Image: Shrimp pil pil over “rice pudding.”
Last Updated: January 2024
Overview:
We have a soft spot for the overachieving neighborhood restaurant. The kind of place that finds ways to put out something special despite a lack of resources. The kind of place that lacks pretention but serious about its business. They are rarely found in a new shiny development. They don’t have big PR budgets. Sometimes these places become destinations, sometimes they build up a reputation by word of mouth. In the case of Ceibo, two industry veterans appeared to have a whole chorus cheering them on, giving them a boost out of the gate. The chorus is justified.
The food pulls from South American cuisines. The Ceibo (“say-bo”) tree blossoms are the national flower of both Uruguay and Argentina. The smaller plates include buñuelos, a fritter of Swiss chard and tetilla cheese that is more chewy than crispy and served with lemon and crème fraiche for tang. Potatoes, including a slightly candied sweet potato in honey sauce for dessert, dot the menu. They also accompany the tender steak with a creamy chimichurri sauce. The steak is seasoned only with salt, which the kitchen does not spare. The brothers behind the place, Juan and Manuel Olivera, come from Uruguay. Juan leads the kitchen and uses the cuisine of the Southern Cone as a starting point, but does not stop there. On our visit, there was a buttery leek tart with creamy Italian cheese in its center. It may have some familiar reference points, but this is not the standard dish list that predominates in so many places. Dishes can shift with the season and have already started to roll over from the opening menu praised in the Post review from late November (including the impressive looking squash dish).
Juan’s brother Manuel leads the front of the house. He was general manager at another solid neighborhood spot a few blocks away, El Secreto de Rosita. He oversees a spare but warm main dining room (there is also a bar below street level). The wine list is impressively varied for a new independent spot, drawing from both South American varietals (Tannat and Malbec by the glass) and European bottles and focused on biodynamic producers.
Ceibo sits toward the bottom of the hill in Adams Morgan in the space that once housed Casa Oaxaca, across from the tennis courts. It is a good option for a nice date night that is a step up from many of the options along 18th Street, but not quite as sophisticated as Tail Up Goat or as shiny as Meli. We hope it continues to gather supporters and are happy to do our part.
Other Guidance: The restaurants is located up a few steps. Bathrooms on the main floor. Vegetarians and GF can do well. No need to dress up, but not out of place.
Summary:
Cuisine: South American
Neighborhood: Adams Morgan
Address: 2106 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009
Website: https://ceibodc.com/
Reservations: Resy
Other Critics/Voices:
Washington Post: Tom’s very positive initial review.
Washingtonian: None yet
DCist: Preview along with other Latin places opening fall of 2023.
Rick Eats DC: Puts it on a list of recently tried places he liked.
