Chimole

Four of us (women friends) tried Chimole to celebrate my birthday. Great choice! The place has a very cool vibe; refreshingly different in ambiance from your average restaurant in the area. It was Sunday night and it wasn’t crowded which worked well for us. We had time and space to enjoy our dining experience and browse around the art gallery which is also part of the restaurant. We let our (wonderful and knowledgeable) server decide what we ate and the red wine we drank. She did not let us down. The owner (who is also the chef) said hello and explained that the menu was her own Honduran spin on tapis. Both food and wine were great. The only item we weren’t keen on were the empanadas. We were all impressed with our experience and definitely recommend Chimole if you’re in the area. Next time I’ll be going on a Fri or Sat night which I heard has live music.
Cheers…

I’ve been meaning to stop by Chimole for a while, because I’m a fan of tapas. It’s not quite a typical tapas place, but I don’t mind that. You could call it a tapas fusion; the chef combines flavors from Latin America with traditional tapas and vice versa. Everything I had (a fair amount, I was hungry lol) was brilliantly combined. It’s not cheap, but tapas usually isn’t and the food quality is very high.
The staff was very capable and the owner/​chef was there to recommend things off her menu; her love of food and cooking was quite evident and explained that many of the recipes are from her family’s history. I’m not much of a wine drinker, but she managed to find something that I liked after I described what I had liked in the past.
Not sure if the negative reviews are from old staff or what, but my experience was a great one and well worth repeating.

I was invited to go out with some friends Friday night in Leesburg. Usually pretty dead but Chimole’s had a Latino band playing and was packed. We all went in and danced until the wee hours of the morning. I had a some appetizers and they were excellent as was the wine I had ordered. The most fun I’ve had in decades.

This star is based mainly on the service and less on the food. The food was ok nothing great but not bad. However the service— I can see our server eating, and also can see him grabbing our chip refills with his bare hands which is appetizing. He had no idea what was on the menu and multiple times came back and would ask us «what did you order again?» Thought they were out of pork for the Cuban sandwich then told U.S. Nevermind five minutes later because he «found some». Supposed to come with aujus on the side instead it came with a cup of ranch. Sandwich also came without ham on it and they decided to add goat cheese and avocado onto the dish, not sure why. We were here for three hours, not because we wanted to but because that’s how long everything took. Wouldn’t go back.

I love the town of Leesburg and want all of the small businesses to thrive and grow, however my experience at Chimole left quite a bit to be desired. I bought tickets for a show at the Tally Ho and wanted to get a bite to eat beforehand. Tried to eat at Wine Kitchen (they were on a wait) so with over an hour to spare we decided to cross the street and dine at Chimole. On the stand out front they had a brochure advertising Farm to Fork Loudoun and we decided to give it a try.
Upon entering the restaurant the waiter/​bartender appeared to be a bit frazzled but we decided to order a bottle of wine and an app and two other dishes. The didn’t have the bottle of wine we originally ordered and they replaced it with a very below average bottle of Malbec. After inquiring several times regarding the Farm to Fork menu we were told most of the items were already sold out. Given the limited amount of time we had before the concert, we decided to go ahead and order. We ordered Chips and Salsa (at 5.00 very overpriced, worse salsa than your average Mexican place) an order of Enchiladas and Fish Tacos. It took over 20 minutes to get the chips and salsa. Shortly thereafter the «enchiladas» came out. I understand a Tapas menu, but 4 tortilla chips with cold toppings came out. After eating these the waiter came and asked if we wanted our check, I asked about the fish tacos and it seemed like he had completely forgotten the order. He asked us if we wanted an extra quesadilla. As DH was still very hungry and we were about to go to a concert we agreed. The quesadilla which was average at best is the only reason the restaurant ranks at 2 stars.

My husband and I stopped in here last weekend while we roamed around downtown Leesburg. We’ve been to alot of the go to places down there but hadn’t come across this one. We decided to give it a try and give our favorites a rest for an evening.
Have to say… pretty disappointed with what we experienced.
The hours of operation said it opened at 5 but when we strolled in around 6:30 they seemed to just be setting up shop. Everyone was pretty friendly upon entering but we made the mistake of sitting out on their «patio». It was a nice weather so we gave it a chance, but one look at the area made me want to turn around. Not wanting to be rude, we followed through with our request.
Very small area that was poorly kept. Old «leather» couch with what looked to be table clothes thrown over the seats due to the cracking material. A few two seater tables with mismatched chairs but the loudness of the air conditioners were overwhelmingly noticable given that no music was provided. Area really needed an overhaul… I felt like I was in somebody’s dingy backyard.
We got average service but more disappointment set in when the «housemade» mango sangria came out. Expecting a nice white sangria with fresh pieces of mango and apples… we instead got a strange cocktail with what looked to be mango juice (most likely canned…)
I was set on trying the ceviche while my husband went for the meat and cheese platter to share.
The ceviche was served in a premade container along with bagged chips… too bad they weren’t freshly made. Ceviche wasn’t bad but needed better presentation.
Meat and cheese platter wasn’t bad either and you got a decent amount… but it was still overpriced at $ 20
After that experience, we decided not to stay for an entrée. Left the place with a $ 60 and still hungry bellies.

Had an absolute BLAST at Chimoles recently with friends. Dancing, fine selection of mojitos, Central American offerings from the menu, and a hip setting. Chimoles is actually an art gallery by day in quaint, historic Leesburg that fit right in. Chimoles offers a very intimate setting surrounded by original and eclectic art. There is a small, well stoked bar inside, but out back on the patio is to die for. I could keep going on, but Chimoles is my new GO TO spot in Loudoun County. I’d love to say «GO!», but I don’t want word to get out…“sshhhhh”!

This was a surprise experience when everything just comes together. With friends at the Leesburg Garden Show; anxious about eating and still having time to get to IAD. Waitress was amazing. She sat us right away by the window (restaurant was quite full) and promptly took our order. Voila! Drinks, appetizers, lunch — and it was ALL wonderful. Also had plenty of time to catch our flight. Would highly recommend for anyone who enjoys slightly exotic food in a bohemian atmosphere.

I will say that the music was a tad loud but it was flamenco night after all so who am i to complain about life music.
The food was absolutely amazing. The bean fondue was a dream and so were the margaritas. The owner was very charming and full of latin warmth.
If you want run of the mill sysco food systems food go to Lightfoot or Friday’s. .if you want an experience come here

I can’t give Zero stars. I’d like to give negative.
If you’re looking for some high quality food and good service, this is *not* your place. Entering the restaurant to see a few open spots at the bar and two open tables for 2. We are seated, and quickly asked about drinks. We ask for water and to browse the drink selection. The water never showed up. But a solid 15 minutes later we were asked about what we would like. My wife ordered a sangria, and a chips and salsa, which are about 5 bucks, by the way. Oh you thought I meant the drink? No no, the chips and salsa are 5 bucks, which made me wonder how much the water was.
No water still, the chips show up. We ask for the waters again, and they eventually show up. We place our order after another excruciatingly long wait. After we ordered food, which was a 3 tomato salad and a taco platter, we waited another 30 minutes or so.
Here comes another chip platter! Oh well that’s nice, except it was an accident not a gesture, as evidenced by later comments from the waiter. It’s just we had ordered, received and eaten all the chips and the basket taken away so long ago they forget we ever got them. After a long long wait I began to get irritated and discovered we had been in the restaurant for almost an hour and a half and still our order was nowhere to be seen. We were told at this point something about the chips and salsa, I thought he was saying we will take it off your bill… Nope. He brought a 3^rd chips and salsa and said our order would be right out. The owner came over about this time, and we had a conversation about how bad the service was. She said she would give a discount, I said «discount??? How about comped, this service has been terrible.» She said she couldn’t do that, and ended up removing a portion of the bill, but not comping it. Nothing was offered to be done about the insane volume of the music, which had the restaurant at over 100 decibels, which is about as loud as being arms reach from a running lawn mower. It was, at a certain point cranked up above where it was when we entered, by a lot. Good luck having any sort of conversation without shouting. (I have a decibel meter on my phone).
As for the food, it’s not worth the prices. The overall quality of the restaurant is far below the price level they ask for, on every level. Service especially.
From the time we ordered our entrée, it was over an hour before we received it. In my book, that’s downright horrible service for a party of 2, even on a busy night. Comping a single item ordered doesn’t make up for it, and clearly stating what I wanted did absolutely nothing. This business owner doesn’t care if you’re happy or not.
Bottom line: if you’re looking for really good food, amazing service and fantastic wine pairings, there are better much better places in Leesburg, and they won’t leave you irritated and writing long Unilocal reviews about it.

Fun place. Great food. And not just your run of the mill place. It’s quant with an art gallery combined. Not a lot of seats but a cozy atmosphere. If you like spanish tapas, this is a great choice. There’s live Latin music on Friday and sometimes saturday and couples get up and dance starting around 9:30.

My wife and I came in while we waited for our table to be ready at the Wine Kitchen across the street. It was early in the evening so not many people at all, though they were booked completely after 7pm. The bartender was great, friendly, and very helpful with our drink selection. We had the guacamole appetizer which was awesome and a glass of wine each. Will definitely be back to try them for dinner.

Not going back anytime soon. Date night with two other couples. Had a rez but table wasn’t ready when we got there. Atmosphere was empty and lighting too bright. Sat in back room more private anyway. Waiter was a ditz. He dropped stuff no less than 4 times (silverware, his lighter, bottle of beer, etc). At one point he checked on us carrying a spray bottle of Lysol?! Sangria was average. Told us not to order the meat and cheese bec its not worth the price?! Chips seemed straight out of a bag. Salsa was best part and bean dip good too. Overall Just average and huge disappointment. No live music on a saturday night?! This place has way too much retail for sale too. Cigars, jewelry, paintings, trinkets, etc. recommend less retail and focus more on food and experience. Went here last year and it was awesome. Not sure what changed.

Best fish tacos and sangria! We are very picky about our Latin American food and we are hard to impress but Chimole left us wanting more. We had the chips and salsa which the salsa was wonderful, a change of pace from the typical Mexican food joint salsa. We also got the BBQ chicken tacos and fish tacos. Both were awesome and worth writing home about. Don’t miss out on this gem!

Amazing and unique. Try the pork sliders with pickled cabbage or the scallops. The food is South. American with a Honduran flair. They also have amazing Spanish wines!

Ok, I typically don’t say where I’m at or comment on food or anything, but I’m currently at Chimole in Leesburg.
All I can say is DON’T GO.
We were one couple, with other couples at the 4 tables they have, and it took Gregory 10 minutes to ask if we wanted a drink, and then 5 minutes to get us each a glass of water. Normally I wouldn’t assume, but it appears he’s not going to pay attention to you unless your table is full of women. Just saying.
After we ordered (a cold meats and cheeses plate), it took over 30 minutes for us to get it. And it’s obvious all the meats are pre-​sliced, the white bread was panini-​pressed to the point of being chewy, and the cheese portions were ridiculous for a plate they ask $ 20. In the meantime we kept hearing a microwave going off. My guess is that they prep most of the food ahead and reheat it in the microwave when ordered. Unacceptable, given a pair of small chicken tacos is $ 16. The pricing structure defies the very point of tapas.
After that, it took at least 20 minutes to get a refill on the water.
Typically this stuff mildly annoys me, but I’m so incensed about being completely ignored, that I feel the only way to retaliate is warn everyone else away from this place.

Really liked the vibe. Met the owner and chef. This is not a place when you come to rush through food. It reminds me of when I lived in Spain and the tapas is great!

Should have trusted most of the negative reviews. Service was slow but I’m not sure if that was necessarily on the sever or just the restaurant being understaffed. Save yourself the trouble and don’t order the beef empanadas. They are tasteless and have no flavor.
On the positive side the roasted lamb tacos, three cheese panini and the choripan (chorizo panini) were delicious. And the sangria is a nice treat (warning — the mango is very sweet)

After reading several reviews prior to coming here, I was leery about what I would find here. That feeling was quickly eradicated when I went to dinner Saturday night. The place was packed and full of reservations, so we ate on the patio. While it was a little annoying that we had to come to the bar to place our order, it turned out to be fine.
Food was delivered to us on the patio. The food was excellent, the patio delightful, the wine lovely and the staff helpful. The owner apologized for us not having table service on the patio, but it was fine.
The general sense of the place is very European, which is nice. There is a delightful sense of disorganization in the place that is endearing. This is not a cookie cutter, typical restaurant in Loudoun County. This place is very special and unique.
The night we were there, they had live music – which we could hear from the patio. It was just lovely. I can’t wait to go back. This time – with a reservation! :)
N.B.: this place is not open for lunch. Dinner only.

Very bad reception when we came in. I am not sure why tapas places feel the need to greet people I. Such a «I just woke up and you are bothering me» way but it is not charming.
However the waitress arrived and was wonderful and beautiful too. We ordered the beam fondue — amazing. Really! Salsa on the side was so good.too.
Then the grilled coco shrimp — terrible & Awful. Really!
The waitress was amazing and replaced it with the empanadas. They were very good. The sangria was good but seems to be missing any alcohol content.
Overall — I will try it again!