For a restaurant that basically has only one item I can eat, almost always has a wait for a table, is predictable in nearly every way and draws the consternation of many friends, I really love Lauriol Plaza. I mean, this place has never let me down for a meal. Perfect "parents" place, birthday place, new job celebration place and first (or 100th) date place. Ladies, I know you come here for nights out. And families, I see you there, too. Try getting into the front door on a weekend night. The front patio basically turns into a club. A club of drinkers, all waiting for tables. Or not.Yes, for the most part, the food is predictable. The only dish that I know is vegan is the vegetarian fajitas. Others may be, but that is literally the only dish I ever order. Not counting drinks. The fajitas are amazing. They come sizzling on a platter with rice, beans and mini tortillas. Among the hot, savory vegetables, are two plantains! The soft, fresh plantains make the platter for me.
Drinks, that's another story. I've had it all at Lauriol, but I mostly like the swirl frozen margarita. It is simple and great. I like to stuff the lime down into the drink and find it frozen at the finish line. Actually, I hardly ever get one frozen margarita. Go for the pitcher.
If you frequent Adams Morgan or Dupont, there's no way you haven't passed this place. But if not, it's at 1835 18th Street NW, at T.
13 comments:
Sounds a nice restaurant, love needs no excuse.
I hope you're not serious.
i used to love lauriol plaza..when i was a kid i went with my dad it was one of the only places hed leave georgetown for...and then...they moved into the new place only a few doors down..but it was never the same... i went once was soooo disappointed at what they had turned our fave lil spot into...that i never went back...
honestly, i was not impressed by this place at all. i went there with a friend i hadn't seen in years and i wanted it to be a nice time. the only nice part about it was the conversation with my friend. i had enchiladas. first of all, enchiladas are not Mexican at all, they are Argentinian, so i don't know why they are on this menu. i can definitely say that i have had way better enchiladas at other places for a much better price, where there was no wait and you didn't have to sit at a table in the sweltering hot tightly crammed in third floor. The only thing that could have made the whole experience better was my golden margarita, but even that was ruined because they gave it to me frozen when i wanted it on ice.
tim, tim, tim. when you come to san francisco, i'm going to take you to places that will ruin lauriol plaza for you! i never got the appeal of that place when i was in DC, though i did not ever try the margaritas. perhaps that would have changed things for me!
I love this place. Your post is true. I've been there for huge birthday parties, nights out with groups of friends (on the outside patio) and even a few 1:1 dates. Yeah, the food isn't 4-star, but the service is snappy and the margs are great.
Boring place and largely bland food. Mi Rancho in downtown Silver Spring has food that is 50 times better.
I have to admit I love the margaritas, the fresh lemonade and all the fajitas. Especially the carne asada! I can't say it's authentic, but the steak is well-seasoned and the tortillas are warm and delicious. Plus it's so close to my apartment!!
Unbelievably loud - I always leave tired of yelling across the table. Bizarrely, crowds of people mill around outside LP waiting to get in, while the excellent Malaysian place directly across the street has empty tables...
Tim got this exactly right. Fajitas and pitchers of swirl margaritas are the ONLY thing to get here. They are excellent. Everything else is blah. And though the crowds sometimes seem daunting, the line moves fast. I've often had people at the desk tell me that the wait was an hour and a half, only to be seated ten minutes later. As for the commenter above who said that enchiladas are not Mexican, I would challenge you to walk into ANY Mexican restaurant and not find them on the menu.
Lauriol Plaza is not a Mexican restaurant and it is an insult that they try to pass some of their dishes as such. It's a shame ignorance is bliss and the bar is sit so low for true authentic food with integrity. It's all about the atmosphere and bad dishes. I'll take a taco stand in Hyattsville, MD over these DC pseudo-Latin-SalMex-culinarily-aberrant restaurants anyday! Yuck!
I would like to say it's a typical DC food factory, following the money-making formula of loud music, bland food, plying customers with alcohol, rushed service, etc etc...loud music, wait, did I say that? (DC restaurants are so overrated...every one of them! The best food sad to say is in the suburbs...Maybe, G'town.) But on the other hand, it's good in a way that it's been around so long, though I agree with everyone who said it was better before. Now it's just a glorified echo chamber. Are the torillas made of CORN at least?? Anyway, it's provided jobs for a few and that's a good thing.
Maybe the only good thing?
It's not often you see a restaurant that is able to afford to build its own place.
To be fair, in many ways DC restaurants are merely reflections of their patrons' expectations.
This is a random, much-belated comment, but I agree with you completely! I visited a friend in DC a few years ago, and despite having to wait two hours for a table, it was worth it. The veggie fajitas were incredible (glad to know they're actually vegan). I can't even remember what was in them (which is why I was googling this place), but the plantains were the best part. Now I'm craving them like mad, along with a pitcher of frozen margaritas. ;)
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