Live for the Day of the Dead at Oyamel

Through Nov. 2, Oyamel’s Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, menu is heavy on carbs—of course!—to replicate the complex and nearly divine dishes and beverages inspired by the state of Michoacán. Monarch butterflies migrate to the area, which is also where you’ll find Pátzcuaro, the city with the most elaborate Día de los Muertos celebration—a fusion of indigenous religious and Catholic European traditions.

And at José Andrés Penn Quarter restaurant it’s all about ridiculously good food.

Medieval religious mystics write about elevation and communion with God. On the night I visit to indulge in the culinary celebration, I come me very close to the divine upon laying eyes on a monster molcajete bowl filled with guacamole and tortilla chips. 

Somehow, I miss the gazpacho Estilo Morelia, a cold soup inspired by the Mexican state of Morelia. This oversight is promptly solved when I savor the sopa de calabaza con chicharrón, a butternut squash soup with the smoky sweet of Mexican cinnamon balanced by the kick of Habanero chile and served with crispy pork skins.

Other swoon-worthy menu items include tortitas de papa con hoja santa (potato fritters filled with tart Chihuahua cheese and topped with tomatillo salsa); tostada de Apatzingán (pulled local pork, smothered with Michoacán tomato sauce, black beans, lettuce and queso fresco atop crispy mini tostadas); the trucha en salsa de hierbas (pan-seared Idaho rainbow trout served with black garlic-roasted mini potatoes drizzled with lemon and herb-infused olive oil); and taco de chicharrón con naranja (crispy pork belly in orange jalapeño sauce wrapped in a warm, house-made corn tortilla). 

Sweetness tops my magical evening with a champurrado made of warm Mexican chocolate with masa ice cream, mezcal and piloncillo-soaked raisins and caramelized popcorn—a little soggy for my taste.

Oyamel features Day of the Dead drinks specials: jarritos made with Del Maguey Mezcal Vida, house-made Squirt citrus soda with pineapple and jicama. 

Day of the Dead-inspired dishes and drinks are served through Nov. 2, with All Saints’ Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls’ Day (Nov. 2) being the actual Mexican holidays.

Oyamel

401 7th St NW at D St. NW

Washington, D.C.

202/628-1005

Hours

Sunday-Monday, 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m.

Tuesday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.–11:30 p.m.

Friday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.–12 a.m.

Closest Metro: Archives Metro Station (green/yellow line)

Viviana Hurtado is a contributing editor for Washington Flyer. She writes the popular Wise Latina Club (wiselatinaclub.com) blog and is a contributor to Huffington Post and NPR’s “Tell Me More.”