Lauriol Plaza

Whenever I go out to eat-- it's here. always. more

Lauriol plaza is a multilevel Mexican restaurant. There always seems to be a wait around dinnertime, even though it’s such a huge restaurant! The food is fresh and is well prepared, and service is great. I’ve heard their seafood is always quite good, though I haven’t tried it yet. The chips and salsa are very yummy and fresh:) more

I've driven past there and every time the porch is overflowing, but note to selves if you get there before 6 there was no wait. It's not what one would expect of a mexican restaraunt as far as atmosphere goes, with wood panel walls, white tablecloths, high ceilings - it was first-date-impressed quality. We were seated upon walking in, and within 5 minutes a lovely mojito and strawberry swirl margarita had been acquired. Although I am partial to an on the rocks 'rita, I tried my companion's frozen one and it was easily comparable to the troublesome brews conconted by Cactus Cantina. A visit to the website later explained this phenomenom - Cactus and Lauriol are sister restaruants. Lauriol's mojitos were sufficiently minty, not too sweet, and had some serious lime bite to them. The salsa was also excellent, although I prefer a more solid base for piling on the chip and this was a little drippy. Oh well - not my tablecloths to clean. Dinner was definately pricier than our original intent, but big enough to serve as lunch today as well. It wasn't your cheap eats, stomache later kind of Mexican food - this was certainly going out to eat in the best sense. All in all a thumbs up, but even more enthusiastically so if you can find someone to take you and foot the bill more

I love this place. If you want a fun, lively dinner out with friends, you can't beat the atmosphere at Lauriol Plaza. With 3 bustling levels of dining, including sidewalk seating (with heat lamps in winter) and a rooftop terrace, it's perfect for people watching. The food is decent Tex-Mex in large portions at reasonable prices, but that's not the main attraction. I highly recommend the frozen swirl Margaritas. Don't go just for drinks, though, because the tiny bar is usually swamped by the crowd waiting for tables. If you come on a weekend night, be prepared to wait over an hour to be seated. It's worth the wait, though. After dinner, you're just a quick 5 to 10 minute walk up or down 18th Street to nightlife in Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle. more