El Salvadoreno
Category: Restaurants [Edit]
Neighborhood: Grant Hill2845 Imperial Ave
(between 28th St & 29th St)
San Diego, CA 92102 (619) 231-8254
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: None
22 Reviews for El Salvadoreno
So good and so worth the calories!!!! This was the first time I tried Salvadorian food and I was impressed with the pupusas. They are little gorditas fill with cheese and different kinds of ingredients like jalapenos, squash, and beans.
I also recommend the fried banana filled with ground beef and topped with cream and queso cotija. To die for!!!!!!!
To drink I ordered a pineapple drink super refreshing on a hot day.
I will definitely go back to try more stuff!
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nice ladies, great service, I also loved seeing older women in the kitchen, it's always a sure sign of a home-cooked meal. I went there for the pupusas, and did order them (they were good) but at the end of the menu, they had a dish (don't remember the name) made with a homemade flour tortilla...and well, I can never say no to that...so I ordered that too....it was GREAT a big ol chorizo/bean pseudo-burrito (they fold it differently) with fresh cheese.....YUM, better than the pupusas if you ask me....
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A) wow
B) ummm wow
Damn, I love authentic South American food that tastes fantastic, is prepared fresh, and costs very little.
Pupusas: friggin right on! The Revuelta Con Todo es muy tasty, as is the Pupusa Con Puerco (pork), and Pupusa Con Queso Y Calabaza (cheese & zucchini).
Also tried the Plantano Con Puerco (stuffed plaintain with pork and cheese). Holy Ba-Jesus it was muy, muy, muy delicioso.
Y para tomar (to drink): La Ensalada, which is the most amazing agua fresca (fresh fruit drink) I have ever tasted!
Our waitress was lovely: we practiced our spanish, she practiced her English.
The food came out relatively quickly and tasted oh-so-hot 'n fresh.
Now, yeah it's in the ghetto, but don't let location fool you. It's a very nice place, super clean, and so worth going back to-again, and again, and again.
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Simple yet delicious food for under $10. The food at El Salvadoreno feels like a home-cooking experience of El Salvadorian food. I came in here having no expectations and no idea what the food was going to be like. To start off the menu had pictures of all the dishes, drinks and desserts which made choosing for a first timer like me a lot easier. I came with a big group and had the chance to try many different dishes.
Here are some of the dishes I tried:
- My dish was called "platanos con frijoles" : sweet fried plantains, black beans and Salvadorian cream and I added a Pupusa with cheese and chicken. I watched some of the regulars eating their Pupusa and I copied by opening the stuffed-like tortilla in the middle and adding the cabbage salad and hot sauce, highly recommendable combination.
-I also tried the chicken tamale served in plantain leaf, very moist and tasty.
. -The mixed seafood soup was delicious and full of octopus, huge whole shrimps, crabs and mussels. Although this soup was amazing with a seafood broth to die for, I advise it is only for the brave because of all the work peeling those delicious shellfish.
The seafood soup was $12, the most expensive item we ordered but on any other restaurant it would cost $25 or more. If you come to El Salvadoreno you can expect to have fresh food and good portions without busting your bank account, I will definitely be back here for more stuffed Pupusas!
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This is THE place to go on a budget. Super tasty pupusas made by hand. You can fill up and leave 20% and still keep it under $10.
If your not as broke as me try the rest of the El Salvadorian home cooking, it won't dissapoint.
I haven't been for a while, think I'll go tomorrow.
I would give it more stars if I could...It's tasty and cheap...two of my favorite things :) My favorite is the pupusa revuelta which has a little bit of everything. I love the cabbage salad that they are served with.
The only other non-pupusa related items I've tried are the stuffed plantain (stuffed with cheese and beef) and the plantains served with cheese, cream and refried black beans...both are delicious!
One caveat: you have to be patient and flexible...the service can be slow because everything is made to order and occasionally the order is wrong...okay, more than occasionally in my case :) This isn't a big deal because 1. I am not a vegetarian so if they bring me a chicken one instead of cheese it's all good and 2. I like all of the pupusas.
Another thing worth trying is a drink called Ensalada...and no it's not a salad...it's fresh pineapple juice with bits of persimmon and apples. Very refreshing!
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This place is very good.
I had eggs with (chese & jalapeo) pupusa, rice & beans and a great cold Horchata .
The dining area was spotless and the other patrons were regulars who know a good thing. Service was relaxed and friendly too.
My experience here was refreshing and very enjoyable. I was so happy to go to brunch spot where I did not have to wait for 30-40 mins and eat mounds of crap food for mounds of my hard-earned dollars.
Do yourself a flavor and leave the "trendy" spots to the schmucks.
Next Sunday baby!
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This place it great. I 'm Mexican and I amused to the Mexican taste but it food rocks. It nice and clean and the people are decent there. I know it's in the ghetto but its a great place to eat at . I give it a five star.
Take a trip to Salvador and bite into a pupusa.
Food: They'll bring out a saucer with mixed lettuce and seasoning and two little bowls that look like salsa inside. We were thinking "Nice, free chips and salsa!" Nooo...not exactly. This is all for their pupusas. What is a pupusa?? It's pretty much a thick corn tortilla with fillers like bean,chese, jalapenos, zucchinis, and I believe with other options including meat/chicken. You put the lettuce stuff on top of the pupusas along with the tomato sauce. One is spicer than the other. Good stuff!!
We also tried their Beef soup and Chicken stew which were average. The taste was kinda different though from your regular Mexican flavors. Yeah yeah I know it's not a Mexican restaurant, but what can I say? I'm just accustomed to the more Mexican taste.
Price: Pupusas were about $1.89 each. Very reasonable I think. You should order like 3 of these and you're good. The other Beef Soup and Chicken Stew were maybe around $8 or 9 bucks each.
Service: We had a cute Mormon waitress. She was friendly and helpful by giving us tips on what to order.
Ambiance: When you pull up in your car, you might be thinking " Uhhh maybe we should just go somewhere else." But no worries...they've completey renovated the inside and it's beautiful. There's a bible in Spanish right by the cash register (which I liked). Super clean with nice clouds painted on the ceilings.
Parking: I believe it's street parking.
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I went to the place last night after my good friend raved about it.. I was missing Pupusa's from my home town place. The interior is really clean, well decorated- beautiful paintings and murals and filled with locals. In fact everyone one who worked there thought I was chicano or latino and would speak Spanish with me even thought I couldn't respond :) The food was for the most part really awesome.. I am definitely going back for the pupusa's, flan and the cabbage side that comes with the Pupusa's. I also ordered the plantano y crema.. not as sweet as the ones made at home.. and the crab soup.. not what I thought it would be with egg in it- looked better on the menu in which every item has its own photo!!- Just point to order.
The one reason I am not giving 5 stars is because when my friend ordered her flan, she asked for no chocolate syrup on it and they served it with it anyways. However this is after ordering another desert that .. looked like cooked balls and she didn't enjoy.. they took it back with no hassle and replaced it with the flan. I think this place would be awesome to take kids to because its really low key and looks pretty indestructible.
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Yum. This place has some awesomely greasy pupusas. For those of you who have not had a pupusa it is a thick tortilla with filling, like beans, cheese, meats and other deliciousness. We tried 4 different pupusas, all great and a plate with beans/rice combo, two fried eggs, fried plantains, crema, and a cheese of some sort. Drool. I think this might be a breakfast dish... it would be great to nurse a hangover, maybe not before running a marathon.
The service was great, super friendly, with a nice family atmosphere. The place was packed, but we managed to get seated quickly, and didn;t have to wait too long for our food. I wish I had saved enough room to try a desert, but I'll have to wait until next time.
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Got turned on to this place via Yelp- it's a total winner!!! El Salvadorean cuisine is more akin to Jamiaican then Mexican food- each dish featured red beans and rice (spicy red beans and rice) and fried plantains.
The interior is very nice. The clientele was 100% hispanic on the morning we were there- lots of families. Service was very capable- the whole place is a fine example of "immigrant woman made good"- down to the laudatory newspaper profile on the wall by the cash register.
I agree with other yelpers- the papusas (fried corn tortillas with a filling) could be a (cheap) meal all by themselves!
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Eat the pupusa con calavasa y queso, an order of platanos con crema al lado to share with a granadia to drink. And pickled cabbage to your heart's content. You can thank me later.
Seriously, the best pupusas in town and dinner for 2 can be under $15 (2 pupusas and a drink for each). The new location is clean and open, service is attentive. Can sometimes be a little slow since everything is made to order.
Show up early, I've occupied the last table at 8pm.
Don't sketch about the neighborhood, just make sure you park on Imperial. :)
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For a good, weekend-morning breakfast, this is a good option to consider.
People in this city are crazy about the Hash House a Go Gos and the like. The food at these places is good, but they're pricey, crowded, and filled with the kind of people who wouldn't be caught dead in the Barrio because brown people scare them.
El Salvadoreno is nice enough to take a date on the morning after, provided that she didn't stay the night on account of your fat wallet or fast car. It's not fancy by any stretch. But it's very respectable and has a warm, family feel -- filled (but not packed) with smartly dressed Salvadorenos and -itos, presumably on their way back from church.
The portions are about half the size of what you get on the Hillcrest brunch circuit, which means they're appropriate instead of gluttonous. And the food is yummy and unique.
The coffee could be better. (It couldn't likely be worse!) And for a place named after a Central American country, this is a pity.
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Simply the best pupusa that I have ever had!
Prices are extremely reasonable. My favorite is the chicharones (sp) .
The trip to South San Diego adds to the experience;Don't miss this!
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Pupusas, pupusas como me gustas!
So, the neighborhood is a bit sketchy at night, but the restaurant is nicely decorated, recently remodeled (I've heard), but most importantly clean!
It's a family run business, and their hospitality makes you feel like your at church.
The black bean pupusas were new to me, and they didn't disappoint.
My favorite are the queso y loroco. Loroco, for those of you whom aren't familiar, is a flower that grows on a vine. It's picked out when it's still green. It's very tasty!
This is the spot for nice homemade pupusa meal.
p.s. The place closes early, like 8:45 pm!!
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I agree with JC, the neighborhood was a little sketch but the place itself is quaint and friendly. I hadn't had a popusa before but went with someone who had been there... hence he knew what to order. I had the chicken popusa and it was delicious!!
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I am pretty much a pupusa addict, and this is my favorite place for 'em. They just renovated the place, and it's lovely. The owner is from El Salvador, and he's about as good a host as you can hope for. Feel like a king for ten bucks! A Salvadoran king, that is.
And it's nice enough now, so I can bring my mother here.
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it's the little things that get me.
years ago, when i was first introduced to the place i was impressed by how clean it was on the inside despite how dingy it appeared on the outside. the kicker? the restroom was immaculate. like you could have eaten off the toilet seat clean.
this cleanliness has carried over to their new location (they moved up a couple doors some time back). only now, instead of a handful of tables crammed into a tiny little spot, there's a spacious tiled dining room with plenty of seating and a great open kitchen. the staff is quite hospitable, even when they're incredibly busy. they can get incredibly busy.
things you must try: (duh) the pupusas (i dig the cheese and jalapeno but really i haven't found one i haven't liked), the tamal de elote, ensalada (it's a drink with fruity bits chopped up in it). oh and the breakfast platters, yum! the hot sauce they serve looks innocent enough but it packs a wee little punch. just give it a second.
worth the field trip to the barrio like las quatro milpas is, only they have better hours and less of a line. :)
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Pupusas are delicious or sopes. Pick what you want in them. Think tortilla patties opened up and stuffed with a variety of things. Chicken, cheese and peppers with the cabbage/carrot garnish. Juicy good. HIdden secret.......i bet all the local school workers and NASCCO workers know about it.
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At first glance, El Salvadoreno Restaurant looks like just another ma and pa joint in the ghetto. And that is exactly why I love this place. I have been here twice and it just gets better and better. The pupusas which are stuffed homemade tortillas that are lightly fried could possibly be the best food on earth. The bean and cheese pupusa is my favorite with the chicarone and jalapeno a close second. Combine that with their spicy cabbage and hot sauce and your tastebuds are doing back flips! They have a great selection of homemade aguas frescas, all which are good. The mixed fruit, guava, and horchata are all worth a shot. The sweet tamal de elote (corn tamale) melts in your mouth and the best part about this place is that you leave completely stuffed for under ten bucks! The fact that your stereo and hubcaps are being jacked as you indulge in the culinary delights of El Salvador adds to the excitement. Go for lunch, you have a better chance of not being mugged! My friend Gordo, who obviously loves to eat, claims the soups are bomb as well. Enjoy!
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this place is DELICIOUS! any vegetarians/vegans out there, it is VERY veg friendly. they'll put whatever you want in a pupusa, the beans and rice are lard free (this is not mexican food, friends, it's salvadorenian), and there are many delicious side dishes to choose from (get the fried yucca root. damn...).
also, ignore anyone who says it's in the ghetto. if you're using that word literally, then yes, it is. anyone using it to mean that the area is sketch is totally a racist. if you're worried about getting mugged by an immigrant woman carrying a grocery bag and pushing a stroller, then maybe you should stay away though....
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