Pre-Holiday Adventure: El Sol Restaurante & Tequileria

The holiday season is always a special time of the year. We definitely wanted to get together before the holidays and to celebrate being so close to the end of the fall semester. The month of December, holiday stress, and the end of the semester always generate a craving for comfort food. So on a chilly Thursday night earlier this month, we decided to seek comfort in Mexican food, guacamole, and tequila and made our way to El Sol Restaurante & Tequileria in Washington, D.C. for some drinks and food #fortheblog. When we walked up to the entrance of El Sol, we were struck by the size and appearance of the restaurant. It looked and felt a bit like a hole-in-the-wall, and we had a short moment of regret about our restaurant choice. But, we went in, and El Sol proved to be a textbook example of the "don't judge a book by its cover" saying.

The restaurant is very small and located next to a local neighborhood grocery store. At most, El Sol feels like it will comfortably seat 25-30 people. It's a small, seemingly tight-knit restaurant that saves all of its energy for the food. The atmosphere of El Sol is intimate, authentic, and welcoming, and the staff and other patrons were very inviting to us when we arrived. When we entered the restaurant, a man was walking out and said "Oh my God, it's so good. The food was great!" We were more excited to be there after hearing this intense endorsement by a kind stranger. A waitress promptly greeted us, pointed us to a table in a corner, and asked for our drink order. The service was fast, almost too fast---we did not have time to review the menu and we felt awful for repeatedly saying "give us one more moment." Complaining about prompt and courteous service is like complaining about getting too much sleep. Another observation we had was the presence of hipsters in the restaurant during our visit. There is often a hipster presence in restaurants like El Sol due to gentrification, societal issues, and appropriation (among other reasons, of course). Nonetheless, we were committed to drinking and eating because we are professionals when it comes to this blog.

El Sol has an extensive drink menu and we honed in on the Mango Margaritas. They were sweet, clandestinely strong, and delicious, and the mango flavor in them was wonderful. Something about a margarita on the rocks warrants having two of them, right? Well, that's our opinion and we're sticking to it! We were given complimentary tortilla chips and salsa to start our night. The homemade chips were crispy and tasty, with the perfect amount of saltiness. The mild salsa was pretty standard and nothing to try to smuggle out of the restaurant. We ordered the Guacamole and the Molletes for our appetizers. The in-house made Guacamole was absolutely delicious. It was served in a molcajete painted to look like a dog, which was adorable! If you decide to order this appetizer, you should know that it is a small serving of guac, but it was amazing and filled with fresh ingredients like serrano peppers. Fair warning, there is an ample amount of the peppers in the dip, which was fun for Simone who loves spicy food yet is a victim of heartburn. We opted to try something new with the Molletes, and they were mouthwatering and incredible. The Molletes were like mini open faced sandwiches---sliced bread topped with spicy chorizo, beans, cheese, and pico de gallo. All of the flavors worked so well together in each and every bite. If you enjoy spice and something comparable to a warm, spicy chorizo pizza, then definitely check out molletes at your next visit to an authentic Mexican restaurant. You won't be disappointed.

For an entree, Simone ordered three of El Sol's Tacos: chicken, carnitas, and shrimp. In addition to the tacos, Simone had a side of Fried Plantains. Each of the tacos were unique and heavenly. All of the tacos featured perfectly cooked meat and were well seasoned and wonderfully fresh. Simone's favorites were the carnitas and shrimp tacos, which were essentially perfect to the point that words would not do them justice. The side of Fried Plantains were expertly cooked until they were soft and sweet. Sour cream was served on the side of the plantains which was a good balance to some of the serrano peppers that lingered from the Guacamole appetizer for Simone. On the other side of the table, Damien had the Burrito Mojado, which was amazing. The burrito featured ingredients you would expect---cheese, black beans, rice, salsa, sour cream, lettuce, and guacamole, and Damien chose chicken for the protein. The chicken was perfectly cooked and very well seasoned, and every bite of this burrito solidified it as one of Damien's favorite entrees he has had during our #HappyTummyList adventures.

In the end, we would give El Sol Restaurante & Teuileria a 5 out of 5. El Sol is a great place to visit for happy hour or dinner. The money we spent was more than well worth it. If you also consider the prompt and courteous service, excellent drinks, and intimate atmosphere, what more could you ask for? D.C. is always a gem of small and delicious eateries, and El Sol will hold a special place in our hearts. If you go here, be ready for amazing food and excellent memories. Until next time, enjoy the rest of the holiday season! (PS. We hope to get to enjoy some #HappyTummyList action during the holidays, so stay tuned!)