña. I'm not sure if corners were cut because of restaurant week, but that was disappointing. My third course was the creamy corncake (not pictured (Pastel De Elote)).. I REALLY wanted to like this dessert; however, it was nothing like I anticipated. Portion wasn't small, it was tiny! Which is fine because it just did not taste good. I've had Pastel De Elote before and i was looking forward to experiencing it from an elevated point of view. The Pastel De Elote at DLena was not sweet, it was bland and had a horrible soapy aftertaste. The texture was correct but everything else was wrong. I want to like dLeña, i really do! i always have high hopes because Im a fan of Chef Sandoval and the reviews are great for the most part. But it leads me to question, how impactful are great reviews when consistency at the restaurant is lacking? I'm not sure. i hope to be redeemed by dLeña in the future, but these past two experiences leave me hesitant to try dinner.

I had a great experience at Dlena! The crab guacamole and pumpkin crab soup were both absolutely delicious--fresh, flavorful, and well-prepared. The overall atmosphere was lovely, and I especially enjoyed the lounge downstairs, which had a great vibe.The only reason I'm giving four stars instead of five is because of the service. Our server, Adrian, was not very attentive--he rarely checked on our table, and my friend's food was getting cold while we waited for her utensils to be replaced. Thankfully, another server noticed and quickly brought a new set over, which we really appreciated.Overall, Dlena is definitely worth a visit for the fantastic food and ambiance, and I'd be happy to return!

We were finally able to try the "bottomless brunch" today and it did not disappoint! Since we had other plans today, we decided only to do bottomless food ($49) but will certainly go back and do bottomless food and drinks ($79) next time! Our waitress was very nice and essentially just told us she'd deliver the food from top to bottom of the menu. Everything was delicious, but the true standouts were the shrimp aquachile, chicken and waffles, birria beef tacos, carnitas skillet and my personal favorite-- Cazuela! Definitely should get a reservation, as the bar fills up fast and there typically is no other way to get a seat to have brunch here on the weekends.

Went to the downstairs bar on a Friday! It is quite hard to get a seat as a walk in but got lucky. Had a live band singing and great service. It's quite small so not much space to stand if it's a large group. Also there was a time limit on my table - something like 50 mins for apps or 1 1/2 with entrees Thoroughly enjoyed my snapper tiradito and the Maryland crab guac was really great. I think the guacamole here in general is a good bet. They're known for their tequila drinks but they can also make anything else! Very cute date spot.

dLena's interior is absolutely stunning. The dining room and lounge are beautifully curated with dark wood tones and neutral colors, creating a cozy and romantic ambiance. The calm atmosphere is especially appreciated since the space can get quite loud at times.We arrived early for our reservation and were invited to head down to the lounge while we waited. A server led us downstairs and helped us get settled. The lounge was nearly full, so I'd recommend arriving early if you're planning to snag a seat there. We were seated right next to the band setup, which was a nice touch. The lounge has a slightly different drink menu, but the full food menu is available in both spaces. We ordered the Maryland crab guacamole with lump crab, and it was incredible--definitely worth coming back for on its own.After enjoying the appetizer, we moved upstairs to dine, and unfortunately, this is where the experience started to decline. While the staff was friendly, the service was inattentive. Several different staff members came to check on us, as our primary server seemed to lose focus. One thing to note: if you're craving a mixed drink, it's better to order in the lounge since the upstairs bar doesn't offer the same variety.The food was underwhelming for the price. The chorizo queso, which my husband loved, wasn't to my taste. It came with tortillas instead of chips, which I found odd, and our server was absent when we tried to clarify that my husband had requested tortillas with his meal and not the queso which I think was the mixup. The short rib tacos had good flavor, but the meat was so tough it was hard to chew. The Oaxacan shrimp were beautifully plated but lacked the flavor I was expecting. By this point, I was too full from the guacamole to keep trying the dishes. My husband decided to order dessert, but after a long wait, he was ready to leave, so we had it packed to go.In summary, the ambiance is fantastic, but the food didn't live up to expectations--except for the Maryland crab guacamole, which is a must-try. Parking is conveniently located directly across from the restaurant, which is a big plus. While I'm not ready to cross dLena off my list entirely, I'd definitely come back for the guacamole and to enjoy the drinks in the lounge.

We had a WONDERFUL galentines brunch here and left feeling full and tipsy! $70 is a great price for bottomless drink and food- especially when margaritas are involved! All the drinks were tasty and alcohol was not skimped on at all. Even when we exceeded are 2 hour table time, our waitress was generous enough to let us have 1 last round. The food was so good too, we tried EVERYTHING on the menu and our bellies showed it. Top choices for me was the carnitas, birria and fish taco, and salmon. The fruit parfait was a miss for all of us- too sour. And the steak and eggs was a little dry. Lastly, of course we had to end on a sweet note and the churros did just that !

Came here for dinner, and the ambiance of the restaurant was very nice -- chill dark vibes. We came a bit later than usual dinner time so the bar area was a bit packed. Our waiter was super friendly and checked in on us throughout the whole meal. In terms of the food, we got the queso fundido and it was a tad harder than expected. The ceviche amarillo was pretty good, tangy flavor with the mango. For the main meals, we got the pork belly and mushroom tacos, both were decent but nothing super memorable and felt a bit overpriced for three tacos. The dessert was probably the best part - we had some churros and a crepe dessert - not too sweet and tasted fresh. Overall, not bad but can be a bit pricey based on what you get.

I came for a friend's birthday dinner on a weeknight and while the restaurant itself is beautiful and the food is good, I had higher expectations for the experience. From the moment my friend and I sat down at our table, we felt rushed. It was both of our first times there and we were also catching up but within the first 10 minutes of sitting or so, our server had come at least 3 or more times to ask for our drink order or appetizers which sort of made us feel pressured to just choose something versus being able to take our time browsing a new menu. This issue unfortunately continued throughout the night, where the server was asking to take dishes away while we were still working on them. The final "straw" came around 9:30 when he let us know they were closing soon (they close at 10) - but the tone it was said in wasn't like a "hey ladies, last call for our kitchen" or was moreso like rushing us to just close out. My friend was really disappointed because she drove in from Baltimore and this was a celebratory birthday dinner that was kind of clouded by bad service. We did speak to a manager as we wrapped up to let him know about the situation for future guests and the manager was really understanding and sympathetic and said this had been an ongoing issue with our server in particular. Overall, I would like to return to Dleña because I enjoyed the food and drinks but would probably not consider it for a special occasion.

My girlfriend and I had a lovely date night here! First we were greeted by wonderful hosts who offered a complimentary coat check. Then we made our way through the beautifully decorated space to our comfortable high top table! The candle was lit, and the mood was set just right for the night. Josh gave us a warm welcome and insight on the menu. Maritza, our server, offered wonderful service throughout the night, and helped us narrow down our choices on steak and wine. We got the wagyu fajitas and they come out, sizzling, juicy and full of taste. To drink, we had a nicely crafted mercado margarita and some relaxing wine afterwards. The cheesecake at the end was soooo good. Finally, Justice wrapped our date night up with a warm farewell. If there was more than 5 stars, Dlena would surely deserve it. Thanks to the team. Great Job!