El Torogoz

Delicioussss pupusas after the club, perfect way to end a night. They were open at like 230am when we were just getting there to order some pupusas. They were super friendly and great music and of course yummy food !

I could see one being intimidated looking at the ambiguous, almost nondescript signage sitting atop El Torogoz’s storefront, but I assure you that this would be a grave mistake. Having just spent the better part of a night within its warm interior, I can attest to its authenticity. My friends and I, finding ourselves more than a bit overwhelmed at a local bar merely a block away, deemed it prudent to escape the din of our local establishment for the sanctuary that we came to know as El Torogoz. Right now you’re most likely asking yourself — Christopher, were you disappointed? You must have been disappointed. Friend, you could not be more wrong. As my party of six settled in, a kind-​faced waitress took our order. We quickly ordered two pitchers of margaritas and flinch, she did not.
As the night progressed, margaritas were never in short supply and the karaōke selection was enviable. We all ate healthily, myself ordering a trio of pork and cheese pupusas, which were delightful, served hot and melty with a side of vinegary slaw and salsa. They were wonderful and I would describe them. much to my close acquaintances chagrin, as soft, pillowy and absolutely stuffed to the gills with cheese. I should also take this moment to express my pure, unadulterated delight in regards to the tortilla chips we were served — never have I ever had such wonderful tortilla chip accoutrements. The salsa was on point, the chips were hot and wonderfully salty and they were anything and everything that you could ever want out of a chip.
As wonderful as the food was, I really have to give it up to the DJ. We came in there «squaded up», as they say these days, just looking for a good time and a good time is what we found. DJ Carlos was more than happy to accommodate us in the karaōke department and we took full advantage, spending our night alternating between Salvadorean classics, Rambo 3, and early millennial boy band singles. We spent the better part of the night belting out not only classics such as «Cancion Del Mariachi», but also deep cuts such as N’Sync’s seminal hit «Bye Bye Bye». We all joined in the revelry and enjoyed ourselves immensely.
All in all our night at El Torogoz was nothing less than magical and left us all thinking «Man, we should go here more often» The burritos. tortilla chips. pupusas, karaōke, margaritas, and just the overall welcoming feeling left us wanting more and I can assure we will be back.
VIVA EL TOROGOZ!

In reading the reviews, I don’t know what folks expect. We had a friend visiting and he wanted Salvadorian food. We went to El Torogoz (named for El Salvador’s national bird) because it was nearby. I wanted papusas and plantains, and that’s what I got. They were fast, fresh, and delicious. I recommend the Papusas Loroco (green flower buds).
We all loved our food and the great service.
I’m vegetarian and the assortment of veggie food was also as you’d expect, if not plentiful – papusas, plantains, fajitas, a variety of quesadillas, etc…
Mind you, this place isn’t pretentious. Entrees here cost about $ 10 a plate and you can choose from a wide assortment of Latin American/​Tex-​Mex and, inexplicably, some pasta dishes too.
If you want shi-​shi $ 25+ entrees, try somewhere else – there are plenty of those type of options in DC.

The food and drinks were pretty good. The service was sketchy at best. I would go back but not if I was in a hurry.

I should have reviewed them years ago. I can’t believe it never occurred to me before today. Great staff and I mean great. Relaxed atmosphere and great food. The food is always fresh and delicious.

Absolutely love the rotisserie chicken. That with black beans, salad and a margarita at an outside table on a perfect evening is heaven.

The rotisserie chicken is great but when a restaurant tries to be cheap with everything it makes the experience horrible. I was given a few chips with some delicious salsa and when I asked for more they said that extra chips cost $ 5.00. I’ve never been anywhere that charges that for a few chips. I’ve been a regular because of the outdoor seating and good beer deals but that’s ridiculous.

We come here every week and it’s always quiet (not the music but people). We love the steaks, fish soup, fajitas and yucca. The servers are attentive and quick to please. We really enjoy this place but would love to see other PetWorth neighbors sitting here.

Decent place to grab food late at night — not for take out but sit down. We came here at 11:30 at night and they were still serving. The menu has a good selection of Latin food including Mexican (quesadillas, burritos, etc.), Peruvian (lomo saltado) and Colombian (chueletas). Food is fairly inexpensive and is a good bang for the buck. I ordered the Carne Asada burrito, which comes with white rice beans, and guacamole. It definitely fulfilled my late night munchie craving. However, my margarita was a little too sweet for my liking. The place also has a full bar, outdoor seating and a very friendly staff.

The basic burrito was amazing! No scrimping here. Delicious, grilled flavor, perfect size, white meat chicken, just right.
The atmosphere is the only reason I didn’t give this place 5 stars. It has a small bar and a small seating area — no ambiance at all. But the staff is wonderful and the food is fresh and hot — even the ubiquitous tortilla chips.

The mariscada Cuzcatleca was very flavorful with a good amount of seafood. The pollo a la braza (rotisserie chicken) was finger linking good, the sauce for the yuca was on point too. Overall, Great food and service. Super affordable too.

You wouldn’t know by the looks of this place, but don’t let it deter you from going in. Food is awesome (best yuca in town!!!), friendly staff, cozy and clean atmosphere. One of my favorites in the neighborhood for sure! Oh! and they have the best freshly-​made fruit juices (all natural!), which is hard to find around here!

This is my partner and my new favorite local place to eat! We love that they have outdoor seating. The weather has been great lately so that is nice. We even brought our dogs with us one day. It is definitely a dive type of place. Inside feels a little stuffy and small so we definitely prefer to sit outside. Also the staff is defintely more comfortable communicating in Spanish. Luckily that isn’t a problem for us. I saw another guy pointing to items on the menu so you certainly don’t need to speak Spanish. It is all traditional fare. No fancy preparations. Just good food. Top selections so far are:
Peruvian Chicken
Carne Asada
Fried Plaintains
Chilequiles

I am super glad that I found this place. It has good food — kind of tex-​mex central american. We liked everything that we got — nachos, burritos, etc. Nothing outstanding but definitiely hits the spot, if a touch pricey. What we LOVED were the very good $ 5 margaritas on the patio, with a great server. I’d encourage everyone to stop by and support this business — Petworth needs a good margarita spot!

Best Latin American food I’ve had in a while. I only give it a four to lack of environment. All the ingredients were fresh, the salsa is amazing and I tried three different things and it was all delicious.

Walking into this restaurant for the first time reminded me of walking into a cantina in Guatemala. It’s not large by any standard, but it makes the most of the space.
The food is great, and if you order the right dishes, you can get a lot of food for very little $$$. I just went and had dinner for two (including drinks) for just around $ 20.
It doesn’t seem to be very busy ever during the week, which is confusing because it’s so good!

This place is incredible. By far the best Hispanic food I’ve had in DC so far. Doesn’t look like much from the outside, but just so good. The carne asada and plantains are especially good.

Our favorite Mexican food in DC… it’s definitely not fancy on the outside, but it is fresh, delicious food served in a clean environment in a timely manner.
Also– get a frozen margarita– they make each one fresh with real margarita ingredients, not green koolaid that you get from most places in DC.
My favorite vegan order: El Torrogoz burrito with no cheese ($ 4).

Get the chimichangas, not at all the same thing. These are simply grilled chicken, wrapped in tortillas, smothered in a cream sauce. Served with bright white rice and black black beans. The soup with shrimp, egg white, and rice, was a hit with my 12 year old son, who also attempted to scrape off all of my cream sauce. I have also had the surf and turf (very good). The venue is essentially a Salvadoran social club, so if soccer competing with rock en espanol is not your thing, they do take out. Muy worth it.

I posted a pic a couple months ago of a very delicious steak and cheese sub. It was the first time I went there and it blew my mind! They used steak tips, not the gross Steak Ums. Well, turns out that was an anomaly because I’ve been back 4 or so times since and nothing has since compared– now I get Steak Ums and dry fries. They must be doing something right because there are always people there, but is suggest ordering something else from the menu.