Silvestre Cafe

Really great food! I ordered the shrimp and chicken fajitas and they were very good! The only downside is that you only get two tortilla shells which is uneven because the platter comes with so much chicken, shrimp, peppers, and two sides! I guess it is a set up for you to pay additional for more shells because you’ll definitely need them!
I plan to come back for sure.

Came here to get some dinner the food was great good price will definitely come again and it’s very close to the metro so makes it easy to commute there overall great place to eat.

Chicken is very delicious and the ladies there are very welcoming. This is my new chicken stop. They lost a star because the inside is not well kept so not inviting to stay and dine. The owner should do a nice paint over, get new furniture to light up the inside. The place looks like a corner Chinese shop. I will only pick up but not dine.

This place is so legit, people. The chicken has a smoky flavor straight through to the bone. The spice rub on the skin is nuanced and intoxicating, and of course the skin is perfectly crispy. No, there is no atmosphere to speak of, and you definitely want to get your food to go. But it’s affordable, filling, and delicious. Awesome go-​to for a decent meal that feels homemade. The sides are of varying quality. The maduros are good, and so are the black beans, but the green salad is a pretty sad pile of iceberg lettuce. If I were judging this place purely on its chicken, it would be five stars, though, easily.
Side order update: Yuca fries are slammin’! Crispy, flavorful, perfectly tender inside, hot and fresh. Yum!
The rice side order is an oily, salty let-​down, however. I don’t recommend it. I only ended up with it on my most recent visit because they were out of black beans. I wasn’t expecting much out of the rice, but still. It seems like just medium-​grain white rice cooked in an excessive amount of oil and chicken bouillon, with some frozen vegetables thrown in? :(

I don’t want to give 5 stars, because I don’t want them to run out of chicken again! :)
Dinner for $ 20 including a whole chicken and lots of slides to last two nights cannot be beat. We definitely prefer Sardis chicken, but one can’t always get to Greenbelt, so on nights home when you don’t want to cook, go to Sardis. We always call ahead to avoid disappointment in case they run out of chicken after 8 PM.

La comida exelente
El servicio al cliente bueno
Pero el local demasiado descuidado las paredes sucias el piso sucio, recomendable la comida pero no para comer en el lugar

I lived in Brookland for two years before finding Silvestre’s on Unilocal,and I now feel that those two years were wasted. Although I used to prefer cooking dinner at home, ever since finding this place, it’s been difficult to not order there every single night. Everything I have ordered there (and we’re going on ~20 visits now) has been ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!
My tastebuds hail from Miami, and no place in the DC area has been able to bring me such a familiarity of my hometown flavors. The carne asada (I think they call it Silvestre Steak?) is mouthwatering and literally dripping with flavored goodness. It’s biggest rival? Their pollo a la plancha (that’s how I order it, but I think it has a different name on the menu). It is a long strip of pan-​seared chicken breast, seasoned with what tastes like Adobo and mojo criollo. So good! I also can’t recommend their fried yuca enough!
Silvestre’s offers both take-​out and dine-​in options. For take-​out, I’d recommend calling about 20 minutes ahead of time to order, because there’s usually a bit of a wait, but it is completely worth it!
Do yourself a favor and check out this hidden gem of DC dining!

I eat there almost everyday. The people are so nice and the food is very good. I’m hoping their open today so I can get something. I’m getting hungry writing this review.

This location lacks quite a bit for me. Lacks some menu options that other have, lacks customer service, lacks cleanliness (I mean there were ants ALL over the counter), lacks listening skills.
So they close at 9:00 on the night that I went, when I get there around 8:15, the doors were open. The lady at the counter said they close at 8:00 instead, but they were still cooking and still letting people in, yeah, okay. So I place my order and got 3 meals. Wait all the time it takes, only to get 2 meals. I’m like wait a minute, that’s not my whole order, she said she didn’t hear me although she REPEATED THE ORDER BACK TO ME!!! She even tried to have an attitude with me for getting my order wrong, I’m really not the right person to do that with!
I was just so annoyed by the entire ordeal I just took that and left.
I have not been back to this location since. Frankly, I don’t plan on it. I’d probably go out of my way NOT to go to this one if I can help it!
I’m giving it 2 stars just for the simple fact that the food is good from this place in general.
Speak clearly, have them repeat your order to you and ALWAYS check your bag before you leave!

Came here, was my first time, food is authentic and amazing. They are extremely friendly and will go back for sure!

Great food. I have eaten here several times and my food is always delicious– fajitas, quesadillas, etc. You want to call in if you can though, because sometimes I have had to wait for up to 25 min for my order if there are a lot of people there. You can sit inside if you want, but this place is best for pick up. Nothing fancy, but just what you want some times from an affordable neighborhood joint.

Great chicken but it takes a while to get it but worth the wait! Highly recommended place if you go the burritos are really good as well as the ¼ chicken with salad and yuca fries that’s what I always get when I come here. Thanks to my boyfriend who introduced me to it.

Came here with a Co worker for lunch. The place isn’t hard to find but has no visible signs other than when you walk in. We ordered quickly and got our food in a nice time manner. I must say the, fajitas are super and very flavored. All the food on the menu is good I was a little disappointed they didn’t have my favorite item on the menu.
Pros-​food so good you will slap your mom and grandma.
Cons — long lines and slow service sometimes.

My husband and I were visiting my son who was stationed at Portsmouth, VA and we drove up to DC for a couple of days to take it all in. We spent a crazy day at Six Flags America and were starving and Siilvestre Café was the best rated, closest restaurant to our hotel.
All I have to say is Damn! The food is remarkable and the people who work there are so friendly.
We ordered shrimp, a whole chicken, quesadilla, and tacos and though we each wanted our own thing to eat, we ended up all sharing our food because it was so good.

Everything I’ve ever eaten there has been delicious… from the enchiladas, and fajitas to the chicken and carne asada!!! I would recommend this place to anybody…

Man I love dis shyt … The fajitas with chicken steak and skrimps… slamming!!! Yo like I’m prolly going to fukk wit these amigos 3 times a week.

This is the spot in Brookland if you want tasty, inexpensive Mexican fare. The steak fajitas are a favorite. Once or twice a month we’ll pick up a whole chicken meal for the family. Oh, and be sure to try the yuca fries. They’re always done to perfection! Don’t expect ambience or décor. We normally order ahead and take out. Do expect great food at a nice price. Where else in Brookland can you get food this tasty and feed a family of 5 for $ 30 or less?

Friends and family gave my husband and I about a month after moving into our home in Brookland before everyone wanted to come over and see the place. This past week we twice hosted dinner for 10, and since we literally just got the kitchen unpacked, cooking a main course didn’t seem like a viable option. Unilocal led us to Silvestre’s, and boy am I happy it did!
We called ahead for a lot of chicken, yuca, rice and beans, and it was so delicious we did the same thing for a different group of visitors just a few days later. It was a hit with everyone from picky Midwestern eaters to DC folks who are no strangers to Peruvian chicken. As soon as we get over our current chicken overload, we’ll be back!

I get the chicken, yuca fries, and plantain every time. It’s perfect every time and the price is amazing.

This is a staple in our house. Its spot on every single order!
I have had chicken, fish, shrimp and all of the various dishes have been delicious. Its better to call ahead and pick up.
The dining area isnt fancy but its there and usually the person at the counter is friendly.

I ordered a half chicken and two excellent sides (rice and fried plantains).
The atmosphere of the place was very typical of a takeout joint. There was an average number of people coming in after work, but the service was faster than expected. I think they could improve the look of the place, but it by no means should stop you from jumping into some great food.
The cooler does not have any really traditional drinks to choose from, like Coke, but I did try a lemondade that was amazing. Although for some reason they did have Crush orange soda.
I had to walk a few blocks to get home from here, but when I got home, the food was still hot and ready to eat (which is key for takeout). I can’t wait to go back and try some more of their dishes and especially sides. The rice I had was cooked to perfection, the plantains were a bit mushy, which I didn’t mind but it is the reason I am not giving 5 stars.
The price of this place is fantastic for the amount of food you take away, especially compared to similar restaurants in the DC area. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who enjoys good food at home without cooking. Not a sit down place, but is perfect for the working crowd during lunch or after work. Also would recommend to college students (CUA) who are on a low budget, but can eat a lot.