After living in Southern California for two years now, it is a dreaded task to fly home to the East Coast and find authentic Mexican food. Nothing remotely compares to the authenticity you can find in a family-run Santa Barbara taco shop. So, when my D.C. native dad recommended El Presidente, a Mexican food hot spot, for dinner, I fought the urge to pretentiously roll my eyes. 

Just a 10 minute drive and a few Metro stops away from the nation’s Capitol, El Presidente — founded by the James Beard Foundation-recognized Stephen Starr – sits. The underwhelming glass exterior, comparable to any D.C. office, of the restaurant hides the red velvet curtain-draped bar and the chandelier-lit indoor seating. Walking to your table feels like entering into a Wes Anderson film set, but instead of leaving slightly gut-wrenched, you leave blissfully buzzed from a pitcher of salty margarita. 

Tucked away into a plush, burnt-orange booth in the back of the restaurant, I could sip and observe the finance bros dressed in expensive navy suits with leather briefcases and the pearl-adorned women at the bar for happy hour Mezcal Martinis. It is the epitome of what northeast D.C. looks like around 7 p.m. on a Tuesday. While the audience is dressed as expected, the food is anything but that. 

To start, we kept it classic with a chilled pitcher of the Margarita. The Margarita is a blend of tequila blanco, orange cordial and fresh lime over ice. The tops of the crystal glass cups are rolled in lime juice and salt. The drink is anything you could ask for when ordering a margarita — sour, sweet and salty, the perfect way to open up our stomachs. 

For appetizers, the Macho Nacho plate and the Queso Fundido dip are highly recommended by my brother and me. The Macho Nacho contains house-made chorizo, melted queso mixto, black beans, ranchera salsa, sour cream, pickled red onions and jalapeño. There is no chance for you to pick up a dry, lonely chip. The large silver platter holds a layer of salted corn tortilla chips with the toppings evenly spread across; every bite is a mouthful of an even amount of veggies, cheese and meat. The Queso Fundido dish is comparable to La Super Rica Taqueria, reviewed earlier by On the Menu members. The tiny cast iron pan is packed with sautéed mushrooms, roasted poblano, queso mixto and salsa huevona. Warm flour tortillas are served on the side to dip. Breaking the golden cheese crust on top reveals soft mushrooms and peppers. Either you can fill the tortillas with the golden liquid or use the leftover corn nacho chips to dip. Both appetizers were excellent, filling me with nostalgia for some of my favorite places back in Santa Barbara. 

For my main dish, I ordered the highly acclaimed birria tacos. On the menu, it is described as braised short rib, queso monterrey and red chile consommé. The corn tortillas were fried to a perfect crisp on the outside. The short rib was delicate and tender, a satisfying contrast to the tortillas. Without fail, every bite came with a delightful cheese pull. Served with the tacos was a bowl of red chile consommé and a large slice of lime. The salty, oniony consommé boosted the flavor of the juicy short rib, elevating the already-ideal birria dish. 

I sunk back into the velvet booth, feeling full and embarrassed that I ever doubted my dad who spends more hours on Yelp than he does reading The New York Times (which is an abnormally long time). I humbly realized he was right and that maybe I enjoyed it even more than he did since, after all, I am the one writing about it. If you ever find yourself wandering the marble streets of D.C. craving a taste of your Isla Vista home, make a reservation at El Presidente. Nothing will beat the feeling of opening your favorite Californian taco stands styrofoam box of tacos, but, flavor-wise, El Presidente comes pretty close.