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Last Thursday (10-8-09), me and some co-workers had to attend a training class. When we broke for lunch, we all himmed and hawwed where to go for lunch. I suggested we walk the four blocks to Amelia's, since I had not been there in over six years. I told my co-workers that from what I remembered, they had some of the best tasting Pupusas around.
We made it to Amelia's, I ordered a Pupusa, rice and beans ala carte. The total cost of my lunch, including the Snapple ice tea was $9.99.
When my lunch made it to the table, it looked and smelled great. And when I dove in, man it was good.
These are still some of the best Pupusas around IMO. The beans were good and the rice okay, but I didn't go there for either.
I left 100% satisfied that I got my $$$ worth.
No chips...
And while they were stingy with the curtido, the salsa had to come from the salsa bar...
The bathroom was out of service, as well...
My friend and I were looking for a place to eat in RWC and came across this place for our dining pleasure one night. It's kind of this divey looking place where you order up front from this lit up menu, pay, grab some salsa, then sit down at your table with your number til they bring you your food. My friend had never had El Salvadorean food so we ordered one plate of papusas (pork and cheese & loroco and cheese) and then the onion beef specialty platter.
The 4 star rating is for the homemade papusas that are made to order and took about 15 mins to make. If I were only reviewing the onion and beef dish, they would get 2 stars. The beef in the beef dish was way over cooked, hard, really salty, and really wasn't all that.
BUT, the papusas, they are what gives this place the 4 star rating. We would def come back again for the papusas. There are so many more for my tummy to try. I can't wait to come back and get more and with that spicy red salsa!
The music was awesome, too. While stuffing my face with papusa, I was also bobbing my head up and down to the polka music. There seemed to be a mix of people eating there, unlike some other places in that area where there was no one inside.
I'm going to bring some friends here next time for lunch.
Okay while I admit that the pupusas were pretty tasty, all in all my experience was bad. There were flies buzzing around when I went there my second time. If you don't speak Spanish the staff basically look down their noses at you. Although the salsa bar is pretty cool, my chips tastes stale and burnt. And the slaw for the famous pupusas is so spicy I choked and needed water, which couldnt be provided right away because of no clean glasses....Yeah, no.
Went here with a co-worker. I had read some reviews and invited her to try it. She has had pupusas before but this was my first time. I enjoyed the variety they offer here and decided on a plate that came with 2 choices of pupusa, beans, plantains and the toppings for the pupusas of course.
I saw a plastic cup in the back and the guy that took our order told us this was their version of aguas frescas and they make it fresh daily. I had to order one.
I loved everything. Note above this is my first time trying a pupusa so I cannot compare it to anything else. All I know is they were yummy! The agua fresca was awesome. once the water was gone there were a ton of little pieces of fruit at the bottom of the cup that i spooned out and ate as dessert. A refreshing end to a very filling meal (Lots left over)
Almost everytime I come to Redwood City, I stop at Amelia's for lunch. The pupusas are soooo good here and soooo filling. I love the chicken and cheese and cheese and loroco pupusas. Bomb.
I do question how long the chips have been sitting on the table. Also, this place keeps their Christmas decorations up all year. They play some fast paced salsa or meringue (I don't know the difference) music in the background.
Definitley worth it for the pupusas.
I have been coming here for many years... but I don't think I'll ever come back again. During my last two visits I have been overcharged twice! Is that a mistake or is Mrs. Amelia trying to rip people off?
The first overcharged was in December. We always usually get the same amount of pupusas; however, we noticed the total was about $5-6 dollars more than usual. My mom being the smart woman she is... decided to add up our total, and it did not match Mrs. Amelia's! We brought this up to her attention and she returned $5.50 back to us. And of course, she was upset and didn't even apologize for her mistake.
The second overcharged was about 3 weeks ago. Once again, my mom and I came in to pick-up some pupusas to go. We ordered 4 pupusas, an order of platanos and 2 drinks. We went sat down to wait for our order and as we checked the receipt we noticed that she charged us for 3 drinks and something else for 1.50. We went back to the counter and asked for clarification. She said sorry for charging for the extra drink, but the $1.50 charge was for cheese. Anyways, we ended up getting our money back.
I honestly can't trust coming to this place again....
It always feel like Christmas at Amelia's! If you're wondering if the decorations haven't been taken… Read more »
Amelia's = pupusas to me. They're delicious, and there's plenty of variety as far as fillings go. You can even call ahead and just swing by to get your pupusa fix. Their aguas frescas is also a good choice, if you like fruit (mainly strawberry) juice with fruit floating in it.
Bottom line: Amelia's is the place to hit up for pupusas, if you're in this neck of Redwood City.
Pupusa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow, can't believe this place has a lower rating then El Viejo which is literally 1-2 blocks away.
I never had pupusas before El Viejo and Amelia's, so maybe I'm not the right judge, but the pupusas here are much more flavourful and the pickles/slaw with more kick. I didn't have to drench my pupusas in sauce to make it good to eat. Their refried beans is good too. The size of each pupusa is also bigger, so take caution when you order.
The consensus from my coworkers is that the pupusas here is better than El Viejo's. It's really a 3.5 star but I rounded down because they lost the order of one of us and didn't do anything to compensate...(his meal came 40 minutes later than the rest of ours).
I love Amelia's! I haven't had anything but Pupusa's but both times I've been there, I've left very full and very happy. I've tried the cheese, chicken & cheese and pork & cheese and found them all equally yummy. The rice and beans are good too. I am a chips and salsa fanatic and I think my husband and I went through 2 entire baskets by ourselves the other night. So good!
We were there last Saturday night with a very large party and I was impressed that we all got exactly what we ordered without much of a wait.
Stumbled into this place because I was looking for a new/different place to eat while I had to serve (everyone's favorite) some jury duty. Yay. The courthouse isn't too far away and it's mostly hot dog stands and chains restaurants around so this family run restaurant was a welcome sight.
You'll probably need a passport if you wanted some pupusas and tamales this good and legit. Oh my, the tamales are soo good and you can order them either El Savadorean or Mexican style. With El Salvadorean being just plain, without anything dressing whatsoever. I decided to go Mexican and have my tamale drenched in red sauce and melted cheese. Wow, the maza for the tamale itself had a different texture from other tamales I've had in the Mission or wherever but I like them.
These tamales are guilty of being buttery, soft, airy, light, and overall damm tasty. Perfect for making other perspective jurors in the courthouse jealous.
The tacos aren't too bad, but they're not too good either.
The owner is an ULTRA BITCH!
I payed for my order with two $5 bills. Later I asked her if I could give her a ten bill and get the fives back because I realized I was going to need the smaller change for something else later.
It was early, no one else had come in to the restaurant, she said "No, I don't have any five bills" and walked away!
So I still go only because the Pupusas are pretty good. But I make it a point to give her a really evil look as I order now ha ha
And forget about the tip jar!
Go there for the Pupusas but don't expect anything else to taste good or be very authentic. I've been going there since I was at least 10yrs old, before they expanded and made the place bigger.
The owner has NEVER EVER cracked a smile when I've ordered food. Not only has she never smiled, she's actually scowled at me and my friends and family even though we've been going there for over 10 yrs!
I've tried other things on the menu, but they weren't very good. The Pupusas on the other hand, I can't find a place that makes them better other than (of course) my mom, but they're a pain in the neck to make so we go there when we're feeling lazy.
Before my most recent trip back a few days ago; I haven't been to Amelia's in a few years. As others have mentioned, prices have gone up; I'm used to paying $1.99 for a pupusa at Chalateco in SJ than $2.20 here; but I guess the hard economic times & the rent in downtown RWC have caused prices to go up. However, unlike Chalateco they give you an individual Styrofoam container of the cabbage mix, so you don't possibly share germs with strangers.
I usually get a cheese & pork pupusa & the strawberry fruit drink for under $5. I also love how every table has a basket of chips waiting for consumption. This is enough to fill you up; the pupusas themselves are so filling with all of the cheese they put in them. I'd have one of these babies over a taco anyday...grease & all.
The woman behind the counter seems robotic &; unemotional; never seen her smile or seem happy. But the woman who brings the food to your table seems really nice & hard working.
CASH & ATM ONLY.
I've never actually been here so I can't speak to the allegedly atrocious service suffered and endured by other patrons. I've been out of commission recently but have had friends come over and bring me food. Pregnancy does that, I guess. People come over, bring me food and tell me stories. A friend visited and brought me Amelia's pupusas and they are indeed so special that I considered giving her my first born. She didn't want him--I don't blame her; the first couple months with the little General Colic Powell hasn't been a walk in the park. Anywhoo, the pork pupusas were flavorful and rich but not sickeningly so. Some pupuserias are stingy and make theirs all dough and little meat. Amelia's is perfect. Their curtido is salty, tangy, spicy and goes great with everything. I'll be visiting Amelia's soon. Rude staff be damned. Pupusas here I come.
My goodness, I AM SO THANKFUL that I live in the UNITED STATES of America! This is the only place that our cultures can combine and mingle in the melodies of FOOOD! Having said that- I was introduced to El Salvadorian Papusas from a coworker one day and I LOVED it so much, I searched down Amelia's to order my custom Papusas. 40 of the chicken, beans and cheese and 40 of the jalepenos, beans and cheese.! Although I did'nt mind her reaction when I gave her that big order, I was surprised by her fantastic delivery of my order. Mucho love here! Mucho Gracias! I ate all of that thick tortilla like complex of a pancake stuffed with yumminess! Hits the spot!
Highly suggest everyone try this spot. Their dishes are huge!
Their Pupusas are really good.. and very affordable. They have different kinds, and if your a vegetarian they have one that's cheese and zucchini. My friend had the tacos and they give you a good portion size well worth the money he spent. Also 2 pupusas usually fill you up ..
What happen? last night we went to Amelia's and they had no beer or wine and actually their cooler with the soda was less than half full and then when we went to pay they said cash only? We have been going here for years but last night it was not the usual. NOt to discourage anyone but be prepared.
The food is good and the pupusas are worth a try. Kids love them.
So I recently had lunch at Amelia's. Last time I was there was at least 3-4 years ago. I used to buy lunch here all the time when I work in RWC.
Well its gone down hill. The Pupusas don't taste the same, alot more salt in them. I think they changed owners and when that happens things don't stay the same. Prices are way up too. I stick to the pupusas in the city.
Cal is part of this dining club that is run by one of his fencing buddies. I accompanied him one time, in the beginning of the relationship. And we had a good time. Nice people, good food. We haven't been since then because of school. Now that graduation is approaching, I thought it would be nice to start attending again. So, we went to this restaurant last Sunday. The organizer reserved a long table for 12 which was ready when we got there. Then, we went up to the counter and placed our order.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that they offered Salvadorian(sp?) food too. Can you say pupusas?! Flor has been talking it up and I planned to go to the UYE a few days later. So, Cal and I shared the pupusa meal and a green salad. We also got the strawberry salad water drink, which was good, but we had to add some ice to it. Everything was really good. The pupusa (pork, beans and cheese) was really really tasty, and made me look forward to the UYE.
I totally stuffed myself, even though Cal and I shared the dishes. And when we left, I had major stomach pains. But I felt better after an hour or so. One of my friends said she got food poisoning. She had the shrimp cocktail. Portions are good, food is good, service is good. It still deserves 4 stars, even though my friend and I had stomach issues.
Get the pupusas !
We had a catered lunch at the office from Amelia's and it was terrific !
If you have vegetarians in your place of work, their pupusas are awesome and they satisfy everyone's dietary choices.
I love Amelia's pupusas. I only get the pupusas when I go there. I've also had the guacamole and it's delicious. The chips are a bit greasy.
I had been going to El Viejo because it's a little closer to my house but I went to Amelia's the other day when I wanted a pupusa but didn't want a greasy bland one (what you get at El Viejo) in a nasty dirty restaurant (El Viejo).
Amelia's pupusas have a good amount of filling, they are not greasy and they come with the most delicious curtido (cabage salad to put on top of pupusas). The fruit drink that they have in the cooler behind the counter is really delicious, too. It has chopped up fruit in it and tastes like strawberry juice. I don't know what it's called. My DH ordered it and I stole his drink. I'll have to get my own next time I go!
I didn't give it 5 stars because I don't like that the signs state that kids shouldn't walk around at all. I have a 3 year old who was walking next to me, as I was carrying some salsa to my table and she got the evil eye from one of the waitresses. I wonder if they expect our kids to ride on our shoulders, or something? I mean, really, how in hell are they supposed to get to the table and get seated in order to "stay seated".
There is alot of pupusa restaurants in Redwood City, however, when I feel like having a pupusa I prefer to go to Amelia's to have some.My first pupusas ever were eaten here like 18 years ago... they are delicious
I've been coming here since 1996! I love the chips and variety of delicious salsa's. The enchiladas and papusas are really good too! The service sucks, but I don't care. All I care about is how the food tastes. It's a taqueria so you only really have to deal with the rudeness once and most of the time the rude person is the old lady with big glasses and huge hair.
Oh it's not the greatest place for vegans, but great for vegetarians.
SUPPORT FAMILY OWNED LOCAL BUSINESS JOINTS
Its' funny how the name states "Amelia's Mexican Restaurant," but I have grown up to know it as a good place for El Salvadorean cuisine. My family has been coming here for years, and I think my dad even knows the owner. Either way...we are fans of the food. Love the Christmas decorations in the window...and the flavorful food. Definitely like that they have an option between Mex and EL Sal food. Like the variety of choices, the chips on the table, and the food. Try the ensalada drink for something unique...and don't forget to say hello to Amelia ;)
Came by for dinner as my colleague's buddy recommended this place as a cheap place to eat.
We each had two flour thingies w/ meat and cheese inside. In addition, we shared a dish of banana-like thingies w/ sour cream and beans. The flour thingies also came with a side of cabbage medley, sort of like Coleslaw...
Since each of the flour thingies cost a mere ~$2.10, they were definitely cheap and filling. It did take ~15 minutes for the flour thingies to arrive fyi...
...on my way to the restroom, I did notice Jose wearing a Starbucks apron with full latex gloves on both hands talking on his cell phone. Since his gloves were still bright white, I assume they were clean...OCD maybe?
I'll confess up front that I didn't try the pupusas. I had a chille relleno and a taquito al pastor. Both were excellent. My dining colleague had a deep fried red snapper. The whole fish, head and all, was served. He liked it.
We went in mid June, so I think it would be safe to assume that the Christmas decorations are up year round. Not only were there Christmas lights, but there were red bows, fake holly, and a pretty good sized nativity scene over the front door.
You can expect that ordering from the cashier and getting food delivered to your table will take a while, but the overall experience was pretty good. Next time, it'll be the pupusas for me.
My friend took me here for pupusas and I loved it and have been going back for lunch regularly. I always get the pupusa lunch platter with rice, beans and yummy cabbage with horchata drink and it's always been great. I love their salsas. During one of my visits An older lady with a big bee hive hairdo from the 50's took my order and it was pretty frustrating because she was hard if hearing and slow as I kept telling her I wanted pork pupusas and she kept writing cheese! I later learned that it was "the" Amelia herself...
1 star for having very good pupusas.
Other than that
The service sucks. Their "take-out" sucks ass too. I ordered 5 pupusas and came home and their was only 4. Some might think that counting to 5 is a no-brainer, but apparently it's harder than some think.
I went here for lunch because of a recommendation. Although they were known for their pupusas, I just had a chicken taco plate since it seemed a little bit healthier. It came with one soft chicken taco, rice, salad, and pinto beans. The chicken taco was pretty fulfilling as the corn tortilla was like a 6" than a typical 3" size. The pinto beans was overcooked and mushy for my taste (as shown in many of the photos here) so I didn't care too much for it. All the tables had a basket of fresh chips and they had a mini self-serve salsa bar. Only 2 kinds though. The place seemed to be popular with the locals, but for me, it was just okay.
In my humble opinion the pupusas were to die for! The boyfriend was not as impressed as I. He agreed they are some of the better he has had..whatever I was shoveling that stuff in! My belly was nice and round when we left and I was counting the minutes I could come back! It's hit or miss w/the chips, could be fresh could be stale.
There is always a little ol'man in the corner, DO NOT SIT AT HIS TABLE..I REPEAT DO NOT SIT AT HIS TABLE! He is definitely family in this family owned business and you may in fact be taken in back and shot. He is in fact fun to watch. About every 15 min or so he gets up slowly from the table and shuffles in to the kitchen carrying his bowl of ( I assume) Menudo. Once I was there for 45 minutes and he went back and forth from the kitchen 5 times! And he is skinny!
I have not branched out to anything other than the pupusas but friends are pretty happy with the tacos.
Hitting this place last night before seeing Juno, my friends and I found our food tasty and fresh. I loved my cheese papusas, but did not really care for my cheese enchilada plate. Yes, there was a ton of food and it was good, but it was about 3x more expensive than my papusas and not as filling by a long shot. Oh well, serves me right for not ordering more papusa!
Ambiance is loud and bright, warm and friendly! A nice place to stop before an outrageously expensive movie.
Love the kitschy decor - Christmas year round mixed with Mexican relics. There's an illuminated Nativity scene inside, in the nook above the entrance. My friends like the upbeat music. We were excited to find a self-serve salsa bar with three kinds of salsa and those pickled carrots and peppers that I like.
I like the pupusas. They're filling - all that masa and you can choose from about ten different fillings (some vegetarian ones as well, including beans and cheese, as well as cheese with some Salvadorean vegetable). They come with the shredded cabbage slaw. Good slaw, though I've had better slaw with more tang.
I did have a bad grilled chicken burrito. It came with a lot of chicken but the chicken didn't have much grilled flavor and it was dry. It was also in huge pieces rather than cut up into small bits. I've never had a chicken burrito with such large pieces of meat. It came with rice and beans. Even after dousing it with salsa, it was bland. My friend didn't like his enchiladas at all.
You order at the counter (cash only) and they bring you your food. Tables are plentiful on the inside and there are a few outside tables. Help yourself to the water and the free chips and salsa.
Amelia's is a great place to go if you've had a little too much to drink. The only problem is, they close at 9pm every night. You have to start drinking early if you want to be buzzing by the time you get here.
Fortunately, Savvy Cellar is located right next door to this place, and Sunday afternoons are the perfect time to go to the wine tastings at Savvy and then they will kick you out about seven and you can hop over to Amelia's for some delicious papusas. You will probably even have your order taken by Amelia herself. AND you could even keep drinking with some beer or sangria, although I recommend the horchata instead.
However, alcoholics take note: this is really more of a family restaurant. It can be quite busy and full of families sometimes, which is probably why I walked by here hundreds of times before I ever set foot inside. I want to see that a place is busy enough that it probably doesn't suck, but isn't so crowded I feel my personal space being encroached upon. Plus, I generally prefer places where they take my order right at the table. (I'll make an exception for Amelia's, though. I kind of dig the way you order at the counter, get the food brought to your table and then are left mostly in peace to enjoy the picnic table and eternal xmas decoration ambiance.)
The first time I came here, I had kind of forgotten that we did by the next morning. Blame it on an amazing red blend tasting with some very generous pours at Savvy Cellar. We drank so much red wine that we even decided going to see "Lars and the Real Girl" was a good idea. Then, a vague memory of the tasty, tasty papusas came flooding back to me and I knew we had to go back, even though my bf tried to claim we were 86'd from this place after I danced on the tables. If we're around Broadway in Redwood City on a Sunday, I don't even have to say anything. I just turn and look at my bf and he says "Noooo...not Amelia's AGAIN!"
All hail the mighty cheese and bean papusa.
Cash and ATM only..
Every time I go and I try something new, my rating drops. Blah.
.
Pretty typical and yummy mexican food.
I default to a carne asada burrito... it was good, but not supurb.
Really heavy on the rice (i.e. cheap filler) and the tortilla was really tough, no way to cut it with just a fork.
I'd eat there again, but I'm going to explore around to see if I can find something better.
...
Update: 2/23/07
Tried the $6.99 Tamale lunch platter. Good, not great. They overcompensated on the corn in the tamale and shortchanged on the meat.
...
Update: April 2007
Tried the Tostada Salad. HORRIBLE. 100% totally HORRIBLE. It seemed like a layer of refried bean JUICE (no actual beans seen) mixed with slabs of beef (not in a good way, in that moms-nasty-roast-beef way), layer of lettuce, and two HUGE piles of Guac and sour cream.
Went here last night after watching a film in downtown redwood city.
Ordered 3 pupusas: loroco, pork and chicken and a salvadorean style chile relleno. The pupusas were great and the chile relleno was the best I have ever had. I also had a bottle of salvadorean beer which was pretty good.
I would give this place 5 stars if it weren't for their system of ordering at the counter and taking a number. It's much more relaxed if you can sit at the table and browse the menu at leisure. I also thought it odd that when my lady friend asked for suggestions on what's good he suggested "enchilada or burrito" as if suggesting anything non tex-mex might be too exotic for her.
We were looking for a place to grab some food today and decided to give this place a try. We had heard good things about it..
It was pretty good, not a home run though. I ordered polla asado tacos and received carne asada instead. The rice and tortillas were kind of dry, like the had been left in the fridge uncovered overnight.My hubby ordered a cheese echilada that was very yummy.
The inside was standard of a divey Mexican place. Nothing fancy but it was clean. I guess I would go back to give it another shot, but at this point there isn't anything that is drawing me there.
We stopped in on a random impulse to get something small to snack on. Out of the four places I've eaten papusas (fried flat bread with cheese and fillings like pork, chicken or some veggie) these are some of the best I've ever had - lightly crisp on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside. You can order the papusas individually and they cost less than $3 a piece.
My boyfriend had the pork and fried yucca (yucca is very similar in taste to a potato). If you are craving fried food, this is the dish to get! Chunks of deep fried pork with chunks of heavenly, buttery-tasting deep fried yucca. Tomatoes and cucumbers are the garnish to this dish (probably to help cut down on all that grease). This dish cost a little over $8 and was very filling.
I could have done without the pork (I was feeling a little queasy after having 3 pieces), but the yucca was so good, we couldn't stop eating it.
Both dishes came with a cole slaw salad that was salty and spicy, and a nice compliment to what we had.
This place is very casual and you order from the counter. I love finding hole-in-the-wall restaurants like this! We definitely will be back.
A little on the pricey side, even for downtown RWC. Nice family place with chips already waiting for you at the table. Ours were fresh, I wonder if that's always the case?
They were out of the chili colorado I ordered (how does a restaurant "run out" of food?) so I got the chicken mole instead. Hubster got a taco and enchilada combo. Took a while for the food to come out but it was clearly freshly prepared, and HOT. Plates were ginormous! The mole was very good, if a little too sweet.
We'd definitely come back but think we'll share a dinner, super generous portions here!
Redwood City, CA
Category: Latin American
Redwood City, CA
Category: Mexican
Redwood City, CA
Category: Mexican
Redwood City, CA
Category: Mexican
Redwood City, CA
Category: Restaurants
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