Why go: The keychains handed out here proclaim this the best restaurant in Beltsville. If anything, that’s too modest. The two-year-old diner is one of the best cheap restaurants in the area—an area with no paucity of Salvadoran options. The salsa is made daily from roasted vegetables, a mango-and-papaya juice is perked up with diced fresh fruit, and the saucing has depth and elegance that bespeak a fancier setting. Even an order of taquitos is dressed up with delicate rosettes of sour cream.
What to get: Bean-and-cheese pupusas; tortilla soup with fresh carrots; taquitos; spinach-and-shrimp enchiladas with salsa verde; a big platter of grilled, spiced meats, including chorizo, short ribs, and skewered chicken; cinnamon-laced flan.
Best for: Dining with the family.
Insider tip: The salsa is so good you’ll want to order extra to take home; jars are $4.95 to $7.95.
>> 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.
