Why go: At what was once a Kenny Rogers Roasters (some of the wrought-iron signs are still up), the emphasis is on the homey, hearty cooking of Honduras and El Salvador, including the marvelous baliada, a pizza-size tortilla stuffed with two meals’ worth of fillings.
What to get: Baliadas with eggs, chicken, refried beans, and crema; chicken soup; deeply satisfying pollo guisada, a platter of stewed chicken with rice; some of the lightest pupusas around, with excellent curtido, the spicy Salvadoran coleslaw topping; strawberry batida, a creamy fruit milkshake.
Best for: When you’re really hungry.
Insider tip: Because one baliada can easily feed two, you can save money and explore the rest of the menu.
>> See all 2010 Cheap Eats restaurants here.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
