El Comal - Charlottesville

Shared plates, but not really “small plates”; don’t order more than 1.5x entrees per person. All really good though!

So... might sound intuitive but you HAVE TO LIKE MOLE. There is nothing else on the menu. We were hoping to find Spanish food but everything had mole which we learned that we do not care for and therefore will not be back. But if you do in fact like mole this is the place for you.

I have never had Oaxacan food before so I was very excited to try this place! Firstly the ambiance is very cozy and inviting. Our waitress was phenomenal and super helpful and attentive. We really appreciated her taking the time to walk us through the various dishes and giving us her recs. We got the grilled octopus which I thought was just alright. It was a bit dryer than I would like. The sauce helped but it is definitely very spicy!! The other appetizer (cannot remember the name) was delicious!! I could have had like 5 of those plantain things. The mole negro is definitely a winner. We got the mole negro con pollo as well which I'm retrospect we should have gotten a different type of mole to try but I was very happy with the entree dish as well. The chicken was literally falling off the bone. You didn't need teeth to eat it. Overall, this place is 10/10. Wonderful date night spot to try!!

Food is amazing. Service is spot on. Atmosphere is great. Definitely one of our favorites in Cville. Tamales are delicious and the carnitas is out of this world!

Great authentic Oaxaca food. If you consider yourself to be a fan of Mexican food, you must stop by this place that delivers cuisine from the heart of the Mexican culinary tradition.