Salvadoran food in DC: Ercilia's Restaurant

People from from El Salvador make up the biggest community of Latin Americans living in Washington, DC. The presence of Salvadorans and their descendants has created a mostly positive impact in the DC area, and one of those noticeable influences is the Salvadoran cuisine.

If you live in DC long enough then you should know what a Pupusa is, or a tamal, carne asada, camarones empanizados, tacos de lengua, higado frito, horchata, etc. Well maybe you never had any of this food but in case you want to find out, I recommend Ercilia's Restaurant, which is one of my favorite spots to eat in Mount Pleasant.


Ercilias is located at 3070 Mount Pleasant St NW, in the corner with Irving St. NW. You can't miss it. Small, clean and convenient this place has tasty food that is always made fresh. I go there very often, mostly to get their fresh pupusas revueltas and chicken tamales. Their soups are also very delicious and will bring you back to life if you need that energy boost.

A review in Yelp says:

The pupusas are worth the 15 minute wait. Warm, gooey, and chock full of cheesy goodness, the pupusas here aren't overly greasy. It's like that perfect grilled cheese your dad used to make when you were sick at home: crispy on the outside, perfectly melted cheese, and just enough grease to make it appetizing. The soup of the day is a great place to start for those who are more adventurous. Hot, steamy, brothy and satisfying.

I agree.

Because is a family friendly place, you will always find a crowd of all ages here. The bright colors inside are very welcoming, but they need to add some art in the walls.


The cashier is always serious, but he is actually very nice once you get to know him. This is not a fast food chain, so once you order, food would take about 10-15 minutes to be ready depending on what you order.


Carne Asada -grilled beef- with rice, black beans and veggies along with a perfect Pupusa. Don't forget to order Horchata [ohr-chaah-tah] or Tamarindo for drinks, yummi.


The menu includes not only Salvadoran and Mexican food, but regular American sandwiches and what not. Prices are moderate to cheap, remember this is not a tablecloth restaurant but is not a grassy McDonald's neither.


The people of Ercilla has always a selection of hot sauces available for customers, at no extra cost. The size of Ercilia's meals here are not the biggest ones, so if you care more about fresh taste than size, then this is the right place for you.


This is a place of gathering for Salvadoran and people from Latin America in general, but you can see often gringos and morenos [black and white people]. The only bad thing about this place: they have a loud TV with shows in Spanish -mostly Univision and Telemundo channels- which tend to be annoying and trashy, in my opinion.


One thing I wish they could do is to add outdoors seating, it would be great for spring and fall. Oh yes, they do take out orders.

Ercilia's Restaurant
3070 Mount Pleasant St NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 387-0909


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