Poca Madre

All of the food is quite unique. You wouldn't expect certain flavors to go together, and they beat expectations. Food is high in quality. Only had the tapas style dishes.

Exceptional. One of the best meals I've had in a long time. Creative dishes with vibrant flavors and outstanding service. Can't wait to return!

The food was exquisite, taking care of every detail of the dish, the sauces with a very rich flavor. My favorite dish was octopus. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

First time here and everything was great. From the service to the food and especially the craft drinks. It was a wonderful experience and will definitely be back with more friends. Kevin was great.

Brought my girlfriend here to impress her, and poca madre did not disappoint! The king burrito is dope... this is the best Mexican in dc. Also get the suspiro mexicano.

Amazing food. Absolutely a must visit. Great service. It would be a mistake to pass on a chance to eat here.

Wonderful, inventive food and cocktails, lovely space, excellent service from Ramon. Highly recommend.

Great Mexican smell plates. Good cocktails and lots of mezcal.

Absolutely stellar experience & food. Bar seating is intimate and personalized--you rock, Rashieda!

I had an amazing experience at Poca Madre. The food was incredible, and the wine pairings were spot on. I didn't know tortillas could taste that good. The menu was very friendly for a vegetarian like myself. The staff was attentive and the atmosphere was chic, making for a very fun ladies night out. Chef Faiz did an awesome job - I'll definitely be back!

The hype is real! Food is fantastic, drinks were so smooth and smoky and service was excellent. My partner luvs Mexican food and I was just tagging along but this place opened my eyes to how wonderful Mexican cuisine is and how balanced the food is - all my senses were singing praises to the chef! Chef's menu was heavenly and I can't wait to come back!

This was great! The Margarita was probably the best I've ever had. Got the four course tasting menu which was kind of like 7. The crispy octopus was really good, and we really like the duck main. The ceviches were good too, and we loved all the Mezcal!

This is one of the best restaurants that I've try in a long time. Amazing food and very good service. We are vegetarians and they have good options in the menu, I have to say the green salsa with tostadas as entrance were amazing, we had the heirloom squash and it was superb, the mushroom risotto and the broccoli were also fantastic. Drinks are also great. I highly recommended it and I will definitely be back when in DC.

We are vegetarians and the tasting menu really was the way to go. Not a ton of vegetarian options but enough for my wife and I (2 appetizers, 2 small plates, 1 entree and multiple desserts). The vegetarian options were really really good and very different from what you can normally get. Very tasty and different flavor profiles. Great service and nice atmosphere as well. Would highly recommend.

We had a work dinner at this restaurant & everyone loved it. The service was amazing and attentive and the food was great. So many great options for people, vegetarian or not. Best tortillas and Mexican risotto I've ever had. The dessert was on point as well. Did not disappoint, will definitely be back next time I'm in the DC area.

Phenomenal experience, from the ambiance to the service and then the food. I've been wanting to try this place since I moved to DC and was so excited I finally went last night! The restaurant itself is not very big, which means a much more intimate experience. From the start to the finish, the service was on point! Our server gave us a mini cocktail at the beginning of our dining experience. We ordered the pulpo laminado, the broccoli and then split the pork entree. Everything was SO good. The octopus had some sort of black sesame dressing and was flash fried. The broccoli was a bit spicy and sat on top of some queso fundido but it was not too cheesy, which I liked. The pork was excellent and cooked perfectly. The corn tortillas are fantastic. We ended the meal with the chocolate mousse dessert, which basically tasted like a Reese's cup. So good! The drinks are really good and very strong! Would definitely come back.

I went to this restaurant on Saturday with two friends, and we had a fabulous time. The food was incredible, the staff was friendly, knowledgeable, and extremely accommodating. We did not have a reservation but they found a way to sit us (which we really appreciated because the food was amazing), and when we had to leave our table and move the bar they offered us dessert and were extremely friendly. Honestly, I preferred to sit at the bar because we were able to watch the talented bartender create fantastic drinks. I can’t wait to go back!

Recently rated one of the top 10 restaurants in DC, Pics Madre deserves all the praise it has been receiving. Service is excellent. Every bite of each of the four dishes I shared with warranted savoring. Each ingredient complemented it's fellows. A true gourmet delight.

This is one of the best meals I’ve ever had. Intentional, creative dishes. Enjoyed the cocktails like the 24k, the ziggy stardust, and the campeon. For food, we loved the veggie dishes especially the squash and the broccoli. Also recommend the octopus and the chicken mole. Cheers to the great service and the decor.

We lamented the loss of Del Campo but decided to try Poca Madre, which is on the same location, for our Christmas party. We had an outstanding time. Cocktails were creative and delicious. We had a couple with grasshoppers on them and a frozen one. Mezcal cocktails are always a winner on my book. The octopus we had was the best ever anywhere, worth the trip all by itself. The burrito king lived up to its billing. The food is the best Mexican inspired in the DC area, and the service complements it. Our server was welcoming and managed to guide our group through the menu without patronizing them. When we joked about wanting chips and salsa, because it was a Mexican restaurant, the chef whipped up some tostadas with a green dip, which were not on the menu. That’s the makings of true excellence. The prices we paid were reflective of the services we received. We’ll absolutely be back.

Amazing! Delicious combination of Mexican fare and other cousines bringing caviar and tartufo to classical dishes such as Burrito the king or Huitsquites (smoked mushroom risotto). The shrimp and cuttlefish chevice was also fantastic - it is very spicy. Great selection of mezcal based margaritas and variations Cool locale. The tiramisù wasn't at par, but in fairness the waitress tried to steer us away from it ;)

We had a fantastic experience at Poca Madre! The staff was very good and the food was excellent. We had the four course meal with cocktail pairing and each course was unique, well presented, and absolutely delicious! I will be returning soon.

Drinks and food are amazing. Service can't be beat. Try the bat of pigs and the Madre margarita (I made mine spicy) if you like spicy with sweet do the campero. The duck is absolutely amazing as well as the burrito, chicken mole, the ceviche and everything we tried.

I've been a fan of Taco Bamba for awhile - see that review on another page. This is an offshoot, taken up several notches. The place apparently shares the same kitchen as Bamba. There are some familiar flavors but in a different form factor. The meats are clearly done the same way, but plated as meat compared to a taco. They are very good. Our group tried nearly every item on the menu. One thing I would highly caution against is the Tomahawk steak... Yeah, don't know who ordered this, while tasty, it's unnecessary at a Mexican higher end restaurant and at $110 for the meat, not smart. Overall, the food is excellent, but I would say that each dish is 20% too expensive. For six people at a nicer Mexican restaurant it was $600 bones. Drinks can into the same bucket. Again, very good food, albeit a little pricey. Always feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @joerazz

Good Mexican-American fusion restaurant. Taste is good and staffs are friendly. There are some rare premium tequila. Atmosphere is nice to have dinner with your important others in casual style.

Good, interesting, smoky food. Drinks are fabulous. Tortillas and salsa are delicious. Wasn’t huge on the duck. Several of the waiters were outstanding and kind. One was less so.

Creative dishes with excellent presentation. Good flavor pairings (had the charred cabbage, and scallops dishes). Service was decent.

Omakase is worth it. Gives you a good variety of tacos and even while some might not fit your taste profile, they are all delicious.

Some dishes were great, the duck was a little underwhelming. The service seemed rushed for the pricing and level of food.

Great introduction to mezcal! Bartender Nelson was whipping up some awesome cocktails!

Food was super tasty and service was excellent. That tasting menu was fun. The cocktail pairing felt random and didn’t seem super thought out as it was paired with the courses. The tortillas were excellent.

Poca Madre has a lot going for it and one thing that is lacking. Let's start with what they are getting right: 1) Food: Despite sharing a kitchen with their Taco Bamba neighbors (Taco Bamba is good, but it's more casual), Poca Madre serves up really good, unique Mexican food. My wife and I ordered three dishes and two were life changing and one was very, very good. The life changing dishes were the beet and burrata tostada and the chorizo dumplings. The very, very good dish was the burrito with shrimp and waygu. It was balanced and tasty, but not life-changing (especially considering the price tag). For the dessert, we ordered the donas, six small, warm donuts with a dulce de leche dipping sauce. It was great! 2) Drinks: The bar is gorgeous and the bartenders know how to work drinks. For a sweeter drink, the campeon was spot on (anything with passion fruit is!). For a more stiff drinks, try the fat duck old fashioned. 3) Experience: Little touches go a long way and Poca Madre does it well. When you sit down, they hand you a welcome punch in a small glass that is very good (it was well balanced sweet and sour). They also brought over two large crisp tortillas and more gourmet salsa. 4) Atmosphere: It's centrally located in DC City Center, a short walk from the Chinatown Metro. The space is dimly lit and beautifully designed, especially the bar. The bar is simple and designed to be the most beautiful bar in Washington, D.C. Here's where they can improve: 1) Price: I'm willing to pay a steeper price for quality food and the quality of the food matches the price point. However, the drinks were a little skimpy. My campeon was $14 and literally it was a tenth full. A tenth was the actual drink and 9/10 was foam. It was tasty foam, but foam alas. 2) Service: Our server was very friendly and knowledgeable, but very slow. It took awhile to hear from him at every stage- when we sat down, when we ordered, when we got the food/drinks, when we got our bill. Also, our drinks were forgotten and then they didn't come out until we were on the third plate- odd timing. We would NOT go back for the service, but we would go back for the food!

Loved the food and it was on par with many Mexican restaurants we love in NYC (we loved the pork shoulder taco del día, huisquites, and shrimp and cuttlefish ceviche) but didn’t love the atmosphere as much as we wanted to. When sitting on the bench, tables are too high and a bit too wide to easily share a meal. Servers were overly formal for our taste and could loosen up a bit. Our server knew the menu well, but wasn’t attentive enough to make sure mezcal arrived (had to ask twice) and heard the same thing happen at the table next to us. Overall, we enjoyed the food, but a few simple tweaks to improve the vibe of this place would go a long way.

Hate to be the one posting a middling to bad review after so many glowing reviews here. I can see and did experience some of the positives — cute space, interesting cocktail program focused on mezcal which I love. But I can’t lie — I had a pretty disappointing experience overall. Service was off — we had a waiter who started on an abrasive note be replaced by a new one and then the original waiter returned for dessert and was more mellow. The biggest complain I have is about value. When pricing is high (think teens for appetizers, 30s for entrees and a lot more for shared dishes) you expect high quality and appropriate portions. But everything at PM is super petite — half a tomato and half an avocado in a salad, tiny burrito with wagyu beef. At least these were delicious if not generously proportioned. Unfortunately some dishes were just OK — the ceviche and the churro donuts for example. I think that Espita does the combination of mezcal plus modern Mexican better in terms of value. Still will go back and give it another try.

My husband is a huge taco bamba fan and I figured this would be the perfect upscale experience for his birthday dinner. I had placed notes in our reservation noting the birthday, and again advised our server when we were greeted. Very disappointing, but there was no recognition of the birthday - whether with a drink, food item, or dessert - extremely atypical of a restaurant. If it was simply because our server forgot, well then shame on him. Guests are greeted with small glasses of a mixed drink while you review the menu. We decided to go easy on ourselves and try the Taco Omakase - what a cool concept! 10 out of the 12 courses were taco-related, so if you're looking for ceviches and other dishes, this is not for you. To start off, the food is really quite tasty. The in-house ground corn tortillas and shells made such a difference - the taste and texture of the warm shells are just delightful. I probably could have eaten them plain! The fillings were creative takes such as wagyu beef tartare + caviar, soft shell crab + aioli, shroom empanada, bacon/eggs/cheese, etc. The only dish we really disliked was the chorizo - it tasted like a fried blob of a random mixture of beans and potato with very little meat. The mole beneath it didn't help. The reason for the 3-star rating is the fact we spent 2 1/2 hours for this omakase and the lack of a birthday recognition. Our first 3 courses came very quickly. We were still chewing while our plates were being whisked away and new dish brought out. We waited for an extensive amount of time for the next dish. Our server came by and asked how things were going, and said this was the time he checks in on the speed. We asked for the courses to arrive faster which he gladly obliged. Unfortunately, the dishes did not come faster. We were literally exhausted from waiting for food through the course of the dinner. These are tiny 2-bite dishes - of which we then wait another 10-15 minutes in between until the next 2 bites. We mentioned to our server at the 9th course, and he apologized and said they were still working on the omakase timing. This was shocking to hear considering the omakase has been offered since early December, which is almost 6 months ago. We literally saw other guests sit down after us, eat their meal and leave while we sat there and waited for our dinner to conclude. I can't even comment on the last 3 dishes because we were so tired of waiting, the taste wasn't even important - we just wanted the meal to end. You're also told to eat all the dishes by hand, which is fine, but I do think there needs to be wet towels or napkins provided so we have somewhere to wipe our hands. Some of these tacos get messy! The omakase definitely needs work, and remember to honor celebratory dinners!

Mediocre service, over salted dishes, extremely small portions for the prices. Pretentious without a cause... they use dry ice smoke circa 1993. All in all a very underwhelming dining experience.

I was very excited about the place which was supposed to be called “Poca Madre” because of the reviews the place had, but when I got the restaurant the name had changed, what made me guess and doubt the place... but my wife and I decided to know what the place was about, we were starving! Despite my starvation, when we tried the food (tacos: Patito, aramastaco, boricua, T’N T; sandwich: choriqueso.) it was disappointing! I won’t come back, definitely! Picture looks way better than the food tasted!

I’m confused by the 4-5 stars. Scallops ceviche was so salty it was hard to finish. Swordfish tacos again lacked flavor except salt. Risotto was tasteless. Unfortunately the worst Mexican food I’ve ever eaten.

Terrible service. Had a reservation for over a month and they called me the day before and said they had to move it from 8PM to 6PM because they overbooked the restaurant. I told them that I made the reservation a month ago and I couldn't move it because we had to coordinate getting sitters for our kids and they couldn't come earlier. I've never heard of this happening before and am appalled at the rude tone the manager took with me. They even said I should be more accommodating to them?!?! We didn't go and won't ever spend a dollar in that restaurant. There are plenty of other fantastic restaurants in DC with much better service.

Very confused with the 4 stars! This place is pretentious, overpriced and the food is really not very good. Just about all the dishes we had were very over-salted and lacked flavor. Look around! There are a lot of other amazing places around that area: go elsewhere!