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    El Rinconcito II

    3.9 (258 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    El Rinconcito II Photos

    EL RINCONCITO II ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Classy
    Outdoor seating

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    Good coffee!

    So okay. I was not ready for this little spot. Not being from DC, I was not ready for the biggest cup of coffee I could get for like $4. But also, the food was very flavorful and the drinks were strong! Must visit when I come back again!

    Pupusa
    Joyce W.

    El Rinconcito is a cute neighborhood Salvadoran and Tex-Mex cafe in Columbia Heights. Came here on an early Sunday morning for brunch and it was pretty crowded. - The desayuno tipico with chorizo ($16) which came with scrambled eggs, avocado slices, plantains (crispy!), two corn tortillas, refried beans, block of Salvadoran cheese (tasted like heavy feta), and sour cream. - El Rinconcito is probably know for their pupusas and they did not disappoint! There are lots of fillings you can choose from and the one with meat, beans, and cheese was super flavorful and came with a side of slaw - The Mariscada Salvadorena ($19) (seafood soup) came with two tortillas too. It tasted fresh and came with lots of shrimp, squid, mussels, and even crab! You can choose to get the cream on the side (I like the soup better with cream and soak the tortilla in it)

    Drink Menu
    Noah B.

    As a Californian, I've struggled to find a great burrito in DC. This was great for the area!

    1 Pupusa 1 Tamel de Pollo o Elote Combo Horchata
    Caitlin D.

    Popped in unexpectedly while on a walk and so glad I did! Really enjoyed a bean and cheese pupusa, corn tamale (fried) with crema and horchata.

    Wilson B.

    Last year I made a pact to be a better D.M.V. resident meaning, more Salvadoran food. Respect to the Salvadoran diaspora. I know there's a lot more to offer than pupusas. I mean, I love quesadilla for breakfast but I do believe I found my spot. Once upon a time I'd eaten here an ordered Milanesa de Pollo which is a dish that isn't exclusively Salvadoran but one that's near and dear to my heart. But my most recent visits, both of which were in the same week, have been all about pupusas. Now I enjoy the curtido here but pupusas themselves are what do it for me. My favorite is the Loroco, Queso y Frijol pupusa which I haven't seen at other pupuserías. Usually it's just loroco and cheese but beans too--next nivel. I usually get mine with a side a plantains but the next time I think I going with my dream order, Milanesa de Pollo and a Loroco, Queso y Frijol pupusa.

    Ropa Vieja
    Lex S.

    Best margs in dc. The Smokey spicy one is so good. All the food is always amazing. Outdoor seating with the new cover and lights makes it a fun environment.

    yum!
    Jenny T.

    This walk-down-the-stairs very home-y small business is super authentic! They have Spanish music in the background, and the staff can barely speak English... but they are nice (that wasnt to say that it affected the service in any way, just to note that it's pretty legit Salvadorian)! I've had better (more moist) pupusas. Tamale and beans were good. Nothing supperrr amazing, though. The rice was AWESOME.

    Chicken enchilada

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    7 years ago

    Still just as delicious over a year later!! Reposting with additional photos of the pupusas de revueltas.

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    Page 1 of 7

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    Oyamel

    Oyamel

    3.8(3.5k reviews)
    2.5 miPenn Quarter
    $$

    This restaurant from Jose Andres was one of the better elevated Mexican restaurants at which I've…read moreeaten. I wasn't super starving so I had a fish taco and the enchiladas. The taco was amazing and was some kind of fried catfish! YUM! And the enchiladas were delicious as well. The green sauce cut through the overabundance of cheesy goodness quite well. I like that you can mix and match tacos so you're not stuck with all of the same one. The menu didn't have a ton of choices, which made deciding a bit easier. They had an amazing bar staff too that was absolutely killing it mixing cocktails. The margaritas were on point and the one had a flair of "salt air" foam instead of a messy, sticky rim. Who wants a messy sticky rim, right?

    Boss pulled up and said "we're going to Oyamel" and that was the right call. Weekday lunch, Penn…read moreQuarter, reservation secured because this place does not slow down for anybody. Pitcher of margaritas for the table: smooth, rich, not too strong. Exactly what a group lunch needs without turning into a whole situation. The guacamole is terrific and they'll adjust the spice level to your liking, which is a small thing that goes a long way when you're feeding a whole office with different tolerances. The tacos are built on house-made masa tortillas and you can taste that they care. I did the Pollo à la Parrilla and the Chilito de Res. Both landed. The beef especially, slow-braised and seasoned like they meant it. This is a José Andrés restaurant, so you already know the room has energy. If you're in the District and haven't made this a regular stop, fix that.

    Photos
    Oyamel - Margarita

    Margarita

    Oyamel - Ceviche de Atún Pacífico

    Ceviche de Atún Pacífico

    Oyamel - Cilantro Margarita

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    Cilantro Margarita

    El Sol Restaurant & Tequileria - Fajita El Sol

    El Sol Restaurant & Tequileria

    4.1(779 reviews)
    1.7 miShaw, Downtown
    $$

    This place hit the spot, even toddler approved! We ordered take out and it was prepared pretty…read morequickly. The menu is quite extensive, it took us longer to decide on what we wanted. I got the nachos, my husband got tacos, and we got a chicken quesadilla for our toddler. The nachos were PILED with toppings and so colorful - even in a take out container is looked beautiful. They were SO tasty, very full of flavor and spice. My husband said the tacos were delicious and our toddler actually ate a lot of the quesadilla. Win all around. Highly recommend!

    In town for the week, tried to get into Unconventional Diner for brunch...a backup was needed. We…read moreventured down a few blocks looking for anything and found El Sol. Fair sized joint with a smallish patio out front. Having perused the menu on the way, I was looking to try something just beyond "staple of cheap Mexican." Sadly, we were presented with brunch menus, so it was a breakfast burrito for me and the breakfast tacos for her. I was remarkably hungry, so the burrito was eaten (and quickly). But truth be told, it's standard Mexican fare made with breakfast ingredients. No more description necessary - you've had this before and you'll have it again. The service was marginally lackluster- if you're not in a big party, you might get shuffled down in prioritization (or at least I thought we were...once ready to leave I did the 'fidget with credit card' trick to get the staff to close us out. It took frustratingly long. All in all, if I lived in the neighborhood, this would be my cheap Mexican place and more out of convenience than culinary merit.

    Photos
    El Sol Restaurant & Tequileria - Top floor!

    Top floor!

    El Sol Restaurant & Tequileria - Queso Fundido con Chorizo

    Queso Fundido con Chorizo

    El Sol Restaurant & Tequileria - Chips & salsa

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    Chips & salsa

    Mi Vida - Fish taco

    Mi Vida

    4.0(234 reviews)
    2.4 miPenn Quarter
    $$$

    Worked a full day, and didn't eat lunch. I was looking for a nearby Happy Hour. I found this one…read moreonline, and that their HH started at 3. Perfect timing! This is Directly across from the Chinatown Metro, F /7th St NW. TACO Tuesdays, are $4.50 on HH (compared to $6 HH tacos) I tried the Pescado (fish) and Camarones (Shrimp). The Shrimp was the BEST!!! I also ended up getting 2 ALITAS ($2 each) Marinated wings. SOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD! And the DE LA CASA ($8) good! and Ponche De Lola ($8) Refreshing!! Tables outside. Bar was clean. Hostess was very nice! Bartender was helpful and nice, answered all of my questions I will be back!

    We were here to celebrate one of our friend's birthday. Glad we reserved the time around the…read moreWizards game as this place wasn't crowded much as the game was going on. Parking can be hard to find in the area during the game days. I recommend taking the metro or bike if you live in DC. The ambiance was great. The service was great as well. The server recommended some of her favorite apps to start with. Highly recommend the freshly made quac and hot salsa with the chips. So good. One of the best hot salsa in the city. For entrees I ordered the chicken fajita and my husband ordered the birria tacos. The tacos did not come with the sauce. We thought the birria tacos was suppose to come with the sauce. When we asked the server she said you have to order it separately. Well that's mostly why I am giving them 4 stars and also the chicken in my fajita was pretty dry. I had to dip it in the hot salsa to make it nice and juicy.

    Photos
    Mi Vida - Interior

    Interior

    Mi Vida - Carne tacos

    Carne tacos

    Mi Vida - Dining room

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    Dining room

    Mi Vida - Carnitas Tacos with black beans and rice- DELICIOUS!

    Mi Vida

    3.9(1.6k reviews)
    3.5 mi
    $$

    Mi Vida is located along the Wharf, with tons of outdoor and indoor spaces…read more I went with a hungry group of 8 and started with their guac and small plates/apps. We ordered their "most popular apps" for 5 which came with tamales, croquettes, empanadas, deviled eggs, oranges, and fried pork rinds (chips?). The serving size was definitely enough for our group, so I'd only order this for an actual group of 5 if you weren't eating anything else. I had their pork tacos as an entree and tried their carne asada. Both were satisfying but neither stood out. Overall, I'd say this place is a safe place to dine - you know the service will be good and the food will be solid. I wouldn't say that their dishes stand out, but I also mainly tried their basic items.

    I really wanted to love Mi Vida because the atmosphere is beautiful and the decor is stunning. At…read morenight, it has such a lively vibe and the service has always been wonderful! I'm giving it 3 stars because the food just hasn't hit for me as much as I hoped. The first time we went, I tried the birria and tacos de pescado. I wasn't a fan of the sauce on the fish tacos, it kind of took away my appetite after a few bites. I had my boyfriend try them (he thought I was being dramatic), and he immediately agreed something was off, though his tacos were great. We went again another time and ordered 3 or 4 things, but the chicken tasted a bit old, which was disappointing. I'd still be open to trying it again in the future, but right now it sits at just okay for me. A cute place for drinks though!

    Photos
    Mi Vida - Interior

    Interior

    Mi Vida - Appetizer

    Appetizer

    Mi Vida - Non-alcoholic drink

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    Non-alcoholic drink

    El Rinconcito II - latin - Updated May 2026

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