Guajillo Grill

Guajillo Grill, more commonly referred to as just Guajillo, is a little neighborhood Mexican restaurant tucked away in the same strip mall as the now infamous Ray’s Hell Burger on Wilson Boulevard. Well, famous if you live in the DC Metro area, anyways. In fact, Guajillo is right next door, and if you can resist the urge to follow the legions of people flowing into Ray’s Hell Burger, you might be a little surprised to find out what you’re missing.

Guajillo doesn’t have the big time restaurant feel to it, which is fine with the people who work there as well as the owners. It comes across more as a neighborhood spot to eat, which completely perplexes me as to why everybody there (well, except one new hostess) seemed to know Jen. Eyes lit up when they saw her, and I heard an endless barrage of greetings, welcoming her back. One guy asked Jen to sign a napkin. One guy brought over a baby for Jen to kiss. People everywhere were in hysterics. One person was crying. It might have been me. I kept peeking out the window through blurry eyes to make sure the paparazzi didn’t see us coming into the restaurant. What the hell?

It's a chip and dip.

Little did I know that it’s really one of Jen’s favorite Mexican restaurants, and the food quality shows it. Jen immediately opted for a large cauldron of Sangria, and I opted for the l’eau de dc, only the freshest in local drinking liquids. A basket of freshly made corn tortilla chips suddenly appeared on our table, accompanied by a smoky, medium-hot bowl of house-made salsa and house-made sour cream’n'onion dip. Ridiculously good. So good I nearly licked the dip bowl clean on my own. Various employees came to stop by and chat, catching up with Jen since her last visit several months prior. Her status there is legendary as one of their most beloved patrons, and a photo of her sits near the cash register under the neon light hues at the bar. To say that we got exemplary service would be an understatement, as we were constantly being checked upon or served by at least three people. Whether or not that was because with Jen or if it’s pretty much standard operating procedure might require a visit of your own.

Jen and I both ordered the enchiladas, hers, the cheese filled ones, and mine, the chicken filled ones. Both were great, covered in savory enchilada sauce, topped with fresh queso, and served with sides of Mexican rice and refried beans.

Guajillo's Enchiladas

I clearly did not care for my meal.

The aftermath.

While the chicken enchiladas here are pretty damn good, the cheese enchiladas are even better. After helping Jen take out the rest of her meal, I somehow managed to coerce her into sharing a dessert with me. The sopapillas were enticing, and as I found out, enormous.

Sopapillas

These things are each about the size of a slice from a medium pizza, soaked in cinnamon, honey, and caramel, optionally served with a giant dish of vanilla ice cream. It tastes a good bit like a plate of churros, just with a different shape.

A definite winner. I’d come back again for sure, but like I said, it’s hard to walk past Ray’s Hell Burger like everyone else and get sucked into their burgers. If you’re in the mood for Mexican food, and good Mexican food at that, Guajillo is a place you shouldn’t pass up.

Good for:

• The Three Amigos
• Nobel Peace Prize Winners
• Casual Diners
• Sour Cream and Onion Dip Fantatics
• Things That Go Bump in the Night

Not good for:

• Sigfried
• Roy
• Supernintendo Chalmers
• People Who Hate Knees
• Sabretooth Tigers

View Guajillo on a map here.

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