El Gavilan Restaurant

If you want to have an awesome time with family this is YOUR place! I love the friendliness atmosphere and food is delicious! Our favorite time to go is the karaōke time which makes us dance and laugh. My most favorite place!

We had the grilled steak taco, the grilled shrimp and the veggie fajitas. It was all succulent. Our only regret was they ran out of fish tacos. Must come back. A real family place.

rarely one finds such a delicious menu and an excellent opportunity to enjoy family and friends. we recommend a place with a lot of family atmosphere.

We recently went into El Gavilan for the first time in years. Not that our previous experience was bad, it just wasn’t remarkable. The music was ok, the food was ok, the parking was ok. But we gave it another try because we were in the mood for enchiladas. We decided to do take out (read above comment about ok music).
But things have changed! The music was really good as we waited for our order. The new owner/​manager, John, was friendly and attentive. He told us about special musical events coming up at the restaurant that we don’t want to miss. The food was great! All the right sides, the right amount of cheese and great seasoning. The parking, well, that is still ok, can’t do much to improve what’s there… but the food and service and music were so much improved we’re going to be back in a couple weeks, rather than a couple of years!

Been here a few times now. The food is very tasty. I am a fan of getting a combination platter at most sit down Mexican restaurants I go to so of course I tried it here. Fantastic selections and perfectly cooked. The papusas are a delicious appetizer and could even be a meal in itself. Margaritas are great as well. The reason for the 3 stars is cause the service is often very slow. I’ve been in when it has been busy and when it has been nearly empty. Both times the service has been quite slow. Worth the wait but still slow.

Amazing pupusas and curtido. Great crab and shrimp chimichangas… average everything else… the service was meh.

This place has been around since I was a teenager. I come here every so often when I am in the mood for a corn tamale and fajita. Their ceviche is also good. I really do enjoy their food but the wait staff is a hit or miss. They usually have some form of live music entertainment on the weekend. I have no complaints about their food except for the waiting time and sometimes their wait staff are not so friendly.

The food really deserves 5 stars. Especially the steak taco’s del carbon! The chicken quesadilla is pretty awesome as well.
They have a real diverse menu with tex mex and traditional Salvadorian food. The Tostones are great. I wish they would add mofungo to their menu.
I would stay away from the fried ice cream if you don’t like coconut flakes. Coconut flakes and I just don’t agree.
The drink menu is pretty good. I would avoid the $ 5 house margarita though. It’s a very shallow glass. Go for the bigger margaritas they are a little pricey but a better value.
The building itself is a little outdated and the bad Spanish karaōke later in the weekend nights can be a little bothersome. For me and my wife it can be very funny.
The owner is very friendly and seems to take time to get to know his guests.
All in all it’s a great neighborhood hang with great food!

Ribeye is delicious and well marinated. Great Latin atmosphere with live Karaōke. Good drinks and awesome birthday surprises.

El Gavilan Restaurant is a great place to eat. The food is mouth watering delicious and the Margarita’s are to die for. You can take your date, friend or even your family. My family and I eat dinner there once a month. We’ve been going there for over 12 years. Yeah, the place can use a bit of sprucing up, but the food and service makes up for the appearance. My husband will be celebrating his 40^th birthday party there this Saturday. We could have chosen someplace else, but we know what to expect at El Gavilan — great food and great service.

Went here for the first time tonight. Got take out. Was great! Salsa is the best I’ve had in the area. Prompt and warm on a very cold night!

Pocas veces uno se topa con una carta tan exquisita y una excelente oportunidad para deleitarse!

I absolutely LOVE this place! Have been coming for 7 plus years now! I always get the mix Fajitas, if you want awesome fajitas, this is the spot! Get the mix fajitas with chicken, steak and shrimp! they don’t skim on food and the steak is soo juicy! Better than Uncle Julio’s or Guapos. The music adds to the vibe. Love it. Wait staff is good but could use a little more training. That’s the only reason why I’m giving them a 4 star and not 5.

Any place that has «the best of» something in DC for me is a 5-​star place in my book. For grilled fajitas, these guys far out-​do the likes of Guapo’s, Rosa Mexicano, and Uncle Julio’s to name a few big name Tex-​Mex chains in the area. For El Plato Gavilán (shrimp + steak and/​or chicken) fajitas, expect to pay $ 17.75 which is pretty fair for the area. They also do live Latino music /​karaōke on weekends which really adds to the ambience and feeling of authenticity. Great place to go for groups and celebrations!

I think the food portions are too small and expensive. The place is too noisy with kids running all over the place. I think the food is better at El Golfo right up the street.

Great place to visit for some authentic Salvadorian food. If you’re looking for «American» Tex Mex, this isn’t the place for you; their Tacos for example are solid with corn tortillas, meat, and a Salvadorian slaw, none of this cheese, lettuce, and tomato that you’ll see in Taco Bell.
When visiting here with my wife a few weeks back, it was a Sunday night, and it was pretty light crowd, quiet atmosphere, but still had a vibe of being a local neighborhood restaurant. We were promptly seated, and before we placed our order for drinks/​appetizers, we were presented with chips/​salsa, which is one of my benchmark criteria for «good» Latin American restaurants. The chips were thick and sturdy, not these thin obviously factory made chips, in a pretty spicy salsa.
Our Food was all presented promptly, between our Pupusa appetizers to our entrees, and the plates were enormous, such that we both felt stuffed when we left with no time for dessert. Everything came out promptly, and was delivered with attentive, yet not overbearing service. One of my wife’s only complaints was that they seemed to have the AC on full blast, and it wasn’t too terribly hot of a day, so that plus cold drinks was a bit uncomfortable.
Overall though, El Gavilan provides a great value in the quantity and quality of food for the price, and is a good neighborhood Latin American stop.

Good Service!
This place is the prime example of welcoming all cultures. Just because your clientele and cuisine is focused on one culture doesnt mean you have to alienate others. And at this place I felt welcomed! Like I was visiting an El Salvadorian tourist trap (in a good way).
The food was delicious. The wait time was acceptable and the food came out hot, fresh and ready!
The waiter was courteous, communicated well and was very attentive.
My Mango Colada was a little bit sour but that only means they used fresh mangoes that were prolly a lil underripe (its not really mango season).
Love it!

Was invited here by friends… Ordered carne a la parrilla… To start we received chips and salsa… The chips didn’t feel stale and the sauce was flavorful. I got my food and it was wonderful. Meat was tender, soft, and savory. Rice was tasty and the beans were good. Overall a nice restaurant and pretty authentic.

What a disappointment. Walking in the door, I immediately have to pause and make sure I am not in a daycare center. At 7:30 in the evening, I definitely did not expect to be assaulted by the sound of screaming children. But there they were, running around completely unchecked. Not a great start – but hey, a terrible atmosphere is worth dealing with for a great restaurant, right?
The meal starts with chips – thick, bland chips accompanied by tasteless and cold salsa. This stuff could have just been poured out of a Tostitos jar. We order the steak Salvadorian style and the pork chops. Both were overcooked, to the point where the chops were covered in char. There were good flavors there, but they were lost to a terrible preparation.
The prices are unjustifiably high. The food is neither good enough or in large enough quantities to justify $ 13 for a plate. To top it all off, the service was inattentive – we weren’t checked on once during our meal and had to wave someone down for the bill.
I was really hoping to find a latin food gem near home. Maybe there is one out there, but it isn’t El Gavilan.

I came here with my partner and it was really good. I give it 3 ½ stars, since it was a good deal. The waitress was nice and attentive.
Would come here again.

As I was wandering around the area looking at what options there were, I saw the smokestack above the kitchen in this place belch. Suddenly the outside was filled with smell of grilled steak.
If that didn’t entice me to check it out nothing would.
Very much similar to El Golfo down the street, really nice service and a bit more varied menu. The place also has a stage off to the side where they sometimes will have live music, so check ahead of time for this if you are not expecting it.
Basic menu, carne asada, enchilladas, fajitas, and a real great corn tamale ecspecially. Sangria and basic margaritas but without real lime juice will be here served with honesty and sincerity.