Cupcake Cupid: Food Truck Review

El Fuego is a Peruvian truck in DC that is painted and designed like a fire truck! I’ve actually tried 2
different dishes: the shrimp saltado bowl and the salchipapa platter. The saltado bowl is similar to a
stir fry and comes with a side of French fries, which I swapped out for yucca fries :) The shrimp saltado
bowl was simply amazing; the shrimp and veggies were very tender and fresh, and the onions are not
overwhelming like some stir fries can be. Also, the red bell peppers just melt in your mouth, I don’t
understand how they did this! I’m not a huge fan of red peppers to begin with but El Fuego made them
incredibly tasty. I’m not sure what sauce they use but it’s very flavorful with a slightly spicy kick. My only complaint is that it was a bit salty.

El Fuego Food Truck

Considering I’m Asian, I had high expectations for the rice lol I would say the rice is too dry and on the crumbly side. It’s possible that I’m just more accustomed to stickier, moist rice but regardless, I wish they made their rice better. The yucca fries were decent; they’re your standard yucca fries – cut thick and lightly fried. I don’t think they’re any better or worse than other yucca fries I’ve tried from various restaurants, just average. The fries would’ve been better if they had that special yucca sauce that Guapos has. El Fuego provide 3 different side sauces: Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. They are labeled by spiciness level, Level 3 being the spiciest. I only tried the Level 2 sauce, which wasn’t that spicy to me (I love spicy so not sure if I would recommend it for those of you who prefer milder spices?) I definitely plan on trying the Level 3 one next time.

Shrimp Saltado Bowl

Fresh Shrimp & Veggies

The saltado bowl is packaged in a completely decomposable container, so I give them props for helping our environment :) The downside is that I felt like it was starting the decomposition process 20 minutes after I started eating since I couldn’t get the lid to cap properly no matter how how I tried. The lid kinda softened/melted or something o_O

The second dish I tried was the salchipapa platter, which is French fries topped with sliced hot dogs
and their El Fuego sauces. This dish was alright…I’m not really sure why I got it to be honest lol because its just fries topped with hot dogs, but I was intrigued because it sounded good at the time. For $5 you do get a generous portion and it is a pretty good appetizer (although the size could’ve made it an entree). I personally don’t think there is anything special about it; it’s not bad but it is what you would expect if you chopped up hot dogs and threw them on top of fries. It would be pretty good bar food in my opinion :P Give it a try if you’re curious but I wouldn’t say it’s a must-try.