As soon as you enter Seis Vecinos, you’re assumed to speak Spanish. Don’t let that deter you if you don’t—it’s a strong indication that your lunch will be an authentic Mexican / Central American feast. In fact, the only thing that’s not truly real here are the green, white, and violet plastic flowers flowing from the ceiling and hanging from the trellises above you. (And, the menus have English descriptions under the Spanish names of all the dishes.)

The open and airy restaurant features booths, chairs and tables, three televisions, a full bar, and a long outdoor seating area. After I sat down and perused the lengthy list of colorful drinks, a waitress wheeled over a guacamole cart, where she smashed an avocado and other ingredients into some terrifically fresh guac.

“Seis Vecinos” translates to “Six Neighbors,” a reference to the six countries of Central America that stretch from Mexico to Colombia. (I’m assuming that Belize, the seventh country, is omitted because it’s English-speaking.) In business since 2012, this family-run restaurant boasts a broad menu that fuses the gastronomy of these countries.

Try This: Immediately begin sipping on a refresco naturales, a traditional Latin American beverage, especially popular in Costa Rica, made with water, fresh fruit, and a touch of sugar. It comes in a variety of choices; the mora (blackberry) is particularly delicious. Then start with a pupusa, a traditional Salvadoran dish of a thick, handmade corn tortilla stuffed with one of many choices (queso is lovely), and accompanied by curtido, a crunchy and savory cabbage and carrot side salad with three sauces for you to experiment with. For your main course, shelve your boneless, skinless chicken breast dietary regimen and opt for the Honduran tajada—a hill of fried green banana slices topped with a red cabbage salad, tomato, onion, tomato sauce, and house dressing, surmounted by three pieces of fried chicken that will make you start craving chicken skin again.

I’d Love to Hear From You!

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