Food: great. Service: great. Ambiance: great. The Saltenas are fire (tooo gooood) Chicken Saltenas are and were delicious. read more

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I wanted to try the saltenas, but unfortunately they were out of it. I tried to order a different dish off the menu but they only had falso conjejo left, so I ordered that. The falso conjejo came on a plate that was too small for the portion size and I wished it came on a bigger plate, but otherwise it was good. I recommend going earlier in the day and not more than 90-120 min before closing. Also, the hours listed were misleading since it closes at 9pm, not after midnight. Keep in mind that the staff don't speak English very well, so knowing at least some Spanish is highly recommended. read more

El Pike Restobar - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

The place is amazing bit unassuming being that it's small and next to a gas station. The decor is very reminiscent of Bolivia along with it's music. The way to the bathroom is a little uncomfortable though. Their menu is extensive and decently priced and their portions are enormous! I had never tried Bolivian food so I can't confirm if it's authentic but assuming by the amount of Bolivian patrons they had, it is. We tried a couple of dishes and none disappointed. read more

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Friendly staff, karaoke in either Spanish or English songs. Was disappointed that there were no Bolivian beer in a Bolivian restaurant. Food was delicious though read more

El Pike Restobar - Pike A Lo Macho - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Food quality is not that great, it's expensive for what they give you, parking is very limited, noisy, they will sell you their empanadas, humintas that are old and dry, not fresh! Could be better, maybe better management and they need to improve food quality or lower their prices! read more

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A friend of mine wanted to try saltenas. They are the Bolivian version of empanadas (some what) I have an auntie who is Bolivian and makes these when she is in the mood.... lately she hasnt been in the.mood, so, here we are. The place is small like a carry out/ bakery. The staff are nice and friendly. It helps if you are bilingual and speak Spanish. They have strict covid social distancing rules. Thank you!! The cheese bread, I forgot how you pronounce them, they are the bomb that my pops requested I bring back some. The green picante sauce goes great, if you dare! Saltenas: sorry they were disappointing. I compared it to my Tia's. The were cold and it did not taste like it was made earlier in the day. I was expecting that they would warm it up. Usually the filling(rellano) is loaded with lots of flavor, juices, and spices, but no. It did not wow me or my friend. So much was missing inside! No olives or egg?!! I bit into thinking it was going be pure deliciousness. I was so disappointed. ) It had diced potatoes chunks, raisins, peas and dry steak chunks: I love saltenas but this was disappointing. I hope they can improve. The stars are mostly for the good service and cleaniness. Maybe we will return. read more

El Pike Restobar - These are saltenas and they are not good. Luzmilas are better or getting them from a Bolivian Tia - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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PLEASE Do youreself a favor and GO HERE!!! This place is beyond fantastic, priding itself as one of the oldest Bolivian restaurants in the DMV area! Such an iconic location. If you are in DC, you need to come here and try this restaurant out. Staff and customer service are so friendly, I met a lady named Mimi there who I think is the owner and she provided me such welcoming hospitality. I felt important and cared for as a customer when I went in here. I proudly support! I came here for the Salteñas and this place did not dissapoint. One of the best salteñas I've had in my life. Here is what I ordered and my thoughts on them: 1) Chicken Salteña - So delicious. Everything in here was perfect and well-seasoned. My partner ate this and he said it was a little too much on the sweet side, by overall, it's delicious. It's an explosion in my mouth with so may different flavors. I just recommend that they keep their salteñas on a thick side, not too soupy or else the liquid will drip everywhere. 2) Beef Salteña - Just as wonderfully delicious! Definitely recommend! Overall, I am in love with their salteñas. I'm definitely coming here to try more bolivian food because I'm such a fan of Bolivian cuisine. Please see the Resources photo I attached on their App and social media. Wonderful experience, I'd rate this a 10/10! read more

El Pike Restobar - Saltenas - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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I haven't checked Bolivia off my travel bucket list but I'm fairly confident that the salteñas at the Pike are imported directly from La Paz. And this isn't the first time this has crossed my mind. I've been coming to this popular hole-in-the-wall for more than 15 years (I'm a little embarrassed that this is my first review). After all these years, these golden baked pastries filled with hearty chicken or beef stew are every bit as delicious and authentic as they were the first day I fell in love with them. On nicer days during these pandemic times, hubby and I have made Pan American a regular stop on our way to a park or playground. Their chicken and beef salteñas make for a great portable lunch - although one advice for how to ear them: it's best to lay them on a plate, open them at the seam and scoop out the delicious stew filling with the spoon they offer.. Eat them like you would an empanada and you risk bursting the pastry and making a very sticky mess (trust me; I speak from great experience). If you like a little kick, I'm a huge fan of the spicy green sauce they offer with the salteñas. But don't overdo it or you might miss the magic in every bite. I wouldn't change a thing about The Pike. Here's to 15 more years! read more

El Pike Restobar - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

This was such a lovely experience. I love Bolivian food and this place was spot on. Delicious alfajores, perfect salteñas, and very sweet employees. I was glad to see it was so busy! read more

El Pike Restobar - Desserts - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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food was amazing!! hot and tasty. huge servings. one of my favorite bolivian spots in the area. read more

El Pike Restobar - silpancho - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Wow! El Pike really takes the Bolivian cuisine to the next level! Definitely the best saltenas I've ever had. Mimi is so awesome! thank you so much for introducing me to your wonderful family owned restaurant. I can't wait to visit again soon and indulge in more wonderful delicacies. read more

I went here for lunch and it was an excellent call. Not expensive and the lunch included, soup, a main course, and a drink. Very very generous portions and well cooked. I highly recommend trying the soup! read more

Pike Pizza is not a pizza joint. It is a quaint little Bolivian restaurant. I have been to a few Bolivian restaurants around, and I this is one of my "go to" places. When we go, we generally go on the weekends for the Salteñas and humintas. I love the chicken Salteñas! I have my kids and husband addicted to them. We have had various soups and the Silpancho. We have enjoyed every dish we have had, but come back again and agian for the saltenas. The service is always very friendly. Of course, I suppose it doesn't hurt that I speak some Spanish. The reason I gave it four stars instead of five is the atmosphere. It is, well, a hole-in-the-wall. Don't judge a book by it's cover. Give it a try, you won't regret it. read more

One of my husband's friends highly recommended this place for their saltenas - this friend goes here every Sunday as a weekly tradition. We came here to get some to go - 1 chicken and 1 beef. The chicken, I wasn't a fan of, as it was not that flavorful; however, the beef one was actually pretty good, compared to the other beef saltenas I've had - it still had that sweet crust, but the gravy inside was actually pretty decent. There were, however, some egg shells in the beef one :O The staff here are very friendly and so cute! They don't serve pizza, but I guess they put their food in pizza boxes? They serve Bolivian fare. +beef saltenas read more

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Ustedes juzguen por si mismo! Se supones que es un trancapecho con las papas como hace una semana echas, la ensalada dentro del pan. read more

El Pike Restobar - Ustedes juzguen por si mismo "trancapecho" - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Food is mediocre. Pan American Bakery next door has better food. Space is pleasant. I had a preserved plum drink I liked very much.

Compared to the saltenas next door these are pretty good too. Observations: (1) Saltenas have an olive with the PIT inside. Becareful when eating into them, otherwise you can be in for a jolting surprising (2) a quarter of a hard boiled egg inside inside (3) the shell is a little bit thinner than others I've had read more

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Been coming here since I was a kid and I love there soups especially the Mani, great spot for lunch during the week.

I took a bite of the chicken salteña and got an instant feeling that something was off. I felt something weird in my mouth and pulled it out. IT WAS HAIR, blonde hair! I felt so disgusted that I opened the salteña to inspect it. I also ordered 1 empanada de queso and 1 picante. All 3 foods lacked flavor read more

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First time ordering from this place. All 3 items I got were incredible. Especially the platanos. I asked for extra sweet and even soft ones which they complied. Portion was huge!! I ordered the side and thought it would be smaller. And to my surprise it was a lot of platanos. Definitely way more than the other places I order from. This will be my go to when I'm craving platanos. Highly recommend the 3 items I posted. Platanos, flan, beef salteña. read more

El Pike Restobar - 4. Saltenas - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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I heard from a friend this was the #1 restaurant for Bolivian cuisine. He did not disappoint - I loved the Andean decor, Bolivian music, and the food. I had the chicken saltenas, Kohlberg wine, and the silpancho! they were closing down the place by the time I was done with the food and I didn't want to leave! Amazing! Thanks Johnny! Regards, Alicia Frank read more

If you want authentic Bolivian cuisine, this is the place! Tip: Pan American Bakery next door is good, but you can get cheaper humintas and saltenas here, and boy, they do not disappoint! Also, the menu has English descriptions for non-Spanish speakers! I've been to this place numerous times, and I always walk out full and satisfied. Their beef saltenas are amazing and their humintas are on point! Saltenas are Bolivian empanadas and humintas are pretty much cornbread with cheese. On our latest visit, we got silpancho - a fried steak served on a bed of rice and potatoes, topped with two fried eggs pico. DELICIOUS! Their portions are large, so come hungry! Also, if you've never tried Inca Kola, try it here. It tastes like a combination of cream soda and bubblegum :) read more

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I don't know the first thing about Bolivian food, but I do know that this place serves some mean dishes. The saltenas are unreal. I love the beef melenesa especially, which comes atop rice, fried potatoes and salad, and are topped by two fried eggs. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. The atmosphere isn't anything memorable or inviting, but that's a small price to pay for a small, delicious feast. Oh, and this place doesn't serve pizza. read more

El Pike Restobar - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

If I could rate this place a zero I would. I don't even know where to begin. The service was extremely slow. I placed an order for several appetizers and as soon I was ready to take a bite of the Papa Rellena I noticed the meat I was going to eat was frozen. I informed the waitress and she replaced it with a new one that was cooked so long it became stale. The salchipapa arrived at the same time as my entree. The waitress was not one bit friendly or asked if everything was okay. We had to keep getting up to ask for eating utensil, napkins, sauces, etc. My son's steak was burnt and when I informed the waitress she said that's the way its normally cooked. Forgot to mention that during one of the few times I had to get up to ask for things I noticed bags of store bought bread for the bread they claim to bake fresh daily. Disgusted and never going back. Save your time and money. read more

El Pike Restobar - Papa rellena - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I was so hungry I went to go buy a sandwich feels like no seasoning the meat wasn't right at all horrible sandwich they can't even cut it in half properly I don't recommend going there read more

El Pike Restobar - Trancapecho Sandwich - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

My first time getting salteñas from this place, I'm never going back again. I placed the order to pick up, when I got home to open the box of salteñas they were all popped and opened, all the juice was all over the box. It was a mess, I couldn't eat it. read more

El Pike Restobar - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Their application to place an order online sucks really really super bad. I waited for over 45mnts for an order that needed to get picked up and done in 30 minutes. hOrrible! The food is good no complaint on that but if you're looking for an order to be accurate and on time don't expect it to get it from here. At least not during cov19 read more

The food here was just ok. We tried 3 dishes: huminta, falso conejo and picante de pollo. The huminta was by far the best of the 3 dishes, very well done and the flavor was great. The falso conejo and the picante de pollo were ok, they were lacking a bit of flavor. Service was very prompt and good, though. read more

I've been coming to this restaurant for years and lately almost weekly, the foods delicious . I saw on the door about getting 15% off when you down load the app. But the man at the store didn't know about it.. he gave me 10% but when I came to use my 15% he refused to give me the discount and they didn't even know about it.. foods delicious but I don't appreciate being lied to about a non existent reward.( bad customer service towards your white customers), this is not the first time. They don't realize I look white but I'm not and can understand spainish fluently.I hope you take off the lie on the front door and start treating ALL of your customers with respect read more

I have to give a shout-out to this classic example of a unique restaurant in the heart of a suburban immigrant community. We (my girlfriend and I) came across Pike Pizza in the Cheap Eats issue of the Washingtonian as a place to try out Bolivian food, and we were impressed. The sign says "Pike Pizza," but according to the magazine, it commonly goes by "El Pike." First, the place is certainly Bolivian. We were the only white people in the place when we arrived, and most of the time we were there. The decor and appearance are certainly funny -it's as if they bought out a pizza place and didn't bother to change anything but the food. They now use the pizza ovens to cook saltenas, a kind of empanada that's common in Bolivia. (spelled with a ~ over the n) Despite the dominantly immigrant clientele, there was an english-speaking waiter who was happy to guide us through the menu. As for the food, I could certainly imagine why someone thousands of miles from home would think of this as comfort food. The menu is full of things like warm stews, thick sauces and pan-fried steak. Many entrees have an egg on top, which from what I hear is fairly common for cuisine from that area of South America. We had a Silpancho, which is a stew that contains beef tongue (surprisingly good), chicken, and preserved/dried potatoes (also suprisingly good), and the aforementioned pan-fried steak. The menu has a much larger selection on weekends, so it's best to try El Pike then. Also, I neglected to mention the starters. They start you out with a plate of bread and a dish of bright green cilantro sauce which was very spicy yet strangely addicting. Also, try the Saltenas that I mentioned above. They contain beef or chicken with potatoes and peas--and a lot of liquid, watch out- rolled up in a dough shell and baked. The beef ones are better, and have a good mix of sweet and savory flavors. I'm probably inflating my rating before considering that I'm not an expert on Bolivian food, but I think the unique tasty food and cheap menu are worth four stars. read more

This restaurant has been on my short-list ever since I saw it in the Washingtonian's Cheap Eats guide. Pike Pizza is especially intriguing since they don't serve pizza at all - just home-style Bolivian food. During my visit here, I felt like I had escaped to Bolivia. The whole time we were there, nothing felt like the United States. Except maybe that they take credit cards. When we entered the restaurant on a cold Friday night, we were the only non-Bolivian people. A bunch of guys were taking up half of the plastic yellow booths and unwinding over a bottle of Heineken. The Bolivian equivalent of the dona was walking around socializing with all the tables of her favorite patrons. A friendly waitress came over and handed us menus as well as some homemade bread with a spicy cilantro sauce. She asked us what we'd like to drink...in spanish. She didn't switch to english the rest of the night. I was a little surprised at first, but then it became part of the enjoyment - especially since she was able to understand us! I ordered the Bolivian beer (can't remember the name) and started to peruse the menu. The house bread was a little sweet, but the green salsa offset it well. We decided to order a couple saltenas (that's what they're known for) as well as share a spicy chicken dish, some corn cakes and an order of yucca frita. The saltenas were definitely the star of the meal. They had a complex flavor that was very good. We should have ordered more of those. The chicken dish was interesting, but a little bland. It was half a chicken with bones alongside some white rice, boiled potatoes, and a sauce that contained tomatoes, red onions and some other type of bean. It could have been much spicier. Maybe they toned down the flavor for us gringos. The fried yucca was made well, but overwhelmingly starchy. The corn cakes were good: similar to cornbread, but steamed in a corn husk. The best part of this place, hands-down, was the entertainment. Two tv's were blasting what must have been some Bolivian channel playing old 70's disco music. Some of the songs were recognizable, but most seemed to be American knock-offs. The music gave this place an even larger twilight-zone quality. On the whole, I don't think I'd be back save for their saltenas. It's possible that we ordered the wrong things. Maybe I need to brush up on my spanish so I can go back and ask! read more

Not a Pizza on the menu. It's a Bolivian meat-pie restaurant! I love the idea of someone coming here to try Pizza for the first time and then being really confused when they go to Dominos. The beef saltenas have hard-boiled eggs and unpitted olives in them. In a pastry crust! It's like your mouth is going WTF and OMG at the same time! But in spanish! read more

If you love saltenas, you need to head to Pike Pizza. It's clearly a place that took over the space from a pizza parlor and rather than spend the money to redo the signage, just kept it the same. At the same time, you won't find pizza here. What you will find is a wide variety of Bolivian foods, headlined by the freshly baked Saltenas. If you aren't familiar with saltenas, they are essentially Bolivian Hot Pockets filled with a complex salty and savory mix of potatoes, peas, beef/chicken, hard boiled egg, olive and sauce. It combines to be a fantastic flavor that is hard to describe. Note that they don't serve saltenas all the time, and if you go on a weekend, don't be surprised if they are out of them. This is a very busy place, as it is usually packed with immigrants (so you know it's good). Federico, the Bolivian cook at Jay's Saloon, recommended Pike Pizza as his favorite place for saltenas. I've also tried the steamed corn cakes, but found them bland. I think I expected them to be sweeter. I also sampled the silpancho, but found it to be only OK. Come to Pike Pizza to have a taste of another culture in every respect. The TV's are playing telenovelas and soccer, and the crowd of locals gives it an authentic feel. Note that you can run in and get saltenas for takeout. It's very easy and quick. read more

As other reviewers have mentioned, I don't believe pizza is even on the menu, even though the sign outside says "Pike Pizza." This is Bolivian food, and it is delicious. They are known for their saltenas, but really, everything on the menu that I've tried has been very good. A lot of the dishes have egg mixed in, in one way or another, and the taste does not disappoint. The portions are hearty, so bring an appetite, or be prepared to take leftovers home. My favorite dish is a thin steak sandwich, with fried egg on top. Maybe not the healthiest selection, but they do have a number of other more wholesome dishes. The atmosphere is comfortable, and has a very local/neighborhood feel. If you don't speak Spanish, you may feel slightly out of place, but you should still feel welcome. I would say the only odd thing is the choice of music videos that sometimes play on the TV. But hey, things in other cultures which seem odd to me, maybe be perfectly normal to others. I really like Pike Pizza, the quality of the food, and the very reasonable prices. read more

So everyone knows the old rule about finding restaurants--go to the place with the longest lines or the busiest parking lot. Well that's how I found this place, and it served me very well. Saltenas Pike is a small, unassuming spot churning out some great Bolivian favorites. This is one of many Bolivian spots within a mile or so of one another. Mmmm, I absolutely love Bolivian food, and I have tried it in various places in Northern VA and Miami. This place was a definite stand out for me. Just a brief intro, Bolivian food shares a lot in common with its Andean neighbors--you'll start off with a dense bread and green hot pepper sauce on the side, many dishes contain a corn or potato product of some sort, but Bolivian food differs in that it has a very country comfort feel. You get lots of hearty meat, many including a blend of sausage alongside beef or pork, food is nice and spicy, and sauces have a base of sweet and hot peppers with tomato, onion, and garlic. Service at Saltenas Pike was prompt and the food was hot. The service was also curteous. Maybe people are frustrated with the hoards of folks coming in and expecting to be catered to when they don't even speak the same language. I'm not saying either side is right, but sounds like it may be the root of the problem. Sooo, back to the prompt service--this sounds simple, it is not true of most places. Prices were comparable to Bolivian food anywhere else in the city and the menu had a wide variety of choices. The food was authentically delicious homestyle comfort food. Everything was flavorful and abundant. The portions were massive. The tables were full, the bar was sprinkled with loners like me, and more people kept coming in, including a handful of people coming to pick up freshly-baked beef or chicken saltenas ($2.50). There were a number of Saturday specials, many of which contained a plethora of offal (liver, kidney, tripe, etc) options, so I wouldn't recommend just ordering the dish with the most intriguing name here. Check the menu for additional descriptions. I ordered the fricase ($13?), a mildly spicy red pepper-based soup with tons of chunks of tender pork (pork roast, I think) and hominy (the stuff we Southerners get grits from) with what I believe was chives on top. I think I had nearly half a pork roast in my bowl, and I am certainly not complaining about that. I am certain that I ate far more than any woman ever does, and I still had half a bowl left, which is a very hearty serving in itself. The soup was delicious and incredibly memorable. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. The hominy added a slight crunch and made me feel good about eating my veggies too, while consuming an insane amount of meat. The chives added a nice pop of bright herb-y flavor. This soup is just what I wanted on a cold morning sprinkled with just enough snow to tease us Virginians once again. In short, I highly recommend Saltenas Pike. I can't wait to go back. It was a wonderful roller coaster for my taste buds--spicy, meaty, herby, comforting. It's all a hungry girl like me needs to sustain a long day of shopping. read more

Walking into this place is like being teleported to Bolivia. The posters, the music, even the TV (soccer games, telenovelas, even videos from Carnival in Oruro once) really are a world apart from suburban DC. And the food: WOW. Sopa de mani (peanut soup), silpancho, milanesa, orejon (sweet cinammon peach drink with a re-hydrated peach at the bottom of the glass; the call is something different here), even the dishes with chuño (air-freeze-dried potatoes) are both authentic and amazingly tasty here. Oh, and OF COURSE you HAVE to have a salteña here. They're absolutely incredible. Bite off one tip, suck the juice out, then chow down (but watch out for chicken bones and olive pits). It's the real deal! read more

Order to table=45-min. Kitchen cooked one dish at a time. The one waitress was very very busy. If something was sent back, everyone waiting suffered. Flavors were chunky. Lengua's seasoning is there but was hastily prepared. The flavors had no chance to meld. Hence the "chunky" flavors. No connection to each other. The bow tie paste (yup) was not fully drained and made the rice soggy, which was in stark contrast to the thinly sliced raw red onion. I'll come back for the saltenas. read more

The only saving grace of this place was the Saltenas. I came for the Salteñas, and unfortunately I stayed for the food. I should have listened to my gut feeling, but I still can't hear it over the projectile vomiting that was my dinner at this rat hole of an establishment. Not very helpful staff. I can't peg it completely on the whole staff, but when you have two waitresses,and one of them sucks, that means that 50% of them suck. And well, this is a glass half empty. I asked the waitress what the most popular dish was, and she gave me this look of "what the hell? what kind of stupid question is this?" So I just winged it. Bread was cold and tasted like it came out of a bag from the store across the street. When our dish came out, the meat was tough and flavorless. Don't ask for a glass of water unless you want pieces of dirt and grape stems in it. There are hole in the wall places, but this place is more like a hole in the sewage tank, serving precisely that. I want my restaurants to be more like a friendship, and if it's a really good place, then I want it to be like a marriage. So I suggest you treat it like a one night stand: throw a couple of bucks at it, get want you want, and if it asks for a phone number, give it the wrong area code. read more

the prices on line are not honor at the restaurant. Our order according to the online prices was supposed to be 93.00 and it came to 131.00 I could not do anything they have already charged my credit card. The food was gross. We ordered Fried fish trout which is supposed to be a whole fish we got fish filets the flavor was gross. We ordered chicharron de pollo we got wings and little bits of chicken really disgusting. The silpancho was dried, the falso conejo was salted. the tongue was not prepared right it was not peeled. I have been a client of them for more than 10 years and I was very disappointed with our order. I don't recommend this place any more very sad. read more

Delicious, home made tasting food - huge portions compared to price - a great menu - and speedy, polite service. I absolutely love the crap out of this place. The pastries are all exceptional, and where certainly a welcome treat when I sat down to order them. I'm not ashamed to admit it, but the sandwiches here have become one of my absolute go-tos for a fantastic breakfast after a long night of imbibing in heavy liquid merriment - bread, meat, eggs, vegetables - without fail it picks me up immediately after consumption. I highly recommend, and will continue to frequent. read more