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El Rincón Catracho is a hidden gem located on East 14th Street. With a mixture of Honduran and Mexican food, this tiny blue-and-white restaurant is sure to please any person with a yearning for an authentic latin dish.

When I walked into El Rincón Catracho, I was skeptical. There was no one else in the restaurant. There were only six small tables to choose from, and they were cramped together. If you are taller than me, 5’5”, you can see over the counter to the cook at his stove top. The white and blue walls were chipped, and there were Honduran decorations scattered throughout the restaurant. There was a TV in the corner playing a telenovela with no English subtitles.

Signs in Spanish covered the wall near the cash register. Luckily, the menu had English translations. I ordered pastelitos, three Honduran turnovers filled with beef and fried to perfection. I also got a side of rice because I wasn’t sure how big the pastelitos were going to be.

There was one waitress working, one cook and one cashier. After talking with our waitress, I found out it was a family-owned business, and they had been open for a little over a year.

While waiting for my food, I could hear the cook chopping fresh cabbage and smell my meat cooking. My stomach rumbled while I sat there, and the smells of my meal being prepared teased me. Our waitress brought out a bottle with sauce in it. She didn’t tell me what it was, but after I tried a little bit of it, it reminded me of Zombie Burger sauce. It didn’t strike me as authentic Honduran or Mexican food, but I could be wrong.

It took approximately 30 minutes for my food to be prepared, which is reasonable. When the waitress brought out my food, I was surprised to see how big the turnovers were. They were about the size of my hand. My meal also came with a veggie mix of beets, onions and cabbage that had a little kick to it.

When I took the first bite of my Honduran beef turnover, my tastebuds instantly started to water with satisfaction; it was hot and fresh. I decided it needed a little sauce on it because it was kind of like eating a loose-meat hamburger in a turnover.

I could only finish half of my veggie mix because I didn’t really care for the kick it had. I also didn’t think it complemented the pastelitos well. My side of rice did the trick though. The rice reminded me of Carlos O’ Kelly’s rice. It was yellow and had a mild flavor to it.

Overall, I would rate this place four out of five stars. The food was fresh, mostly authentic and very good. The waitress was kind and gave us good service. The reason I give it four instead of five stars is due to the overall appearance of the restaurant. It was small and needs a fresh look. It also did not offer alcohol. In my books, a margarita is a necessity for me with spicy food. I would definitely go back to El Rincón Catracho due to the authenticity of the food and the good customer service I received. This little restaurant earned it’s way onto my list of hidden gems in Des Moines.