It was restaurant week in DC and I decided to try a restaurant that I had my eye on for a while, a Latin American seafood restaurant a block away from the convention center. I came away quite impressed; Mariscos 1133 is first rate.

Mariscos (Spanish for “seafood”), is the creation of chef Alfredo Solis and his sister Jessica. Natives of Mexico, they have long been part of the DC restaurant scene. Solis started working in the kitchens of restaurants like Ceiba. In 2014, they opened their first restaurant, El Sol Restaurante & Tequileria, in Logan Circle. A few years later, they opened Mezcalero Cocina Mexicana in Columbia Heights. (Mezcalero now has a second location in La Cosecha Food Hall in Union Market.) And in 2019, they opened another restaurant in Columbia Heights, Anafre, named after a Mexican clay oven. Mariscos 1133 opened in February 2022 with a focus on Latin American seafood.

Menu

The restaurant week menu was prix fixe, where you choose one item from appetizers, entrees, and desserts. The appetizers section had 6 items to choose from, among them Guacamole & Chips, Aguachile Tostada, and Empanadas. The entrees section had 12. Some representative items are: Seafood Pasta, Birria Tacos (fried beef tacos), Lomo Saltado (steak with a tomato/pepper sauce), and Trio Enchiladas. There were only two choices of dessert: flan or ice cream.

The regular menu is sectioned into Ceviches, Raw (Tuna Tostada, Oysters,etc…), Appetizers, Seafood, Chef’s Specialties, Sandwiches (hamburger, cheesesteak, and blackened salmon), and Tacos. Appetizers include Queso Fundido Oaxaqueno, Fried Calamara, Shrimp & Crab Nachos, and Mussels a la Mexicana. The Seafood section has dishes like Mexican Seafood Paella, Whole Red Snapper, and Shrimp Alambre. Some Specialties highlights are Churrasco (skirt steak with Chimichurri), Enchilada de Pollo, and Mole Polblano (chicken in a Mole Poblano sauce). The Tacos section has beef, steak, and several with various kinds of seafood.

My meal

I went with the restaurant week menu. For my appetizer, I choose Ceviche Classico. This was a bit different from other Ceviche that I have had. The fish was thicker cut than what I had before; as a result it had a more rubbery texture than what I am used to. The sauce had a tang that I liked, but it was very salty. It’s a decent ceviche, but I would not call it the best.

My entree was the Seafood Chili Relleno. It is a poblano pepper (the pepper normally used in Chili Relleno), stuffed with shrimp and crab meat. It is astounding! The stuffing is all seafood with no fillers. The dish has a complex mix of flavors between the seafood and the poblano. And the pepper is both firm and spicy. I loved the dish and would definitely get it again. It was served with two sides: rice and refried beans.

For my dessert, I chose the flan. I am not a big fan of flan, but I do enjoy it when done well. This one was extremely well made. It tasted quite fresh and had a very creamy texture. The caramel on top was strong, but not bitter. This made a good contrast to the mild flan. An excellent dessert!

Drinks

Mariscos has a full wine and cocktail menu, along with a small selection of beers. Their cocktails have a decidedly Latin American and Caribbean flavor: margaritas, mojitos, Pina Colada and Sangria. Other specialty cocktails include La Buena Vida (tequila, simple syrup), The Naked Owl (Mezcal, Chartreuse, Aperol), and La Cachonda 65 (frozen margarita, Coronita beer, and Grand Marnier).

I went with the 1133 Sour, which is a variation on the Pisco Sour (which they also serve) but with Mezcal and Amaretto instead of Pisco. The drink is excellent. It has a delicate sour taste, counterbalanced by the foamy egg whites on top. A very nice touch is that 1133 is etched in the foam. My second drink was the Oaxacan Old Fashioned. This too was a variation: an old fashioned made with tequila and Mezcal, instead of whisky. Mezcal is a traditional liquor from the Oaxacan region of Mexico, hence the name. I loved the flavors, ande it packed quite a punch.

Atmosphere

The inside of Mariscos has an elegant feel to it. The amount of seating seems small, but there is more upstairs. I do not go up there and see what it looks like. There is also plenty of outdoor seating, which is quite spacious. The wait staff was friendly and the food came out quickly. However, I often had to flag down a waiter to place an order. I suspect this was a miscommunication, as between courses I was reading a book. They seemed perfectly content to let customers sit there all evening, relaxing or conversing.

Mariscos 1133 has amazing food and friendly staff. I cannot wait to go back there.