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    Pupuseria Vanessa

    4.0 (24 reviews)
    Closed • 7:00 am - 11:00 pm

    Pupuseria Vanessa Photos

    PUPUSERIA VANESSA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Yuca fries, pupusas
    Caitlin D.

    Vanessa's has the BEST pupusas. My favorite pupusas are the bean and cheese. Their yuca fries and plantains are to die for. They're efficient, affordable, and always open. Could not recommend enough!

    Pupusas with cabbage and tomato sauce condiments. Delicious value for money!

    According to my Latina spouse, these are the best pupusas in the Takoma Park area. Having tried many places in the area, I agree. They even give you a buzzer, so you know when your order is ready. Located in the parking lot of Bestway on the corner of Piney Branch Road and Greenwood Avenue.

    a man standing in front of a food truck
    Alex H.

    If you're not Mexican, they will service every other Latino first before they get to your order. On multiple occasions I've seen the woman move your ticket instead of making them as the orders have come through. At first I thought my order simply took longer to make except a person who came fifteen minutes after me walked away with a massive three-box order (and you can't call ahead). It's a shame bc they work hard and long hours but they are definitely partial towards other Latino customers and will make you wait 20-30min at a food truck.

    Chicken & steak tacos
    Gen S.

    Chicken & steak tacos were well seasoned. Unfortunately, the fajita combo was too salty for my taste. My biggest complaint would be for an order that I was told would take approximately 15 - 20 minutes took over 30 minutes.

    Steak tacos
    M. B.

    Been here twice so far. So delicious!! I highly recommend. I wish I didn't live so far because I would eat there more often!!

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    9 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    5 years ago

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    2 years ago

    I loveeeee pupuseria vanessa!! They have a great selection of El Salvadorian food on their menu and it's always so so good!

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Had the pupusa de ayote and pupusa de jalapeño. Felt like a warm hug by an abuela or tía. A must go when you are in town.

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    5 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Always solid and great prices too. I've only had pupusas but I would like to try other items one

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    7 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    12 years ago

    Pork & Cheese, Bean & Cheese, and the Cheese pupusas were all very good.

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    12 years ago

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    11 years ago

    OMG, not sure what the hype is on the tacos, but I got some shit! straight unseasoned (Capitol) Garbage and it was about 7pm.

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    Cielo Rojo - Vegan Tacos

    Cielo Rojo

    4.5(638 reviews)
    1.5 mi
    •$$

    I have been here roughly a billion times since my last review. They aren't perfect but pretty…read moreclose to it in terms of consistency. A couple of feedback issues from a regular: the tostadas are too hard and please bring back the short rib for the dinner entree, which was easily the best tasting item and value of any restaurant anywhere. This place is amazing. Recommend: birria, Guac (don't add the herbs), carne asada, house margaritas with tequila, enchiladas with tres moles, and the pan frances for brunch. Thank me later. Service is always great, but please provide more napkins at the start.

    Great Vegan Options (4.25/5)…read more Cielo Rojo is in an awkward location, sandwiched between a firehouse and a car shop. However, their food drives many customers to their doors. My family and I were looking for a new and different Mexican place with lots of vegan options and Google search showed me Cielo Rojo. I was happy to see a dedicated vegan menu and some excellent reviews so we gave it a try. Overall we were pleased with the unique menu but thought the flavors could have been elevated. Food (1.75/2) - most of the picks we had were great but some were lacking.... Flavor. The pan y macha butter was pleasantly a great start to the evening. Though the bread could have been a little softer, the macha butter wasn't overwhelming. The queso fondito could be skipped, there wasn't anything special and in fact I wouldn't order it next time. The guacamole was fresh and herby, however, there just wasn't enough of it in one order. I wouldn't recommend ordering two even for just two people. The street corn was a hit between my kids and my wife. They loved the sweet, tangy, and spicy corn that melted in their mouths. And the tacos were great as well. However, I felt the Gorditas under delivered for sure. I was expecting a flavor punch but received more of a chewy patty on a bland sauce. But if life could be thrown on it by additional fresh herbs and flavors. Drinks (1/1) - we only tried one cocktail and ordered a Mexican cola for our dinner but what we received was good enough to show they know their drinks. My drink wasn't under spiked or unbalanced, it went smoothly. The hibiscus flavor along with the spirit was showing boldly through the syrups. I wouldn't recommend ordering love to try another cocktail next time. Service (0.75/1) - I wish I could say the service was exceptional but there were times we were waiting too long for a service member to show up. They were friendly and polite but definitely could have had more touch points with us throughout the night. We sorta felt abandoned at times. Again, nothing much to complain but something to improve upon. Decor (0.75/1) - overall, it's a welcoming spot with art pieces of their heritage. However, there were lots of dusty sellables that probably should be removed from the dining floor. It didn't mix well with a great restaurant. Not sure if they really need to sell a rack of clothing right next to where we were sitting to be honest. In the end, the food was decent, unique, and welcoming to vegetarians so we would comeback again and give other items on their menu a try. Hopefully, flavor profile can be more prominent next time.

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    Juneberry Garage - Arugula salad with chopped veggies and cranberries.  Very Good at Juneberry Garage

    Juneberry Garage

    4.4(16 reviews)
    2.3 mi•Shepherd Park

    My bike friends came here after a ride and this is going to be a bike crews haven, only because…read moreit's outdoors, big open space and trails are near. Walkers, etc, any out door people, this is your spot! Since he's a biker, when he first came without me, he texted, "I have a place for us, that's not in your bookmarks". Juneberry Garage is everything it sounds like! First, the people here are all so nice! Ordering is easy, QR code in full effect, you don't have full service. You serve yourself water, etc, but cute and totally worthy of a visit! Let's get into it! Coffee - I'm a coffee drinkers and this coffee was just okay, not sure if it was too bold or what but I would likely get a mimosa the next time. Honey Maple Chicken +Bodega Egg sandwich was to die for! Tatter Tots - YUMMY! Breakfast Tots - +Bodega Egg - He LOVED! Honestly, this is going to be in heavy rotation! Love this place, the only time you'll be able to call me a "regular" might be here!

    Awesome place! With summer coming, they are going to such an oasis. They have a mix of indoor and…read moreoutdoor seating (on weekends, indoor open till 12, outdoor till 10), with top notch food and drinks. And unbeatable ambiance. For food, the smashburger is outstanding. Definitely a cut above the average. You can choose to get it as a single or double, and the fries were salty and tasty. Onion rings are excellent, too. The cocktails might be even better, which was a pleasant surprise considering these are the people behind Midlands and Ivy & Coney, two DC icons to be sure, but not exactly known as cocktail hotspots. These are good as any cocktail bar in the city. The Sicilian Kiss is a lemony/strawberry-y take on a negroni that hit. I love negronis, and I loved this. The bad bunny is also a delight. A nod to the Puerto Rican legend and our favorite furry friends, it has PR rum and carrot liqueur, and chartreuse! What a mix. Bonus points for incredibly kind and helpful staff, good prices, and the fact they use a QR code for ordering/closing tabs. Makes life so much easier for everyone. I will be back!

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    Lime & Cilantro - Chicken empanadas

    Lime & Cilantro

    4.5(112 reviews)
    2.2 mi

    Oh, I can't believe I didn't leave a review for the spot, even though I've been a few times though!…read moreIt's been a while, but man are they delicious. I would describe them as a combination of classic and elevated Latin food. The vibe of the restaurant is very casual, but the presentation of many of the dishes takes it to another level. They also have a wide selection of beer and wine. I have had tacos, octopus, breakfast tacos, and tamales. Everything was flavorful and quite tasty. I will admit service was a little slow the last time I went, but given the weather and the fact that we weren't in a rush it wasn't a big deal. If you haven't been yet, you should go. The colorful presentation reminds me of Palette 22, and rumor has it they are expanding to the Ethiopian restaurant that closed next door. I hope that's true!

    Comfortable small restaurant. We told our waiter this was our 1st time here, so he offered…read moresuggestions. Funny thing is just about everything he suggested was something I was thinking of getting & debating, so that made it harder to decide. We had a nice table by the window & it was a moderately busy evening by the time we finished dinner so noise level had picked up. They have a couple tables outside too. Waiter was not as attentive as needed for refilling water, but he was only 1 there tending to indoor tables. I decided to order the Mole short rib. Presentation on ALL dishes served was beautiful. My short rib was very small piece of meat, but it was SO tasty & no fatty meat was served, which I was happy about. The rice served under was delicious. Thoroughly enjoyed my selection. The 2nd recommended dish, my husband had which was the Lime & Cilantro chicken. Though it looked beautiful, the chicken itself was a "strange cut". He said it was sort of part of breast & maybe part of attached portion of thigh? He also was not happy that it had the joint & small bone (not expected) along with a fatty piece of skin attached. He said chicken did not have much flavor nor did the black beans, but he said the rice was delicious. He did finish the entire dinner but wasn't a WOW to make us go back from his perspective. And because menu is small choices, he didn't find anything else he would want to order. My friend ordered the other recommended dish, Tamales. She asked for an extra chicken Tamales, which the waiter explained it's 1 potato&corn and 1 chicken & reason there would be an up charge if she was adding 2nd chicken. you normally get a veggie Tamales & chicken Tamales. She was fine with that, but when the plate came out, only 2 not 3 as she & I expected, although my husband said, he understood that waiter was substituting the veggie for the chicken even though our friend wanted all 3 & said as much. I can't comment too much on her dish for flavor other than looking lovely, but not exactly what I envisioned. She did eat majority & took rest home. She said it was good. We ordered guacamole app which came with chips. I felt it was a bit small of a serving for both chips & guacamole. I didn't try it, but everyone said it was good. We passed on dessert, nothing super appealing, limited items. However, they should add plantains to the dessert selection as I was tempted to order, but no one else wanted any. Plantains were on the dinner sides menu and noticed them earlier. Would I go back? Maybe, but it would have to be if I was in the area, after 6p for the free parking in the lot across the street or on a weekend.

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    Empanada

    Lime & Cilantro - Cilantro rice.  A simple dish, but a level above any I've had before.

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    Cilantro rice. A simple dish, but a level above any I've had before.

    Pupuseria Vanessa - latin - Updated October 2026

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