Sarita’s Restaurant

I went to pick up some pupusas yesterday and ended up ordering a large orchata as well. The total came to $ 20 and some cents. I paid it and went to the gas station right next door. As I was coming back I noticed that they had a menus posted at the window, so I stopped and looked at it. Apparently the drink had cost me $ 7 — and no it didn’t have any alcohol. So I went in and told them to cancel my drink. The owner got very upset and told me that I wanted got stuff for cheap and that I could go else where were they serve shit. Which as is, is very unprofessional of him. But most important I’m salvadorian and an orchata is
Powder you mix with water or milk and add ice. I seriously doubt he used milk on his orchata. And unless my drink has alcohol, there’s no way I’m paying $ 7.
Thought I found a good place, but I was wrong. I’m never going back and I’m definitely going to make sure that everyone I know hears my story on how terrible and unprofessional this place is.

I don’t even want to give them a star if you want crappy service then go there. also I ordered only 1 pupasa and they took an hour and a half then my food was cold worst service ever never coming back

The place is very nice however with the combination of loud music and water costing 2 $ I felt like my money was not well spent. Will not come back again.

In the middle of running Sunday errands, I stopped in for lunch. The restaurant was mostly empty, but featured a large stage and was packed to the gills with chairs/​tables, so I think it must have a pretty popular live music scene.
I wanted steak nachos, but the waitress helpfully informed me they weren’t on the menu. So I ordered chicken nachos, which also weren’t on the menu except for a picture. They arrived in a reasonable amount of time, nice and hot but nothing special. I don’t think I’ll go back, there’s plenty of other interesting options.

Sarita’s is Salvadorean not Mexican but good. They have the best pupusas in the Falls Church area. You have to go to Arlington to get better. The atmosphere is typical of a Salvadorean restaurant. Getting your food can be slow, so don’t go in a rush or order and expect to pick up in half an hour. The service is good and friendly. Later at night sometimes there are annoying drunk guys hanging out (one tried to get in my car once) so don’t go alone after 8.

Best pupusa place we’ve found in NOVA. Delicious!

Not sure why Sarita’s is listed as a Mexican restaurant when the owner is Salvadorian, the food is Salvadorian and the customers are Salvadorian. We’ve had Salvadorian food before and while we know it is not as spicy as some other Latin food, like Mexican, but can still be quite good. Unfortunately, the overall experience at Sarita’s was disappointing and we will not go back.
The plastic tablecloths and the dingy furniture, walls and floors were an immediate turnoff. The service was pleasant, but clearly serving English-​speaking clientele is not the restaurant’s priority. Our waitress was sweet, but clueless and definitely inattentive. Food was mediocre both in taste and presentation. The bottomless chips and the salsa were tasteless. We had to mix it with the tobasco sauce on the table to give it some flavor. The nacho plate we ordered was a slopyy, soggy mess (check photos on our blog). The chicken tortillas were also blah to say the least. Mushy meat and soft tortillas (plain pupusas) left a lot to be desired. The chicken stew was barely at all a stew (check photo on our blog). Again, tobasco sauce to the rescue.
If Sarita’s offered a better dining experience the prices, which are rather average to an ethnic dive, would not have been so insulting. But we felt that we paid way too much for the mediocre quality of lunch we had at Sarita’s.

Went here with several friends and we had a really nice time. The food was good, the service was on point and the music loud.
I loved the guacamole and tacos. Salvadorian food was authentic and the portion were generous. We couldn’t finish everything.
Not sure what some of these reviewers are talking about but there is quite a bit of competition in the area… Just sayin…

yo ! bitch this place is the bomb I dont care what you fools say its convenient they have good hours the staff is friendly the food is good you get what you pay for people need to get a life and stop complaining about places they go to eat if you dont like it dont go back but if you cant have a good time going out to eat your a looser

The pupusas are soooo good, but they are slow and very pricey for the kind of restaurant it is.

The food was pricey and the service was terribly slow. But the quality of the food was pretty decent. The tortillas were basically unstuffed pupusas, but they tasted well enough, and I especially liked the grilled jalapenos.

It’s a crazy atmosphere here on the weekends. This place is not Mexican… you Unilocalers are so silly. This place is Trucho!!! Wanako! If the the emes and the eses just knew the yuppitastic Unilocalers Really couldn’t tell the difference between the one and the other they would stop killing each other for a few minutes just to laugh at yall.
The owner here is cool. I gave them an extra star for that.

The service was attentive but the language barrier was a problem. Pointing helped :)
The food came quickly, so it was served hot. But for flavor, eh… Not impressed. I had the pasta with shrimp. I guess it was my fault for ordering that kind of entrée in an el salvadorian/​Mexican restaurant. The noodles were over– cooked and had way more sauce than could accommodate noodles. So it was rather soupy. My husband ordered the chicken breast which was a safe order. He was satisfied with it but didn’t know what to make of the tortillas that came with his meal. They were thick and dry tasting.

I might be a little generous giving two stars, but I’m new to Unilocal and I guess I’m not yet ready to lose my one star virginity. Let’s call it 1.5 stars.
In fairness, what we got did taste pretty good, but I could not believe how tiny the portions were. My ex and I both got burritos and they were literally about the size of the palm of my hand and came with a small side of rice and refried beans. As someone else mentioned, they only have cans of soda and they’re $ 2.50 each. To add insult to injury, they only had caffeine free diet coke. I didn’t think anyone other than my parents drank that stuff.
We ended up spending $ 30 (including tip) for two miniscule burritos and two cans of diet coke. Fortunately they didn’t charge for the chips because I needed the extra sustenance.
I will not be coming here again.

The food at Sarita’s is thoroughly mediocre and overpriced for what you get. The Cornish hen was dry and tough, yet probably not the best choice at a Mexican/​Salvadorian restaurant. The accompanying rice and salad were both quite good. The carne guisada came with a few huge chunks of beef and potatoes, but neither were tender as you’d expect from a slow-​cooked stew; the gravy wasn’t very thick either. Fried plantains were excellent, though I wasn’t sure what to do with the sour cream and refried beans that were served with it.
Luckily, one of the two waitresses spoke English very well. They charge for water, so stick with the Corona or Modelo. Popular tropical music videos were projected on the wall, keeping the dining area loud even though the place was empty. The single rose in a tall vase and white table cloth seemed over the top. You’d be better off eating at Chili’s.

This is another place that I really want to like, but our experiences have been too bad. We had been to the original Sarita’s in Falls Church way back when, and back then the place was hopping with Spanish-​speaking clientele to such an extent that it was hard to get seated. In fact, my wife and I, as the only Anglos in the place, drew stares. So we figured the food must be good, but the atmosphere wasn’t (because of the crowds, nothing against the clientele).
Anyway, fast forward to the Sarita’s that has relocated to Graham Rd, and you get an upscale version that is just WAY too expensive for what they’re serving. I don’t fault them for not having a kid’s menu, but there wasn’t much that was kid-​friendly (you know, in which the food is distinct and isolated, not touching anything else, and ideally is served with ketchup).
We went early to avoid the stares of the Spanish-​speaking clientele, but it turned out that we had lunch and departed before anyone else entered the restaurant. Does ANYONE eat here?
The prices are crazy expensive. Cokes come in a can, so you know you’re not going to get a free refill. If memory serves, the cans were at least $ 2 and maybe $ 2.50. Entrees were also way, way expensive, and this was at lunch. For two adults and two kids, we ended up spending nearly $ 45, and we certainly weren’t full when we left.
A word on the wait staff. As J. W. mentioned, they don’t seem to speak English, nor do they have a designated English-​speaker to handle the few Anglos that venture in. No problem, I switched to Spanish (having spent two years in a Spanish-​speaking country and ordered in Spanish in restaurants scores of times). Even that wasn’t very successful. In the end, there was a lot of pointing at the menu and gestures. What the hell?

This restaurant is a total disappointment. Not being familiar with Salvadorian food, we decided to go there for the Mexican dishes. What Sarita’s offered under the heading of Mexican was marginal (and that is being kind). The soft tacos had the consistency of Wonder Bread and fell apart. The burrito platter was pedestrian at best. On the plus side the pupusa with pork was excellent. The wait staff had a difficult time understanding our orders and when I asked for a slice of lemon for my water, I got a Miller Lite. Add vendors strolling through the restaurant hawking their wares, and it made for a less than enjoyable dining experience. You can get a better Mexican meal at Tippy’s Taco House or Taco Bell.