Great place to have a fun time. Great music, drinks are delicious as well as the food. The large windows are open, exposing the entire restaurant to an outdoor view. When too hot, they run large, quiet fans. The decor is always intriguing, and the setting is great. Food and service are outstanding!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp Tacos, Carne Asada, Guacamole Small Serving
pallavi talekar
Loved the ambience and food was just outstanding. All of the tacos and especially lamb tacos were outstanding!!! Definitely will visit this place again for a brunch.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Julio Cesar Mejia-Quintero
Very bad experience, I was there yesterday May 11 to celebrate my birthday and I regret having gone to that place. very bad service, the waitress never came to the table to offer drinks and I had to call her attention to order. This person does not deserve a 20% tip. 20% is already included in the receipt. You have to earn the tip with good customer service.I will never recommend this place.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Anita Grabowska
El techo is the equivalent of Miami in dc. Here for a good time and not really a lot of food! We decided on the margarita pitcher (way better deal), but next time would go for the singles. This is definitely a place to go dance, be seen, and enjoy the vibes. Great atmosphere, the food is secondary to vibe. Below are tacos and the steak!Kid-friendliness: Not really kid friendly
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Carne Asada
Evan Hines
First reservation canceled without notice, gave it a second chance, food low quality, poor effort. Oscar the server was great! Air conditioner was leaking on the stairs in, slightly slippery, and a bit dirty. Drinks are likely made with montezuma style “tequila” (tequila flavored liquor) thanks to all service staff, great job. All in all everything is poor quality.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 4
Matthew Kleckner
Hosted a birthday party here, everyone was extremely nice and helpful, good drinks and food, highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Julieth Cadena
Intentionally confusing happy hour menu!. Came on a Tuesday and we were given this... They said they don't expect people to look at the back. Also, who charges $20 for chips and salsa? + Mandatory 4% surcharge and 20% tip. Never again!
Tatiana A
I celebrated my birthday here last Friday and we all had so much fun! The atmosphere is exotic and the scenery is beautfiul. Ezekiel was our waiter and he was so much fun. I ordered a burrito and felt like the portions were small. Beware of the tequila shots.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
JULIE ALI
Horrible experience! Went her for a birthday with high expectations and they did nothing but disappoint. Good was delicious and drinks were satisfying but as we ordered a meal that guaranteed our server 20% gratuity we never got a water filled once, took forever to get drink refills, and when our eggs where undercooked took an hour to get replacement eggs that were still under cooked. When we confronted the server he replied that he would take 2 dollars off despite the fact the birthday girl couldn’t eat her meal for over an hour. Then we proceeded to talk to the manager and very rudely he put the bill down insisting he took off a meal and took off like we inconvenienced him. When they took my card they took 20 minutes to return it so I could leave and the waiter SLAMMMED DOWN our bill! Also there was no performance that occurred. If you’re looking for an amazing experience this is NOT the place. We will never return here.
We had a fabulous time at EL Techo! The food was amazing, but the service from beginning to end was just superb. Jordan was so sweet, and navigated the system to help us get a table to eat quickly. Louie, the owner was so kind, offered to turn off the fan because we were cold, and engaged in conversation with us. The ambiance was also on point, from the dj to the decor. Our waitress Aslin was so sweet and checked on us as much as possible. We wanted for nothing. This was a fabulous experience
I found El Techo on Instagram and was very excited to check it out. Before I get into my experience, I do want to say that the food was phenomenal, and the mojito that I ordered was great! The decor is also cute, and I was excited to take some pictures.We had reservations at 5:30, when we walked in the hostess could not even be bothered to look up from her paper to say hello and seemed like she was in a bad mood. I told her my name and my reservation time. She stood at the hostess stand and pointed to the table for us to walk to. The table she pointed to was literally in the bar area, there were people standing around it and leaning on the table. (Less than half the tables had people sitting at them, so there was no need to seat someone in such an uncomfortable situation considering there were so many empty tables) I asked her if we could sit at any of the other tables, so we weren't in the standing area of the bar. With a major attitude, she said all of the tables were reserved. I told her that I had a reservation, and literally any other table would be fine. I just didn't want people to be standing on top of me as I was eating. She did agree to put us at a hightop table on the other side of the restaurant but was very clear that we had to leave in 1 hour. We sat down and ordered, our waiter was kind and helpful. Admittedly we were kind of still on edge when we sat down because of the aggressive nature of the hostess, we each got a drink and ordered tacos, and a burrito.Within about 10 minutes of waiting for our food the hostess walked over the a couple sitting next to us, telling them that they had to leave. The woman said that they had a reservation and they were just finishing their drink. (I don't know the whole story on why they were being asked to leave. There is a 90 min time limit, probably because the place is so small. BUT again there were still many open tables to seat people at.) The way the hostess was talking to them was WILDLY inappropriate. They finally told her that her attitude was disrespectful and asked for the manager. The Manager came over and started arguing with the couple. It was then that the couple seemed to be done with the abuse. They were all screaming at each other, and I was little scared that it was going to turn into a physical fight.We were so uncomfortable the entire time we were there. We ate as fast as we could, paid, and left. I have never felt unsafe at a restaurant in my life. From the minute we walked in to the minute we left I was on edge. No one wants to eat their food after being verbally abused and then watch a fight beak out. The owner needs to seriously take a look at the management. It has the potential to be such a great place, it's a shame that it is being managed like this.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 1
CR
Food and vibe were very good! The cocktails were good too but so small for the price! $15 for a cup about 2/3 the size of my hand is crazy
Prishani Satyapal
Go to El Techo for 1. Ezekiel, one of the loveliest Waiters I have had the pleasure to meet.2. the Crispy avo tacos.The combination of kindness, care and deliciousness and flavors was wonderful!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
A. B.
Went to El Techo on a Saturday early evening with the hubbs for date night. Tacos and margaritas were tasty. The guac and queso are delicious! Ambiance was tropical and inviting. It was a mixed crowd when we first arrived, age-wise, but by about 7 it got a lot younger (read: early 20s). If you are an auntie or auntie-adjacent get in early and skedaddle to the teen streets in Shaw before 8!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Queso, Guacamole Small Serving
Drinks were good, tacos were decent but small.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Great place to have a fun time. Great music, drinks are delicious as well as the food. The large windows are open, exposing the entire restaurant to an outdoor view. When too hot, they run large, quiet fans. The decor is always intriguing, and the setting is great. Food and service are outstanding!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp Tacos, Carne Asada, Guacamole Small Serving
Loved the ambience and food was just outstanding. All of the tacos and especially lamb tacos were outstanding!!! Definitely will visit this place again for a brunch.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Very bad experience, I was there yesterday May 11 to celebrate my birthday and I regret having gone to that place. very bad service, the waitress never came to the table to offer drinks and I had to call her attention to order. This person does not deserve a 20% tip. 20% is already included in the receipt. You have to earn the tip with good customer service.I will never recommend this place.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
El techo is the equivalent of Miami in dc. Here for a good time and not really a lot of food! We decided on the margarita pitcher (way better deal), but next time would go for the singles. This is definitely a place to go dance, be seen, and enjoy the vibes. Great atmosphere, the food is secondary to vibe. Below are tacos and the steak!Kid-friendliness: Not really kid friendly
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Carne Asada
First reservation canceled without notice, gave it a second chance, food low quality, poor effort. Oscar the server was great! Air conditioner was leaking on the stairs in, slightly slippery, and a bit dirty. Drinks are likely made with montezuma style “tequila” (tequila flavored liquor) thanks to all service staff, great job. All in all everything is poor quality.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 4
Hosted a birthday party here, everyone was extremely nice and helpful, good drinks and food, highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Intentionally confusing happy hour menu!. Came on a Tuesday and we were given this... They said they don't expect people to look at the back. Also, who charges $20 for chips and salsa? + Mandatory 4% surcharge and 20% tip. Never again!
I celebrated my birthday here last Friday and we all had so much fun! The atmosphere is exotic and the scenery is beautfiul. Ezekiel was our waiter and he was so much fun. I ordered a burrito and felt like the portions were small. Beware of the tequila shots.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Horrible experience! Went her for a birthday with high expectations and they did nothing but disappoint. Good was delicious and drinks were satisfying but as we ordered a meal that guaranteed our server 20% gratuity we never got a water filled once, took forever to get drink refills, and when our eggs where undercooked took an hour to get replacement eggs that were still under cooked. When we confronted the server he replied that he would take 2 dollars off despite the fact the birthday girl couldn’t eat her meal for over an hour. Then we proceeded to talk to the manager and very rudely he put the bill down insisting he took off a meal and took off like we inconvenienced him. When they took my card they took 20 minutes to return it so I could leave and the waiter SLAMMMED DOWN our bill! Also there was no performance that occurred. If you’re looking for an amazing experience this is NOT the place. We will never return here.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
We had a fabulous time at EL Techo! The food was amazing, but the service from beginning to end was just superb. Jordan was so sweet, and navigated the system to help us get a table to eat quickly. Louie, the owner was so kind, offered to turn off the fan because we were cold, and engaged in conversation with us. The ambiance was also on point, from the dj to the decor. Our waitress Aslin was so sweet and checked on us as much as possible. We wanted for nothing. This was a fabulous experience
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp Tacos, Mango, Carne Asada
I found El Techo on Instagram and was very excited to check it out. Before I get into my experience, I do want to say that the food was phenomenal, and the mojito that I ordered was great! The decor is also cute, and I was excited to take some pictures.We had reservations at 5:30, when we walked in the hostess could not even be bothered to look up from her paper to say hello and seemed like she was in a bad mood. I told her my name and my reservation time. She stood at the hostess stand and pointed to the table for us to walk to. The table she pointed to was literally in the bar area, there were people standing around it and leaning on the table. (Less than half the tables had people sitting at them, so there was no need to seat someone in such an uncomfortable situation considering there were so many empty tables) I asked her if we could sit at any of the other tables, so we weren't in the standing area of the bar. With a major attitude, she said all of the tables were reserved. I told her that I had a reservation, and literally any other table would be fine. I just didn't want people to be standing on top of me as I was eating. She did agree to put us at a hightop table on the other side of the restaurant but was very clear that we had to leave in 1 hour. We sat down and ordered, our waiter was kind and helpful. Admittedly we were kind of still on edge when we sat down because of the aggressive nature of the hostess, we each got a drink and ordered tacos, and a burrito.Within about 10 minutes of waiting for our food the hostess walked over the a couple sitting next to us, telling them that they had to leave. The woman said that they had a reservation and they were just finishing their drink. (I don't know the whole story on why they were being asked to leave. There is a 90 min time limit, probably because the place is so small. BUT again there were still many open tables to seat people at.) The way the hostess was talking to them was WILDLY inappropriate. They finally told her that her attitude was disrespectful and asked for the manager. The Manager came over and started arguing with the couple. It was then that the couple seemed to be done with the abuse. They were all screaming at each other, and I was little scared that it was going to turn into a physical fight.We were so uncomfortable the entire time we were there. We ate as fast as we could, paid, and left. I have never felt unsafe at a restaurant in my life. From the minute we walked in to the minute we left I was on edge. No one wants to eat their food after being verbally abused and then watch a fight beak out. The owner needs to seriously take a look at the management. It has the potential to be such a great place, it's a shame that it is being managed like this.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 1
Food and vibe were very good! The cocktails were good too but so small for the price! $15 for a cup about 2/3 the size of my hand is crazy
Go to El Techo for 1. Ezekiel, one of the loveliest Waiters I have had the pleasure to meet.2. the Crispy avo tacos.The combination of kindness, care and deliciousness and flavors was wonderful!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Went to El Techo on a Saturday early evening with the hubbs for date night. Tacos and margaritas were tasty. The guac and queso are delicious! Ambiance was tropical and inviting. It was a mixed crowd when we first arrived, age-wise, but by about 7 it got a lot younger (read: early 20s). If you are an auntie or auntie-adjacent get in early and skedaddle to the teen streets in Shaw before 8!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Queso, Guacamole Small Serving