El Rinconcito Cafe
$ • Mexican Restaurant
Most Recent Reviews
They don't have a GF menu and no one knows what gluten is. But, their ingredients are very simple and there it's limited risk of CC. Beef for fajitas is marinated in soy sauce, avoid that. I'd also avoid anything fried. But chicken enchiladas are simple - homemade corn tortillas (they don't make flour tortillas in house), sauce with tomatillos, jalapenos, water, cheese. It was delicious and the server answered all my questions.
Based on reviews I saw here, I decided to try this place. I immediately told our server that I have celiac disease, and that didn’t seem to register so I told her I can’t eat gluten or anything that’s touched gluten. That also didn’t seem to register. So then I said I can’t eat flour like in a flour tortilla. So then she said, “Ok. So you want a salad?” I asked if the tamales or papusas had wheat flour in them and she said yes (which conflicts with other reviews here). Language seemed to be a barrier. I asked if there was someone else I could talk to and she said no. So we left.
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I was excited to try the food, but when I asked waitress about what was gluten free she seemed confused. I was told they can do corn tortillas. To be on the safe side I went with a salad -meh. However after getting the salad I was impressed. It was big and filled me up. Would I go back? No. But I got a safe meal that was good.
This is one of the most authentic places I’ve ever found. It looks a little sketchy (the name literally means the little nook) but there’s not much gluten in the place anyway for a risk of cross contamination. Corn tortillas are homemade and excellent! I’ve eaten here twice now and have been fine. This is one of the things I look forward to every DC trip!
Delicious tacos and pupusas! I have eaten here multiple times without getting sick!
small, super tight quarters (which is a testament to how good it is) and it was REALLY REALLY good! sat next to locals that lived one block up who come couple times a week. their corn tortillas are home made and do not contain wheat flour. lots of options for g free as long as you stay away from normal non gluten foods (burritos, chimmichangas, etc.). slight language barrier with waitress, but the lady who spoke fluent English was able to answer questions easily about contents of various foods.
