This is a fantastic place! Food is simply outstanding. I had breakfast which included beans , cheese and plantains! All was perfect! My friend had caldo de pata with rice and OMG! Outstanding!!! Definitely recommend ! They have my 5 stars! read more

Pupusas are amazing, especially the queso one. We also tried the tamales and they are small but also great! For drinks you have to try the Atol de Elote - so creamy and sweet! read more

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Over priced is way to expensive compared with other places like this, the average price is way to cheaper in other Latin restaurants

I am from Nicaragua and this restaurant hits the spot when I'm craving something similar to the motherland. The Garnachas are !

"Very inexpensive strip mall Guatemalan food" Tucked into a strip mall next to a Subways is this small new Guatemalan restaurant. I ordered a mix of 4 appetizers for dinner, and despite paying ~$10 including tip, left quite full. Garnachas ($1.75 each)-- small but tasty crispy corn tortilla topped with meat. Chuchitos ($1.75 each)-- corn flour cakes with chicken-- OK. Chicken had bone still inside, in my case broken with bone bits loose in the filling. Chicken tasted funny, too. I wouldn't order this one again. Tamales ($3.25 each)-- I got chicken. It was fine, but mild and not tastier than other local tamales I've had. Pastelitos ($1.25 each)-- fried folded potato cakes-- this was my favorite dish of the ones I got... quite tasty. (I confess I may have the chuchito & tamale reversed in the descriptions above) My wife had the tamalitos de chipilin ($1.50 each), and those were quite good & flavorful-- I'd be more inclined to get those next time rather than regular tamales. Service was EXCELLENT-- they checked on us numerous times and were generally helpful. Setting was a bit unusual with the groceries on one wall, counter in the back, and tables spread in the middle. But it was clean and welcoming. While I confess I wasn't thrilled with half of the dishes I ordered, the other half were quite good, and the price was amazingly cheap for the quantity of food I ordered, and the service was excellent. 3-4 star border, but I'll be kind and round up (though may revisit in future visits). read more

El Chapin - Tamale, corn cake, pastelito, garnacha - Latin American Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Delicious food ! We love this place, specially their garnachas definitely coming back. read more

El Chapin - Michelada!!! Sooo good - Latin American Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Wow! My wife and I stopped in for our first Guatemalan breakfast. It was amazing! We had the Granjero which is ham, eggs and tomato sauce over a thick tortilla. Every aspect of the dish was great including the beans and plantains. Wow! They have a nice salsa bar too. It was being run by several young guys that were incredibly pleasant and professional. My measure of a restaurant meal is whether it feels like someone's grandmother could have made it and this one fits that category. This place is something special. We'll definitely be back! read more

El Chapin - Granjero. - Latin American Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

We came in here with a Guatemalan friend who spoke highly of this place. The setup is pretty straightforward and traditional. We had the Tamalitos De Chipilin, Pollo En Peppian along with Fried Plantains and Tortillas. The portions were good and the food came out great! read more

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What a hidden gem. Authentic, casual and delicious are the first words that come to mind. We were on 15/501 in Durham running errands and I had El Chapin bookmarked for the longest time. It is in an unassuming shopping complex and we saw the Open sign from the parking lot. We went on a Saturday night at about 7:30pm and the restaurant was packed. It is a store and restaurant in one and really an authentic experience. The young gentleman running the counter gave us menus and when a table inside cleared up, he moved us there. The menu is very straightforward with meat dishes, daily specials (Seafood soup on Sundays, beef soup on Mondays, etc.) sides and has a few photos. We asked what was recommonded and La Parillada para dos was the perfect choice. It is a steaming cast iron plate for two with steak, pork, vegetables and chicken and is served with a plate of fresh iceberg lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers and a slice of lime. You also get refried beans, the best rice I have ever had and homemade tortillas. The rice has a chicken flavor and yucca or cayote in it. The tables have a plastic casing and underneath you will find beautiful hand woven icons from Guatemala. You grab your silverware and hot sauces from the drink station. The restaurant is family-run and there is so much service and passion behind the food. The sides are lined with rice, medicine and grocery items from Guatemala. At the counter we also found homemade rolls that go well with coffee. Soccer jerseys and traditional shirts line the hallway. I felt like I was in Guatemala for dinner and loved the ambience, music and food. We loved it so much, we came back on Monday for lunch. Gracias a la familia. Regresamos muy pronto. read more

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El Chapin was my first experience with Guatemalan food, and it was a good one! The restaurant is very unassuming, located in a small strip mall on 15-501. One half of El Chapin is a sit down, informal restaurant, and the other half is a small grocery store. The restaurant side was fairly crowded during the weekday lunch hour. The service was quick and efficient, and our server was happy to answer questions about the menu and provide some recommendations. I had the Chiles Rellenos, and it was delicious. My food itself wasn't too spicy, but for those that want more spice, there is a salsa bar. I definitely plan to come back and try more items from the menu! read more

El Chapin - Chiles Rellenos - Latin American Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Discovered this place while shopping and the Yelper reviews made us say "gotta try it". Went tonight and had chili's relleno, carne adobada, and calde de pollo, plus guacamole. All were excellent; the chicken and the guacamole were outstanding and the carne adobada alone was worth the visit. Terrific flavors! What a great treat and pleasure to dine here. Reasonable prices make it worth a return! Try it! read more

On our way to the beach and we were looking for a unique place just off the highway in Durham. Discovered El Chapin a Guatemalan restaurant. First, I think were were the only people in the restaurant that were not from Guatemala. Had Hilachas beef. It was delicious but too many potatoes. Wife had the Caldo de Pollo soup. We should have split because portions were huge. They had a nice salsa bar as well. Would definitely go back if we are in the area. read more

You know the food is authentic when the majority of the patrons are nationals of the region of the cuisine. This is true of El Chapin. The food was awesome and the staff was top notch! Very willing to explain the menu items to non-Spanish speakers. Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

I I am Mexican, my husband is from Guatemala, he took me to this restaurant, the food is very delicious, the cuchitos and the paches, my favorites, the place looks good, I recommend it read more

Great food and an even greater way to support local right now! We got the Carne Adobada and the Pollo a la Plancha. Both meats were juicy and cooked perfectly. They both came with beans, a salad and yummy rice on the side. We also got tortillas on the side which were amazing. Some of the best corn tortillas I've ever had. Excited to return! read more

El Chapin - Pollo on the top and Carne Adobada on bottom - Latin American Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I had never eaten Guatemalan food and this have no comparison, but I will say the food at El Chaplin is delicious. The highlights for me were the garnachas (sort of like Mexican sopes that are topped with delicious chopped sirloin), the chicken en pepian (half a chicken stewed in a vibrant tomato soup with carrot, potato and chayote) and the chiles rellenos (very similar to the version I've had at Mexican places, only a bit sweeter). The salsa bar is also amazing in its variety even though sometimes you get charged for chips. The atmosphere is a very clean, no frills strip mall vibe and the service is a bit slow if they are busy (I've been six times and the same young woman is always the sole server). Highly recommended read more

El Chapin - Their chicken en pepian takeout with the rice poured into the stew. Chock full of fresh vegetables and tasty chicken - Latin American Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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I can't speak to the authenticity, as I have not had Guatemalan food before, but this place is bomb. Friendly staff, no frills, unpretentious, chill atmosphere. It's part restaurant part Guatemalan convenient store. The chicken pupusa was one of the best things I've eaten, and we paired it with the orange colored (possibly habanero?) sauce from the sauce bar. The chicken soup was also insane. The perfect level of seasoning without taking away from the broth, which tasted like the product of multiple hours. Make sure to squeeze in the limes. It came with a quarter char grilled chicken on the side that you can put in the soup or eat with tortillas as well as rice. Do not sleep on the rice. So incredibly flavorful. My partner got the chicken adobado dish which was fire. I think they do chicken well! We got the pork stuffed tamale which was a tad game-y for me but solid. Excited to come back to try more things! I do think because the menu is pretty extensive, it's possible that it can be hit or miss, but we were incredibly impressed with what we ordered and felt the passion and soul that went into their food. We need more places like El Chapin in these parts. read more

I'm part of a lunch group that meet for lunch on Tuesdays. Not the best day of the week for anything other than grub! I like variety, interested in trying new cooking/cuisine and like eating out to be an adventure. Eating at El Chapin, at least for our first visit, had been an adventure. I ordered a baked Pablano stuffed with steak. It cost $16 and comes with a big portion of rice, lettuce and refried black bean paste. Unfortunately, the Pablano pepper I got tasted good but was lacking in heat! However the cheese and steak meet in the stuffing tasted good. There were four of us and we've were given a sizable bowl of freshly toasted pita bread, presumably to mop up the sauce, butI enjoyed what was on my plate so we'll I forgot about the bread. I couldn't remember the Spanish name of the dish. All four of us ordered different lunches and we all cleaned our plate. While the full menu on their website was big enough to be intimidating, the plasticized lunch menu was only two pages yet filled with appetizing dishes based on their ingredients. Our group has visited more chain Mexican restaurants than I care to mentioned, all of which feels to me like Taco Bell with enlarged menu and simulated Mexican restaurant motif. This place has the ambience of a dining hall but the food was good and refreshingly different from food served at any Mexican restaurant, chain or not. I wouldn't confuse food from El Chapin with any Mexican food I've tried in our area. Our group plans to return and explore the menu some more. read more

We have never been to a Guatemalan restaurant before, and would never have thought to go to El Chapin if it was not for the YELP reviews - thanks YELPers!! We tried the plato tipico chapin (folded potato cakes, garnachas, stuffed poblano pepper, rice, cabbage salad) and a couple of extra chuchitos. Everything was excellent. The poblano was distinctly different, and much better, than many I have had at Mexican restaurants. The chuchitos are similar to tamales, but also distinctly different. It is amazing how the same basic ingredients as Mexican food can result in such different dishes. The garnachas are unique (in my admittedly limited experience), and really good. Looking araound the restaurant, we saw lots of different dishes that we want to try the next time we come by - can't wait to go back! Atmosphere is nice, bright, very clean, and eager server. One wall of the restaurant is lined with shelves of mostly Guatemalan staples and packaged goods, and the back wall has a cold case. We went in at dinner time, and they had table service (perhaps they do at lunch as well? Didn't think to ask). Great authentic food and a great value earns 5 stars in my book!! read more

This place has great food, environment and staff. I would eat here every night if i could. Do yourself a favor and don't come here to order the burger or chicken sandwich (although they are delicious!), but get something authentic instead. We tried the garnachas and pastelitos de papa and would definitely get those appetizers again. For the meal we shared chicharrones chapines and will be coming back for that plate. I wish we had room for the elote, but we were too stuffed. They did give us a sample and it tasted like heaven in a cup. This place is a must try. read more

El Chapin - Menu! - Latin American Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Don't buy the merchandise it overprices!! I was charged $35.00+ tax for a simple t-shirt. Jorge (person in charge) was very rude when I called and brought to the attention on unfair price. read more

El Chapin - Latin American Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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We went for Sunday breakfast and glad we did so! Service was great and so was the food. Very tasty. Bacon was cooked perfectly. Coffee was fresh and refills prompt. We will be back. read more

El Chapin - Latin American Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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When I first walked into this place, it was very unique. It was half restaurant and half store. I felt like I was in Guatemala from all of the decorations. Not to mention, our server was very attentive and he kept coming back and checking on us. We got the Mar Y Tierra and Mojarra Frita. Both of these portions were quite large. They had a side of rice, salad, and bean. I really enjoyed my lunch here and luckily my aunt introduce me to this place. I definitely would recommend this place. My experiences with this place is phenomenal! read more

El Chapin - Latin American Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Still fabulous!! I had bisec, beans and salad with avocado. Great tasting steak, cooked like I like it and the service was great. Seems Family run. read more

Two very enthusiastic thumbs up for this wonderful restaurant. The atmosphere is very casual (it's also a grocery store) so don't expect anything fancy; just delicious, filling Guatemalan food. I can't speak to the authenticity of the food because I've never been to Guatemala, although the fact that the clientele is almost exclusively Latino is a pretty strong positive indicator. I strongly recommend the caldo de pata de res, a cow foot soup full of potato, cabbage, corn on the cob, and meat. It is a very satisfying meal; with rice and thick tortillas it's arguably too much food. The caldo de mariscos is also delicious although a bit of work to eat; the shrimp are whole (including heads and whiskers) and a large chunk of bony tilapia awaits you at the bottom of the bowl. The pollo en pepian is also fantastic. The chicharonnes were a bit of a disappointment the one time I had them, as they were slightly overcooked, but I'd be willing to give it another try because... well, chicharonnes, and because everything else here is so good I probably just caught them on a bad day. One time my group tried an assortment of the appetizers; they were all very good. Service is friendly and not at all rushed. Food takes a while to come to the table but it's worth the wait, and you can tell the delay was because care was taken in preparing the food. And, they serve beer! What more could you want? Unequivocally recommended. read more

I just moved here from LA and this place was recommended to us by a local. I delighted to find a place like this that makes really authentic food that is cooked really well. We walked in and order garnachas, chuchitos, elote loco, churrasquito, grilled shrimp, and carne adobada. We also got tubs of about 8 of their homemade salsas. Oh and chicken taquitos for the kids, that honestly were the tastiest taquitos I've ever had. The steak (churrasquito) was delicious and the shrimp were cooked perfectly - better than a lot of other shrimp around Durham. The carne adobada was pretty good - a little dry for my taste. The salsas were all excellent, with a range of flavors and all with a good kick but not overwhelming. The chuchitos are fat little tamales filled with big chunks of braised beef - lovely I figured when we walked in and saw only Latin American customers we'd be getting the real deal, but was surprised that it was really amazingly good. I'll be checking out this very big menu for a while. The "crazy corn" is pretty weird and not to everyone's taste, but it's a nice counterpoint to all the meat :). read more

Doesn't look like much when you enter but hands down the best Latin food in the area. Taquitos, caldo de res, and pastelitos de pollo are must haves. read more

Friendly service, delicious food! Ordered the Plato Tipico and it was AWESOME. I haven't had garnachas since traveling in Mexico and these brought back fond memories. The Chile relleno was literally mouth watering the more I ate. Will definitely be back. read more

El Chapin - Latin American Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

This is my go to place with my daughter. Delicious, nutritious and reasonable prices. Nice staff too. read more

El Chapin - Latin American Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

A new experience for us so we shared a little bit of everything! It was delicious and the staff was helpful and friendly... read more

El Chapin - Wait staff recommended and we killed it! Yum-yum... - Latin American Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I lived in Guatemala for more than one year, and nothing stateside has taken me back there until El Chapin. Rustic food, lovingly and skillfully prepared with great service. I started with a refreshing homemade watermelon juice. The corn tortillas are obviously handmade and served hot off the griddle. They accompany most entrees. As a starter, I had a crispy tostada with creamy guacamole, but many of the other ones looked good too. My meal was the Caldo de Pollo. they served it as one bowl of rich chicken broth, rice and veggies with lots of fresh cilantro. To the side was a crispy chicken thigh, cooked perfectly. Guatemala has a rustic cuisine that utilizes lots of fresh herbs, lime juice and simple ingredients. El Chapin is Guatemalan hospitality at its best. read more

El Chapin - Tostada with guac - Latin American Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Wow! I was blown away by the food at El Chapin during Yelp Restaurant Week. The 30% discount was nice for checking in, but the food was amazing none the less. I've never had Guatemalan food, but I've now become a huge fan. The food was similar to other types of Latin American cuisine, and everything tasted so fresh with huge portion sizes. We ordered way to much food because we didn't realize the appetizers (tamales, chuchitos, garnachas, etc) were enormous and eating 2-3 of them will fill you up. For starters, we had the chuchito and tamale, and little did we know that they were both huge. The chuchito was stuffed with huge chunks of super juicy chicken and the doughy exterior was covered in a refreshing pico de gallo. The tamale was the size of a burrito and had incredibly tender pork inside. Both were a delight to eat and a meal in themselves. There was also a very nice salsa and topping bar to dress up your food. The plethora of sauce and veggies was great, and I loved the variety of hot sauces and salsas they had. For my entree, I tried the carne guisada and loved it. It was a Guatemalan beef stew with vegetables and rice served in a delicious broth with a side salad and 4 thick tortillas. The beef was beyond tender and melted instantly in my mouth. There were a healthy amount of perfectly cooked vegetables and rice to balance the meat. The side of tortillas were thick, almost like arepas, and were the perfect vessel for the food. Overall, I pretty much loved everything I tried at El Chapin and would highly recommend it. read more

This was our first time here. The food is authentic Guatemalan and it was absolutely delicious. We ordered La Parillada Para Dos and a slice of flan to share. Everything was seasoned and cooked beautifully. We will definitely be back again. read more

The most authentic Latin American food I've had since relocating here from California. Came for breakfast, the black beans, platanos and home made tortillas were spot on! Pleasant, casual family run place. A great find. read more

We decided to try out El Chapin during Yelp Restaurant Week, because it allowed you to get 30% off your meal! And this was honestly a brilliant move for El Chapin, because we are for sure going to return a bunch of other times in the future. Everything was amazing! When we arrived on a Friday night, they were already busy and they continued to stay busy and fill up tables. The service was great as we had multiple people check up on us, answer any questions we had and our food also came out fast. They made sure to point us to the salsa bar too. Be sure to make use of it if you like to add a bit more heat to your meal. The food we got here was soooo good! And the amount we got for the price was crazy, and not just because it was Yelp Restaurant Week. We ordered a couple of "appetizers" thinking they would be small since they were just a few dollars and boy were we wrong. We ordered a chuchito ($2) and a tamale ($3.50) and they were wayyy bigger than we were expecting. The meat in both of them was really tender and flavorful. I could eat these 2 items as a meal and be perfectly content. But since we weren't expecting them to be so big, I also ordered an entrée - the Plato Tipico Chapin. Yet again, SO MUCH FOOD. My dish came with 2 garnachas, 2 potato cakes, a stuffed poblano pepper and rice. The garnachos were piled high with meat and the potato cakes were super filling. Even after having my husband eat some of my plate, I still took about half of it home. I definitely would recommend this dish if you want to try out a few different things or there is also a sampler plate you can get and order a mix of sides, tostadas and appetizers. Put El Chapin on your list to try or you will be missing out on some fabulous Guatemalan food! read more

So delicious. I loved the flavors and how homemade everything tasted. Not that big of a place so I wouldn't recommend a party bigger than 6 or 7 during peak hours. Help yourself to the cart of sauces and roasted jalapeños. They're delicious. read more

Excellent like always! This amazing Guatemalan restaurant is the best in the triangle!

During the Rona, we've only done take out 3 times. Always just a little spoked by what I observe in the restaurant at pick-up time. But, this place is spotless, and fresh, with all the precautions. The food is beautiful, plentiful, and delicious. The staff is super friendly and helpful. Yeah, those tamales look expensive, but they are an entire meal. Huge! If you're looking for TexMex, go to the grocery store. But, if you want a taste party for your mouth, go here. read more

GREAT PLACE FOR BREAKFAST! Neighbor and I popped in at 7:30 AM on Sunday in November. There is a breakfast menu, but you can also order anything from the regular menu. Service was friendly and welcoming. There is short wait for the food to be made when ordered, but the time was worth the freshness. I ordered the EL FINQUERO breakfast plate. Ate half there and took the other half home. Open-faced omelette with cheese shreds and generous sprinkling of real bacon bits fried crispy. Came with corn cakes and plaintains, chunks of farmer cheese and dish of cream. Guatemalan food has some differences from "Mexican" as known in North Carolina. The black beans were firm and dry - scoopable like mashed potatoes, not soupy or creamy. The tomato sauce is not salsa just warmed tomato sauce with touch of white onion and shredded carrot. No tortillas but white-corn cakes in instead. A lot like old timey skillet cakes - no butter, no sugar, no leavening. The cheeses are bland - no cultured - but they definitely add a texture and flavor to the beans and corncakes. No cilantro in anything. I lieu of shredded lettuce, the favored garnish is shredded cabbage (fresh, not pickled). No surprise, the coffee was good, too. The store has a bakery section, but at that time in the morning, there was nothing in the bakery case. The refrigerator case held flan and cakes, but no bread or pastries. I will definitely go back again, especially for weekend breakfast! read more

Very satisfying! Never tried garnachas before, and these were so good, more than expected! And the customer service was exceptional! read more

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