El Metapan Restaurant & Grill

We were driving around looking for some grub and came across this little place in Rockville. It shares a building with a Spanish restaurant, and we were so torn on which one to choose! Eventually we chose El Metapan, a Salvadorean and Mexican place.
When we walked in the music was BLARING. It was so loud that we could barely hear the waitress shout «table for two?». It was so odd because there was practically nobody in the place. I wanted to turn around and go nextdoor because I thought this was just going to be ridiculous. But we went inside, and I’m so glad we did!
Don’t come here expecting some sort of fancy gourmet experience. This place is just a local joint that serves some pretty good Central American cuisine.
We ordered two bean and cheese pupusas which were delicious. I am not a pupusa afficionado so I have no idea if they were «authentic» or «the best ever» or whatever. They were just good.
For entrees, I ordered the shrimp with tomato sauce and my husband ordered a dish with shredded beef and eggs (can’t recall the name). They were both served with two heavy corn tortillas, which could have been a meal in themeselves. Each of our entrees were from the Salvadorean part of the menu. The menu also features some Mexican dishes like fajitas and quesadillas. There was one Honduran entrée also.
Each meal also came with a sauce that was like a bean purée, a small salad, and rice. It was all very good. The tomato sauce that my shrimp came with was SO good — it had a wonderful smoky flavor that was so yummy.
All in all this place set up back a whopping $ 28 before tip (two pupusas at $ 1.50 each, two entress, and one soda). I would definitely recommend it to someone who wants a local, no frills restaurant with some yummy Central American fare. As long as you can handle the insanely loud music, that is.
(This place may turn into a bar/​nightclub in the evening. They had a projector and screen, and an area in the back of the restaurant that looked to be a stage with lights. I assume they have karaōke or bands on certain nights of the week.)