El Rinconcito Cafe

–1 for the line. Jk this place is AMAZING. Stop what you’re doing and go there right now. It’s so good, so authentic, so fresh. Just be ready for a packed noisy atmosphere. Also, there’s a weird mix of migrant workers and normal people

Super tiny place. Maybe 20 seats? Salvadorian and Mexican cuisine. I got Mexican. But, want to try the Salvadorian next time!
It was pretty full, even at 3:30 pm on a Friday.
Not much for signage; but, I found it!
Very Inexpensive– $ 9.30, plus tip.
So, $ 12 for the 3 enchilada platter. It was huge and yummy. Although, it was not spicy at all. Fine by me. But, if you like spicier – maybe ask them to spice it up?
Friendly staff. (She spoke english very well, but Spanish is definitely the #1 language spoken here)
Mexican «futbol» (soccer) was on tv – so, I felt like it was «authentic»

Accidentally walked into this corner restaurant, thinking this is a Mexican restaurant. Then realized that I have found a gem and was about to experience some great Central American Salvadoran food. The beef soup is so flavorful and hearty. And owner and waitress are extremely warm and welcoming. It has earned my 5 stars. When I visit DC again, will make sure to come back!

I consider El Rinconcito to be a bit of a complicated little place. Let me explain. The restaurant serves primarily Salvadorian, not Mexican, food. However, while their pupusas are good, they’re definitely not the best I’ve ever eaten, and I don’t like their traditional Salvadorian slaw at all. However, I ironically prefer their enchiladas, a traditional Mexican staple. I also like the crispy shredded chicken tacos, and they too are customarily a Mexican dish. So, if you’re hoping to find an exclusively Salvadorian restaurant, I’m not sure if you’ll be happy with El Rinconcito. Personally, I don’t mind the electric mix, but to each their own.
I’m actually deducting two stars not because of the food, but because of the poor service and lack of seating. The place is incredibly small. I’m talking it’s the size of a large dining/​kitchen area, and to make things even more crowded, the staff allows their bar regulars to hang out and take up the only space customers have to wait for their to go orders. This make things especially chaotic during busy times. As for service, well it’s lacking. Waitresses are prone to caring a bit more about flirting with the aforementioned bar regulars than they do about the accuracy of your order.
All in all however, if you’re craving authentic ethnic food, it’s not a bad choice. I’ll likely visit again, but only when I’m willing to pack a little patience along as well. It can take a while to visit El Rinconcito.

I was in the mood for something divey and different, and that’s exactly what I got.
Having only had one other Salvadorian food experience in DC, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. When I walked into the small restaurant with Spanish thrown around by the staff, patrons, and from the tvs, I knew I was in the right place for some authentic food.
While the service is not super fast, it is friendly enough. They seem to do a lot of take out.
I ordered the cheese pupusas and shared plantains with a friend. The plantains were good — slightly sweet and a bit thick. I could do without the sour cream. The pupusas were very good but very filling. The cheese was much gooey-​er than the last pupusas I had, which was not bad — just different. The rice was great.
My only gripe was that I wish they had some sort of salsa or hot sauce that wasn’t Tabasco or pico de gallo. That would have really added to the pupusas for me.
The prices aren’t bad. I would go back, if I was in the area and craving something different.

When you see 5 stars, I don’t want you to think it is a fancy restaurant. El Riconcito earns 5 starts for maintaining the integrity of a well loved Latino, «hole-​in-​the-​wall» restaurant and pub.
What does this mean?
— It more than satisfies my craving for Latino soul food.
— It is well priced. You can spend $ 10 pp on a light dinner in the heart of DC (including tax and tip) or you can upgrade to carne asada and a Dos Equis for $ 20.
— Nice vibe, my waitresses allowed me to speak first generation Spanglish without laughing at me.
— I’ve just been two night in a row. That says something, right?
— The waitress recognized me after only one night.
— THE CEVICHE MIXTA WAS AMAZING. Especially the fish bites.
— Chorizo and handmade this tortillas were also excellent. and the rice. and the beans. Mmmm.
— If I were staying in DC a third night, I would a third night in a row. And I’d have a go at the flan and horchata. Ahhh, until next time…

This is a very small, hole in the wall but don’t let its exterior or size fool you: this place has great food! It’s would be easy to miss walking so pay attention. The pupusa was amazing and the prices are beyond reasonable for DC. I didn’t have to wait for a table but by the time I left there was quite a line. I will be returning when I’m back in town.

Came here with two friends and the food was good, but not great. For the price though, it’s a winner.
Couple of things to notes:
*Make sure to ask to have no dressing in your lettuce. They put Italian dressing on the lettuce under the sour cream and guac. Very weird.
*We waited A LONG time for food. Also, there were a ton of people and no where to sit. Be aware.
*The salsa tastes good, but is basically the consistency of water.

I love Salvadoran food and have been to multiple Salvadoran places in NYC and Seattle, and I was really excited to try Salvadoran food in DC. TL;DR — the place is great and I would definitely recommend it. It is definitely very authentic and tasty.
One particular thing that I was pleasantly surprised with the variety of items (a lot of Mexican food too), this place has an amazing selection and different combinations, which allows to make a much more fine-​grained choice.
I had traditional Salvadoran breakfast with chorizo and I can definitely recommend that. One small problem was that it seems a bit too much salty for me (all other things we have ordered were normal on salt). I also tried Yuca and Tamal with chicken and both things tasted great.
One small note — this place is definitely in $$ (11 — 30), not $ (under 10) range. Other than that, the place is great and I would definitely recommend it to other people.

This place is amazing. First time here and I love the food. Plenty of food for a small price you will leave happy and full. The establishment is small but has seating for a group up to ten if you arrive at the right time. They have tvs to watch sports and authentic music to keep you entertained while consuming you food.

Awesome pupusas. This is one of the places that I was glad to reacquaint myself with upon my return to the district. Everything is fresh and made to order. That means waiting 20 minutes for that pupusa. It’s so good though. And they make you wait.
Great things come to those who wait. I guess…

While the DC dining scene continues its descent into overpriced «Gentrification Cuisine», it is always nice to realize that hole in the wall places like El Rinconito Café still exist. If El Rinconcito was located in one of the so-​called up in coming neighborhoods like Shaw, Navy Yards, or along H street, all of the dishes would be at least $ 5-​$ 10 more a plate.
Nestled between Thomas Circle Park and the DC Convention center, this very unassuming joint will not be appearing anytime soon in the pages of Food and Wine magazine or The Washingtonian for their interior design. The main dining room is a cramped shoe box, with simple wooden tables and chairs abutting right next to the door. If you are unlucky enough to get a table by the door, be forewarned that a strong gust of wind will usually send napkins fluttering as well as a chilling you and your food. A seat along the bar towards the back of the establishment, is usually harder to score since this place is popular with not only the tourists and hipsters, but also with DC Latino population in search of real deal El Salvadorean food.
Order a tasty Tipico Desayuno Salvadoreño complete with eggs, fried plantains, and Salvadorean chorizo; or be more adventurous and have a steaming bowl of Sopa de Mondongo stewed with vegetables and beef tripe and bones. But of course, you need to try their signature papusas. At around $ 2.35 a pop, El Rinconcito has the full gamut of offerings from bean and cheese to my favorite, the Chicharrón (or roasted pork). Each papusa is hard formed with masa and the packed with your choice of filling. Two papusas paired with their house curtido (a version of Latino slaw) and you’re full for a couple of hours.
Not much more to add with over 250+ reviews except service can be slow since most of the food is prepared fresh and don’t expect any pretensions either from the staff or the customers. But that’s fine by me, since DC needs more places El Rinconcito and less eateries started by celebrity chefs.

I’m a pretty big fan of this hole-​in-​the-​wall. Not only is the food tasty but the prices are beyond reasonable, the portions are huge, and the menu has an unbelievable amount of options. I’ve been a few times and I always say that I’ll try something new but I usually resort to the steak burrito. For $ 10, you get a solid, filling burrito with good steak and melted cheese on top served with sides of rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo.
The place is super small (very few tables) and the service isn’t very fast, but I feel that just adds to the allure of this place as a neighborhood staple. I wouldn’t stop in if I was in a rush but any other time for sure.

This is a hidden gem in DC and it just happened to be 2 mins away from the hotel I was staying at so I had to go.
You could call it a hole in the wall, old rundown place but crowded with Latin Americans so you know its legit.
We got cheese and pork pupusas for apps which is a «traditional Salvadoran dish made of a thick, handmade corn tortilla that is usually filled with a blend of the following: cheese cooked and seasoned pork meat ground to a paste consistency refried beans, or queso con loroco.» (Thanks Wikipedia!) It was a round thing of deliciousness. Each was less than $ 3 I believe.
For our mains we got chicken burrito, enchilada, and grilled fish. The portions with all the sides were huge. Everything was delicious. The prices were crazy cheap for DC. Service was super slow but it’s crowded for a reason.
Love being introduced to new cuisines and now I can say I’ve had Salvadoran food: D

Definitely Latin American food — not mexican food. This whole in the wall restaurant has decent hours, but they are slow in service and not particularly welcoming. They are just down the street from where I live and often when its late, or I am feeling lazy, I try to call ahead to pick up a togo order. They don’t always answer the phone — fair warning! Just keep trying. Their pickup service is slow, so expect to wait longer than they quoted you.
The inside area is cramped and crowded. They often play loud music too, so it is even more unwelcoming. The food is decent at best, nothing like what a hole-​in-​the-​wall authentic place should be like. My guess is it would probably be even more crowded during the winter, because people cannot sit outside! Their breakfast burritos are good… I will give them that, and the prices are fair.

I ordered two burritos for takeout and they charged me the more expensive price. The total was over $ 20 and it should have been $ 18. When I asked the lady why the price was inflated she just said she assumed I wanted the double. Of course she assumed I wanted the more expensive option, when I was sitting in front of her for 30 minutes and clearly could have asked me for any clarification. Clearly they were just trying to take advantage of me as a customer.
Also I just pulled a weird wire label out of my mouth when I was eating… Not at all appetizing.

One late evening, many years ago, after an infamous event at Madame Tussaud’s, a group of us ventured over here to sober up. While names have been omitted to protect the not-​so-​innocent, it was a great evening. I barely remember eating a few pupusas. And did we continue to drink? Who knows?
Anyway, I’d been wanting to get back for years. It is tiny and popular. The pupusas were not as a good as I remembered. They were fine, but could have been cooked slightly longer. I went with a Mexican entrée – chicken enchiladas that were quite flavorful, due to seasoned, pulled chicken. You might do better with the Salvadoran options, as that’s what most ordered, and if I went back, those entrees would be my choice.

I’m a vegetarian, so that probably affected my experience. I was still able to order a full lunch, though.
I started off with some plain platanos con crema, which I don’t recommend. the plantains were cooked so they were tough, chewy and tasteless, and the sour cream did little to sweeten the deal.
then I got a plate of nachos, which I don’t think are a popular dish, but which were still really good, especially with guac and jalapeño. overall I’d give this a solid 3 stars. don’t go out of your way, but if you’re in the neighborhood, check em out
bear in mind that this place is crowded. it’s a good thing because it means it’s a neighborhood joints for Hispanics and non-​Hispanics alike, but it also means you might have to wait, and there isn’t much room in which to do so.

We found this restaurant on Unilocal!Wow is all I can say. This is why I love Unilocal because otherwise I would have eaten at the hotel.
So as the picture shows I had Steak, fries and cole slaw. My wife wife had the Ropa Vieja. Both meals were more food than we could handle.
The wait staff is family. So they are not perfect but their friendliness, smiles and food more than make up for any short falls. This is truly a neighborhood restaurant with food like Abuela use to make.

I had no idea what a papusa was prior to M. When the opportunity arose for us to explore El Salvadorian food we jumped at it.
This was definitely a dive spot. It was tiny. They crammed about four tables and a bar in the space. Many people collected around the bar to watch television and wait for take out. We were quickly seated at a table.
The servers were nice and helpful. They helped me decide what kind of papusas to get and she recommended a cheese and beans one and pork one. They were delicious: kind of like a pita filled with gooey cheese. M showed me how to put a cabbage-​like slaw in the middle of the pita, fold it, and eat it like a taco. The papusas were hot, moist, and messy. AND absolutely delicious.
M said that they were the best papusas she’s had in her life — especially the pork one. She’s used to them being dry so she asked for extra salsa. She added the cabbage slaw and salsa to hers and experienced an even SOGGIER mess.
M ordered some plantains with beans and sour cream for the table to share. The beans were different from the thick, nearly solid mass of refried beans to which I’m accustomed. These beans were fluid and smooth and worked as a dipping sauce for the plantains. We dipped each plantain in both the black beans and sour cream and yum yum yummy!