Restaurant Profile: Lauriol Plaza on 18th Street

From Alejandra Owens at One Bite At A Time. Questions or comments for Alejandra? Send her an email.

Hey, remember that time you celebrated your birthday with 25 of your closest friends over pitchers of swirl margaritas?! Or maybe the time you waited an hour for a table only to realize the aforementioned swirl margaritas had taken effect and you really weren’t that hungry anymore…?

Ahhh… Lauriol Plaza. A summer mainstay. Corona buckets, bottomless chips and salsa and, of course, margaritas and sangria. I don’t dislike Lauriol Plaza — not at all. But I do have a problem calling it authentic. Remember what I said when I profiled La Villa on 14th Street NW? I’m a wee bit on the critical side when it comes to Mexican food.

I get the same thing every time I go to Lauriol: carne asada. So far (and I’ve tried just about everything) it’s the most authentic, delicious and wallet-friendly dish on the menu. That’s me though, what do you guys think?

• Where Am I Going: 1835 18th Street NW (corner of 18th and T Streets)
• When Am I Going: Monday to Thursday, 11:30 am to 11 pm; Friday and Saturday, 11:30 am to midnight; Brunch on Saturday and Sunday, 11 am to 3 pm.
• Paycheck Pain: Depending on what strikes your fancy, $9 to $26… or $50 for an El Gordo Grande Platter that includes a variety of dishes and serves up to four people.
• Say What?: This is the perfect spot for a party… or your very loud/inappropriate friends… or kids. It’s loud. WHAT? I can’t hear you…
• What You’ll Be Eating: They say you’ll be eating Mexican, but really the menu reads like a “best of” or a “most familiar” list of Latin dishes from around the world. Yes, you’ll find tamales and enchiladas, but you’ll also find dishes from Spain, Cuba and other countries.