El Meson Espanol, a Spanish tapas and paella restaurant, has opened at 1826 Columbia Road NW in Adams Morgan.
The opening was first reported by PoPville on Wednesday, Oct. 14, after a reader tipped the blog that the restaurant was serving customers. El Meson Espanol comes from the same team that ran El Rincon Espanol at the same address, What Now DC reported in April.
The address has a choppy history. El Rincon Espanol, a longtime Spanish restaurant at the Columbia Road storefront, closed in 2017. Morgana, an Italian trattoria, moved in and opened in March 2023 but shut down by March 2024, according to PoPville. The space sat empty until May 2025, when PoPville first reported a new Spanish concept was headed to the location.
A liquor license placard posted at the site in March listed El Meson Espanol as a new Class D restaurant with 83 seats and a total occupancy of 85. The license application filed with D.C.'s Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration listed planned hours as Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday hours run from 10 a.m. to 3 a.m., according to What Now DC.
The restaurant describes its menu as built around tapas, paella and Spanish wine.
No details about pricing or the owner's name have been made public. What Now DC reported in April that it had reached out to ownership for specifics but had not received a response.
D.C. food account Eat DC wrote on X in March that El Meson Espanol was coming "from the owner of former restaurant El Rincon Espanol at the same address." Whether the same individual or a broader team is behind the new venture is unclear from public records.
Residents can find El Meson Espanol at 1826 Columbia Road NW. No public opening hours beyond the license application have been posted.
