El Rinconcito II

BEST Salvadoran breakfast (available all day) ever! Really yummy authentic Salvadoran restaurant. My regular comfort food spot when I’m missing authentic Latin food in DC. They have TVs with telenovelas playing in the evening, great drinks, friendly service, good prices, and did I mention the Salvadoran breakfast?

We loved everything about this place. Obviously the pupusas were amazing and the tacos were great. But what really got us was the rice. No one pays enough attention to rice in my opinion. The rice tasted like home in Honduras. It was well cooked and seasoned. Also the Tamarindo tasted super fresh.

tasted like poopy i would not recommend this joint. not s’spicy):

Waited 15 mins for someone to even acknowledge us. The waitresses attitude and demeanor was staler than the chips we got. Not once did she check on us or excuse the fact that our food was taking forever. After an hour of waiting for our food, we walked out. Sadly, I can’t give it zero stars.

The food was delicious. We enjoyed some plantains with sour cream and cheese papusas to start. I definitely recommend both! I had beef fajitas and another person had the shrimp fajitas. The steak was cooked so well and was so delicious! The other two in our party had chicken and vegetarian chimichangas which they raved about! The margaritas were what you’d expect – nothing to write home about but tasty. Service was a little slow, but our overall experience was fantastic! Definitely recommend.

Want some affordable, hearty ethnic food in Washington DC? Try El Rinconcito in Columbia Heights. They specialize in Salvadoran and Mexican food and they’re famous for their pupusas. It’s the perfect hole in the wall to kick back after a long day at work with some comfort food and a beer. The restaurant is surprisingly large so feel free to bring a group here for some margs! Try a combo plate of tamales and pupusas served with rice and fried beans or the burrito platter with rice and beans. The food was solid, the servers were friendly and the bill was low– very low. If you live in the area, definitely check this place out.

I decided to try this place twice before typing a review. Everything here is subpar. I imagine that if you were a stoner, or a bachelor, it’d be sufficient. I wasn’t too fond of the fact that the waitress only spoke to my husband, until I started speaking spanish. Here’s a tip sweetie, acknowledge and speak to ALL of your customers. And when someone asks for a medium rare steak, don’t serve leather fillets! My kids are pupusa fanatics and they hated the pupusas. There was so much cinnamon in the horchata, it felt like we were drinking sand! Save your money, people and walk AWAY from the restaurant.

Went for early lunch with church friends. Place was empty, we got a table in the middle of the top floor. I got tamale and one papousa. They were nice enough to make my dish without cheese, after I explicitly explained I didn’t care if the dish was incomplete, I could not have cheese. This seemed odd to them. The dish came with rice and refried beans and a cabbage slaw of sorts. Chips at the start of the meal wee thin and tasty not too salty but the salsa was watery and flavorless. Overall the meal was nice a cheap and filling. Under $ 10 with tip.

First time to DC, was recommended and was not disappointed. Great location, and delicious food. Would highly recommend for a new dining experience. Fresh food at great prices.

Finding a good pupusa in this city is surprisingly difficult. So when I ordered them at El Rincocito II my bar was set incredibly low. I’m not rating them compared to legit Salvadoran pupuserias, but if you’re in Columbia Heights and want a chimichanga, soup, or pupusas, this place will not let you down. Convenient location and always have seating.

I have to say, I’m a little bit disappointed by all the rave reviews of El Rinconcito. Maybe I’m a little spoiled, because I’ve had the benefit of having tasted delicious platanos (fried plantains) and homemade pupusas (fried tortillas of a sort filled with cheese or pork) on the West Coast in Berkeley, so my expectations may have been exceedingly high.
The horchata, plantains and pupusas are all pretty subpar — they’re not bad, but nothing remarkable about them either. The plantains also tasted strangely of meat??? It wasn’t a bad taste per se, but might be disconcerting to a vegetarian.
The staff are friendly though, and bring out the food fairly quickly. For those who do not speak Spanish, worry not — the staff speak English very well, and I’m sure would be happy to answer any questions you have about the menu.
On the whole, while the food wasn’t bad, I probably won’t come back. Too many other pupuserias in the area for me to try to come back to just-​average food.

I came hungover and in need of much sustenance. I just wanted food and a lot of it. To my surprise, they did not disappoint in any way. Everything they put on my plate was beyond fresh. If there was an Oscar or Grammy for freshness, this place would definitely win. I hate avocados, but their avocados were so fresh and so soft that I have a new appreciation for that fruit. The service was awesome. My drink never reached below half brim of the glass. Come here. –James J.

This is my favorite Latin American place in DC so far. Since I left I’ve been craving for more pupusas… ughhhhh. The struggle is real.
As the server Anthony told us, «you get more than you pay for» and that is true. Great value and you will feel full after an $ 8 – 9 meal.
I know Chipotle may be closer to the metro… but for real walking 5 more mins to get to this gem (right across from the Giant in Columbia Heights) is SO WORTH IT. Get on it.
P. S. Corn tamales… better than chx.

My friends and I were looking for an uncrowded and unpretentious venue for day drinking outdoors, and this is where I ended up a few weeks ago for my first outdoors DC day drinking this season.
Food/​drinks: Strongly recommend the coronitas and peach margaritas (the latter we saw were being enjoyed immensely by a group next to us and FOMO compelled us to order). For food, we ordered a superboca (or something similar) platter, which was basically a sampler of all fried forms of Rinconcito’s offerings. Delicious platter paired with great drinks!
Vibes: Rinconcito feels like a local hole-​in-​the-​wall in the rapidly developing Columbia Heights neighborhood. The crowd is great — everyone from families celebrating birthdays to yuppies in search of a refreshing spot for a yummy drink are welcome.

Great local spot for Latin American food — the staff and atmosphere were great and the pupusas were everything I wanted/​needed.
Will definitely be ordering carry-​out on my way home from work.

Amazing papousas and tamales! I only had a combo platter but all the seafood dishes I saw looked and smelled delicious– I will definitely order from the seafood menu in the future.

This is a great place for some wonderful food, friendly service, and plenty of space. I had my first Salvadorian food here and really enjoyed the minor differences from your traditional Tex-​Mex.
Wish they had queso for dipping chips, but that’s my only qualm.

Meh. Maybe I didn’t order the right thing, but I walked away unimpressed. I didn’t like the salsa much-​tasted more like tomato soup. The service was REALLY slow even though it was not that busy. I had tacos and they aren’t bad, but not great and I’ve certainly had better at other places in DC. Maybe I’ll go back and try something else, but I’m in no rush.

First time here — needed a break from Mama Chuy’s (haven’t been feeling their service lately). Anyway, this place did not disappoint, even the house margaritas were delicious. I ordered the shrimp crispy tacos — so nicely seasoned, the rice was light and cooked perfectly. The refried beans were everything! I’m from Cali so I know good Mexican food! Also, the service was good and the restrooms are clean. They even have an outside area! Cute, cute place!

Came to Columbia Height to meet up with a friend for dinner. He recommended this place after regularly/​constantly seeing locals swamp this place at night. With an extensive menu of both El Salvadorian and Mexican/​Tex-​Mex options, my husband went with their Chicken Enchilada and I went with their El Salvadorian grilled shrimp platter.
Thank goodness for complimentary stale chips because our food took closed to an hr. I understand that this was a mom/​pop establishment on a Saturday night, but the service was almost non-​existent. To make things worse, the food was crap. My shrimp was cooked to death. The rest of the my platter was just tossed on pre-​made sides.
Establishments like El Rinconcito confirm my belief that Unilocal ratings in DC are generally inflated. 4 stars really?