Azucar Restaurant Bar and Grill

I don’t often write reviews but today I decided to select a few business that exceeded my expectations. I have read that thw service is poor and the food is just too pricey and also y read one particular Unilocal review about a server (cecilia) today she was my server and I was expecting a bad service (because of the review) but no way !! She is nice, friendly and also she made her best to impress the table me and my friends are for sure coming back and of course asking for her I can tell there are some bad reviews about this place but first try it and if it is a busy night do not expect to have your food in 20 minutes that is for sure not possible that is the only bad deal about this place

Service was not good today…
Next time I will be sure to ask for Sr. Amilcar as he is one of their greatest servers

The food here is great but unfortunately I have to give this one star because the service is disgraceful. Our waitress messed up our order, which is fine miscommunication happens, and we decided to keep the dish anyway but she still proceeded to have an attitude and question is very rudely about the situation. After we left, we called to speak to the manager who refused to speak with us and said he would be unable to talk until tomorrow (we called at 8:00pm). This isn’t the first time I’ve received poor service and I never write reviews but I had to.

We went for Cinco de Mayo, and they had run out of margarita glasses! I realize that it was a busy night, but you are a Latin restaurant, so you should have expected people to come in for margaritas that night. To add insult to injury, before telling us that they were out of margarita glasses, they brought them to us in little water glasses. On top of that, if there was any tequila in those drinks, you’d have to prove it to me. When we asked the waitress about menu items, she couldn’t answer us, leading to a dish that we weren’t even sure we ordered. We offered polite feedback about the margarita situation and the mystery dish, all which fell on deaf ears. This is why people love El Pollo Mex.

This place is very close to my house and I have to say its pretty good. Their dishes have something to it that adds something special. I usually avoid Mexican rice as I’m not a fan, but they’ve done something with it where I will actually eat it.
The service unfortunately, is a little slow the last couple times I’ve gone there, which kept it from getting a 5 star rating. Also, the price you pay here for Mexican food, I think is a little inflated though not unreasonable.

First of all I got to say that the chips and salsa are the best in Maryland. That warm salsa is to die for. I have yet to have a bad meal there. If you really want something spectacular and filling try the Bisteak Cubano. My wife also loves the Sangria that they make.

Azucar. «Fine Mexican and Latin American Cuisine…»
I’ve been to Mexico, I’ve had great ceviche, and I am confident with my palate for food from Latin America.
We were a large group, and all was going well until orders were being taken.
Any kind of swap outs, like «can I have _​_​_​_​instead of _​_​_​_​» is a surcharge.
Any kind of requests like «can I leave out _​_​_​» is automatically ‘Sorry, we don’t do that here.‘
Aji (hot sauce) in any Latin American restaurant gives you AJI… not Tobasco.
Food… mediocre at best. This is NOT «Mexican». They need to call it «Mexican inspired, Salvadorian style foods.» Why? Because Mexican things like, Pico de gallo aren’t available because ‘en El Salvador, no se hacen el pico de gallo con cilantro y cebolla.’… wait a minute… what?
The ceviche… lacking lots of citrus… it reminded me more of sashimi, with a hint of lime. Raw snapper, however, didn’t taste pleasant. Tasted of phosphorus and iron.
And the service… oh the service. These people are more concerned about their pride than giving great service. Even the F&B, he’s just a tool.
They don’t even make their own beans. The black beans side is from a can. You can tell when beans are made in house.
Conclusion:
People that don’t know food, will think this food is pretty good.
People that don’t care about service will think «eh, could be worse»
WAY too overpriced for what it is.
Personally, won’t go back because I can make this food. Only went to see family.

I am a regular customer at Azucar! Saturday nights are awesome they always have a soloist and after 10 pm Karaōke Friendly service, great bar and excellent food que Mas puedes pedir de in lugar con mucho cache

My wife and daughter and I dined at Azúcar on March 14, 2016. I ordered the chimichanga with seafood. My wife ordered a mariscos saltados, and my daughter a carne asado. All of our meals were delicious. Our waiter was prompt, courteous, and informative. The dining atmosphere was very pleasant. The Mexican cuisine at this restaurant was significantly superior to what I find at most Mexican restaurants. I was impressed with the salsa and chips appetizer. The salsa was warm and the chips were thin and crisp. Habanero sauce is available for those who like their salsa spicy hot. I would definitely eat at this restaurant again whenever I am in the Washington, DC area.

Avoid this horrible place at all costs. I attended the event that was hosted by the previous reviewer and I am providing additional details. We were a party of approximately 30 people. A dozen of us had arrived just before the rest of the party. We ordered drinks from the bar while we waited. Shortly after being seated, the waitress found out that we had brought drinks from the bar. She vocally protested this, claiming it wasn’t fair, because we were taking away from her gratuity by ordering our drinks separately. The owner intervened and told our host that going forward, we had to order our drinks from the waitstaff.
Let me clarify that I’ve worked in restaurants for more than a decade. A part of me felt some empathy for the waitress. But it was not, nor should it ever be, her place to say this to paying customers. And as far as the owner is concerned, there’s a difference between protecting your staff and telling your customers to go screw themselves. He did the latter by making that unreasonable demand. Now this was fairly early on in the evening and Asucka could have redeemed itself.
But unfortunately, things rapidly declined. A few minutes after the owner incident, chips and salsa arrived. And some of us were able to order some drinks from the inattentive waitstaff. An hour went by until appetizers started arriving. I sampled from cold nachos and something that was so cold and congealed, I could barely ID it. Then the very loud band started playing. The «entertainment» drowned out any possible attempt at conversation. Another hour passed before entries started arriving. I requested hot sauce for my undercooked and bland looking Chimichanga. The waitress replied to my simple request with a roll of the eyes and said it would be a minute. Somebody in my party had to get the hot sauce for me. I cut into my Chimichanga (that was now cold) and the beef was stringy and had no flavor. I later sampled some paella rice that was just as bland and unappealing as the ‘changa. The only positive I could even think of to say is, that the hot sauce is housemade and has a lot of habaneros in it. But everything about Asucka sucks. I haven’t felt this underwhelmed by a restaurant experience in a long, long time. Negative 5 stars all the way.

came in with my family for dinner. we ordered the paella and sangria. the food was excellent! i was impressed by the house pepper sauce made with habanero peppers. it was extremely spicy which i loved and it had a great flavor. the paella was so delicious, loaded with seafood and great taste. the rice was cooked to perfection. the restaurant is very spacious inside, i was shocked because you don’t get that impression from the outside. the manager was very kind and accommodating to all our needs. I can’t wait to go back.

Good food, good service and good music. The music and the low light gave it a nice warm Latino environment. The whole family went for dinner and we had a good time.

We expected better. My husband ordered the lobster and it was ok nothing out of this world. It was big, so that’s a plus. I ordered the Lomo saltado. Ugh. Dry and without flavor. I make a better version of it seriously. The meat was hard, the vegetables were almost like the after thought. We also ordered an appetizer the ceviche. It’s basically fish covered in lime juice (too much) and some onions. I’ve had different types of ceviches non restaurant and by far this one failed. It had no real savoryness. I don’t think we will be returning.

This was my first time. Greeting was very warm and friendly. Sat immediately on a Friday night as I waited for friends. Immediate attention provided with chips salsa and water while I waited. I would have appreciated the offer of a drink but no worries. Once my friends arrived we waited about 10 minutes before our waiter came by the table, after I had to get his attention. Chicken enchiladas are the best that I’ve had in this area. Roasted chicken was very tasty and moist. The crab soup with tangy /​spicy. Pitcher of margaritas was quite good. Décor is nice just a little upscale but not overly. I like the way they have their name painted across the ceiling. Will definitely go back.

I have been coming to this place three or four times a week the past two months and I love it!!!
The food is great and so is the service. For the quickest service eat at the bar. I recommend coming in the evenings. Claudia and Karelin always greet me with a smile and a very friendly hello. Their service is world class. Also they don’t mess around. You order and soon after your food is In front of you!!!
If you haven’t eaten here you are missing a great time.

My first Unilocal review. Congratulations, Azucar.
If your posted hours say you close at 11pm, there is no reason all your doors should be locked at 9:58. There were people sitting at the bar, employees active, but no one would let me in. I figured the kitchen was closed, but maybe they would let me in for a drink, which was what I came for. Nope. I knocked on the door and they wouldn’t even walk up to it. Just waved me away.
No worries, though, you won’t get anymore business from me. I’ve eaten here once before, and while the food was ok, the entire place has on odor to it — less like food, and more like must/​dust/​dirty mop water, that general gross smell you get from a dirty restaurant.
Good luck prospering with your crappy customer service, Azucar.

Carne Asada is my favorite
Pupusas hands down are amazing!
Lomo saltado is good too.

I love latin food so I’m always up to try a new place. Azucar came highly recommended by a Colombian friend of mine so I gave it a try. It’s in a strip mall in Silver Spring, but with a casual, yet elegant ambience, live music, and attentive staff that grab your attention once your inside. I didn’t care for their salsa, and I’m usually A salsa fiend, but it was fresh and so were the Chips. I started with the cream of crab soup, which was a Latin-​take on a traditional MD seafood staple. It was creamy, spicy, and flavorful with peppers, and corn and really good. I had the lobster stuffed with seafood. It was great, the manager, and head chef all visited our table to make sure everything was to our liking. No complaints here. I’d definitely go back.

The food was good. Let’s get that out of the way. It was my first time here and on the recommendation of a member of our party. It took them three tries to get the drink order right. And it wasn’t a complex order. Ginger Ale, no ice. They brought soda water instead of Ginger Ale. Then they brought a glass of Ginger Ale full of ice. Third time was a charm.
When the meals were delivered, they mixed up the orders and brought the orders to the wrong people. Glad there were no food allergies in our group, because that could have been problematic.
To their credit, they made everything right without hesitation, which was nice. But it would have been better if it hadn’t happened. I feel like the service should have been better given their price and reputation. Since the food was good, I will give it another chance.

I have been coming here before they remodeled. I love that it’s so close to my house! To begin with, you are always greeted at the front door. They’re always very friendly and welcoming! Second… Their chips and salsa. The salsa is amazing! I am usually make good tostones at home but Before coming here I have never tried them with beans and cheese. AMAZING! If you are trying to keep it light, try the Brazilian salad with steak. Their seafood soup is always my first choice. ($ 8) I usually order a side of rice to put in my soup. I have been there for date night with my husband and to dine with the whole family. I have even been there for girls night as well and enjoy more than a couple of great margaritas. I did not know then but girls night turned into karaōke night. Yes karaōke! (In Spanish) Great place for any sort of occasion. Enjoy!