They chose La Malinche, the name given to a historical figure who has been at the center of controversy for centuries. The noble Mexican woman was enslaved and given to Hernán Cortés, a Spanish conquistador. She became his interpreter and confidante. Their son was viewed as the first mestizo, a child of mixed blood.
Many Mexicans consider La Malinche or Doña Marina to have been a traitor, but today, she is also honored as the symbolic mother of the country’s mixed-race people.
At La Malinche, all of the starters, vegetables, meats and seafood are served as Spanish tapas, called botanas in Mexico.
Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitised between seatings
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitised menu provided
- Sealed or wrapped utensils used
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables
- Waiting staff wear masks
- Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
Menu
Great food and service! Definitely I'll recommend this place
Enjoyed everything at brunch. We did bottomless and it was definitely worth it. The bacon wrapped dates, empanadas and pancakes were amazing!!
The food was amazing! Salmon done to perfection and seasoned really well.
Place use to be 11-3pm but now there's a 2 hour time limit. Kind of caught me off guard
Excellent food and service at brunch. We reserved an outdoor table a month in advance, only to have truly dreadful weather on the day of our visit. They had been kind enough to save us a table inside so we could choose when we arrived. We all ordered the bottomless brunch and every item we chose was delicious. This brunch includes drinks, and they were not stingy with them at all. Drinks came fast, and were not watered down at all, as they often are in the "bottomless" situation. We tried all of their sangria flavors, the Cava was our favorite. Everything was prepared perfectly and we thoroughly enjoyed the visit. Will definitely return.
We ate at one of the outdoor tables. The food was good. The service was fine.
Food and sangria are always delicious....kind waitstaff.....all around great experience.
The brunch is an excellent experience. A number of native dishes to choose from along with bottomless mimosas, sangrias and bloody Mary’s. Outdoor seating is close to Colesville Road sidewall but tucked away enough to not be a distraction. The food is delicious. We’ll definitely be back.
Good food. Paella is worth the wait, not crunchy on the bottom, but very tasty and nice assortment of meat and seafood. Small place, but adequate seating and covered outdoor dining. Servers wear masks. Full bar. Enjoy!
It was okay i feel like they could have been a little nore patient with us i did fell rushed uh the my food came pretty quick but the rest of my party had a pretty long wait my friends fried Yuka took pretty long to come out butni will day they where nice and respectful juat felt a little hurried overall it was good.
All outdoor seating was covered! Rain was not an issue!
Always a great meal. La Malinche never disappoints. Try the pink sangria (sangria rosso I believe). Out of this world!
I always live my time at the special little place.
You cannot beat this value, especially around the DC area. Food and drinks were delicious. Patio is right on the street, so it can be a little noisy, but otherwise fabulous.
Excellent food and service, as always. La Malinche is a consistently good experience. The standouts are the chicken croquettes (so crispy and fluffy!) and the pan con tomate (such a simple dish but so good). Highly recommended!
It was great! My only issue was Silver Spring traffic and traffic noise is crazy so beware when you sit outside.
Great place. Good people. Cannot recommend enough.
It is a tapas restaurant across the street from the AFI theater in Silver Spring. Food is very good, service is good but ambiance is lacking. Great place for lunch or dinner before or after an AFI movie.
We joined friends for brunch. They had been prior and recommended it.
Everything was delicious. The service was prompt.
We tried almost everything!
This was the best Tapas, I have ever had!! I'm from NJ, and I can't wait to make the 3 1/2 hour drive, just to eat here again!!
Just underwhelmed with the whole experience. The server took a while to come over to the table, we had done the bottomless brunch and it took him a while to come and check back in. There were several times throughout the visit where we didn’t have any beverages. The “mimosas” were practically just juice, hardly any sparking wine. The food was just decent. Probably won’t be returning back. There are better deals in the area.
Loved the food and the service were excellent, we're vegetarian and there were ample veggie options.
Space is a little tight, but everything else was great!
Another delicious meal at La Malinche!
The food was fantastic! It is so close to the Fillmore so it works perfect for dinner and a concert. Parking was easy to navigate.
Very nice casual brunch option. Great brunch tapas and drinks on offer. The food tased pretty good to okay, nothing was life changing but nothing was bad. I enjoyed the meal overall. Sangria was a bit watered down in my opinion but mimosas were great. Overall I would recommended it for a casual lowkey brunch option in the area.
Fantastic! Great food and terrific people.
Always a nice meal. La Malinche is a good, consistent, high-quality choice. Carne asada and albondigas are my favorite choices. Service is attentive without being pushy. We will definitely return!
La Malinche is a great option for good and quick food in downtown Silver Spring.
This place is amazing!!!!
The food and drinks were amazing! Service was excellent. I am very pleased with the portion sizes. We will definitely be going back!
Great food. Great ambience. Christmas Eve dinner was awesome.
It wasn't as busy as it was the first time we were there and that was surprising. We LOVE this little gem. the staff is friendly and efficient.....the food was excellent and very reasonable. Our waiter also told us about their weekend "Brunch" and we are very anxious to try that soon.
This restaurant serves the best margaritas. We had the scallops, salmon and shrimp with calamari to share. Hard to say which was the best because it’s all good. We topped it off with espresso and this is a place that knows how to make it like they do in Italy. The service was wonderful! We felt really personally attended to and another wonderful thing about this place is it is one of the few places where you can hear each other. Noise level is just right.
This was our second time eating here. Both visits were fantastic. We didn’t order anything we didn’t love. The service is spot on- all the wait staff are attentive and friendly . The Cava sangria was delicious. This place is a must try if you are in Silver Spring !
This is one of the best brunch deals available. $35 for unlimited tapas, sangria, mimosas, and bloody Marys. Unbeatable!
The food was really good. But the service was at least a 1-2 star at the most. I’m not sure if they don’t have enough staff or what the deal was. The food came out slowly as well. We lost our appetite half way they the 2hr brunch. I won’t be coming back for brunch any time soon.
We enjoyed every dish that was served. The octopus was the most tender that we ever had. The cod filet was thick and flaky with a little spice to it. The garlic butter cauliflower was exceptional. If you are a foodie, then you cannot miss this restaurant. The food, service and presentation were excellent
Fabulous food, great sangria, and the service is outstanding! Super convenient to AFI Silver and the Fillmore, for your pre and post show dinner. Excellent for larger parties so you can share all the tapas goodness!
the staff wasn’t friendly!
Good food. Highly recommend having a reservation for Friday and Saturday nights. The service is very attentive and friendly. Don't go if you are on a budget because you will spend a good amount of cash. However, the quality of the food makes it worth it.
FAQs
La Malinche does offer delivery in partnership with Postmates. La Malinche also offers takeaway which you can order by calling the restaurant at (301) 562-8622.
La Malinche is rated 4.6 stars by 400 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.
