When i’m picking a restaurant, my first instinct is to check Yelp. I want to know what the food looks like, what the prices are, and the star rating. This may sound pretentious, but I have usually found that restaurants with under 4 stars tend to be mediocre, and sometimes not worth our hand earned money. However – there are times in which those pesky 3.5 star restaurants are way better than expected. Enter, Espita Mezcaleria!
For my second restaurant week brunch of January (I indulged, I know) we went to Espita Mezcaleria in Shaw. Its a beautiful restaurant with murals all over the brick walls, huge windows with lots of light. As with other restaurant week deals, they offered a $22 three-course brunch with $17 for unlimited cocktails. Unlike others, this is their deal every weekend! Which (as you’ll see) is well worth it.
After a boozy Saturday, I didn’t choose to do the boozy brunch deal – but from observing my friends, it was probably the best drink deal i’ve seen in D.C. For a flat price, you can choose any of their offerings, which includes Cafe De Olla (coffee spiked with mezcal), a house mezcal bloody mary, a mimosa, a michelada, a chicha morada (champagne with purple corn syrup) and a mimosa. The quality of the drinks was that of a cocktail bar, not a mediocre restaurant trying to screw you with a bottle of cheap champagne and generic brand OJ. If I was ever going to do boozy brunch, i’d do it here.
I did, however, get an Agua Fresca. This is a light fruit juice with hibiscus, agave, and lime. It was fruity without bring pulpy or overly sweet – I want to drink this all the time!
To start, my friends ordered the chips and guac and pepinos, pickled cucumbers with jalapeños, mezcal, and turmeric. I love me some pickled vegetables, and these did not disappoint! The guac was pretty standard, but I loved the chips! They were thick and sturdy – we were probably given too much compared to the amount of guac, but enjoyable nonetheless.
For my first course, I had the Ensalada de Endivas. This was a salad with yellow endive, fennel, pine nut hummus, avocado, pickled persimmon, spiced walnut dressing, and pomegranate seeds. First off, it was probably the most beautiful salad i’ve ever seen! I mean – the colors! The fennel and the endive are definitely a little better, but the pomegranate and the persimmon helped balance it out. The orange brought a brightness and the nuts were also a good touch. My only suggestion: could have used a bit more dressing and avocado.
For my main course, I had the Huevos Rancheros – my absolute favorite breakfast dish! Tostadas topped with black beans, eggs, red sauce, queso fresco and avocado. I. Loved. It. It was well balanced, had all the flavors of a traditional huevos dish – it was filling and beautiful! 5 cones for this dish alone!
My friends got the Masa Waffle con Pollo Frito, a fried chicken topped with fried eggs, chipotle smoked syrup. It was beautiful and tasty! Emma got the Churro French Toast – french toast topped with coconut husk churros, coconut cream, and passionfruit curd.
For dessert, we had the chocolate hazlenut mousse with the dark chocolate sorbet, topped with toasted coconut. I loved the creamy mousse next to the cool sorbet with a little coconut for crunch.
This was probably my favorite brunch i’ve had in a while – and the fact that they always have their $22 three-course deal makes it even better. The only The menu had a great variety, good portion sizes, and a really fun and bright atmosphere. They have menu options for everyone and I can’t wait to go back for boozy brunch, for happy hour, and for more meals to come.
The Bottom Line
Fantastic brunch, fantastic deals, beautiful setting.
Price: $$ (12-22$ for brunch, xtra for drinks)
Location: Shaw/Mt. Vernon, Washington, D.C.
aditi eats 