Hi/Fi Tex-Mex BBQ - Alexandria, Virginia

Jessica A.

Amazing atmosphere - service needs a little work. I think this place is heavily understaffed so we did have to wait a decent amount of time for food/drinks and our bill. Two other things that would help improve my rating would be to include dietary restrictions on the menu (especially Gluten Free) and to be able to split checks properly. There was six of us and we asked to split our check between the three couples but the waiter straight up shut us down (didn’t even try). With these improvements, this place would definitely deserve a 5 star rating.

Allison N.

Food is really good! Service is still working out some kinks.

Great meats and BBQ, and the pork ribs are some of the best I’ve ever had. The vibe is fun and is a perfect outdoor dining experience.

Their service needs some work — it took almost 20 minutes for us to be acknowledged and it was only because I walked to the bar to let them know we were waiting. Hostess was kind of oblivious and standing around not doing anything while we waited. Once we were seated it was generally fine but our server did take a while to get to us.

Overall really liked the food and I think they will work out the service issue as any new business does. I am excited to see them do well!

Leandra O.

Great new-ish spot in Del Ray! The food and drinks are good but the vibe is even better. Our favorites were the brisket tacos and hifi margarita. Guacamole was also good but a small portion for the price. There is also a great beer selection.

Realist F.

This is a unanimous five stars for me & Anna! Friendly & quick service for great barbecue at an affordable price. Outdoor atmosphere was also immaculate. Plantains were a great side dish & the pulled pork sandwich was bursting with flavor.

EDIT: Came back & got the two meat platter with smoked turkey & brisket. I don't think either were seasoned with anything but salt & both came out lukewarm at the hottest - vibes were still great, but enough to knock this one down a rating

Rebecca C.

The food was delicious. If only it could be that easy

At 8 pm on Saturday night they were out of multiple cocktail options, no guacamole, no Fritos pie, and no nachos (for what it’s worth the only thing on their appetizer menus that was not out was wings, queso, and corn.)

Also the service was lack luster. We were asked to wait for 30 minutes for a table (despite multiple empty tables, it was not that busy). For the first 20 minutes we stood at the mostly empty bar trying to get the bar tender’s attention to get a cocktail but he was busy making cocktails for seated parties. The beer was warm out of the tap.

We finally approached the hostess about getting an empty table - she was standing at the hostess stand cleaning menus - and she said “I just need another 10 minutes to seat you” and we said “what’s the hold up?” “Well I need to clean the table over there where I’m going to seat you and get you some silverware” and I said “well, what are you doing right now?” She proceeded to stand at the hostess stand and clean menus for about 10 more minutes before spending 30 seconds cleaning the table and seating us. Once we were finally sat it took about 20 more minutes for someone to take our orders who promptly informed us that there were almost no appetizers available and we decided to put in our app and dinner order at the same time because we were sure the waitress would never come back to take the rest of our order.

Patrick

Cool place. Little buggy but they have fans which help before you get your food. After you get your food expect to be swarmed by flies.

For their beers they consistently underserve. At first I thought it was one beer but after somebody else ordered one, I realized what was going on. Maybe don’t come here of you plan on having adult beverages.

Liz T.

The idea is there, but the execution is poor.

Upon arrival (around 1 PM) we were told that the platters (all the bbq options) would not be available until 5 PM, which should have been advertised. We drove from MD to try their BBQ, it would have been nice to be informed of the delay.

We ordered smoked wings and two different types of tacos: braised beef and the orange-soda braised carnitas. The wings were over smoked, they were dry. The braised beef did not have lot of beef and the beef was dry. The carnitas did not have much (if any) chicharron and had sliced American cheese at the bottom of the taco ( i thought they would at least have melted the cheese, but it’s literally a slice of cheese). As a hispanic American … I would not qualify this as Tex- Mex, it would be more accurate to describe it as Mexican inspired American food. Also, we ordered margaritas. The traditional came from tap and it took maybe 20 mins to get it.

Joel S.

The atmosphere was that of a friendly neighborhood picnic with live music and made for a pleasant afternoon/evening vibe. However, the food quality was a bit of a letdown compared with the rest of the experience. The food was okay but not great. Also the restaurant can be hard to find if one is unfamiliar with the area. It is located behind the Evening Star Cafe with little signage or directions to navigate customers to the Hi/Fi restaurant.