About Mama Chuy
The patio overlooking Howard University may not be a picture-perfect perch to sip margaritas and munch on chips and guac. But if you’ve tired of boisterous happy-hour scenes, this tiny brother/sister operation is a wonderful antidote. The cooking is the draw, particularly the cocktail-party-size sopes and tacos, which have the depth and detail you’d find at one of José Andrés’s small-plates extravaganzas—at a fraction of the cost.
See all of our 2013 Cheap Eats picks.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
