Details

El Mariachi

765-C Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852

301-738-7177

Neighborhood: Rockville

Cuisines: Tex-Mex, Vegetarian/Vegan, South American

Opening Hours:
Sunday through Thursday 11:30 to 10, Friday and Saturday 11:30 to 11.

Nearby Metro Stops: Rockville

Price Range: Inexpensive

Dress: Informal

Noise Level: Chatty

Reservations: Not Needed

Website: http://www.elmariachirestaurant.com

Best Dishes:
Guacamole; chiles rellenos; charbroiled pork with a Mayan spice rub; pork with seville oranges and criolla sauce; red and green chili enchiladas; Plato Norteno; margaritas.

Price Details:
Lunch appetizers, $3.50 to $8.95; entrees, $6.95 to $13.95. Dinner appetizers, $2.95 to $8.95; entrees, $10.95 to $15.95.

El Mariachi

A homey Latin American dining room hidden in a shopping plaza.

From February 2005 Dirt Cheap Eats

Don't expect to start off the night at the bar--there isn't one. Diners crowd the doorway waiting for a table on weekends, but nobody seems to mind. Sombreros and Latin American art add life to an otherwise plain dining room.

Try not to fill up on chips and salsa--combo platters are huge. We like the Plato Norteno ($8.95), which includes a chicken burrito, cheese enchilada, guacamole, rice, and beans, and the sizzling chicken fajitas ($12.95). Dishes you won't find at most Tex-Mex spots: mussels in sherry wine with ginger and garlic ($5.95), and broiled trout with Acapulco sauce ($12.95), a mixture of shrimp, white wine, lobster, cream, scallions, and Monterey Jack cheese.