Don Churro Café

Don Churro Café is, admittedly, a little bit out of the usual territory I hunt for my food. And by hunting, I mean by flailing about at my table until my server sees me, and then ambushing them with a cavalcade of things I want to devour. I could never figure out why so many people from my gym love going to this place. It’s fairly deep out in the IT-laden suburbs of Chantilly, and it’s readily obvious. Normal street names like Flaming Pigeon Lane or Frozen Willow Place are instead, replaced by Motherboard Circle and Metrotech Drive.

But don’t let these things dissuade you.

This little restaurant boasts over 50 different South American and Spanish dishes on their menu, to the point where it’s almost overwhelming. Everything including ceviches, empanadas, tapas, soups, salads, entrees, and even a solid dessert menu. So how well can a restaurant with such a vast number of offerings do with their dishes?

Saltena Bolivia

The Saltena Bolivia, an empanada filled with marinated skirt steak and mixed potatoes, was excellent. Deep fried, but not greasy, and very hearty, and a great way to start off sating some pretty hungry customers.

Arepas con Queso

The Arepas de Queso, corn cakes stuffed with cheese, were well made, but fell a little flat on the taste. A pretty reasonable filler, but if it weren’t for the accompanying salsa verde that came with every dish, I don’t think these cakes would have been that great.

Bandeja Paisa

My entree, the Bandeja Paisa, was a ENORMOUS mixed plate of grilled steak, pork belly, chorizo, plantains, a corn cake, a fried egg, rice, beans, and avocado. I think this would fit under the degustation phrase perfectly. A good variety of foods that covered the gamut of Latin foods, and actually pretty good.

And to wrap up the meal? You have to see how a restaurant handles a classic. Churros it is. It’s also some crap advertising if you call your establishment Don Churros and you fall flat on your face with the dish with your name in it.

Churros Rellenos with Ice Cream

But Don Churros definitely gets this simple dish right. Two piping hot churros, overfilled with a thick, syrupy hot caramel, and accompanied by two giant scoops of ice cream. A perfect way to end any meal, even if your meal consisted of five other orders of churros with a side of a triple bypass. Mmmm. Cheat meal.

Auuughghghghgh...

Conversation is easy, but the place is by no means quiet. Service here could use a lot of improvement, as we were constantly flagging down our server for more water, but I couldn’t honestly say whether it was because they were understaffed or if our server was a bit inept, but the restaurant WAS completely filled on a Saturday night, with the occasional group waiting for a table at the front door. There weren’t any exotic paired flavors or textures here, so you’re not going for the culinary experience. Rather, what Don Churros does is simple South American and Spanish dishes, but simple done to perfection. It speaks volumes when your Latino friends rave about the food here, and I’m sure it’s just a little bit like going back home for dinner for them. You don’t get a complimentary basket of chips and dip here, so be sure to get your fill of tapas while you wait for your entree to arrive, but don’t forget to save room for dessert.

Recommended for:

• Shirley
• Latin home cooking fantatics
• Flamingos
• Bargain Diners
• Suburbanites

Not Recommended for:

• Laverne
• Bar Mitzvahs
• Carless Urbanites
• Impatient Diners
• Calorie Counters

View Don Churro Café on a map here.

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