Enriqueta’s
Dress: Sombrero if you want to mesh with the decor, a business suit if you want to mesh with the clientele.
Cover: No, it’s a restaurant
Carded: We weren’t

Some would say the Bar Belle has no business reviewing Enriqueta’s because it’s a restaurant. But, in my four years at GW, I have never had a better margarita then those served in this small Georgetown restaurant. For this reason, I feel I would be doing a disservice to my readers if I did not share the wealth.

Enriqueta’s, the quaint restaurant on the edge of Georgetown with the green awning, is quite deceptive in its aesthetic. From the outside it seems like a tacky dive, the kind where you expect a burrito that tastes like pita bread with shredded Kraft cheese.

Don’t let the crepe paper Mexican decorations fool you. This place serves up high-class drinks and food, with prices to match. As soon as you sit, the waiter doesn’t ask you if you want a pitcher of margaritas, he simply asks, “How many?”

It is, of course, possible to go to Enriqueta’s just for dinner, though I’ve never been able to do it. So a word of advice. Don’t plan dinner at this restaurant before a test or any kind of appointment. I speak from experience – you will miss them.

The owner is a cool guy. He’ll remember you after a few visits, and if you ask him how he is, he’ll say “Bad, until I have some tequila.”
If he likes you – and he will, provided you’re a) female, b) a blonde female, c) a brunette female or d) willing to drop a ton of money – he will make your pitcher any way you want it (frozen, strawberry, peach, etc.). And he will keep them coming.

As you continue to throw back the tasty drinks, you may become embarrassed by the disapproving looks that ladies in mink coats (they’re on their way to the Kennedy Center) are giving you. Don’t worry about it. In a few minutes, they’ll be as trashed as you are. If they’re not, well, they’re old, anyway, so shoot them a look and keep tipping them back.

As a rule, I usually don’t advise my readers to eat a lot when imbibing in such fine spirits. One, it soaks up the alcohol, making it that much harder to get drunk, and two, if you’re stuffing your face you don’t have as much time to booze. But here I will make an exception because the food is just too good to pass up. Have the Sopa Azteca to start, a tomato-y soup with cheese, avocado and tortilla chips; it’s breathtaking. Any main course, especially the Burritos Enriqueta’s, is exquisite. Of course, that could be the tequila talking.