Experience Arlington's Hispanic-Owned Businesses

SER

SER serves authentic cuisine from Spain in a casual and friendly setting. Co-owner, Javier Candon, is a native of Spain who enjoys sharing his culinary offerings with the neighborhood and even started a monthly wine club program as another way to teach Arlington's diners about his culture. Try classic dishes like Paella, Bacalao, Croquetas, and more!

Super Pollo

Looking for authentic Peruvian chicken in Arlington? Super Pollo is the premier spot for charcoal-grilled rotisserie chicken in the DMV. But don't miss out on their other signature Peruvian dishes like Lomo Saltado and Pollo Saltado, served over crispy fries with zesty sauces.

Taco Bamba

Victor Albisu's Taco Bamba is a wildly popular chain of taquerias that has developed a cult following for its counter-culture brand. One of its locations is right here in Arlington's Ballston neighborhood. With a robust selection of tacos, tortas, quesadillas, bowls, and more, you'll be sure to find a favorite Mexican-inspired dish.

WHINO

WHINO brings something truly unique to Ballston Quarter. Owner, Shane Pomajambo, combined his passion for art with his appreciation for entertaining around exceptional food and drink to create this restaurant/art gallery concept that visitors consistently enjoy. Stop by for happy hour, enjoy a nice dinner, or simply peruse the artwork that's displayed here.

El Pollo Rico

Victor Solano was inspired to open the country’s first Peruvian rotisserie chicken restaurant by the local street vendors in his hometown of Trujillo, Peru. With the help of his family, Victor opened the very first Peruvian charcoal-broiled rotisserie chicken restaurant in a strip mall on Wilson Boulevard in Arlington. El Pollo Rico has since expanded to three locations in Arlington, Woodbridge, and Wheaton. Try their classic rotisserie chicken, fried yuca, flan, alfajor, and more.

Mexicali Blues

Mexicali Blues opened its doors in May of 1998 in Arlington. Since then, they have been dedicated to bringing fine authentic Mexican cuisine to the Washington Metropolitan Area, including authentic tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, elote, empanadas, cocktails, and more.

Abi Azteca Grill & Bar

Tony Lara and Abigail Valle opened Abi Azteca Grill in 1986. Named after Abigail, the business began when Mama Abi began making pupusas in her home for the Salvadoran community. After they decided to sell the business, they turned to three loyal employees — Sandra Claros, Carmen Mendoza, and Israel Treminio, who have continued on operations ever since. Well-known in the community as having delicious and authentic Salvadoran food, make sure to try their classic pupusas, pastelitos, enchiladas, and more.

Atlacatl Restaurant

Atlacatl Restaurant is another Salvadoran restaurant and Pupuseria located off of Columbia Pike. Their menu features authentic pupusas, sopas, fajitas, burritos, and more in a quaint and charming space.

Café Sazón

Café Sazón is a small family-owned business that opened its doors in 2010 and serves a cuisine selection that includes Bolivian, Salvadorian, Peruvian, Ecuadorian, and American food. Revered for their extensive breakfast and cafe menu in addition to their lunch and dinner offerings, this local spot is vibrant all day long.

Los Chamacos

Chef Benedict Yanez and his wife Jessica Yanez migrated from El Salvador and Mexico in 1996 to the United States. After 24 years of restaurant experience, as well as opening their own food truck, they opened their brick-and-mortar restaurant, Los Chamacos, here in Arlington in 2021. From traditional Mexican lunch dishes like fajitas, and gorditas, to their famous rotisserie chicken and Mexican seafood, they have something for everyone to enjoy.

Mpanadas

Family members Marcelo, Paola, Gabriela, and Jesse made their dreams of bringing people together through great food a reality with the opening of Mpanadas off of Columbia Pike. Their Bolivian heritage is reflected through their business, and they are passionate about sharing their unique flavorful creations with Arlington. Try their fun varieties of empanadas, drinks, paletas, gelato, and more.

Pan American Bakery

Pan American Bakery grew out of the desire to make delicious home-cooked, nutritious meals available to the community in a family environment. Their extensive menu features breakfast favorites, sandwiches, seafood, soup, as well as classic Mexican, Latin, and South American delicacies.

Sabores

Sabores combines the richness of the traditional and modern cuisine from Spain and Latin America to create a variety of delightful dishes for a superb culinary experience. As a tapas bar, Sabores offers an extensive cocktail, wine, and beer menu, as well as tapas, soups and salads, paellas, and more.

Sofia Pupuseria

The owners of Sofia Pupuseria originate from Santa Rosa de Lima, El Salvador and have more than 20 years of experience, specializing in preparing genuine pupusas. In addition to authentic pupusas, their menu features flautas, burritos, carne asada, salchipapas, and more.

Tortas Y Tacos La Chiquita

Open 24/7 off of Columbia Pike, Tortas Y Tacos La Chiquita brings authentic Mexican dishes to the DMV at any time of day. From tortas and tacos to chilaquiles and elote, there's something for everyone, all day long!

District Taco

In 2009, Mexican immigrant, Osiris Hoil, and his neighbor, Marc Wallace, got together over some homemade chips, salsa and guacamole and decided to launch the District Taco food cart in Rosslyn. Over a decade later, District Taco is operating multiple restaurants across Washington, D.C., Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, with ongoing plans to expand. This restaurant serves up tacos, burritos, bowls, salads, and more!

Taqueria El Poblano

Established in 1999, Taqueria el Poblano delivers fare from fresh local ingredients, inspired by regional Mexican and L.A.-style cuisine. Fish Tacos, Duck Carnitas, and Tacos al Pastor are crowd favorites and specials change daily. Their margaritas are award-winning and start with an all-natural, fresh base made in-house.

Island Jewelry

Located at a kiosk inside of Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, Island Jewelry has been in business for 17 years, making ecofriendly jewelry for men, women, and children. From bracelets and necklaces to rings and earrings, there's a little something for everyone available - they can even make custom pieces upon request!

Los Tios Grill

Los Tios Grill, located along Crystal City's popular 23rd street, is one of a handful of locations of this popular local restaurant chain. Since 2004, Mr. German Mejia has been sharing his love of culinary arts and customer service, while serving up delicious Tex-Mex style favorites.

Peruvian Brothers

Part of Amazon's HQ2 campus, Peruvian Brothers is owned by brothers Giuseppe and Mario Lanzone, who were born and raised off the coast of Lima, Perú. When developing Peruvian Brothers, Giuseppe and Mario wanted to give the Washington, D.C. area not only delicious Peruvian ingredients and flavors, but also a piece of their unique heritage. Try their bowls, Peruvian chicken, ceviche, sandwiches, and more.

Tacombi

Popular Mexican chain, Tacombi, was born on the balmy beaches of the Yucatán in 2006 with little more than a cloudless, palm-filled dream of sharing the beauty of authentic Mexican culture with the world. This neighborhood taqueria serves up esquites, tacos, quesadillas, burritas, churros, and more.

Taqueria Xochi

Taqueria Xochi offers authentic Mexican street food with a bar in National Landing. Born during the pandemic, this local restaurant shares the authentic flavors and warmth of Mexican home-style and street foods through their various dishes.

Inca Social

Inca Social is a local community hangout where food, friends and flavor come together to create an authentic Latin experience. Discover classic Peruvian cuisine with modern flair paired with unique craft beers and great people. Their space is perfect for birthday parties and events, and they even have multiple photo ops around the restaurant to take advantage of. Occasionally, they host Alpaca hour, where you can enjoy delicious food and drinks in the presence of furry alpaca friends!

Taco Rock

Anthony, Nick, and Mike Cordero started Taco Rock as a fast-casual sanctuary boasting a scratch kitchen and a vibrant bar scene. Determined to shake up the mundane, they introduced "Tacos with Attitude" to the culinary lexicon, led by their iconic creations like the Birria Taco and the Puffy Beef Taco.

Heads Up Hair Design

Heads-Up Hair Design is a full-service salon for all of your styling needs. They specialize in services like cuts, coloring, styling, and more for men, women, and children in Arlington's Westover neighborhood. Yahsira Burgoa and Miriam Hemriquez are talented hairdressers who are also able to speak Spanish during your hair appointment!

Amoroso Art

Looking to support a local artist? David Amoroso shows his admiration for Latin culture through his artwork. His artistic passion is divided between painting, photography, and block and screen prints. Although the majority of David’s work is dedicated to painting iconic portraits of everyday people, he also represents Mexican pop culture through his work. You can catch David at pop-up markets and exhibitions all around Virginia, D.C., and Maryland!

Ana Just Made It

Ana Laura Sicer is a proud Argentinean creative based in Arlington who owns Ana Just Made It. Her vision is to help minority women learn a craft and start their own small businesses, fostering a community of support and empowerment. She creates Tumblers and Mugs, Tote Bags, Keychains, Wallets and Wristlets, and Pouches, which can be ordered online or at local vendor fairs/farmers markets around Arlington.

Besitos Chocolate

The vision of Besitos Chocolate is to redefine the chocolate snacking experience by offering a range of indulgent treats that nourish the body and delight the senses. They envision a world where enjoying chocolate is not just a pleasure but also a conscious choice for health and well-being. Their Ecuadorian snack chocolate is organic, gluten free, vegan, and low sugar. Their chocolate can be purchased at various pop-up markets around Arlington or through their online store.

Portal Maya

Portal Maya serves up fresh, cooked-to-order Guatemalan cuisine in a food truck at various locations around Arlington. They've got everything from garnachas and carne asada to tacos and churrasco - all on wheels!

Red Bean Harvest

Maria Martinez and Maximilian Ilea, owners of Red Bean Harvest, work in collaboration with coffee growers in Colombia to select high-quality beans and ensure that every coffee bean sold has the best possible flavor. Red Bean Harvest products focus on offering their customers an exceptional coffee experience with high-quality beans, expert preparation, sustainability, and accessibility. Their coffee can be purchased online, at the Columbia Pike farmers market, or at various pop-ups around Arlington.