Mission

I really want to like this place, but I really, really don’t. I’ve been here several times and every time I leave vowing that I will never return. The food isn’t very good and the drinks are so expensive. The kicker: no free chips and salsa. Don’t bother ordering the nachos. They look good, but are totally inedible. How do you mess up delicious looking nachos?!? If you’re in the mood for margaritas and chips and salsa, do your wallet a favor and head up the road to Alero.

So look, I’ve started this review a few times and then stopped, telling myself «Liz, you only went there for brunch, maybe it’s totally different for lunch/​happy hour/​dinner». But then I think about it and like, honestly? The food and drinks were so basic, so boring, so pseudo-​culturally inspired, I don’t really want to go back. Maybe ever? It’s not that it was bad, but I’ve honestly had better food at Applebees (that one time I went to Applebees).
I love Mexican food. I love fake Mexican food. I absolutely adore brunch. So what better to occupy my Saturday afternoon? Bottomless Mexican brunch? All-​you-​can-​eat chips, salsa and guacamole, with unlimited Bloody Marys, margaritas and mimosas? Um, yes? Please?
It just wasn’t that good. The guac was easily the best part, but the chips were suuuuuuper greasy, cold and stale. The salsa was okay. The Bloody Mary was okay. The mimosa was okay. The margaritas were okay. I had the chilaquiles and the bf had the breakfast bowl. When the food finally came out (the restaurant was admittedly full of large parties doing unlimited brunch, so the wait for food was understandable), the bf and I looked at each other like… «wow… really?». We could have literally made each of those meals at home with what we had on-​hand. It was majorly disappointing.
The chilaquiles were soggy (using the same greasy, stale chips we were served for the salsa and guac), and the grease from the chorizo didn’t help. Also, I don’t know if my plate sat out for a while, or what, but the two eggs on top were like those fake rubber eggs that come with a children’s play kitchen. I also have some concerns about gouda and chorizo, which I like separately, but maybe not together.
The breakfast bowl was… just… super bland. The bf was actually kind of upset at how worthless the food was, for $ 35 and was determined to get his money’s worth from booze.
Mission feels like yet another restaurant built for the new wave of DC residents — extremely white, upper middle class, no real idea of what authentic culture looks or feels like. Yeah, it’s pretty on the inside (design-​wise), but the food and drinks have no character. Like I said earlier, I’ve literally had better food at chain restaurants in the suburbs.

Came here for happy hour. The only food items during the happy hour special are the nachos and quesadillas, both of which I didn’t get.
I got the three taco platter instead: steak, carnitas, grilled cod. Did not care for the grilled cod, the steak and carnitas were good and garnishes were good.
I also got the guacamole and plantains. The guacamole and house salsa is okay, nothing that makes you want to come back for it. The red sangria however was really good and I may be coming back for that.

I came here for a Saturday Happy Hour event. Not bad the portion size of the Nachos is enough to feed two people easy and if your get meat added they aren’t stingy with it. They have 2 house sangrias (your basic white and red — I prefer the white), a pitcher is about $ 20. They aren’t super strong but nonetheless they are tasty. We went with a very large group and there’s only 3 tables in the front in addition to seating around the bar so be prepared to stand. For a large portion of the evening there was only 1 bartender so food and drink orders took a while, but once you received your order everything else is fine! Stop by!

I was here for a Holiday party and I had a great time there. The 2^nd floor space was cleared out for us and we got happy hour deals throughout. There were a few dishes they put out, the wings-​which seemed a little random for a Mexican restaurant but the wings were actually really good. The quesadillas were also pretty good, I actually liked the veggies ones slightly more than the chicken ones. What I know is this, the difference between the Dupont Margarita and the Mission margarita, according to our bartender anyway was that the Dupont margarita has more premium ingredients. Basically, the Dupont is their version of a Cadillac margarita. I’ve had both and while I preferred the Dupont there was nothing wrong with the Mission margarita.
A number of us stayed well past the allotted time for the party just yukking it up and there was no pressure on us to leave by the staff. I was impressed enough that I’ll probably stop by for a boozy lunch at some point.

Came on a Friday for happy hour. It filled up very quickly at the bar but from what i saw you could still get happy hour deals at the table. The margaritas were great for the price. Also ordered the guacamole had good flavor but some extra spice would make it awesome. This place is worth checking out for Happy Hour!

Brunch for 12 — easy and delicious. We didn’t come for the boozy brunch — half our group was teenagers, but the food did not disappoint. I don’t know where to start — guacamole, fresh baked chips, fluffy pancakes, tasty bloody mary’s, delicious breakfast burritos — and don’t even get me started on those hot and delicately fried plantains and fresh made crema! Friendly staff — who patiently answered all our menu questions, and didn’t bat an eye when we changed seats after ordering! Love the little touches like bottles of water on the table — great to keep a water drinker happy. Everyone in our party left filled and happy!
Bonus on Sundays — the Dupont Circle Farmer’s market is right outside the door.

I came here the other day for brunch with a group of 5 girls and let me preface this entire review with this is the place to come for a boozy brunch with a group. This is 100% not the place to come if you are looking to have a culinary-​cuisine focused brunch. For $ 35 you can get bloody marys, mimosas, and 3 version of margaritas, chips and guacamole, and a brunch entrée. 5-​stars on the drinks in my opinion. I started with the bloody mary which was spicy and great consistency. Then I moved to the margaritas which I already had in my head I was going to hate because I’m sure it’s going to taste like it’s made from a powder packet… how else do margaritas by the pitcher usually taste in D. C? I was pleasantly surprised that these were not overly sweet and actually very tasty that I had no issue drinking multiple watermelon flavored ones, as did my other girlfriends. Onto multiple chips, salsa and guacamole. For my entrée I ordered the omelet with a potato pancake. The omelet was fine and no complaints at all. Mostly everyone else ordered the breakfast bowl which they also had no complaints about. Overall the food seems pretty plain but definitely no complaints and you leave satisfied.
Like I said this is definitely the spot to come with a group for a boozy brunch and I will be back for that reason!

Came here for the happy hour to meet an old friend based on his recommendation. The sangria was great an dirt cheap. The enchiladas were similarly worth noting and a great recommendation from my friend.
Once I strayed away from his recommendations things got less universally positive. The tacos were good, but only good. The pork belly, which should have a huge advantage, was really just so-​so, which was very sad.
We got to sit outside on a nice outdoor patio the whole time, which was glorious and made sure that I wasn’t always worried about any screams my 1-​year-​old might have let out. Otherwise the place didn’t seem super kid-​friendly to the point that when we asked if they had a high chair, they had to say «I don’t know, let me check.»

I’m still curing my hangover from Saturday, but yet again boozy DC brunch with a LARGE group hits again. $ 35 gets you bottomless mimosa, Bloody Mary, AND margaritas plus one entrée. Oh and bottomless chips salsa and Quac. To top it off your whole party gets a shot at the end (which I slyly tried to not drink, and was called out)
If you know 2 things about me it’s 1, that margaritas are my ultimate weakness and 2, I love Mexican food — just not DC Mexican food. So I started with one bloody to lighten my morning then switched to margaritas, which aren’t half bad here. Not the best but decent for it coming to our table by the pitcher. Other cocktails were plentiful, and there’s no time limit. I think we were there for 4 hours.
Food was OK. Chips weren’t too fresh but no one seemed to notice. I went with the breakfast bowl but actually took the entire thing home because I filled up on chips. This was the favorite among our group.
Restaurant was large and had ample room for big parties. Service was actually really slow, but for a boozy brunch what can you expect in a restaurant that is dominated by large parties. Host team was super accommodating when we added more, and more, people.
For the price and the atmosphere this is a boozy brunch done right. Not the best food however.

The wait was worth it!
Today was my first time trying out Mission. It was pretty busy, so service was a little slow. However, our server Stephanie was AWESOME! For it to be busy, she managed to make our experience great. The guacamole and chips are to die for! LOL
My food was really good — I ordered the Huevo Rancheros w/​steak, no eggs. Totally will be back! :-)

Mission is listed on Unilocal as both a Cocktail Bar and a Mexican Restaurant. They don’t really specialize in either. If you are looking specifically for Mexican food, do not come here. If you are looking for a good margarita or cocktail, do not come here. The food is super average, and the bar is very standard– nothing special.
They do offer the ability to host parties and fundraisers in some of their special party rooms. This is a great service they provide, as they have a great space and layout. You can even request for them to set up a «open bar» for a set fee if you host a certain number of friends.
Overall Mission is a nice place to go out to and meet up with friends if you aren’t looking to be drinking or eating anything special.

The prices for the food were reasonable. The outdoor seating was good as well — a good place to people watch.
My huevos rancheros were tasty. The red sauce had a bit of a bite. I’m not sure the corn added anything to the meal
My wife was disappointed in her chicharron tacos. The chicharrones were not crispy enough so it was like chewing fat. What was different about her rice and bean plate was that the beans were kidney beans, not black or pinto.
The restaurant is supposed to be Mexican. If it is, I’m not sure which area of Mexico. I’d guess a coastal southern area given the number of plantaines on several dishes.

We came here for a work happy hour and it was great. I’ve been skeptical about Mexican food on the East Coast. I’m from California. We have everything you could ever want. But Mission was surprising. I would also like to note that this is an East Coast four star rating for Mexican food. Which is approximately equal to a three star rating in CA.
The guac was good — actually spicy. There was a great balance between the avocado, tomato, onions, and jalapenos. The chips were warm, had the right amount of salt, and were not at all over oily. The tacos were good but I prefer the authentic ones. Corn tortilla, cilantro, onions or nah.
Now the sangria and margs? We had a few rounds of pitchers for a party of around 12. Everything was much stronger than expected. The sangria was the more delicious of the two. I would be more impressed with the margs if they used a better tequila.
The service was solid. Especially when you considered our party size and the fact we were going on a Tuesday (wait is Taco Tuesday a thing in DC? Or just CA?) Our waitress made sure that we had everything that we needed.
I would come back to Mission again, especially for a happy hour. The prices were reasonable, the food was pretty good, and there is a chill vibe to the place.

Great ambiance! The outdoor patio is adorable, the inside bar seems like a great hh spot, and the rest of the inside is great for groups.
The cocktail selection (while obviously geared towards tequila) was very impressive. The watermelon margarita was the perfect drink for 94° weather, and I can only imagine what the rest are like! They also have a full bar with plenty of beer options and sportsin opportunities.
Their bottomless brunch (endless chips and guacamole, entrée, margaritas and shots) has the potential to get real rowdy and live up to DC brunch expectations.
I was very pleased with my shrimp taco salad.

This place was interesting. I can say with 100% confidence, that if I did not have my many of my closest college classmates with me (mini-​reunion), this place would be a 2 star. Let me explain.
We arrived at 6:40 — fully aware of the fact that happy hour ended at 7. We were a bit antsy, but come on, we arrived 20 minutes before happy hour ended. We were seated quickly and given a happy hour menu — we seemed to be in the clear! 5 minutes passed. then 10. then 15. and we were like… wtf? We didn’t get menus or water or ANYTHING until about 6:58! Thankfully, we were able to order 2 $ 20 margarita pitchers — which were great! But just keeping track of time, it had been almost 20 minutes before we EVEN GOT MENUS FOR REAL FOOD. Now. I must say that I am NOT blaming our server, I more so blame the restaurant itself! Our waitress was seemingly tending to like 10 different groups of people, and these were all large groups. Come on! Give this lady a break.
Okay. So, she quickly brought us some chips and salsa (free AND delicious — how often does that happen? I suppose the cost, some would say, is included in the price of the entrees but wtvr). We were all starving so we (I?) destroyed that pretty quickly. It wasn’t until about 20 – 30 minutes AFTER we got our menu that our server came back to take back our orders. The food came out pretty soon after (maybe 15 – 20 minutes?).
I ordered the huaraches with al pastor meat. I would give it 3 stars for the actual entrée. I was pretty underwhelmed. Al pastor, in my experience, is a beautiful marriage of chipotles, pineapples and pork — and this was just pork with some pineapples thrown on in the end. The bread it was served on was okay, Meh. Many of my other friends seemed pretty underwhelmed with their food — most of them didn’t even finish their food (granted, we were pretty full from the 2 bowls of chips we ate while waiting forever). One of my friends got the veggie fajitas, and it legit looked like a bunch of random vegetables thrown onto a skillet without any kind of seasoning served with tortillas — not very appetizing in my opinion.
So. We’re done with our food — surely we could pay and leave right? NOPE! We sat around for another 20 minutes (pretty happily since the clippers-​spurs game 7 was on) before we could even ASK for the check. By the time we actually PAID (note: the way we got our server’s attention this time was just by handing her our credit cards while we was [seemingly] leaving another table), it was another 20 or so minutes. We were able to watch the entire 1^st half of the game before we left. This was ridiculous — we left at around 8:30. I thought typically restaurants want you to be in and out as quickly as possible. Maybe this place just really enjoys having customers sit around and chill.
Overall, the food was a 3 star rating — probably boosted by the fact that the chips + salsa were pretty darn good. I give the margaritas 3.5 stars (taking into consideration both price — great — and flavor — good). I give the service 2 stars (I would give it 1, but our server was clearly overwhelmed). Overall, I am tempted to give this place a 2 star rating, but the company was good, and thanks to the margaritas, I leave this place feeling like 3 stars is good enough.

Meh, not a big fan. I visited Mission for the Washingtonian’s Best of DC Voting Party (which was awful and I wish I could review the event as well) and I wasn’t very impressed with their margaritas or their guacamole appetizer. The guacamole was way too salty and sour for my taste, and that’s saying a lot because I am generally obsessed with guac. The margarita was on the rocks and was strange — first, it was too watered down, and second, it was too strong (if that combination is even possible). It just didn’t taste good and I could only finish 1 of the two drinks we got for the event.
Service wasn’t particularly friendly. One of the waiters brushed quickly past us and almost bumped into us with no apology.
I think I’ll skip this place in the future. Dupont has tons of better restaurants.

This restaurant has some serious curb appeal! The picture perfect front of the store is lit by hanging lights. The lights add a romantic touch to the chaos known as Dupont Circle. The handing lights kiss the air and drapes across the front door. It is restaurants like Mission that really makes you realize Dupont is indeed a beautiful place. The restaurant grabs your attention way before you step foot into the restaurant itself.
Once you walk into the restaurant, it is packed with customers ready to drink margaritas and eat tacos until their heart’s content.
The restaurant is embellished with hints of rustic charm while keeping it classy and endearing. They have a random horn hanging on their wall. They have columns of exposed walls. The exposed walls are definitely my favorite part.
As far as the food goes, it is clear they are using fresh ingredients. From fresh cilantro to freshly chopped onions, Mission definitely has a mission of bringing their customers fresh and good quality food. Their tacos are flavorful because of their house salsa. However, my tortillas shells were on the soft end. The tacos kept breaking apart and I like my tacos intact so that way I can pig out on my tacos without having to resemble the shell.
Mission is definitely perfect for all occasions. It is perfect for a date night to a hour hour with your girlfriends or bros.
Mission is on a mission to take Mexican food to a fresh new level. That’s why I give Mission 4.5 stars.

Mission has become our go-​to when we are in the mood for Mexican in DC. Our favorite starters on the menu are the Alitas con Salsa Chipotle (buffalo wings), Guacamole de Molcajete, and Nachos Rod… They are all very good! The chips and salsa provided is a little spicy, which is a nice touch for those who like spicy, but may be a bit too much for those who do not. I used to not be much of a fish taco person, but Mission’s Tacos de Pescados with mahi-​mahi have made me a fish taco person! They are really tasty and I love the spicy, sweetness of the pineapple-​mango salsa. The mayo sauce that comes with it is also good.
I like this place so much that I had a happy hour here for my birthday a couple weeks ago and the drinks did not disappoint! Whether we got pitchers or glasses of margaritas they were all yummy and strong (which is always a plus)!! The weather was nice so the front doors by the bar were open which added a nice touch to the atmosphere and ambiance. Service was quick and everyone had a good time. We will be back soon!

If you are a spicy aficionado then this is your place.
From the moment I walked in to the moment I left it felt like home. Whatever you are in the mood for, Mission will have it under control. The happy hour is a deal you can’t pass up on. Note, if you have a birthday party or a meetup you can reserve tables at the bar for happy hour!
Beverages:
The sangria is a great arrangement of fruits.
There is a feature cocktail every month
House wine isn’t a bad option
Eats:
Grilled jalapenos, these are to die for and amazing. It’s everything it sounds like, char-​grilled full jalapenos.
Spicy Guac– spicy as it should be.
Queso Fundido– basically a create your own quesodilla.
This place is perfect for a patio afternoon or a late night beverage.