Don Jaime Restaurant

This place is old school Mt. Pleasant. A cozy little store to get your preferred combo of beans, cheese, meat, tortillas and salsa. I popped in on a Sunday morning. Breakfast specials were cheap, filling and good. No breakfast tacos, though!
I gotta pulled pork breakfast quesadilla with black beans and green sauce. The pork was tender and was a unique option as a breakfast meat. Combine it with eggs and cheese for a very hearty filling. The black beans were good, not too salty, but also not that interesting. The house made green sauce was delicious! It was tart, garlicky and with just a tiny kiss of heat. It really elevated a boring dish into a great one. Try the sauce!
Also if you had a crazy Saturday. They have $ 2.50 Guinness or negra modelo to nurse your hangover.
I take off a star because I wish they incorporated more produce. The pico de gallo, onions, peppers or even some shredded lettuce would’ve made the dish taste fresher and more balanced. Also, I was happy with my meal, but I will always be happier if breakfast tacos are an option.
I hope this place sticks around for a while.

One of the best brunches in Mount Pleasant. Family place, Jaime is often serving or his son is.
Two standout dishes you have to try: The migas: a mix of salsa, scrambled eggs, tortilla chips, and cheese. The huevos divorciados: two separate eggs on thick Salvadorian tortillas drowned in red and green salsa, separated by rice and beans. The plantains are also delicious. The regular breakfast fare is less impressive.
Food generally comes fast. This place is not fancy, it’s casual dining below what is a hopping Salvadorian bar scene at night. Think diner-​style Salvadorian food. REALLY affordable, and you leave feeling part of the family.

In the war between migas and chilaquiles, who is the winner?! I didn’t know myself, so I came to Don Jaime to try to figure it out.
The verdict: they are basically the SAME. Unless you have grown up making them yourself or eating them all day errrrryday, you won’t be able to notice a big difference. Let me tell you that the migas here come more simpler than chilaquiles I have had, but they were tasty all the same. Get them with a side of rice, beans, or potatoes and fiesta morning is all set to start.
Tip: Red sauce (mild) has no spice, while green sauce (hot) is reaaal hot. My advice is go with red and add the green sauce that is already on the table to your heart’s desire.

Great brunch spot. Try the migas!

Loved the migas and potatoes. No frills, great coffee. My favorite quick brunch spot in Mt. Pleasant.

Their listed hours are 9 – 2 on Saturday. We got their for brunch at 1pm on a Saturday. They had 2 seated tables and a locked door and said they had closed. No bueno

I went here for brunch one morning at 11am. My friend and I were the only people in the restaurant which isn’t really surprising since I think it opens at 11am. Our waitress was not the most friendly but she took our order quickly. We both got a brunch type platter which had scrambled eggs, some hard block of cheese that was very tart, beans, sausage, and toast. I don’t remember the exact price but I remember it was very low considering all the food you got. The food was all moderately good (except for that large block of cheese, which wasn’t bad but very hard to eat) and I would definitely go there again despite the lukewarm service (our waitress hardly came back after bringing us our food).

Bummer… after a night of drinking, nothing sounds better than rolling out of bed and grabbing a giant, delicious, meaty, and flavorful breakfast burrito (maybe it’s the Southern Californian in me). But this past Sunday, that was exactly what I was craving and sadly Don Jaime totally missed the mark.
Now I live right across the street and was just hoping to pick up some take out. So since there were a few tables waiting to be served, I didn’t mind having to wait a bit for my order to be taken. But what I did mind was not even being acknowledged that I was even at the counter! A simple «we see you there» would’ve sufficed. Granted, Don Jaime’s is a small family-​run shop, and they did seem overwhelmed even though there were probably only a couple of tables seated. Eventually, I was greeted and my order taken.
While the customer service wasn’t really great, it wasn’t that big of a deal. But sadly, the burrito just was not up to snuff. Essentially some sliced chorizo (looked store bought), scrambled eggs, and a bit of cheese wrapped in tortilla. No additional flavors or ingredients… I mean, I could’ve made this at home. Just sad… maybe my expectations were too high, but I was a bit bummed out that my craving was not satisfied.
But ever the optimist, I will try some of the other offerings that have been mentioned by my fellow Unilocalers to see if Don Jaime’s is worthy of a star update!

I really liked it here. I don’t understand the bad reviews.
Went here for brunch, and the food was great and cheap! I tried the migas, which were a bit soggy, but I think that’s the way they were supposed to be. The portion was generous, especially considering how much it cost. I wish I could have finished it.
The café con leche is soooo good! Try it.
The décor is so cute, such a cute little restaurant. We didn’t have a problem getting seating. The service was fine too.
All in all, for the prices, you can’t beat the portions or quality.

Oops. It seems that I haven’t written a review in a few months. But I have a good reason. I’ve been busy moving to Mount Pleasant. My dreams of leaving the Maryland suburbs and moving to a neighborhood exactly like the one I lived in when I lived in Chicago (Logan Square) have been fulfilled.
But the problem has been that I’ve been so busy pushing boxes that I hadn’t gotten a chance to try any of the Latin American cuisine my new neighborhood is famous for.
That all changed over a semi-​delicious brunch of migas here. But there was something strange about these tortilla-​based scrambled eggs. Unlike many migas that I’ve had in the past, these eggs were mushy. And instead of the four cheeses being melted in, the chees was just sprinkled on top. But the migas were spicy and inexpensive (at least for D.C., clocking in at just under $ 10). And the portion was large and left me full.
The bigger problem was with my lady’s order. She ordered three side. One was potatoes, which she specifically requested be «regular potatoes» when offered sweet potatoes. She was brought sweet potatoes. But she wasn’t brought her third side at all. Now the place was booming on a Sunday morning (it’s so tiny that it reminded me of brunching in Brooklyn with its six table or so), but I was still a bit perturbed by that.
Service in general was great (I think Don Jaime himself waited on us) and the fact that they specialize in breakfast is cool. I just hope that my future Latin American endeavors in my new neighborhood remind me more of the deliciousness that I left behind in Chicago and not more like the suburban «just missed it» tastes I left behind in Rockville.

Great place for a cheap quick breakfast. Lots of options, diner-​style coffee. I had a croissant with chorizo and egg. The chorizo tasted authentic.

Not much seating.
Great value breakfast.
Great amount of options.
Breakfast served all day, but short hours.
Server is generous.
Dim lighting.
Chips mixed in with Migas plate wasn’t good — they were all soggy. Maybe that’s the style but I didn’t like it.

Owney’s BottomLine: Get the Migas and the Café Con Leche for breakfast. More like a 3.5.
A little out of the way for us, but a nice spot to get some thing different and delicious.
I got the migas, which is sort of like tortilla chips with lots of cheese, enchilda sauce and other goodies. It’s not nachos. It’s much much MUCH better.
My girlfriend got the open face sandwich with chorizo, which was ok. nothing to write home about.
And we both loved the plantains

breakfast here is delicious and pretty cheap. Huevos divorciados and a side of plantains make for a delicious, filling, and not too carby brunch.
It’s a little hot in the summertime, but not unbearable. The service is good and the crowd is pleasant.

Best brunch in dc. I have no idea if they’re even open for lunch or dinner cause when i wake up sunday morning — all i want are the migas from don jamies.
Migas or huevos divorciados are both vegetarian and undoubtedly my favorite brunch meals in the city. They also serve café con leche here.
The owner, presumably Don Jamie himself, is friendly and busy on weekend mornings. The way it is never too long and the space is small but really cozy.

There was no wait when we came in on a Sunday around noon. This semi-​hole in the wall offers pretty decent Mexican food for the area, and it’s not pricey at all. For breakfast, order any of the egg dishes — I got the one with tortilla chips/​eggs/​cheese (forgot what it was called). It was just the right amount of food and service was good too, BUT nothing stood out to me to make me rant and rave about it. It’s one of those. «if you’re right by there, this is a convenient/​decent place to stop in» types of places.

Went here for breakfast one weekend. It’s a tiny place (around 10 tables), and only one guy was running all of the tables while someone else was doing all of the cooking. The server was still impressive, even though he was by himself.
Check out their specials — they’re specialty drinks are awesome. I ordered the horchata and it was great. Tasted a bit like cookies and cream. For the entrée, I ordered a chorizo wrap with eggs and cheese. It was all right — I was expecting ground chorizo, but instead it was just sliced, sausage-​link chorizo (which I can buy at my local grocery store). The wrap also kept falling apart because it wasn’t put together very well. The girlfriend had the migas, which was excellent. I’ll be sure to get that when I return.
The service here was absolutely awesome. The server was friendly and welcoming. Also, when my girlfriend didn’t like her drink, he gave her a different one free of charge and also took off the original drink, her coffee, and orange juice as well (even though she said she would pay for the drink she didn’t like). Very impressive.
The place has a very casual environment. On the outside, it’s in a great, upbeat neighborhood. I’ll definitely be returning for sure.

Don Jaime is a great hole in the wall restaurant to visit when a simple Mexican breakfast meal is in demand. They also have tamales (though not vegetarian) and occasionally pupusas (again w/​meat).
I give the rating four-​stars based on service. Service is five-​stars while the food is three-​stars, in my opinion.
The service here is great. The staff hangs out in the dining area and chats with you, while listening to music and dancing in the isles. Super laid back. I made my visit on a Friday night and my companion and I were the only patrons there. The music next door and the music played in the restaurant made for an interesting mix of various Hispanic rhythms. I’m a fan of the more traditional pieces and my only complaint is that the music got very loud and there was a lot of activity going on. But it was still an enjoyable experience.
We had huevos divorciados and huevos rancheros. The food was tasty but definitely needed more of a kick and was missing key ingredients and presentation. I was hoping to get more flavor. I am a big fan of huevos rancheros and was exited that the corn tortillas are made on-​site. But the tortillas were served on the side, cold, and were not a part of the dish. So in essence the huevos rancheros were black beans, fried eggs, and orange (super salty!) potatoes (sweet potatoes?) — though you can ask for rice instead. I’ve had (and make!) much better.
My companion was very happy with his huevos divorciados, which he had with chorizo, and therefor being a vegetarian, I was not able to taste.
We had the café con leche, which is actually starbucks bottled frapuccinos with a secret ingredient (they were not willing to tell me, hehe). It was tasty but super sweet. I would prefer real café con leche and I was disappointed that they snuck in the starbucks and call it café con leche.
Next time, I want to try the migas!

Fabulous breakfast if you can get a table on the weekend. The owner and family are very friendly, the service is quick and the food is very good.

Passes the Heinz ketchup test. Local restaurants that buy the more expensive ketchup are almost always good, local restaurants that skimp are almost always bad. If you can’t tell that Hunt’s ketchup is awful, you probably shouldn’t be in the food business. Anyway, this place was good. I’m slightly worried that I’m romanticizing the place by giving it 5 stars due to how pleasant it was to look out the window at the snow this afternoon, but the owner is really nice, so I won’t feel too bad about rounding up.
Girlfriend and I both got the migas with salsa verde, and it was hot and quite good. It was more food than either of us would typically eat for breakfast, and given how hungover we were, we could have definitely split one plate and been full. That said, I wouldn’t come here with a wicked hangover again, because the food was a bit too spicy for my tattered stomach. Anyway, it’s lucky for me that the place is only a couple blocks away, but I’d drive for a few minutes to get here if I lived farther away.