La Famosa

Getting nostalgic celebrating another year and the urge to eat from home hit. La Famosa did not disappoint. If your torn between here and another PR restaurant, COME HERE!

I liked the way to order and pay but I think it is not practical for people who do not know how to use their phone.

The décor is pleasant.

I had better Portorican food. My appetizer was extremely salty. I had to ask the server to talk to the cook and make sure that the entry will be eatable.

I found that place pricey.

First trip to D.C wanted to stop here because I heard good things. The reason I even gave it 2 stars was for the wonderful customer service and nice plating of the food. To start the ordering on the app was simple. But my issue was why did half of my food come plated and the other stuff in a to go box when we made it clear we were staying. That was so off putting and ultimately ruined my experience already. The food was ehhh. This definitely tasted like “inspired “ Puerto Rican food cooked by an American. There was no flavor like are y’all not using SOFRITO ,ADOBO , SAZON CON COLOR ? The only thing we enjoyed were the Pastelillos. And was nice enough to ask for a refund on only one item we have because I love supporting local businesses. Please do a better job at seasoning the food so it taste more AUTHENTIC. Because it taste like BOB went to PR and wanted to bring back the flavors but failed. Keep up the great with customer service tho.

We were lucky enough to get a spot at the bar right as we walked in and had a great meal. Service was wonderful, food and drinks were amazing. The seasonal coquito was so very good, you have to try it while it’s around. It’s like egg nog but better. For dinner, we split and loved the octopus salad, pork belly mofongo and beef stew. Don’t skip dessert- the guava shortbread cookies (looked like a classic thumbprint cookie) were the perfect way to end. Atmosphere was really nice too, lively but laid back.

Wow...just wow. I came to La Famosa with a party of eight for dinner, and we were absolutely blown away by how delicious and authentic the food was (and how many plant-based options there were)! When we walked in, it immediately felt like we were teleported from DC to a Caribbean haven, with the cozy and adorable decor, the mood lighting, and just the bright and cheerful energy of the staff and the overall restaurant. And if that wasn't enough to immediately lift your spirits and make you think of walking through the streets of San Juan or along the coasts, the food definitely will!

We ordered a bunch of different dishes to sample, with a mix of vegetarian / pescatarian and meat-based dishes. We started the meal with the bolitas de queso, pastelillos, croquetas de bacaloa, and ensalada de pulpo. The bolitas de queso were a table favorite, as well as both the vegetarian and beef pastelillos. The vegetarian one was made with impossible meat, which was not quite what I was expecting, but it was a pleasant surprise and absolutely delicious. The filling was incredibly flavorful and the outside shell perfectly fried and crispy, and it all paired beautifully with their dipping sauce. I also loved the croquetas de bacaloa, and the ensalada de pulpo was light and refreshing, yet still incredibly flavorful.

We were already filling up from the starters, but we just couldn't resist sampling a bunch of their amazing entrees as well. I was obsessed with their ensalada tamarindo; I know it sounds boring and obnoxious to say that a salad was one of my favorite items at any restaurant, but it was so incredibly fresh, and the tamarind dressing had the perfect balance of salty, sweet, and sour, and complemented the greens and shrimp incredibly well. And the shrimp! The shrimp was beautifully cooked, still perfectly springy and with a light char that paired wonderfully with the subtle natural sweetness of the shrimp, as well as the sweet and sour tamarind glaze on the outside. We also ordered their chicken, pork, and vegetarian picadillo mofongos; the chicken and pork ones received high praise, and I absolutely loved the vegetarian dish. It used the same impossible meat filling as the vegetarian pastelillo, which was amazingly flavorful and just so warm and comforting. It was a great pairing with the crispy mashed fried plantains, but the dish was definitely heavy. It put me to sleep almost immediately...not that I'm complaining, especially because it felt like a warm hug on a cold winter day.

All in all, I really can't recommend La Famosa enough. The menu is delicious and authentic, and the restaurant does a great job of accommodating most dietary restrictions (you can request that almost anything be made gluten-free, and there's a solid number of pescatarian and vegetarian options). The restaurant's ambiance is casual, cheerful, and all-around delightful, and is the perfect place to unwind after a long workday or hang out on the weekend.

Ok. My boyfriend and I have been SO EXCITED for this spot to open! It DID NOT DISAPPOINT!

First off, we showed up a half hour before they closed, which I think is rude. They were so accommodating anyways!

The atmosphere is so fun. Good music. Fun decor, both inside and out. The vibe is great and it’s unique to the Navy Yard area which made it even better.

We ordered our food to go. While we were waiting they started chatting with us and offered us tastings and samples of a few items. Everything we had was amazing.

The pork chops were to die for. My Cuban boyfriend is picky with his food from the south and he loved every bite.

I bought a bag of whole bean coffee and will try in the morning. I’m not too worried. With flavors of dark chocolate, molasses and cream, I don’t see how it can NOT be good.

I highly recommend this spot. Great service! Great food! Great atmosphere!

First time trying Mofongo. Not an expert but I love to eat and cook dishes with green plantains and definitely not to add enough salt is a mistake because green plantain flavor is more plain. It was too much garlic on it and not enough salt. Broth was really good because it DID have salt but still you should added to the plantains dough. Pork belly was not enough crunchy to be a 'chicharrón' but it was not bad. I was expecting something better.

Came here last year and again last night! Food it’s absolutely amazing!! If you are Puertorican, you for sure will love the authenticity in the food. The tostones are so yummy with the perfect amount of garlic! My two year old daughter had the wgrita and I’ve never seen her devour food like that! She kept slapping our hands away when we tried to take some! Drinks are also great and the staff was very friendly, nice and attentive. Hubby and I really like the contactless ordering, the staff is still available to ask questions or suggestions, so I was still able to interact with them. The only thing that I can give constructive criticism on is… PLEASE TEACH THE STAFF HOW TO PROPERLY PRONOUNCE THE NAMES OF THE FOOD!!! I cringed when the waiter said pastelillos and tripleta! But now I’m just nitpicking! Lol

Great location in the city of DC. Restaurants decor was cute and welcoming with a bit of latin flavor. Upside drinks were very delicious but, food did not have much flavor, nothing to severe. Considering my family and I were aiming for puerto rican cousin . They had the idea of it but the flavor wasn't to great. The staff was very friendly and assisted in any menu questions we had.

We were craving Puerto Rican flavor and this place was on point. Even though lunch menu was not available and breakfast menu was limited, we loved it. The place is very welcoming, they have a bar where they serve smoothies and alcohol. They also have Puerto Rico’s main beer: medalla light. We tried the regular sandwich and enjoined some available pastries: pastelillos de guayaba, besitos de coco y quesitos. The besitos de coco were amazing, I highly recommend them. Pd. you will find bad bunny music all over.