Happy Halloween!! Growing up, I loved Halloween, planning my costume, going to my school’s party and, of course, trick-or-treating. I love a good ghost story so I binge-watched Scariest Places on Earth and stayed up late reading Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark until every little sound made me jump and I stayed under my covers until the morning, not daring to so much as peek out from the safety of my comforter. Some of those books’ illustrations still give me the creeps. Does anyone else remember them?
While I’m a fan of a spooky ghost story, I’m not big on slasher movies or anything with gore. No, thanks, it’s a hard pass for me. Haunted houses or hayrides? Nope nope nope. Adult Halloween didn’t really seem my style with overpriced bar “crawls” (also a hard pass but that’s a whole different story). But I found a solution to celebrate a childhood favorite holiday at the ripe old age of 24: Día de los Muertos.
Really, the beauty of this is it’s a built-in excuse to feast on margaritas and Mexican. And any excuse to eat tacos and drink margaritas is A-OK by me!
Columbia Heights/Georgetown
El Centro: El Centro has remained a favorite bar/brunch place of mine for several years now. There’re crafted tequila cocktails using fresh fruit and extra spicy salsa available on request. Throw in a killer rooftop and really, I just might move in. Today, El Centro is hosting an Instagram costume contest and if you want to keep the party going, their bottomless brunch is top notch. Grab your friends and be emotionally prepared to eat your weight in tacos.
H Street
Chupacabra: I first discovered Chupacabra walking down H Street, their wall mural of a skull is guaranteed to catch your eye. I’m not big on skulls as art but I gotta admit, it’s a pretty awesome design. P.S. They have weekend happy hour 1-3:30, which is perfect for those of you who don’t get out of work until after happy hour is over. Never fear, you too can be happy!!
Dupont Circle
Lauriol Plaza: In college, Lauriol Plaza’s sister restaurant, Cactus Cantina, was my favorite. i think I went there at least twice a month. Maybe more. Definitely more. Now that I’m no longer in Tenleytown, Lauriol Plaza is my college reminder just a few short Metro stops away. Do yourself a big favor and get the swirl margarita. Because, why settle for just a lime or just a strawberry margarita? Also, their veggie fajitas speak to my soul. This restaurant is huge and can easily accommodate larger parties.
Glover Park
Surfside: I think of Surfside as more California casual in terms of Mexican joints but they’re worth mentioning with their Maui fish tacos topped with a dollop of freshly made guacamole. Go ahead and get a margarita. After all, the fish in the tacos is protein and there’s good fat in the avocado. So you made a healthy choice and you deserve a margarita. But seriously, I really miss not living next to Surfside anymore.
Happy Halloween!!
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Been dying to hike over to Cactus Cantina but only feel like making it as far as Surfside because it is my absolute favorite! Thank goodness for the Dupont location that’s opening soon…