Saint Anejo

jwoodovetail
Oct 20, 2020
3 min read

Saint Anejo is M Street’s premiere Mexican restaurant, featuring inspired Mexican cuisine, Latin mixology, and a premium tequila and mezcal menu of over 120 labels. The menu showcases creative tacos, house made guacamole, and regionally influenced Chef specialties. Saint Anejo’s cocktail list features craft margaritas and Latin mixology classics, constructed with premium spirits, fresh, exotic produce and botanicals, and unique combinations of nectars and spices. A series of enormous convertible windows open the entire space out to M Street, and an elevated large patio shares an indoor/outdoor bar with the interior. The Tequila Library Lounge, located in a private mezzanine that overlooks the first level, is the perfect location to host a tequila tasting, birthday party, or other private events.

We arrived past dinner time but was presently surprised to see it was still very busy (Covid Standards) and there were lots of guests eating and drinking. As usual we sat at the bar where we were greeted and entertained by Tom. I ordered the house specialty, the Casa Perfecta, or the house perfected margarita, Woozie got the Poema Cava and we ordered the Guacamole + chips with the spicy shrimp added to it. Was pleasantly surprised that they have complimentary chips and salsa as well. Also ordered the Ceviche “Michelada” Cocktail, yes the theme tonight was shrimp, as well as the Shrimp and mango quesadilla.

Pro tip: Most restaurants, if not all, offer a full menu at the bar which is a first come seating preference and does not require a reservation. Some restaurants also do a happy hour special at the bar area only. In my opinion, I feel you get better and quicker service at the bar, I never understood why so many people would rather wait (sometimes anywhere from 30mins to an hour) for a table.

The ambience and atmosphere is that of a hip upscale Mexican Cantina with ample TVs for the sports fanatics as well as contemporary top popular music to keep the casual guest intrigued and entertained. The food was excellent and we were fully entertained by people watching the eclectic and varied types of guests that were there. Definitely a casual spot for the first time daters or group of friends just reminiscing and catching up with conversations of family, friends and life. It is not what I consider a romantic spot to keep the passionate flame burning or a place to rekindle the flames of passion between two lovers. Yes we saw a couple that were deeply into each other and the scene felt out of place for some odd reason. The restrooms were tidy and clean for what it was, a high traffic restroom where if you were lucky the staff checked and maintained every hour. Only a few used paper towels on the floor but for the most part, clean. The staff, servers, bartenders and hosts were very friendly. Overall a fun place with good food.

Keywords: Mexican, margaritas, cantina, salsa, tacos, quesadilla, fun, casual, gulch, M street

Overall Grade: Boozy: thumbs up Woozie: thumbs up

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