El Tamarindo

DC’s largest immigrant population hails from El Salvador, and that means there are lots of fantastic places to get pupusas, tamales, and yuca con chicharron. Among them is El Tamarindo, a fixture in Adams Morgan that serves up delicious comfort food. 

The barn-house style restaurant is the oldest Salvadoran spot in DC. Portraits of lucha libres and Frida Khalo by Latino artists line the pumpkin orange walls (they’re also for sale should you become enchanted by any). It’s a quiet laid back affair inside with groups, scattered like confetti, keeping mostly to themselves while listening to a blend of American and Latin Top 40 hits playing in the background. 

Like the decor, the menu is a Salvadoran-Mexican mix, so along with cheesy pupusas and sweet plantains you’ll find tacos, burritos, and fajitas. The jalapeño and cheese pupusas are the best, though they’re all great. Pair them with a mangonada, mango slushie with spicy chamoy, tamarind, and lime. Or toss back $4 modelos and citrusy sangria during all-day Happy Hour at the bar, where you’ll find stay-at-home parents taking a break from midday errands and tourists popping in for a $20 lunch.