The Early Word on Espita Mezcaleria in Shaw

Espita Mezcaleria opened with plenty of buzz when it opened this month in Shaw. The restaurant and bar comes from master mezcalier Josh Phillips and his wife Kelly. Dishes from Southern Mexico by executive chef Alexis Samayoa will be served in the main dining room. There's also a huge selection of mezcal and cocktails to complement the food.

But what do customers think of all the moles, sopes, and tacos? It's been open less than two weeks, but the restaurant already has 19 Yelp reviews with an overall rating of four stars. Read on for the early word on Espita Mezcaleria:

The Bright, Bold, Political Murals News: Customers are noticing the murals by Oaxacan artist Yescka as soon as they enter. Brightest Young Things says, "They’re bright, bold and political," and blogger Badwolf DC writes, "The art work... is colorful, as you would expect for a Mexican theme, large & a little quirky..."  Blogger Dining Traveler adds, "I love the colorful murals depicting everything from butterflies to skeletons, to Frida Khalo." [BYT, Badwolf, Dining Traveler]

The Best Mezcal Selection in D.C. News: Yelper Rod D. declares, "They have the best selection in mezcales I've seen in the city."  Facebook user Karla Peña Stollman writes, "excellent selections of mezcal" and OpenTable user Scott2Sandra writes, "Great cocktails and Mezcal list." [Yelp, FB, OT]

The Freaking Delicious Cocktails News: Diners are loving the cocktail menu by beverage director Meghan Barnes. Blogger Dining Traveler writes, "Also, not to miss are the cocktails on tap. The grapefruit and white peppercorn with mezcal was my favorite from the tap cocktail selection." Instagram user @mcarrieallan says the Smiling Rabbit is "Freaking delicious and the cute factor doesn't hurt." [Dining Traveler, Instagram]

The Delicious Tortillas News: Thrillist writes, "Break off a piece untouched by salsa to taste the tortilla’s veritable terroir -- Espita imports the corn directly from Oaxaca." Both blogger Dining Traveler and Yelper Oz V. agree they’re "delicious." [Thrillist, Dining Traveler, Yelp]

The Best Tacos Ever News: Badwolf DC says the lamb barbacoa tacos have "a balance between heat and spicy that is just perfect for any dinner." Yelper Casey W. says they're the best tacos she's ever had, and Yelper S.R. says they’re a must-try dish. [Badwolf, Yelp]

The Amazing Sopes News: Thrillist writes, "Do yourself a solid and order up Espita’s Ibirria De Short Rib sopes...They're a set of twins you don’t want to pass on. The warm, crispy, fried shells might remind you of the heavenly taste of Fritos -- and the short rib is deliciously savory." Blogger Dining Traveler writes of the eggplant sopes, "The smoked eggplant salsa was amazing, if I could eat this everyday, I would be a vegetarian…" [Thrillist, Dining Traveler]

The Mole Didn't Disappoint News: Instagram user @singingchef40 proclaims, "I’ve waited four months for #mole and it did not disappoint! "Yelper Cathy Q. says the chicken mole was a little bland, but Yelper Sandra P. says "You could tell the mole was a long preparation." [Instagram, Yelp]

The Totally Awesome Scallop Ceviche News: Thrillist recommends ordering the sea scallop ceviche with avocado salsa, pickled jalapeño, scallions, and cilantro. Yelper Chrissy V. calls it "totally awesome," and Badwolf DC simply states, "OMG delicious." [Thrillist, Yelp, Badwolf]

The Earsplitting Loudness News: One OpenTable user writes, "The room was really loud that my ears felt numb after we left." Yelper Rex H. writes, "Would love to give a 4.5 were it not for the earsplitting loudness! Seems like the walls amplify noise to omega levels of volume. Could barely hear conversation from across the table and left with my ears ringing." [OT, Yelp]

The Price Debate News: As usual, there’s a debate raging in the comment section of PoPville over the prices. OpenTable user ATHoboken writes, "Good food but pricy" and thinks it’s "certainly expensive for the area." But Yelper Katya H. writes, "the price range is right on point of making it affordable on a weekly basis." [PoP, OT, Yelp]