Los Cuates isn’t a bad Mexican restaurant. But it’s just average, and in a city with so many options for dining out, average is worth about as much as Los Cuates’ barely-passable salsa.
Los Cuates may have its own delicacies, but they aren’t the basics of Mexican cuisine: enchiladas and quesadillas. In its execution of both dishes, the restaurant failed to distinguish itself, which wouldn’t be so bad if they were cheap. Instead, they’re undeservedly expensive—$10.95 for the beef enchilada and $7.95 for the quesadillas.
The enchilada never coalesced into more than the sum of its parts. Both the cheese and the beef tasted fine, but they didn’t make me glad that someone decided to put them together. The enchiladas also lacked the usual surrounding lake of sauce and grease, which is inexcusable, considering how bland the beans and rice were. The beef was chopped, not ground, an unusual choice which made cutting difficult.
Los Cuates’ chicken quesadilla is also unremarkable, but at least there’s a lot of it. Like the enchilada, it came across as something I could easily make at home with the friendly assistance of a microwave. There aren’t many ways to impress with basic Mexican food, but Los Cuates doesn’t even try.
Los Cuates does innovate in one area: its table-waiting system. Any server that’s free and cares enough to walk over becomes your waiter of the moment. This sometimes means faster service, but it can also result in miscommunication, as when two waiters both went to refill my water.
The server manual must also have missed the chapter on salsa and chips management. Can’t an $11 a plate restaurant hire someone who knows that a new bowl of salsa also means a new basket of chips?
The Georgetown area has been waiting a long time for a great, inexpensive Mexican restaurant. Chipotle doesn’t count because it charges for salsa, and Alamo costs too much. Los Cuates proves that our wait isn’t over.
Los Cuates is located at 1564 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016.
Los Cuates is closed Monday and open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
