By Jack Minchew

I’ve always thought it somewhat ridiculous that American food culture as a whole tends to consolidate the wide variety of Latin American cuisines into the limited and arbitrary designation of “Mexican food.” To me, combining Mexican, Central American, and South American dishes together is like combining Italian, French, and Spanish food together and calling it Swiss food. All share similar roots but really are different. So, it was refreshing to find a place like Los Tios that describes itself as a Salvadorean restaurant that also serves Tex-Mex.

Los Tios is located in the Market Station complex in downtown Leesburg, underneath Fireworks Pizza on the Loudoun Street side. Inside, Los Tios is somewhat small and just a little bit cramped, with only 3 rows of tables inside. If the weather is nice, the outside seating can be a better choice.

One of the most important things I consider when reviewing a Hispanic restaurant is the quality of the tortilla chips and salsa. I give Los Tios high marks for the delicious salsa and the thin but surprisingly hefty chips. I ordered the Tacos Los Tios from the Platos Tipicos section of the menu, and some of my companions ordered the chicken, beef, and shrimp fajitas and the Carne Deshilada from the Salvadorean section of the menu.

The food did take a while to arrive, but when it did, it was very good. The meat that came with my tacos was savory and nicely seasoned, and the taco fillings that came with it were all of high quality. The tortillas that came with the tacos were very flimsy and quickly fell apart when picked up. I ended up eating most of the dish with rest of the tortilla chips from the salsa. The fajita meat was also excellent and was served on a steaming plate, but the fajitas suffered from the same weak tortilla syndrome that affected the tacos. The Carne Deshilada, a Salvadorean dish, was particularly interesting. Made of shredded beef and eggs, the Carne Deshilada was a delicious alternative to the mainstays of Americanized Latin food.

The service was excellent as a general rule, and all of the waiters were attentive to any concerns from diners.Overall, Los Tios is my favorite place to grab some quality Hispanic food. Next time you are craving some fajitas or tacos, try Los Tios.