El Rinconcito Cafe

Popusa was great. Chick tacos al carbon and veggie burrito very good too. Nice staff — seems family run/​owned.

We love this neighborhood eatery. The food is outstanding and authentic. The owners, Jose and Mauricio are friendly and gracious. Service is great. If you are looking for ambience and atmosphere, look elsewhere. Rinconcito is the type of place you would actually find in Central America.

Delicious food and friendly service. The fried plantains were good, as was the Ropa Vieja. Subtract a quarter star for too many TVs and with the sound a little too loud. Food is excellent though and it looks like many people do take out.

There are too many fees for delivery, it’s insane. My total went from 20 $ to 33 $! How in the world does my order go from 20 $ to 33 $? Will definitely pass on this place. It’s very overpriced.

Come here twice now and love it. Always get the papusas. Great prices and great service.

This food is awesome!!! I had the Salmom with rice and asparagus. I highly recommend this restaurant and Aisa has some of the best attention to customers. Wow! :)

Excellent food and food presentation. I frequently visit the aquarium shop a few doors down and had once walked in for a drink but until today I had the opportunity to try their food. Service was excellent which is hard to find typically in Mexican/​Salvadoran restaurant

What a great little undiscovered joint! Right away something stands out. Handmade papusas! oh it is on!!!
Excellent buttery, velvety, a slightly mild slaw to go with it. Get pork and cheese together they’re killer.
Many of the other dishes sing as well, and the warmed chips and warmed bowl of salsa verde is a real nice touch too. Bistek Criollo here is extremely tender and well cooked, loaded with juiced peppers and onions in fantastic soupy flavors. The Salvadorian specialties are a winner, as Carne Deshilada with it’s buttery and velvety texture.
Service is also great. I was stuck on what to have, but a very helpful waitress was great when after one items was 86d was able to give me an excellent recommendation.
Affordable eats as well, and one place I will easily be coming back to.

Came in for lunch and I was not disappointed. I ordered two pupusas (pork and bean+cheese) with a chicken tamale. Chips and salsa are complimentary. The salsa was fresh and flavorful, the pupusas stuffed full and cooked perfectly, and the tamale filled with big tasty chunks of chicken. A garnish of pickled cabbage added a nice flavor when eaten with the pupusas. The restaurant itself was quiet but had a steady stream of carryout customers. The seating area is very clean, as were the bathrooms, and it seems to have been renovated recently. The waitress was also attentive and friendly. I will definitely return.

We loved the food, and the family atmosphere was great.
This is a small «hole in the wall» location, on a commercial strip on Georgia Av. just south of the Beltway. There is a County metered parking lot next door, which is where you park. El Rinconcito translates to «little corner» and that is what it is. A bar and a small restaurant area.
We walked in and most of the tables were empty, and we were given our choice of where to sit. If you are looking for cloth napkins and crystal water goblets, you’re in the wrong part of town. We were greeted warmly, brought menus, and offered beverages. The A/​C unit was a bit noisy, and I think the waitress had a bit of trouble hearing us at first, but the bartender [manager?] jumped in to help out.
The staff were extremely accommodating … we ordered a glass of white wine, and were offered the bottle, and even a taste, to be sure that it was OK. The beer list was unremarkable, but they had Negra Modelo along with the usual suspects, at Happy Hour prices, so I didn’t mind.
We spent a while studying the menu, and we weren’t pressured. The manager asked us if we had any questions about anything on the menu. My spouse ordered three cheese enchiladas. I decided to go with the Salvadorean menu, and ordered a sausage with tortilla and a Sopa de Mofongo. The enchiladas were fine, very tasty. The mofongo was a treasure for those who like beef tripe and beef leg in a rich soup, with corn, cabbage, carrots, cassava, chayote, and plantain. Delicious. And plenty of it, and not skimpy on the meat. The sausage was savory … not super spicy but very tasty.
Somehow, my wife’s order of cheese enchiladas came out as chicken enchiladas. No problem … no fuss … they took the plate back, and a few minutes later brought out the cheese enchiladas. The service was as if we were the only people in the restaurant, even though there were a few other people there.
We ordered flan and the banana empanada for dessert. Their desserts were delicious, and huge! Easily, each dessert was enough to share.
After dinner and paying, as we were getting ready to leave, the manager chatted with us for a bit about their plans, where we were from, etc.
Good hearty food, a very friendly atmosphere, and inexpensive. What’s not to like? We’ll go back. Lots of things to try on the menu.

The food was great – the shredded beef in the burrito had an amazing flavor. My husband got chicharrones – so, so flavorful. The service was exceptional! The owner stopped by the table and offered us a free dessert – fried empanadas with plantain. Highly recommend!

After dealing with the terrible parking situation we walked into no greeting; we were just sat and handed foam cups of ice water. I wanted to order a shredded chicken burrito plate and asked the waitress if I could hold the pico and add an extra scoop of refried beans. Please keep in mind two facts here — A) one scoop of refried beans came with the dish normally AND B) beans cost less than pico.
What the waitress said next blew my mind, «no, we can’t do that.» I asked «are you sure? It’s just beans.» She went to go ask the kitchen and said «No, they said they can’t do that.» Well to me can’t sounds like doesn’t want to, so I decided I’ll go eat somewhere else. My girlfriend had already put in her order, which was fine with me, however the manager told her she can cancel her order since I wasn’t going to eat. So we left.
They gave away two orders or around $ 26 because they didn’t want to substitute an extra scoop of beans for pico. I’ll never go here again, that’s just terrible business management. I have no idea how this place has good reviews.
They get one star for not charging us for their free chips and salsa, the salsa was pretty good too. Chips were a bit stale.

Went here on a weeknight this week and it was mostly empty. I ordered a cheese pupusa to start and the chicken taquitos. I was not very impressed with either. The pupusa was fine, but I often judge pupusas by their accouterments and these left something to be desired. They were served with marinated vegetables that lacked flavor. The taquitos had shredded chicken in them and were also not very flavorful. My husband ordered the carne asada and it was better than my meal. The servers were very friendly and attentive. I would return here and try some different dishes based on the Unilocal review but I was not very impressed myself.

Stopped by on a Saturday afternoon. The restaurant is very clean, all the workers are very friendly.
But the food is what we will come back for I am sure.
It looks like a hole on the wall from outside, and the prices may be tad expensive for that, but as I said before the food is really tasty so you do not feel it is over priced.
They are very child friendly, too.

My eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach but I think their big plates trick you into thinking it’s not a lot of food on the plate… I got tricked! But in the best way possible. It is a very small space but they have a large bar, I assume most people do take out here. My boyfriend and I decided to sit and enjoy a meal with a margarita. The one woman who worked the front/​bar was very pleasant and friendly and was prompt in getting our orders and drinks. The margaritas were good, and at that price I could’ve gone for another. She brought out chips and salsa right away, best salsa I’ve ever had. I could eat it with a spoon or just drink it out the bowl… JK… ;) My boyfriend and I ordered the combination platter including 1 pupusa and 1 tamale and thought we’d still be hungry so we each order 1 taco which we ended up taking home. Who eats that much?! I guess we do. The combination platter came with slaw, beans and rice. Everything was excellent and soul warming, everything I needed to make up for a bad day at work. I felt the love in the food and I walked out of there so full and so happy. I think the location is part of the reason it gets looked over but I’m ok with that if it’s my hidden little gem.

Great food; friendly service; spartan décor.
Some of the best pupusas I’ve had. Excellent Tamales. The regular Tacos were ok, but too tex-​mex for my liking.
Beers were reasonably priced.
Free dessert!
Kid friendly :) and there’s a full bar, if that’s your poison.
Parking is around the side and free after 6pm.
Thanks Unilocal!I wouldn’t have found this gem without you! All-​in-​all, good food and service for a reasonable price and close to my house.

A-​mazing!
The pupusas here are phenomenal. I didn’t consider myself much of a fan of Salvadorian food until I hit this place up. (I know, living in Wheaton, MD and not considering myself a Salvadorian fan, the travesty!) My problem is that I don’t really care for masa anything and beans anything. Well what is a pupusa other than a masa tortilla filled with beans and cheese? AMAZING.
I «played it safe» and got beef tacos al carbon and instantly regretted it when I tried a bite of my partner’s cheesy, melty, savory pork and cheese pupusas. The tacos were actually fantastic themselves and had a Salvadorian twist (Salvadorian cheese, no guac, lettuce or sour cream, flavorful but mild) but I could have been shoving warm melty cheesy pupusa into my maw instead. The refried beans here were also excellent and as mentioned earlier I don’t even like beans. I don’t recall the word for it but the vinegary salvadorian cabbage salad was also to die for.
At the end of our meal the owner came out to greet us and offered free dessert as well because it was our first time but we had to turn it down because we already ate a ton of food before.

Frustrating parking.
But, the food was good. Tamales are Salvi style (difference in sauces used).
Husband had the carne asada — he ate all of it so I assume it was good. I had the chicken quesadilla, which I liked, but I’m sad to say I’ve had better. I ordered the shredded chicken, which must be marinated in some sort of red sauce ahead of time. I liked it okay, but like I said, I’ve had better elsewhere. I just didn’t care for the sauce it was marinated in, and, there was a lot of dark meat in it (which is fine, I just don’t really care for dark meat).
IMO, the food is on the more pricey side of Salvi/​Tex-​Mex. For instance, 3 pupusas are 8 $. I know it’s apples to oranges, but, in El Salvador (and yes, I’ve been — 4 times a matter of fact), 8 $ can buy you 15 pupusas. I know we have food costs and have to pay wages, etc. but my point is, the prices are a little high.
Anyway, the décor of the place is very simple and clean. The bathrooms were exceptionally clean and the bartender/​waitress was so very friendly and attentive. 5 stars for décor and service, 3 stars for food. I guess that would even out to 4 stars, but I just wasn’t that impressed by the food.

Following in line with the other Riconocitos in Washington D.C. (which I had no idea existed until my super friendly waitress told me), this place is pumping out the as much magic as the new Disney film Frozen. But trust me, you’ll WARM up to this place real quick.
‘Cause what you get for what you pay– you might just turn yourself into the closest police station for highway robbery.
Let’s talk about my 2 giant papusas, chicken tamale, rice, frijoles, and of course complimentary chips and salsa for 8 dollars and some change. It’s like you stepped back into 2001 and are paying for delicious authentic Mexican/​El Salvadorean food.
This restaurant is 10 months old, but they have a great formula that has been working for them in DC.
The formula is
Delicious Food + Affordable Prices + Fantastic Customer Service= Happy Customers.
I know, I know. KRA (backwards Z) Y! RIGHT?!
Papsuas– were absolutely delicious! After recently having some painfully mediocre/​bad papusas, I really needed this perfect papusa pick me up. Wondeful little char from the grill on hand made tortillas filled with cheese, frijoles, and loroco. The pork and cheese papusa was equally as delicious and they were both served with a generous amount of vinegary slaw (as they should be).
The chicken tamale– perfection. Everything you want in a tamale. Fall apart outside stuffed with bold flavors. These are so dangerous. I could eat these like chips if I had the chance.
The Frijoles– were a little under temp — if I had to be critical.
Rice– well cooked and has a little veg throughout for flavor.
Service was extraordinary. The woman who was helping me was attentive but not bothersome.
Couldn’t recommend this place more. Plus, there menu is SOOO extensive that everyone could find something that they’ll enjoy.
There is a parking lot hidden on the side! It has the county meters where you can pay with your App. Thank g-​d or I never would have been able to try this B.

Great new restaurant at the outer edge of silver spring. Very friendly owner and staff. The restaurant is well set up for lunch but lacks the coziness or intimacy of a great dinner place: it is bright with bare walls and a tv on.
The menu is large; pupusas, tamales, tacos, enchiladas, chimichangas and other standard fare for the genre are included. However, there are some other features, including interesting soups and stews, steaks, chicken, pork and seafood dishes. Also, a great a la carte selection of tacos, pupusas, sides and meats and cheeses if you are looking to sample.
The prices are great. Most of the platters are around ten dollars and will leave you quite full. Their refried beans are excellent and their salsas and other sauces are all very fresh.
On the whole, this is a cut above many of the tex-​mex and Salvadoran places in the area. They don’t overlook their chicken and then try to hide it with their sauce, and all of their ingredients are pretty fresh and tasty.
Worth checking out and supporting.