el viroleño restaurant

everything about el viroleno (with the exclusion of the building itself) was welcoming. luvy, our waitress, was very helpful and patient. she also brought our table the extra pupusas from the kitchen (which is always appreciated!)

we tried all kinds of the different drinks offered. i got the orange-flavored jarritos, which essentially tasted like an orange popsicle. a bit too sweet for me, but still yummy. we also tried orchata, a sweet and creamy rice drink, that was the tables favorite. we tried the michelada (essentially a beer bloody mary) and while i'm sure they made it perfectly we were not fans at all. tomatoes in beer didn't bode well.

as others have said the pupusas are wonderful and a must-try option. for anyone who doesn't know, a pupusa is a cornmeal pocket with cheese and additional fillings can be added. the cabbage and salsa add an extra layer of flavor that is both crisp and flavorful.

for the entree i had pollo guisada, which was flavored with typical salvadoran seasonings (according to the menu - not my knowledge). the stewed chicken was delicious and practically fell off the bone. the rice and beans were a perfect temperature and some of the best seasoned i have ever had. homemade tortillas with some shredded lettuce and dices tomatoes were given to everyone as an additional serving option as well.

for dessert i ordered flan and was not disappointed. while there was nothing particularly special about this flan it was prepared quickly and the chill was just right.

parking is outbackand right off tennessee st. there is also an entrance in the back. i definitely suggest anyone who enjoys good food and service to give el viroleno a try!

menu is not clear, but tasty food. i ordered the papusas. if you look at the menu, it appears that there's a cheese papusa and then two other options with "a blend of" a whole bunch of ingredients. really, the other two should be worded as "a choice of". anyway, i ordered a cheese, a revueltas (blended pork and beans) and a loroco, which is apparently some sort of edible flower, for a total of $6.40 and that more than filled me up for a lunch. the papusas look like thick little pancakes, have a similar texture, and taste like a pancake made with corn tortillas, but are somehow stuffed with what you order. you get a jar of a slightly spicy, really crunchy and awesome fresh coleslaw type of thing and a mild sauce to go with them. i thought that the cheese one was ok and the loroco one unique in flavor, a little like okra or something, but the revuelta one was great. i'm definitely goingbackto try other papusa combinations and some of their other food.

horchata and vegetarian options. no one's mentioned that they even have horchata! horchata is a traditional latin american sweetened rice/nut milk with vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. i kind of gauge authentic mexican/latin american restaurants by whether they have horchata. this is the only place i know of in tallahassee with horchata! this is a small, no frills restaurant with good authentic food. the type of place where you can thank the cook on the way out thebackdoor to the parking lot at the rear of the building. there is usually only one extremely nice server but sometimes two during busier lunch days. it has a good variety of vegetarian options typical of mexican restaurants but of the salvadoran variety ... the pupusas rock! pupusas, by the way, are made from corn and consequently gluten free ... there are several other gluten free items that can be ordered.