Amazing food, service and presentation! I'd recommend it to everyone!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Experience
Miriam Soliman
This is my favorite DC Michelin star restaurant yet. It's interactive, the dining experience utilizes all of your senses, they don't have too many seats so even when the restaurant is full it's not loud. The service was impeccable, every menu item was described and the Colombian inspiration story was explained. The decor was simple, clean, modern with clear touches of Colombia everywhere. We did the 10 course experience and I was full to the brim. Each dish was flavorful and delicious, with my favorite being the bonuelo (black stone looking one). I can not recommend this place enough. The price is great, the experience is amazing, and the food is out of this world!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Experience
Bekki Matthews
I’ve eaten at a lot of lovely restaurants, all over the world - this was not one of them.I came into town on a Sunday afternoon and decided to treat myself to a high-end experience. I know that as a solo diner, I’m a little high-maintenance for a busy kitchen, but it’s a Sunday night, so I figured it would be okay.I arrived on time and was seated. I had to hang my coat over the back of the chair because no one bothered to ask to take it. The first course (a sorbet) was plunked on my table with minimal explanation. While I was eating that, they started laying the table for the next course. I felt rushed and unappreciated.The arepa was very good, as was the tuna with peanut sauce - and the wine pairing was good. But then… the chocolate therapy. I had to remove my jewelry and push up my sleeves so they could pour warm white chocolate on my hands, which I was instructed to massage in like a lotion. After a second step of scrubbing in coffee and sugar, the whole mess was rinsed off with warm water and whisked away. Seriously? It was not food, it wasn’t even a super pleasant experience to be all sticky and licking my fingers having paid a fair sum of money for the privilege. Talk about decadence to literally waste those ingredients.The bread service was delicious, but the lime in the ceviche completely overshadowed the paired Pinot Grigio. And during the main course (a pretty insipid smoked quail), they came around and scraped the crumbs off the table while I was eating.An hour and 15 minutes after I entered a partially empty restaurant, I was out the door feeling underwhelmed. The food was fine, but just fine. The service was poor, especially for a Michelin starred restaurant. It was a farce from start to finish and I’m sorry I wasted my money.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 2
Oscar Ramirez
One of my favorite restaurant experiences anywhere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ana Luiza D.
TLDR: Great food, service and experience. Not worth the price for vegetarians. A bit performative.Vegetarian perspective. My partner and I came here to celebrate our anniversary. We had the El Cielo Experience which has 20 “moments” (they are called courses when you make the reservation but the waiter refers to them as moments and a few aren’t really a course so that makes more sense). We are vegetarians, and they changed some items in the menu to accommodate us. We had a great experience and really enjoyed our dinner! Many of the courses were surprising, tasted amazing, and were fun, as was the whole experience. The service was amazing and super attentive, and we got an extra dessert as a anniversary treat. The appetizers were the highlight for us! Entree was also were good, and we loved the drinks!! The desserts were good, but a bit too sweet for our taste.However, at $289, I personally don’t think it’s worth it, specially for vegetarians.It’s hard not to feel that we were overpaying given that the vegetarian menu was at the same price point as the regular menu, which had much more expensive items such as duck, quail and crab. It’d be great to see a lower price point for the vegetarian menu (as an example, Oteque, a 2-star restaurant in Brazil, does this).Also, part of the experience is more about performance than actually good food. That’s the case for the Chocotherapy, which was a fun experience, and the last one when you get rose petals with hand lotion to rub your hands. The Tree of Life is really good and looks amazing, and the accompanying butters were delicious, but fellow Brazilians may find it like a very-well presented pão de queijo.Finally, the experience was great but felt a bit long. It makes sense as there were 20 courses, but sometimes we would wait 20 minutes to the next one.Overall, this was a unique dinner and I was happy to experience it once.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Ana Luiza Dutra
TLDR: Great food, service and experience. Not worth the price for vegetarians. A bit performative.Vegetarian perspective. My partner and I came here to celebrate our anniversary. We had the El Cielo Experience which has 20 “moments” (they are called courses when you make the reservation but the waiter refers to them as moments and a few aren’t really a course so that makes more sense). We are vegetarians, and they changed some items in the menu to accommodate us. We had a great experience and really enjoyed our dinner! Many of the courses were surprising, tasted amazing, and were fun, as was the whole experience. The service was amazing and super attentive, and we got an extra dessert as a anniversary treat. The appetizers were the highlight for us! Entree was also were good, and we loved the drinks!! The desserts were good, but a bit too sweet for our taste.However, at $289, I personally don’t think it’s worth it, specially for vegetarians.It’s hard not to feel that we were overpaying given that the vegetarian menu was at the same price point as the regular menu, which had much more expensive items such as duck, quail and crab. It’d be great to see a lower price point for the vegetarian menu (as an example, Oteque, a 2-star restaurant in Brazil, does this).Also, part of the experience is more about performance than actually good food. That’s the case for the Chocotherapy, which was a fun experience, and the last one when you get rose petals with hand lotion to rub your hands. The Tree of Life is really good and looks amazing, and the accompanying butters were delicious, but fellow Brazilians may find it like a very-well presented pão de queijo.Finally, the experience was great but felt a bit long. It makes sense as there were 20 courses, but sometimes we would wait 20 minutes to the next one.Overall, this was a unique dinner and I was happy to experience it once.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Kenneth Li
I’m writing this review for one reason - El Cielo doesn’t get the credit it deserves.I’ve been to a lot of great restaurants that charge a premium (much more than El Cielo), but very few offer an experience that’s on par with El Cielo. Chefs clearly put a lot of hard work and thoughts into the food. They truly communicated that they love Colombian food as well as Colombian culture. The food is beyond creative and just makes you happy. A lot of people writing unfavorable reviews don’t know how difficult it is to meticulously orchestrate a 20-course meal without making guests overwhelmed. The service is genuine and corresponds well with Colombian cuisine.When you ate at a really good restaurant, you hope it will keep it up for many years to come because you want to return and have the same experience. And that’s how I feel about El Cielo.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Experience
Courtney Ramsey
I can't speak highly enough about the wonderful experience! We had the Elcielo Experience with the Wine Experience and Anniversary Experience. Every tasting was a visual delight! Well worth the investment.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Experience
Leslie K.
Service, atmosphere, and whimsy were all fantastic. Interacting with the food was fun and allowed us to play and chat. And I got a beautiful color-changing cocktail that was delicious. However, We do fancy tasting menus every year, and this might be the first time I left without a sense of pure elation. It felt like the food was more about the show than the taste. This is obvious in a course like chocotherapy where this is purposeful, but was disappointing in the cheese bread tree of life, for example, when it seemed like the food experience should match the presentation. There were several courses that did not wow me on flavor and texture, despite how pretty everything was. The first few bites blew the rest of the meal away with a delicate, playful sorbet and delicious and strange mushroom ball bites. Empanadas were fun and yummy, and then courses started getting less delicious. There was a soup and pate course that was light on flavor. The mashed potatoes with the main course were inedibly gluey, the clear worst of the evening. The dip'n dots-style dessert was unpleasant to eat, and the anniversary chocolate mousse was bland. With the anniversary package also comes a photo of us, which is so dark, you can barely see us. Ending on a positive again, the staff was wonderfully attentive, we were served quickly and had the courses explained well, and left feeling cared for by the team that worked with us. I am just used to being wowed with every bite at a Michelin star tasting, and here I left a bit underwhelmed.
Tra S.
I decided to have El Cielo be my main birthday celebration for the year and I can definitely say that I enjoyed myself tremendously. The venue allowed for an intimate feel while also allowing us all to not feel like the different tables were on top of each other. The service was impeccable (the only hiccup being that they didn't let us know that we would have to tell them how we wanted our bison cooked well in advance). Lastly, the quality and execution of the meal were amazing. We opted for the twenty course option, which allowed us to sample a variety of bites which were rooted in Colombian flavors. Some of the favorites were the passion fruit toddy (a nice warm and tangy start to the night), the tapioca and fois gras cube (which was crispy and not too rich), the tuna "empanada" (the presentation alone is definitely worth getting this), and the ceviche (tangy, fresh and overall excellent) were my favorite savory items. Although all of the desserts were great, my favorite were the pumpkin and sapto cone and the cholao. Although most of the menu suited my tastes I found some of the flavors to be either very similar or repetitive. A lot of the items had a tangy and fruity quality. I also found the last dessert (the guava tart and tamarind profiterole) to be underwhelming. The flavors were complimentary (but again tangy), but beyond the dry ice element the desert itself seemed very simple for a venue which wowed us so much at the start of the dinner. Overall, I enjoyed myself, however I probably will not be back for more (4/5).
A delightful first experience last night. Much more interesting than our most recent meals at Jont and Inn at Little Washington.Innovative dishes-memorable plating-discreet service and good wine pairing. We intend to be regulars as long as they keep the menu fresh and new.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
adriana arroyave
Spectacular restaurant from the service to the food without words. Thank you HEAVEN for taking our gastronomy and culture to another level. Congratulations to all . I'll be back.It is a spectacular restaurant, from the service to the food without words. Thank you, El Cielo, for taking our gastronomy and culture to another level. Congratulations to all. We will return to celebrate my birthday
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Experience, Bunuelo, Yellow Butterfly, Seafood, Seafood Coconut Lime Soup, Coffee Field
Samantha Duncan
We have eaten here a few times and it remains in our top 3 DC area restaurant experiences. The restaurant ambiance is special - it is intimate, classy, with a bit of fun flair. We love the unique full tasting menu. Each time we have gone, a few things have changed with new stories to explain the ingredients and preparation. The service is attentive and helpful without being overbearing - although I think nobody has mastered this balance better than the Inn at Little Washington. The cocktails are insane - best in DC - and if you watch the bartender you know why. He is at the helm of the bar making syrups and tonics whenever he isn't crafting a drink, which he does meticulously. I love that I can order a mocktail generally and he nails it each time. The food is so fun! From the bite sized bits to the bigger proteins (I dream about the smoky quail), it is such a fun journey. I love tearing off the tree of life bread and trying different butters. The interaction of stuffing empanadas is engaging and always a great conversation starter. One time we were given a funny little bib for our lobster roll - just a nice hit of nostalgia thrown in the meal. We are lifelong fans and having eaten at numerous 1 to 3 star Michelin spots in the U.S and abroad, this place deserves a 2 star. We hope to try the Miami location one day.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Experience
Erin Crowley
The experience of a lifetime!
Hugh Fuller
Deserves every star it has and more. Phenomenal experience every time.
Amazing food, service and presentation! I'd recommend it to everyone!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Experience
This is my favorite DC Michelin star restaurant yet. It's interactive, the dining experience utilizes all of your senses, they don't have too many seats so even when the restaurant is full it's not loud. The service was impeccable, every menu item was described and the Colombian inspiration story was explained. The decor was simple, clean, modern with clear touches of Colombia everywhere. We did the 10 course experience and I was full to the brim. Each dish was flavorful and delicious, with my favorite being the bonuelo (black stone looking one). I can not recommend this place enough. The price is great, the experience is amazing, and the food is out of this world!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Experience
I’ve eaten at a lot of lovely restaurants, all over the world - this was not one of them.I came into town on a Sunday afternoon and decided to treat myself to a high-end experience. I know that as a solo diner, I’m a little high-maintenance for a busy kitchen, but it’s a Sunday night, so I figured it would be okay.I arrived on time and was seated. I had to hang my coat over the back of the chair because no one bothered to ask to take it. The first course (a sorbet) was plunked on my table with minimal explanation. While I was eating that, they started laying the table for the next course. I felt rushed and unappreciated.The arepa was very good, as was the tuna with peanut sauce - and the wine pairing was good. But then… the chocolate therapy. I had to remove my jewelry and push up my sleeves so they could pour warm white chocolate on my hands, which I was instructed to massage in like a lotion. After a second step of scrubbing in coffee and sugar, the whole mess was rinsed off with warm water and whisked away. Seriously? It was not food, it wasn’t even a super pleasant experience to be all sticky and licking my fingers having paid a fair sum of money for the privilege. Talk about decadence to literally waste those ingredients.The bread service was delicious, but the lime in the ceviche completely overshadowed the paired Pinot Grigio. And during the main course (a pretty insipid smoked quail), they came around and scraped the crumbs off the table while I was eating.An hour and 15 minutes after I entered a partially empty restaurant, I was out the door feeling underwhelmed. The food was fine, but just fine. The service was poor, especially for a Michelin starred restaurant. It was a farce from start to finish and I’m sorry I wasted my money.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 2
One of my favorite restaurant experiences anywhere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
TLDR: Great food, service and experience. Not worth the price for vegetarians. A bit performative.Vegetarian perspective. My partner and I came here to celebrate our anniversary. We had the El Cielo Experience which has 20 “moments” (they are called courses when you make the reservation but the waiter refers to them as moments and a few aren’t really a course so that makes more sense). We are vegetarians, and they changed some items in the menu to accommodate us. We had a great experience and really enjoyed our dinner! Many of the courses were surprising, tasted amazing, and were fun, as was the whole experience. The service was amazing and super attentive, and we got an extra dessert as a anniversary treat. The appetizers were the highlight for us! Entree was also were good, and we loved the drinks!! The desserts were good, but a bit too sweet for our taste.However, at $289, I personally don’t think it’s worth it, specially for vegetarians.It’s hard not to feel that we were overpaying given that the vegetarian menu was at the same price point as the regular menu, which had much more expensive items such as duck, quail and crab. It’d be great to see a lower price point for the vegetarian menu (as an example, Oteque, a 2-star restaurant in Brazil, does this).Also, part of the experience is more about performance than actually good food. That’s the case for the Chocotherapy, which was a fun experience, and the last one when you get rose petals with hand lotion to rub your hands. The Tree of Life is really good and looks amazing, and the accompanying butters were delicious, but fellow Brazilians may find it like a very-well presented pão de queijo.Finally, the experience was great but felt a bit long. It makes sense as there were 20 courses, but sometimes we would wait 20 minutes to the next one.Overall, this was a unique dinner and I was happy to experience it once.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
TLDR: Great food, service and experience. Not worth the price for vegetarians. A bit performative.Vegetarian perspective. My partner and I came here to celebrate our anniversary. We had the El Cielo Experience which has 20 “moments” (they are called courses when you make the reservation but the waiter refers to them as moments and a few aren’t really a course so that makes more sense). We are vegetarians, and they changed some items in the menu to accommodate us. We had a great experience and really enjoyed our dinner! Many of the courses were surprising, tasted amazing, and were fun, as was the whole experience. The service was amazing and super attentive, and we got an extra dessert as a anniversary treat. The appetizers were the highlight for us! Entree was also were good, and we loved the drinks!! The desserts were good, but a bit too sweet for our taste.However, at $289, I personally don’t think it’s worth it, specially for vegetarians.It’s hard not to feel that we were overpaying given that the vegetarian menu was at the same price point as the regular menu, which had much more expensive items such as duck, quail and crab. It’d be great to see a lower price point for the vegetarian menu (as an example, Oteque, a 2-star restaurant in Brazil, does this).Also, part of the experience is more about performance than actually good food. That’s the case for the Chocotherapy, which was a fun experience, and the last one when you get rose petals with hand lotion to rub your hands. The Tree of Life is really good and looks amazing, and the accompanying butters were delicious, but fellow Brazilians may find it like a very-well presented pão de queijo.Finally, the experience was great but felt a bit long. It makes sense as there were 20 courses, but sometimes we would wait 20 minutes to the next one.Overall, this was a unique dinner and I was happy to experience it once.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
I’m writing this review for one reason - El Cielo doesn’t get the credit it deserves.I’ve been to a lot of great restaurants that charge a premium (much more than El Cielo), but very few offer an experience that’s on par with El Cielo. Chefs clearly put a lot of hard work and thoughts into the food. They truly communicated that they love Colombian food as well as Colombian culture. The food is beyond creative and just makes you happy. A lot of people writing unfavorable reviews don’t know how difficult it is to meticulously orchestrate a 20-course meal without making guests overwhelmed. The service is genuine and corresponds well with Colombian cuisine.When you ate at a really good restaurant, you hope it will keep it up for many years to come because you want to return and have the same experience. And that’s how I feel about El Cielo.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Experience
I can't speak highly enough about the wonderful experience! We had the Elcielo Experience with the Wine Experience and Anniversary Experience. Every tasting was a visual delight! Well worth the investment.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Experience
Service, atmosphere, and whimsy were all fantastic. Interacting with the food was fun and allowed us to play and chat. And I got a beautiful color-changing cocktail that was delicious. However, We do fancy tasting menus every year, and this might be the first time I left without a sense of pure elation. It felt like the food was more about the show than the taste. This is obvious in a course like chocotherapy where this is purposeful, but was disappointing in the cheese bread tree of life, for example, when it seemed like the food experience should match the presentation. There were several courses that did not wow me on flavor and texture, despite how pretty everything was. The first few bites blew the rest of the meal away with a delicate, playful sorbet and delicious and strange mushroom ball bites. Empanadas were fun and yummy, and then courses started getting less delicious. There was a soup and pate course that was light on flavor. The mashed potatoes with the main course were inedibly gluey, the clear worst of the evening. The dip'n dots-style dessert was unpleasant to eat, and the anniversary chocolate mousse was bland. With the anniversary package also comes a photo of us, which is so dark, you can barely see us. Ending on a positive again, the staff was wonderfully attentive, we were served quickly and had the courses explained well, and left feeling cared for by the team that worked with us. I am just used to being wowed with every bite at a Michelin star tasting, and here I left a bit underwhelmed.
I decided to have El Cielo be my main birthday celebration for the year and I can definitely say that I enjoyed myself tremendously. The venue allowed for an intimate feel while also allowing us all to not feel like the different tables were on top of each other. The service was impeccable (the only hiccup being that they didn't let us know that we would have to tell them how we wanted our bison cooked well in advance). Lastly, the quality and execution of the meal were amazing. We opted for the twenty course option, which allowed us to sample a variety of bites which were rooted in Colombian flavors. Some of the favorites were the passion fruit toddy (a nice warm and tangy start to the night), the tapioca and fois gras cube (which was crispy and not too rich), the tuna "empanada" (the presentation alone is definitely worth getting this), and the ceviche (tangy, fresh and overall excellent) were my favorite savory items. Although all of the desserts were great, my favorite were the pumpkin and sapto cone and the cholao. Although most of the menu suited my tastes I found some of the flavors to be either very similar or repetitive. A lot of the items had a tangy and fruity quality. I also found the last dessert (the guava tart and tamarind profiterole) to be underwhelming. The flavors were complimentary (but again tangy), but beyond the dry ice element the desert itself seemed very simple for a venue which wowed us so much at the start of the dinner. Overall, I enjoyed myself, however I probably will not be back for more (4/5).
Restaurantji Recommends
A delightful first experience last night. Much more interesting than our most recent meals at Jont and Inn at Little Washington.Innovative dishes-memorable plating-discreet service and good wine pairing. We intend to be regulars as long as they keep the menu fresh and new.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Spectacular restaurant from the service to the food without words. Thank you HEAVEN for taking our gastronomy and culture to another level. Congratulations to all . I'll be back.It is a spectacular restaurant, from the service to the food without words. Thank you, El Cielo, for taking our gastronomy and culture to another level. Congratulations to all. We will return to celebrate my birthday
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Experience, Bunuelo, Yellow Butterfly, Seafood, Seafood Coconut Lime Soup, Coffee Field
We have eaten here a few times and it remains in our top 3 DC area restaurant experiences. The restaurant ambiance is special - it is intimate, classy, with a bit of fun flair. We love the unique full tasting menu. Each time we have gone, a few things have changed with new stories to explain the ingredients and preparation. The service is attentive and helpful without being overbearing - although I think nobody has mastered this balance better than the Inn at Little Washington. The cocktails are insane - best in DC - and if you watch the bartender you know why. He is at the helm of the bar making syrups and tonics whenever he isn't crafting a drink, which he does meticulously. I love that I can order a mocktail generally and he nails it each time. The food is so fun! From the bite sized bits to the bigger proteins (I dream about the smoky quail), it is such a fun journey. I love tearing off the tree of life bread and trying different butters. The interaction of stuffing empanadas is engaging and always a great conversation starter. One time we were given a funny little bib for our lobster roll - just a nice hit of nostalgia thrown in the meal. We are lifelong fans and having eaten at numerous 1 to 3 star Michelin spots in the U.S and abroad, this place deserves a 2 star. We hope to try the Miami location one day.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Experience
The experience of a lifetime!
Deserves every star it has and more. Phenomenal experience every time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Experience