Guapo’s Restaurant

Very Tasty! Free ice cream with kids meal (only comes with kids meal)! Very fun for kids!
Gives away FREE Tortilla dough!
Enjoy this lovely restraint with outside seating!
GREAT BIRTHDAYS!

The service, food,& atmosphere here is awesome. I love the warm welcome when you come in. The sound of music buzzed with conversation,& sizzling plates arriving at tables. Sometimes you can smell the tortillas being made! This place is great for a single girl having dinner at the bar, a few friends having causal dinner or catering a work function. The best part about them being so versatile is the quality of the food does not waver! This is must when friends come in town! They all want to experience the Mexican butter my inner fat kid raves about!

Service was really good. Staff were friendly and attentive. Food came out in a timely manner. The walls are covered in beautiful, interesting decorations and they have cool sombreros as lamps over the tables.
However, food was suboptimal. I ordered the tortilla soup and the Cinco de Mayo platter. The platter is definitely too big for a single person. It can feed 2 – 3 people.
Although the food was alright, it did not have an authentic Mexican flavor.
We also got the Cajeta ice cream. It was mostly good except for this fried tortilla that the ice cream was on. It was very chewy and almost stale.

This place is definitely not for me !!
I had the Camarones Diabla ($ 21.00) !! No flavor, no taste !!! I don’t feel myself very lucky in my new neighborhood !!!
Cactus Cantina
Guapos
Tartufo
Pete’s

I didn’t think much about this place the first time I went, but they’ve grown on me. They have a liquor slurpee (Matrimonia or something like that). It is phenomenal. I have no clue what’s in it. My friend ordered a pitcher of it because she was having a bad day, and a true gentleman doesn’t let a woman drink alone.
I’ve had their fajitas and their carne asada. Delicious. Burritos… not so much. They’re just okay. It’s hard for me to break out of my low-​budget chain habits (On the Border is my ish), but Guapos is actually worth it.

I have absolutely no complaints about Guapos. The service is great, the food is delicious, and it is not too expensive. The portions are huge and the wait is not long at all. The atmosphere is just right and very welcoming and fun and casual. I highly recommend this place!

Quesadillas were good but gave us wrong fajita order and the chicken tasted rubbery. The rice that came with it had green beans and carrots in it.

Meh. That’s how I would best describe Guapo’s, although given the dearth of Tex-​Mex places in this town, you could do worse (although, personally, for mediocre Tex-​Mex, I prefer the nearby Cactus Cantina). I’ve been here many times over the years, mainly because 1) it can handle large groups and 2) there are not a lot of options in Tennleytown. To their credit, they do serve quail and chilaquiles, but the menu is dominated by Fajitas and dishes of that ilk. While not terrible, they aren’t going to win any awards either. If sticky, frozen margaritas and chimichangas are your thing, this might just be the ticket.

My co-​worker and I were going to meet a client at Bread And Salt, but then we realized it was closed for renovations. Our client suggested Guapo’s and I wasn’t terribly excited about having Mexican food for lunch, but oh well. He’s the client and the client is always right, right?
Located off of Wisconsin Avenue, Guapo’s offers a wide variety of Mexican dishes. Both indoor and outdoor seating is available. It was a gorgeous day, but there was a ton of noise from street construction so we opted for indoor seating. I ended up having crispy ground beef tacos that came with some rice and refried beans. It’s certainly not a gourmet offering and it’s just OK. Not great.
The server and wait staff were very friendly and efficient, though. There are plenty of great eats in Tenleytown, so I probably wouldn’t visit Guapo’s when back in this area again. But, the food is priced fairly for what you get and the atmosphere was fine for a business lunch.

Been going to Guapo’s for yeeeeeeears. It’s aiight, but I like it because they’re consistent. They’ve never given me bad food. Their happy hour is awesome. I really like their margaritas. Free chips and salsa. Reasonable prices. Heated lamps if you sit outdoors. Plenty of space. And I reminisce that they turn the upstairs into a dancefloor for college dance nights haha

We are at Guapo’s for the first time tonight. My kids had a virgin strawberry margarita that was out of this world. The pico de gallo salsa that comes with the chips is fresh and delicious. In general, the food was great as was the service. This was a good value for the food that we got. We highly recommend it.

I am insanely addicted to their salsa…
and since it is free with chips, I generally fill up on it. The salsa has a nice fresh acidity to it with a heat from peppers (YUM) NO VINEGAR — thank you for doing it right, Guapo’s.
We ordered fajitas and Pollo Texano.
The fajitas came out sizzling and the seasoning was just right.
The Chicken was still moist and the beans and rice were perfect with that side salad.
what is not to like? It was like mexican/​tex-​mex food that is done correctly and served with a smile. Definitely plan on coming again, but maybe I will try the Shirlington location instead.

Came here for the first time with a huge group. We made reservations, and we were put on the second floor. I had a brief glance of what the first floor looked like, but my impression was that it was a bit crowded. The second floor was more of their party room with a bar in the back.
Service was fantastic. Although I came with a group of 20+, they took good care of us. The table was set and ready with menus on our seats before sitting, they took our drinks and entrée orders promptly, and would replace our chip bowl and salsa constantly as we waited for our food.
I ordered steak and chicken fajitas, which was about $ 20. My steak was medium rare. My fajitas were sizzling over a bed of onions and green peppers; next to a plate of pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole; a bowl of melted butter on the side; THICK tortillas; and my rice & beans. The chicken was grilled, and my steak was pretty close to perfect.
I could not give this place less than 4 stars. Service was great, and the food was delicious. ALSO, the whole foods next door has a parking garage, which you could park in ($ 8 for 1 hour, $ 10 for 2 hours, and I think $ 20 for more than that). In the area and in the mood for some Tex Mex? Try out Guapo’s!

Cheap, microwaved Mexican food covered in cheese. My girlfriend and I attended on a Friday night at 6pm and we were seated promptly. The waiter brought us chips and salsa and waters right away. The service was definitely the only highlight of the meal. While prices are affordable, there is nothing even remotely authentic about the food.
This restaurant serves refrained beans and straight from a box yellow rice. I didn’t finish either. My burrito was covered in a greasy mess of cheese rather than a light cheese sauce that was advertised. The inside was also full of the same cheese along with pre-​frozen protein. I was not impressed. I usually finish my entire plate at Mexican restaurants, but I was unable to do so here. The margaritas contained a healthy dose of cheap tequila, which almost helped me choke down my meal.
I know there aren’t a lot of restaurant options in Tenleytown, but you are much better off at any other. For far better Mexican food, head a mile down Wisconsin Ave to Cactus Cantina.

I love Guapo’s! Usually I go to the one in Bethesda, but my theatre group decided to come to this location after a rehearsal. Since it was kinda late, I didn’t order a full meal. I had a sangria margarita (seemed appropriate for National Wine Day at a Mexican restaurant), guacamole, and the table chips and salsa. The chips are fresh and delicious. They’re a bit thin, so they tend to break when scooping the guacamole/​salsa, but once you get a nice bite they’re delicious. The sangria margarita was also quite delicious. The sangria by itself is also very good and VERY strong, but who’s complaining :-) They’re certainly consistent, which is always important for a chain restaurant, so I’d definitely come to this location if I were in the area again.

I was really excited to try this place, and though I wasn’t let down by any means, it definitely did not live up to the hype surrounding it. We came here on a Friday night around peak dinner time; it was pretty busy, but they have a pretty good amount of seating, so we were seated immediately.
Our waiter was attentive and friendly. We ordered the Chile con Carne as an appetizer, and also had a free order of chips and salsa. The chips were good — light and just salty enough. The salsa was delicious! I’m pretty sure they make it in the restaurant. It has a good amount of flavor, and big chunks of tomato. Very good. The Chile con Carne was decent. Decent portion, not too big and not too small.
I ordered the seafood enchiladas as my main course. This comes with two large enchiladas, Spanish rice, refried beans, and sides of guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. You can also ask for a green spicy sauce that was to die for. The enchiladas themselves were pretty good — a little greasy, but they had good amounts of shrimp/​scallops in them and didn’t have an overwhelming amount of cheese on top. The food here is VERY filling. I could only finish one enchilada before I was extremely full. Ended up taking the other one home, and it made for a very good late night snack.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this place for decent Tex-​Mex food. Some people rave about it, not really sure what that’s about, but it’s definitely not a bad place. Next time I come, I plan on ordering the Mariscada (seafood stew), as it’s supposed to be delicious.

I would eat here all the time when I was visiting my wife’s family in DC. I used to love this Guapo’s, right in front of Whole Foods. They even validated for parking in the Whole Foods parking garage (may be the same owner?).
They had the best enchiladas and salsa I’ve ever had at a restaurant (some Chevy’s locations are on par with Guapo’s salsa sometimes). But that was all until they changed cooks, staff, or something? Because in the blink of an eye this place changed. The salsa is now a bowl of tasteless tomato water with some chunks of onion (not even a hint of cilantro any more). And the chicken in their enchiladas was the consistency of processed, chewed-​up canned chicken, and tasted worse. It totally went downhill.
I asked the waitress what happened to the salsa, and she confirmed that they changed it. She confessed that it tasted different too. But when she called over the manager for us to complain (I didn’t ask her to do that!), the manager swore up and down that it was the same salsa as before. Bull cr*p. At least confess that you changed staff and/​or your recipes. I hate lying management, as it shows their true colors in how they treat customers.
This experience was from the summer of 2015, a few months ago. Please someone tell me this place has changed cooks, recipes, and/​or management since then?

This is my first time at this particular Guapos as I have been to the one up the road in Bethesda and the one in Arlington. I am an adventurous eater but to compare it to other Guapos I decided to stick with ordering the steak nachos and steak fajitas. I went there about 15 minutes after it opened on a Sunday and there were already people outside on the patio and a few inside. Service was quick and on point as always from my experience at any Guapos. The steak was tasty but I admit i had to put a little pull in it to get a piece off. This was the case for both the steak on my nachos and my fajitas. Still it was not overly tough and chewy to the point where your jaw got tired from chewing. You may not be offered but get the house made hot sauce. It added a nice kick that was not overpowering or made you wish you had a water hose nearby.
Overall the food was good but personally I think the one in the Bethesda location had better food.

Perhaps this is not the best Tex-​Mex in all the land but I prefer to judge such places on how much they can surprise me with flavors when I least expect them. Take a tried and true dish and make it pop! That is what I crave.
First off, chips and salsa can be a good barometer of the quality of the food. If there is depth of flavor in the salsa, generally you can expect good things to come and vice versa. I am no fan of chunky salsa but good lord the smokey flavor contained within was fantastic!
Secondly, after a hot day spent in the container store (kill me) a frozen swirl margarita really hits the spot. The pitcher is enticing ($ 30+) and goes down smooth.
Next I ordered the chicken/​steak fajitas, because that’s what I always order. If a restaurant messes this up then I shall never return. Guapos dominated!!! Both meats were well marinated and the pieces extra large. As a large human a fajita plate is normally easily finished, but here they lavish you with a large great tasting portion. Needless to say I was doing my happy food dance in the chair, which is only reserved for magnificent meals…
The epicness of their spicy green sauce cannot be understated! It is hot, flavorful, and did I mention spicy? Great on chips and everything else in front of you.
By this time we were both stuffed beyond our normal limits but decided to order dessert. The cheesecake chimichanga looked good but we had to digest and 36 hours later was not as good as one would hope. I will go back and try it fresh, it will be much better then.

Mexican cuisine is a complex, organic, vibrant thing, best represented by the unique variety of chiles available in a Mexican market, and reflecting regional herbs and ingredients south o’ the border. Well, Guapos certainly doesn’t pick up its Mexican flavor using this approach. It’s no Rick Bayless-​stamped inventive kitchen, with a menu reflecting concoctions from his annual foodie-​trips to unique locales and high-​end restaurants in Mexico City. The menu here is pretty static and reflects a comfort food style Tex-​Mex palate. Fajita plate? check. Enchilada suite? check. Chimichurris, Burritos, Tacos? Yes, but with portion sizes that are Texan and flavor that is stodgily neutered for middle-​of-​the-​road American taste.
So why after this somewhat disparaging summary would I give this place four stars? Margaritas and hospitality comes your blunt answer.
Their margaritas are STRONG. They do not scrimp. They are nicely done! I like the «gold».
Their wait staff is delightful. They are attentive, funny, flirtatious without being forward, and full of that happy Mexican character which makes me crave another plane ticket back, just to roam the streets and feel adventurous and jolly.
If you are looking for a friendly locale for a Mexican atmosphere with margaritas and snacks, this place hits exactly the right notes.
That said, I’m not a huge fan of their salsa, and reading other Unilocal reviewers helped me, because I asked for their ‘green, spicy salsa’. It’s not on the menu, it’s just something I picked up from Unilocal.And, Unilocal was right again. The green salsa added a nice kick to their not-​out-​of-​the-​ordinary, and chunky, tomato salsa.