Tortilla Cafe
| Address: | 210 7th St SE, Washington, DC 20003, USA |
| Phone: | +1 202-547-5700 |
| Site: | tortillacafe.com |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | 9AM–7PM 9AM–7PM 9AM–7PM 9AM–7PM 9AM–7PM 8AM–7PM 9AM–5PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 13
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David Barton
I stumbled upon what appeared to be a hole-in-the-wall Mexican place, but turned out to be an extremely popular little restaurant that has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. The interior was tiny and looked a lot like a fast food restaurant. They were very proud of their appearance on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives as well as press theyve received, as articles were prominently featured on the walls. While Tortilla Café has numerous house specials, the pupusa and tamale appetizers were starred on the menu. They were the clear stand outs of this meal. Pupusa: Handmade corn tortilla filled with cheese Tamale: Corn dough cakes filled with seasoned chicken with pico de gallo The pupusa came out warm and bursting with cheese. Every bite featured the taste of the thick corn tortilla and soft, melted cheese. The tamale was perfectly cooked and included very flavorful chicken, as well as olives and chickpeas, which were a delightful surprise. Verdict If you’re in the Eastern Market area and want a delicious, quick, inexpensive meal, this is a great option. Main courses here come with two sides for a total of around $8.50. For the amount you get and the quality of the delicious, well-seasoned food, this was a great value!
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Daniel Burton
This restaurant attracted my attention thanks to the food networks show diners, drive-ins, and dives. This is a small local establishment that serves self-described Salvadorian and Mexican cuisine. Appearance wise this restaurant is nothing special. The interior has very little floor space to work with; a handful of tables takes most of that up. I can only imagine how difficult to move around it might be if this place was really busy. Size aside, the rest of the physical aspects of the restaurant are very basic. But I dont think its appearance got it on television. The menu is quite large and can be intimidating if you do not know anything about the place. I avoided this by reading reviews and checking out the information on food network. I ordered the Salvadorian chicken sandwich, which was very good. It was well seasoned and well cooked. The sides are... Well pretty standard. Ordered a papusa as well just to say I have tried one, a little bland for my tastes. As many of the other reviews have indicated, the staff is extremely friendly and helpful. Overall, the entrees are really quite good. This is definitely a place I would go back to as a lunch stop.
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Bryant Delka
Tortilla Café is one of those small "hole-in-the-wall" type restaurants that always seem to have the best food around. Their pupusas are delicious (I think the bean and cheese ones are the best), and the salsa that comes with it compliments it perfectly, so I almost always order extra. I have also had their burritos as well, and they did not disappoint either. Everything is clearly cooked fresh and its no wonder why every time I have been to Tortilla Café it has been packed with people (sometimes finding a seat can be too much of a hassle, so Ill take my food to-go and find a park bench to sit and eat at). Its easy to see why this restaurant has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives - the people who run the restaurant are clearly passionate about running the restaurant, and I have never had any food from here that was anything less than absolutely delicious.
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Al G Nau
I go there for the beef soup. It is delicious, it comes with 2-3 pieces of meat and bone. Sides are 1 home made thick tortilla, rice, and lemon. It is a great deal at 8 dollars. I have also ordered pupusas, which are delicious, and have tried beef taco. The beef for the taco is cut in long pieces, comes with flour tortillas, lettuce, tomatoes, and pico de gallo. It is a fast pace restaurant with a few regular tables and a tall communal table with tall chairs. They use plastic silverware. You order and pay first and they bring out your food.
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Brionne Griffin
Last night, I stopped by for a quick dinner, and fell in love with their Cuban sandwich. The bread was soft as a cloud, the shredded pork was roasted long and slow, and all the ingredients did their part in making it a flavor sensation unlike any other. Its actually near impossible to ever order something bad here. No matter what you get, youll leave wanting that dish again for every subsequent meal. I had the pupusas awhile back, and they will forever be logged in my mind as one of the most satisfying cheese-filled meals.
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Krystal Ramirez
I *love* Tortilla Cafe. It is one of my favorite establishments in the DC area. Their pupusas are awesome and incredibly inexpensive -- overall great quality food for low cost is an A+ in my book. Super value. If I had to make a criticism, it would be that the size of the restaurant is pretty small, and sometimes theres no seating available. But their service is great and friendly, so unless their management changes, I will definitely remain a loyal customer.
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Carlos Membreno
Compre unas pupusas y me dio diarea, las patitas fritas te las dan negras ,no cambian el aceite todos los dias, las tortillas no son del día son recalentadas, malo muy malo, la atención si es buena, pero la comida es mala
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keisha johnson
Returned there for the first time in nearly three years and am dad to write of my disappointment. ☹️ The papusa and curtido, and tamale de pollo used to be my go to staple! But on my last visit everything was off: The curtido salsa tasted like it came out of a jar; The tamale was dry; The black beans were bland; The plantains were coated in oil. Im giving it 3 stars because Im hoping that the cooks were having a singularly poor day then.
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James Glover
I order catering from Catalina whenever possible. She and her staff cook their food with love, you can tell. This is a family affair and it is obvious in the way they treat you, are pleased when you love their food and the fact that she delivered our spread to our office blew me away. The pupusas, soft tacos, beans, rice and yummy jalapeno sauce are the bomb - diggity. Love you and your place Catalina, keep doing what you do.
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Juan Quevedo
I first paid a visit back in 2011 when I heard about it on triple D... Loved it, lived up to the hype on the show... I just recently returned to the area and am quite disappointed, something has been lost...its ok, its nothing to write home about anymore...I use to rave about this place, told friend, go there when in DC.. you will love it...will have to tone that recommendation down significantly..
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Keith Radke
Very disappointed in the food. Having been to many triple d restaurants I was surprised at how bad the food was. Papusas were ok. The steak tacos were over cooked and chewy. To make things worse they slice the steak incorrectly, which makes it even more chewy. Surprised at all the good reviews, maybe we caught them on a bad day but I make better skirt steak tacos at home.
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Alexis Freeman
Im a huge fan of hole-in-the-wall restaurants and this was definitely one! Its small but there is outdoor seating. The restaurant was clean and the staff very friendly. The food was hot and cooked quickly - my plantains were phenomenal. I had a beef empanada though and it was over cooked. Other than that I would return and recommend to others.
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Cameron Hernandez
Still my all time favorite food spot on Capitol Hill. They dont cut corners, everything is made in house, and its all delicious and very reasonably priced. My go to is their beef tacos, two in corn tortillas with big slices of real beef with some toppings on the side. The beef is always tender and for six bucks its a steal.
