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Oyamel, Washington, DC
Award-winning

Oyamel

4.6 (9730)
$30 and under
Mexican
401 7th Street N.W., Washington, DC 20004

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 130 times today

About this restaurant

  • Lively
  • Great for happy hour
  • Hot spot
At Oyamel, José Andrés and his team combine Mexico's rich regional diversity with the vibrant urban atmosphere of Mexico City. The liveliness of the dining room is matched by the creativity of the menu and cocktail list, featuring antojitos--Mexican small plates--ceviches and tacos.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican, Tapas / Small Plates
  • Hours of operation
    Mon, Sun 11:30 am–10:00 pm Tue–Thu 11:30 am–11:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–12:00 am
  • Phone number
    (202) 628-1005
  • Website
    https://www.oyamel.com/location/washington-dc/
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Executive chef
    Claudio Foschi
  • Private party facilities
    At Oyamel, it feels like a fiesta the moment you walk through the door. Our bright spaces and vibrant décor paired with savory Mexican bites and unique cocktails come together to create an event you’ll never forget.
  • Private party contact
    Coleen Bendig: (202) 638-1910
  • Delivery & takeout
    Order direct
  • Location
    401 7th Street N.W., Washington, DC 20004
  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2022
  • Neighborhood
    Penn Quarter
  • Cross street
    D Street
  • Parking details
    There are ample public lots in the Gallery Place/Chinatown/Penn Quarter area. Metered street parking is also available.
  • Public transit
    Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro or Archives/Navy Memorial
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Featured in

Private dining

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 9,730 people are saying

Oyamel reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.5Ambience
  • 4.3Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

  • Washington, D.C. Area

    Mexican

  • District of Columbia

    Mexican

  • District of Columbia

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Oyamel offers "creative and delicious" Mexican cuisine with standout vegetarian options and "the best guacamole in DC." The vibrant atmosphere is "lively," though "often noisy," making outdoor seating a favored choice. Patrons appreciate the "innovative small plates," attentive service, and "excellent" margaritas, promising a delightful dining experience.
9,730 Reviews

  1. Colleen

    New York City7 reviews

    3.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    I may have been more impressed with Oyamel before I found more Mexican restaurants in the area. I think it has gone downhill some in the past 5 years. The ambience is great, but the service was lacking this time. Our water wasn’t refilled and we had finished all of our chips before any orders (including drinks) were taken. The chips don’t seem as fresh or homemade as they used to be, and the new blue corn tortillas were dry and didn’t taste great. The quesabirria is done better at more modest restaurants in the area. I used to default to Oyamel when in the area at dinner time but I won’t anymore.

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  2. Ed VIP

    Jackson Hole / Wyoming7 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 2
    Confusing menu, very loud. Food was good but not as good as the hype. Service was excellent.

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  3. Eric

    Washington, D.C. Area1 review

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Everyone loved their food. We let our server know that we had 7:30 theatre tickets and we were served promptly with plenty of time to make it to the show.

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  4. Timothy

    New York City11 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Oyamel was a revelation! I enjoyed everything about dining there. The food was truly creative as well as delicious. I was lucky enough to reserve an outdoor table - the noise level inside would not have led to as positive an experience.

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  5. Thomas VIP

    Washington, D.C. Area47 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on June 3, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    This is a well known and popular restaurant. So the noise level can be high. Sitting outside in nice weather is a great option. The food is very good and reasonably priced. Don’t miss the cauliflower. Staff is very friendly. I’ll be back soon . . . sitting outside.

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  6. Celia

    New York City8 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 3, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The tacos were juicy and delicious. We enjoyed the fish (California), Carne Asada, and beef tongue tacos. The octopus dish was more enjoyable than the one offered at Zaytinya, although the octopus was charred more than I expected. Salads were a high point of the meal for hubby and me. We enjoyed the salad with hearts of palm, and the one with the cactus paddle. My personal favorite dish was the Ahi Tuna ceviche. We both enjoyed the agua frescas offered - hibiscus and tamarind.

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  7. Kate

    Washington, D.C. Area1 review

    5.0

    Dined on June 1, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    We sat outside, which was nice, although it could be decorated a little bit more festively to match some of the Oyamel spirit. Good food, not quite hot but still so tasty when it got to us. Friendly service, good vibes.

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  8. Karen VIP

    Greater Boston7 reviews

    1.0

    Dined on June 1, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 2
    Restaurant is very overrated. Great waitress, but the restaurant has someone else bring the guacamole over. That person brought it to the wrong table. We finally got guacamole towards the end of our meal. The people sitting next to us also got their guacamole towards the end of the meal. Also, even though the restaurant was half empty and we arrived exactly on time, we had a substantial wait for a table. Many people were seated before us. Also, the guacamole is $32. And we were charged for 2 guacamoles, even though we only received one and it was towards the end of our dinner, so our guacamole charge alone was $64.. Our very nice waitress was only allowed to take the one guacamole charge off our bill. This restaurant is resting on its reputation, which will deteriorate if our experience happens to other customers.

    1 person found this helpful

  9. Martin

    Washington, D.C. Area8 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on June 1, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food, and the outside dining was sublime. No real notice by the restaurant or server other than an acknowledgment of the fact that we had notified the restaurant it was our 40th Wedding Anniversary. I guess we were spoiled last year for our 39th anniversary at the amazing Jaleo where the great server surprised us with cava to toast each other as we did in 1985. It was a real nice moment we did not expect and will remember forever, just not at Oyamel. Also, our rather small water glasses frequently ran dry, and my wife was only consuming water. She had a few semi-spicy dishes, and I had to refill her glass from my limited supply until I was empty. What bugged me is the server at the immediately adjacent tables served those diners water and left, ignoring us and our empty glasses. I thought that in a high-end restaurant, all customers are the responsibility of all servers. Anyway, my wife paused eating for about 5 minutes when she ran dry until our dedicated server arrived, and then had to come back with water. A trivial (I guess) issue, but for such a celebrity chef's establishment, I expected a little better. I guess I expected perfection for our 40th as my wife has been to me!

    1 person found this helpful

  10. Grace

    Washington, D.C. Area1 review

    5.0

    Dined on May 31, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent meal and service!! Great recommendations from the server.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Oyamel offers delivery in partnership with Uber Eats. Oyamel also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (202) 628-1005.

Oyamel is rated 4.6 stars by 9730 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. Washington, D.C. Area
  4. District of Columbia
  5. Penn Quarter

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 130 times today
Google Map for Oyamel

401 7th Street N.W., Washington, DC 20004

Additional information

  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2022
  • Cross street
    D Street
  • Neighborhood
    Penn Quarter
  • Hours of operation
    Mon, Sun 11:30 am–10:00 pm Tue–Thu 11:30 am–11:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–12:00 am
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican, Tapas / Small Plates
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    There are ample public lots in the Gallery Place/Chinatown/Penn Quarter area. Metered street parking is also available.
  • Public transit
    Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro or Archives/Navy Memorial
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Claudio Foschi
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Delivery & takeout
    Order direct
  • Website
    https://www.oyamel.com/location/washington-dc/
  • Phone number
    (202) 628-1005
  • Private party facilities
    At Oyamel, it feels like a fiesta the moment you walk through the door. Our bright spaces and vibrant décor paired with savory Mexican bites and unique cocktails come together to create an event you’ll never forget.
  • Private party contact
    Coleen Bendig: (202) 638-1910

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