Jaleo Crystal City - Arlington

We celebrated our anniversary, as we had met at JALEO seven years before, and said goodbye to our favorite of Jose Andres’s locations. It was wonderful to see my favorite staff and managers and learn to which restaurants they will be going so we can follow them as well as begin to frequent some of the restaurants in Penn Quarter. We enjoy nothing more than the relaxed and festive JALEO and it sister restaurants, and the fantastic food and service at each. Meanwhile, we want to thank all the dedicated personnel a Crystal City for providing special experiences even when we just dropped in. We love you and we’re going to miss you.

I wanted to visit this location as they were shuddering their doors after 17 years. After being quickly seated, we waited for approximately 15 minutes before we had to ask someone if we had a server. The gentleman checked with the front and said he would assist us. Although friendly, his service was horrible. He forgot orders, food arrived room temperature, incorrect dessert brought, and had to continously ask for the staples e.g., bread and dipping oil. A separate server came to our table and was instrumental in getting us the correct dessert. He was kind enough to clear our table which the busboys overlooked when walking thru the restaurant. This other waiter provided us with the check and chatted with us. He was outstanding and represented the restaurant well.

Unfortunately, this restaurant is closing down as the building is being demolished. We decided to have a final meal there as it was filled with wonderful memories. The ambiance is lovely and the food is exceptional. It is evident that Jose's restaurants use top-quality ingredients. We are hopeful that he will open another restaurant in Arlington in the near future.

Outdoor seating is good and all covid precautions are taken. Service was great as always, and food and drinks delicious. We asked to be seated before our reservation time and the staff were very accommodating. We'll keep coming back to Jaleo.

Restaurant was empty. Hostess insisted on seating us in the back though I had requested a window table. That table and most of that area were still unoccupied when we left. The meal was good and staff accommodating of our low carb request.