To be honest, I’d never tried Honduran food before. Sure, I’ve had other Central American cuisines: Guatemalan, Nicaraguan, Salvadoran, etc. and, while they may share similar dishes and even flavor profiles, it’s always interesting to learn about what makes one country’s food different from its neighbors. “Catrachitos” is the nickname Hondurans call themselves, much like Guatemalans are “Chapines” and Costa Ricans “Ticos.” See how we’re learning already?
I first noticed Catrachito a few days before Christmas, when I saw a sign on their window for Noche Buena tamales. I ordered a few, and we enjoyed them on the intended Eve.
Studded with peppers, carrots, rice, and succulent pork, I found the masa itself very tender, similar to Nicaragua’s nacatamales, but not as hefty. I much preferred these to Mexican tamales, which, for me, tend to be rather dry. These will be on repeat every holiday.
A few of us went for a sit-down dinner recently, lured only in part by the full bar. Alas, El Catrachito has a quite well-stocked bar, but no bartender at the moment, and our server could only make us margaritas.
We shared an order of the namesake appetizer, catrachitas.
Essentially, crispy tostadas with refried beans, crema, and grated cheese. The richly flavored beans went really well with the cool crema. A deceptively simple snack that you might make at home for yourself after a night of bar-hopping, if you could get your abuela to make you beans this good.
I ordered what I was told was a very typical dish — once again, another catrachita: Carne Catracha.
Very flavorful grilled beef rested atop what tasted like very thin strips (tajadas) of fried yucca, but which I was told were unripened bananas; and no, not plantains (despite what the menu says). A quite starchy base for the meat and veggie tower, which was mostly cabbage and onions, with crumbled queso fresco, and a dressing I couldn’t quite figure out, but which was tasty. A friend ordered a very similar dish of fried chicken buried under the same pile of veg, and another had mar y tierra.
The menu is again a little deceptive, as chicken is listed while the shrimp isn’t, but the dish hit all the bases: Grilled, flavorful meat, perfectly cooked shrimp, fries and rice for that double-carb action, salad, and those wonderful beans. The only thing that didn’t quite cut it for me was the rice, which I found bland.
Another at our table ordered the filete de pescado.
More of the same, and for me, the fish was overwhelmed by those veggies.
Lastly, my other dining companion had the camarones en salsa de ajo; again, a similar dish, but with nicely sautéed shrimp topped with sautéed vegetables:
While it may appear there is too much repetition, the menu has more to offer, including typical breakfasts, enticing caldos and platos fuertes (salmon, cioppino, pork chops, tacos, calamari, enchiladas), all prepared with the Catrachito flare, to be sure.
Fancy fare this isn’t, but homey comfort food at reasonable prices it is. Now if they could just hire a bartender.
El Catrachito
2331 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA 94110