Disappointing

   changeisgood726 - 12/27/2007

I first heard about Jaleo restaurant 2 years ago while watching Rachel Ray's show $40 A Day on the Food Network. At the time she was dining at the Washington, DC location. When I discovered a location had opened in Crystal City I was very excited and looking forward to dining there. Unfortunately I very disappointed. The food wasn't very interesting or tasteful and left a lot to be desired. I highly doubt that I will return but if I do it would be for cocktails and the pleasant environment.

not that great

   oj00000006569182 - 02/02/2007

this place wasn't all that great. the best part about it was the service. we had a party for 20 and the waiters were constantly coming to check up on us and did a good job. the food however, not that good. i've had tapas wayyyy better than those at Jaleo. it might be huge and look fancy & nice, but if you expect excellent food then don't waste your time here.

Get your Tapas

   scottbay3 - 01/17/2007

Good value for the price

   manosa1 - 04/29/2006

Tepid Tapas

   hungryindc2006 - 02/13/2006

As a an amateur tapa taster, I welcomed the invitation to DC's Jaleo enthusiastically. I had never tried the tapa experience and didn't know what to expect. I felt as if I was the only person left in DC who hadn't tried this hot spot. My date and I ordered 6 tapas which left us full but not satisfied. As another reviewer puts it, the dishes were bland and lacked any unique, flavorful seasonings worth mentioning. The dishes were edible, but nothing I would return back for. If I were Spanish, I'd probably be appalled at reviews claiming Jaleo as a good representation of typical Spanish tapas. My date and I jokingly renamed it the Spain-ish TGIF.

Over-rated

   corriedae - 07/07/2005

After reading all the great reviews, I was excited to try Jaleo and was really disappointed. The service was horrendous and we were there doing a slow time...the couple next to us we had been there even longer than us wondered aloud where the waiter was---he hadn't taken their order yet! We were brought the wrong thing. And what they got right was mediocre. And I know it is tapas but was incredibly small and overprivced. Five pieces of artichocke in pasta sauce is not worth $8.00 especially when it wasn't good! And the heraled sangria? Was watery and nothing to write home about. I've had better at dive Mexican joints.

BEST SANGRIA IN DC!

   missscarlethope - 11/02/2004

You must try the sangria. The manchego cheese and apple salad was good too. It's always really busy, so reservations are strongly recommended, especially on the weekends.

Tucker Unisys's Review

   tuckerunisys - 11/29/2003

Great environment, excellent food, sangria to kill for...great spot for a date. Every bit worth the money!

VixenDC's Review

   vixendc - 11/16/2003

The sangria is AWESOME! And theu serve this delicious manchego cheese and apple salad that is SO good!!! The owners must make a killing off of this place, but it's worth it. ME LOVES THE SANGRIA! :)

jgfunkmartin's Review

   jgfunkmartin - 11/03/2003

I work at Jaleo DC as a waiter and I really like it there - after a year and a half I still enjoy all the food (and the wine too). A few corrections I'd like to make: DC Starfish - I believe the potato dish you had (Patatas al Cabrales) is not vegi, it contains veal stock. Sorry to bust your bubble. LV2DIVE - The small carafe of sangria costs $8.50, the full carafe costs $15.75. Roundelay7049 - the tomato bread costs $2.95 (That, and we're not in Barcelona, live with it) Lawyer105 - 7 tapas? you have a good appetite. Most people get 2-4.Having dined there a few times, I enjoy the food but sometimes the atmosphere is a little loud and crowded for my tastes. I love the service (but they pay attention to me more because I work there ;))