Image: Assorted goodies to start.
Last Updated: December 2021
Current Status: Open for sit-down for lunch and dinner and brunch. Take-out and Delivery available.
Overview: D.C. is blessed with some good Spanish restaurants, thanks mostly to José Andrés, but Boqueria holds its own. The menu is focused around pretty traditional tapas, with a few jazzed-up items. Stick with the basics and you will be in good shape: jamon, cheese, tortilla, gambas, croquettas. The drink list includes a decent range of Spanish wines, a few sherries and cocktails, plus the required sangria to lubricate an enjoyable dinner or long lunch.
The mini-chain started in NYC in 2006, which proclaims to be the culinary capital of the nation, but was about a decade late to the tapas thing. Then they expanded to D.C., first setting up shop south of Dupont at 19th and M in 2012. That location remained a bustling scene and was the first to reopen since before times. The second location at Penn Quarter is bigger and was slower to catch on and then re-open, but now both are at full service. The food is still under the overall direction of Executive Chef Marc Vidal out of New York, but both locations have managed to establish themselves as reliable choices for good food.
Operations to sustain two large locations remains a challenge in these times, and so don’t be surprised if there remain kinks to sort out as full dine-in service resumes. Nonetheless, it is good to see them back.
Summary:
Cuisine: Spanish
Dupont:
Address: 1837 M St NW, Washington DC
Website: https://boqueriarestaurant.com/tapas-bar-dc-dupont/
Reservations: Resy
Chinatown/Penn Quarter:
Address: 777 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
Website: https://boqueriarestaurant.com/tapas-bar-dc-penn-quarter/
Reservations: Resy
Other Critics/Voices:
Washington Post: Tom gave it 2.5 stars and inclusion in the 2019 Spring Dining Guide focused on the Penn Quarter location. A prior 2012 review gave 2.5 stars to the Dupont location when it opened.
Washingtonian: Top 100 in 2013; and 2014.
Been There Eaten That: Lori’s early visit to the Dupont location
Rick Eats DC: #25 on his 2019 Spring Dining Guide (with the caveat that he had not yet eaten at Estadio!).