Not too bad for my first whack at Mexican-Salvadoran food on the East Coast. This restaurant is located in the very homey Mt. Pleasant (and it is pleasant!) district. You might have to get the paper menu if you aren't familiar with the spanish names because there's no translation on the wall menu. Service was fantastic, and the carne asada plate was good (came with carne asada, tortillas, rice, beans, salsa, cheese, and onions). All for under $9.00. read more

I went to this small Mexican/Salvadoran place on Sunday night for a quick bite to eat. The restaurant itself is somewhat small, but there was enough seating. As Mark D. advised, either brush up on your Spanish or ask for the paper menu because the big menu on the wall is totally in Spanish. I got the pupusa revuelta (cheese and pork) and the pupusa de camarones (shrimp). The tortilla part of the pupusas was really good, and I suspect that it's homemade. The revuelta filling was good, if a little uniform, enough that it made me wonder how processed it is. The shrimp filling was mediocre. I've had better pupusas elsewhere in DC. My brother ordered the horchata, which is usually a milky rice-based Latin American drink with cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla (although recipes vary from place to place). I've never had it, but according to my brother, who has had it a lot (he lives in LA), the horchata here did not taste right at all. I'm not sure how or why, but it kinda tasted like medicine. But aside from the fairly average food, what irritated me about this place was the wait. From all appearances, it's basically a fast food joint. But we had to wait 20-25 minutes for our food, by which time I was considering eating my arm (I was really hungry). Maybe I'm basing this on my decidedly American expectations on how long food should take to be cooked and served, but still, we had to wait too long. A pupusa is a tortilla filled with stuff and then fried. How long does it take to do that? However, the one saving grace of this place is that it's super cheap. $1.50 for a pupusa revuelta. Hard to beat that. read more

Vegetarian black bean tacos here are superb. Fresh ingredients and hot when you order them. Noted for a number of traditional El Salvadorean recipes including Atol de Elote and Pupusas. Cheap and fast, but lunch rush can be a headache here. Call beforehand. read more

The tacos are good if you can wait a half hour to get them. A HALF HOUR! The service is terrible. After repeatedly inquiring about why it was taking so long, they started to avoid and ignore us. Waves of people got food and left before us. An overall terrible experience which is unfortunate given that I live a few blocks away. They've lost my business forever and I will actively discourage people from coming here. read more

I had the calamari and the chicken burrito. Both were really good, the calamari has huge portions, and the burrito was big and topped with cheese. I don't have complaints with the food, but for a burrito and fried appetizer, it took them 45 minutes to get the food ready after ordering. Granted, they did have a long line of people ordering and waiting for their orders, but if they can somehow speed up the production, I'd definitely come back for another bite. Otherwise, call ahead for pickup so you're not stuck waiting there for your food. Facility is clean and the staff are nice. read more

I went to Ercilia's today because it was recommended by one of my Salvadoran clients. It did not disappoint. It is a quaint restaurant with a lot of heart. I tried pupusas at another restaurant and didn't like them but now I am a convert. Even the simplest chicken taco was delicious. I absolutely recommend pupusas and this restaurant. What a gem of Columbia Heights. read more

LOVE LOVE LOVE the pupusas from this place. They are cheap (but good sized) and delicious. Revueltas, loroco, beans/cheese--are all made to order and come out of the kitchen piping hot with melty cheese Slightly crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside--it's the stuff dreams are made of..The pickled slaw is a nice contrast and cuts the richness of the pupusas. We took my brother-in-law here while he was visiting, and he still sends us text messages randomly telling us how much he's craving one. Bring cash and some of your Spanish skills. read more

Ercilias is one of those GO TOs in the Latino community. Gentrifiers- this space isn't catering to you nor your " I had a Salvadoran friend once and now I love pupusas" friend. They're too authentic for that. Ercilia was a wonderful woman and a pillar of the DC Latino community. If staff here aren't friendly it's bc they have sh't to do and mouths to feed! They are swamped with food orders from the moment they open to the minute they close. So no, being nice to you isn't on their to dos, taking your order and providing you with a delicious home cooked meal- that IS their priority! I would post food pics but these are one of those spots that if you know, YOU KNOW. read more

We often pass this restaurant and it just looks so homey and inviting on the corner so one night we just went in unprepared. We were the dummies who can't speak Spanish. Luckily, I know lots of food words in languages I can't speak but it still took forever for us to decide and order. Note to other dummies who can't speak Spanish -- the takeout menu has English on it. I should've ordered a pupusa but didn't. I ordered the pollo with spicy tomato sauce. It was pretty tender and the salsa was flavorful but not overly spicy. It came with some so-so greasy rice, but not nearly enough, as well as some tasty refried beans and nice homemade tortillas. It was a ton of food so a pretty good value overall. It's definitely worth revisiting to try more. read more

Yeah baby, I love Salvadoran food - yet if you asked me to describe it, I would have no idea how, other than perhaps "smoothe". I had seafood soup with crema. My partner had papusas and a stuffed vegetable of some sort. I'd eat here many more times. Big ups to the pan con pollo - chicken sandwich. It's a bomb-ass sandwich that hasn't hit the airwaves of the American public yet. read more

Heard this is the best place for pupusas in the district and so far I concur. Tried the loroco y queso, camaron, and revueltas. My fave were the camaron ($3 a pop)--a steal for the quality and flavor. However, I would never go back there unless it was for carry-out and had called WAY ahead. They take FOREVER to have the food ready. They have a pretty bad system for calling the food. You get a ticket with a number and they yell out the number when it's ready. The restaurant gets packed so you can barely hear your number being called if you're not standing by the counter, and that space is limited. For 4 pupusas, we waited over 30 min. It looks like tons of people had ordered ahead for pick-up. That's what I will be doing next time if I ever come back. Also, it's the first restaurant in DC that I have seen charges to use the restroom. Based on food alone, however, I would give it 5 stars, but the food takes so long that I would rather eat it at another pupuseria. read more

Food here is great! Love the tacos, pupusas, and pickled vegetables that come with. Prices are really good and one can be full in under $6! Why the low rating! Bad attitude! The people there do not treat their customers well. They mess up my to-go orders often and when my fiancé became smart about it to check the food before leaving, he found we got the wrong order and the guy at the cash register did not believe it. He used his fingers to poke at the pupusas in the bag and then at pupusas at the work station. Proceeded to take the right pupusas and placed in the bag taking the wrong pupusas out. Fiancé was not going to bring home the poked pupusa with the bare hands that were handling money and touching whatever else. Refused the order and left. Another time we went there months after the above pupusa poking. The same guy was giving me hard time trying to give me food that wasn't mine. Even though the number they were calling out did not match the number that I have on my receipt. Ridiculous. Never going back again. I'm sure I can find pupusas and tacos at good prices elsewhere in DC! read more

Went there during lunchtime, it took a very long time to get my order. As I waited I saw others walk by me with trays of this amazing smelling and looking food, I was genuinely excited to rush back to work so I could dig in... I made the mistake of not looking at my order before I left, because if I had I would have left it there!!! I ordered the 1/4 chicken with black beans and rice and papusas, that was the driest least appetizing piece of chicken ever!!! The black beans and rice were flavorless and unappetizing... I was so upset that I threw the whole container in the trash. The only things worth eating was the papusa, it was delicious!!! I honestly wish I had bought 2 of those and nothing else!!! I really felt some kind of way because all of the Hispanic patron's food looked delicious and mine was disgusting... Won't be going back there again!!!! read more

Even though getting your order takes a while specially on weekends. Best place in town to get pupusas. They are filled more than most places and aren't that pricey. Best to call ahead of time to place order and pick up. read more

I go here for hangover pupusas. I'm a huge fan of the environment, and the freshness and flavor are great. Having tried all of them, I get the queso y loroco almost exclusively. The wait can be a bit long, even if the place isn't packed. If I'm starving, I'll order to-go before I arrive and eat from the takeout box. Plus 1 star - the bathrooms are SPOTLESS. read more

This place was great. Had the following pupusas: cheese, bean/cheese, and revueltas. The revueltas weren't great but the cheese and bean/frijoles were amazing. Be prepared to wait for your food though. Service was great as well. read more

Ercilia's Restaurant - Pupusas de queso, frijoles/queso, y revueltas - Salvadoran Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I love pupusas as el salvadorian I know how pupusas should taste like!! And this place knows how to make good pupusas. The place it's always busy so it's better if you called to picked up.!! Pupusas de frijoles y queso are the best read more

The pupusas are excellent here. It's quite bustling, with almost all the tables filled on Sunday night. The dining area is filled with sun and the wall is partly exposed brick. The vibe is nice--there's a mix of people from different backgrounds--families, couples, friends, singles--happily eating the tacos, soup and pupusas. The employees only speak Spanish. read more

Went to Ercilia's on a Monday night trying to find some cheap food by the Columbia Heights Metro around 9:30pm and was happy with my decision!! I ordered some Pupusas De Frijoles Y Queso and a Veggie Enchilada from the stressed / kinda grumpy employee behind the counter. Ercilia's was actually pretty busy for being a Monday night so close to closing, so it took a good 20 minutes or so for my food to come out, despite the order being fairly simple. The Pupusas De Frijoles Y Queso were wonderful and warm melty cheesy beany gooey GREAT make sure you get 'em if you're here. However, I don't think I actually received a Veggie Enchilada... whatever I got was more like a bunch of raw vegetables topping a tostada-esque shell. It was actually pretty disappointing, but the pupusas made up for it. Since the food took so long, by the time I started to eat, it was closing time with the staff promptly stacking up chairs and locking the doors, so I ended up hastily transferring all of my contents into a to-go box and eating at home instead. The pupusas were still great reheated though! Definitely recommend this place's pupusas if you're trying to get something delicious and cheap, but be prepared to wait a while. read more

AY CARAMBA!! Best PUPUSAS I've ever had!! (Ok, I've technically never had pupusas before, nor did I know what they were. But now that I do, my life will never be the same!!) First Question: WHAT IS A PUPUSA?? Great question. Glad you asked. Imagine taking a light, fluffy pita bread, and stuffing it with all the cheesy, mexican happiness you can manage. Then fry it up and throw a little hot sauce on top and you're on cloud nine! This being my first time, I went a little nutty, and ordered the refried beans and three pupusas - shrimp, pork & cheese, and beans & cheese. My favorite was the pork & cheese, followed by the shrimp and then the beans. But the really pleasant surprise was the refried beans. Possibly the best I've ever had!! The entire meal cost less than $9, and not only did it fill me up, I took half of it home! Heads up though, the menu is mostly in Spanish, so I'd come prepared (although the cashier was very nice about helping me navigate.) read more

The best pupusas in Columbia Heights! They are really slow! You need to call 1 h early and order by the phone if you don't want to wait that hour in the line. They also have soups and other Latino food but they are well known in the neighborhood for the $1.75 pupusas read more

You can NOT and I mean NOT go wrong with pupusas from Ercilia's. There are a few good spots for these Salvadorian nuggets (and by nuggets I mean amazing cheese or meat-filled corn based thick tortillas) and I have tried them all. Well, maybe not all of them. But of the many I have had, Ercilia's is hands down the best. Like many other reviewers have said, they take their time. And that is made only worse when you go back for your 5th or 10th visit because your mouth just can't seem to wait to stuff itself full of these things. But the wait is worth it. So venture over and try them out. Oh, and definitely bring a friend that is somewhat versed in Spanish, it'll make your experience a little easier. read more

I ordered in person and asked for carne asada which had a price of $11 on wall menu, cashier rang it at $14 and wouldn't change price when I noted discrepancy. I then checked their online menu and carne asada is priced at $10.65. They need to figure out their prices and be consistent! read more

I get bean pupusas there ( I ask them to not put cheese). They serve them with grind tomatoes and cabbage salad. I really like them. My understanding from them is that the pupusas are made from corn only (no wheat) but their English isn't very good so I am not positive. read more

This place is awesome! Great pupusas for great prices and the best horchata I've ever had in the US or Mexico! Did I mention the yuca fries--get those! Service is on "island time" but the food won't disappoint! read more

Great pupusas. We had two been and cheese and two vegetarian tacos. The price of the pupusas may fool you to think they are tiny...they are only $1.75. Between the two of us, with these four items, we were stuffed! Tasty pupusas and fresh tacos. Friendly staff. We were there at 10:30pm and were the last customers, so I can't really comment on the crowd. Great place. I will be back! read more

I have been trying to find the best pupusas in DC, and I think this place takes it. The pupusas are scrumptious and the size is great for the price! The curtido was just right, but the sauce was lackluster -- I wish they made it in house but it feels as though it's like chips salsa. I also got an horchata and it was delicious! Overall, great experience and will be returning soon! Definitely recommend. read more

Very cheap! And they take credit/debit cards, hurray! Menu is in Spanish so bring your translating skills/friends/apps if you don't want to ask the cashier what everything means. Definitely get beans and crema on the side. The plantains were too sweet for my taste. Horchata was a perfectly cinammony nutmeg blend, perfect sweetness. Minus 1 star for no cerveza! (beeeeer) read more

The service wasn't too slow when I went early on a Monday evening, around 6pm. There was a lot of space, and the restaurant's large windows let in a lot of light, which was nice. The tacos are not that much cheaper than they would be at higher end restaurants, but they seemed to be composed of very cheap ingredients. I strongly disliked my tacos de res. The cheese reminded me of feet, and the meat smelled like dog food and was super tough/chewy. The taco shells were really thick, apparently made from the same kind of tortilla as the pupusas. I liked the pupusa with frijoles and queso more than the one with loroco and queso, but both were pretty good. The cabbage slaw and tomatoes that came with them were good--their slightly sour crispness balanced out the cheese. But I think it would be better to just get one as a snack rather than trying to make a dinner out of them. (To be fair, I think that's just how I feel about pupusas, not Ercilia's in particular.) I did also see a roach during the half hour I was here. It might be a good cheap, casual hangout spot if you live nearby, but I'm not planning to come here again. read more

The BEST pupusas ever. Literally. I have tried them all around Mount Pleasant and these are the best. The service is pretty slow, but absolutely worth the deliciousness of Ercilia's pupusas. read more

One of the best overall Salvadorian meals I have had in the city. It felt like I was eating food from back home. We had the pupusas, plátanos, tamal de elite and plato guanaco which brings one pupusa(great value). I will definitely be going back ASAP! Go NOW!!! read more

***No livers were harmed in the review of this restaurant*** Ercilia's was recommended to me by a friend, so I stopped in one night on a whim. The first thing I learned is that they are out of everything by 7 pm on Saturday night. Everything except higado, which, by the way, is liver. Finally my date and I both placed an order for food not consisting of vital organs, and proceeded to wait, and wait, and wait, and wait for our number to be called. Eventually I thought I might eat my own liver, so my date went to the counter to find our food. He returned with two platters of really good food, so the wait was worth it. I had the horchata, which was really delicious, but might not have tried it had I read these reviews first! I'll be back, but next time I'll go for lunch, and I'll be sure to grab the paper menu and bring a snack if I'm starving! read more

Great and cheap! Lots of people rave about the Mariscos, which are good, but to me overshadowed by other items. I'd recommend the following: Pupusas Revueltas Beef Taco Chicken Taco Beef taco is better overall but that roasted chicken is so, so good. read more

We love soup! This place has a wonderful seafood soup. I have only gotten it with cream, it's delicious. Tons of seafood in it: scallops, squid, crab, mussels. Delicious and rich broth. You have to wait forever, the service is slow here. It is worth calling ahead and come for pickup. I did not like their tortillas, when they got cold they had a weird metallic taste to them. read more

Pretty terrible... I am not a usual Yelp reviewer but this place was not good in the slightest. Very bad service (they forgot our order and I had to go up 5 times to remind them while everyone else got their food)- generally seemed annoyed we were there then the food came and it was flavorless rice and greasy fajitas with about 2 pieces of chicken. Papusa was also cold. Pretty disappointing because this place had potential! Hopefully they can fix it soon... read more

This place is better than Dona Azucena. Sorry but it's true. The filings are better the customer service is better the horchata is better. Enjoy! read more

Such a great place! I love it so much that I came here on my birthday last year. Sometimes a bit of a wait but worth it.

Just visited this location. The customer service is always terrible, but the food is great. If you are willing to put up with the attitude from the staff, not ask questions about the menu, wait 45+ minutes for food than I guess it is worth it. read more

Best pupusas in DC. Amazing value and good service.

Done with this place. Every single time I order they do something to push me away from ever coming back. Place a carry out order and it is never ready, you usually have to wait an additional 15-20 minutes. This last time we placed a large order, in Spanish, after being put on hold for 10 minutes. When we go pick them up 30 minutes later, they were not ready. Apparently they didn't take the order down properly, rather than call back they just didn't bother. Fine, we placed our order again, only to be told at the very end that their credit card machine wasn't working. Come on man. Never again endorsing this place. read more