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Category: Latin American [Edit]
Neighborhood: Bernal Heights
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I just had a wonderful experience last evening at El Zocalo. I hadn't been here before, although I love Salvadorean food. I think I will be a regular from now on, however.
The decor is pretty utilitarian - nothing fancy. But it's all about the food, anyway, isn't it?
Based on recommendations from fellow Yelpers, I ordered the two pupusas and beef soup. I have never seen such enormous pupusas! They have several kinds. Mine were cheese. They were really delicious. The soup was good; a little salty for my taste, but chock-full of veggies, including yuca, and nice chunks of beef. David ordered red snapper in a spicy green sauce. It came with rice, french fries and salad. He said it was terrific. I was too stuffed to even try a taste of it. One of our friends had steak with rice and beans. Our other friend had a sort of combination with pupusas, a taco, and a couple of other things. We all got plenty of food, ate to fullness and beyond, and carried some out in a doggy bag. The cost was very reasonable, especially considering everything was homemade.
There were musicians strolling among the tables - looked like two brothers - singing traditional music in Spanish. They were most gracious when David asked if I could sing along on a couple of songs. It was really fun for me, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves too. The feeling in the restaurant was like that - really comfortable, kind of like your Salvadorean friends' kitchen - cheerful, bright, noisy with conversation, music and laughter, smelling of food, warm and accepting. The service was non-intrusive and friendly.
I am already making plans for what I'm going to order the next time I go. I saw a wonderful seafood soup go by on its way to another table. I want to taste that snapper that David had. I want to try the other kinds of pupusas. As you can see, it's imperative that we return - and soon.
I stopped by here for dinner one night, after seeing a segment on XLR8R tv about it. Rumor has it the best time to go is after the bars close, but it was fantastic at 7:00, too.
The two pupusas that I ordered were delicious, and my side of platanos con crema was melt-in-your-mouth amazing. The atmosphere isn't so exciting, but I didn't really have high expectations for a place like this. We got the big round table in the front window, so at least we were able to check out the ALWAYS exciting action on Mission while we were eating.
Haven't been to El Zocalo for ages for a sit down meal but last night's drunk run from Argus proved that the pupusas are just as good as ever, as is their vinegary cabbage condiment stuff.
Not super fast but they kindly gave us delicious chips and salsa while we waited for our to-go. Big points for being open late too.....at least back in the day El Z was often open until about 3am or so....perfect for soaking up your Tecate or fancy ass hipster cocktail from the hood.
Eating at El Zocalo is kinda like going to your grandma's house.
You will eat delicious homemade food in a room that is clean but not so tastefully decorated. Also, you may be served by someone wearing fuzzy slippers. And the calorie count of your plate can only be calculated by NASA scientists. Finally, the service definitely makes you feel like family -- if your family is like mine and kind of ignores you. You'll see your server three times: when she takes your order, when she serves your food and when she brings you the check. She ain't mad at you. Just busy.
Also, your food will take a long time. But that's because someone else's adorable abuelita is making it to order, lovingly pounding out the pupusas dreams are made of, one by one.
My grandma was near-perfect, but even she couldn't make me a pupusa at 2am. That's a special skill that's close to my heart. Props to the ladies at El Zocalo!
Mi Salvador (my savior)! La comida de El Salvador de El Zocalo era mi salvador!
the quick version:
Yucca frita was not dried out at all- the best yucca frita I've had yet. The chicharrones were fairly dry in comparison but what do you really expect? Platanos con frijoles were delicious and the crema had a wonderfully fresh dairy-ness to it. Pupusas (the masa) are a little on the dry side and very big for their size, nothing curtido and the tomato sauce can't fix and the caldo sopa de res, polllo and menudo were all very flavorful if not a bit on the salty end.
The not-so-quick version:
Despite a few free cocktails and a shot-glass worth of tuna poke from the Pacific Catch table, standing in line outside for the Yelp Hoilday party left me still frozen and slightly bitter. I was hungry, my feet hurt from wearing John Flueog's Grand Nationals twice in one week and having to wait in said line with them on when was 32 degrees out in San Francisco left me in a dangerous mood. Somebody better get me something warm to eat fast, or someone's gonna get hurt and it isn't going to be me!
Seb had a great idea to go get pupusas at Zocalo (this was a past haunt of his) and we were SOLD. Pupusas meant caldo de pollo or res, and I would have given up half of my belongings to have a steaming bowl of hot soup in front of me. Note to self: always trust a Nicaraguan to find you good food when you most desperately need it.
WE were so hungered we had a bit of a hard time figuring out what to get initially, but we quickly decided we needed it all. Yucca frita con chicharrones, platanos con frijoles y crema, some tamarindo, horchata and cervezas- GO! As we sat munching on fried corn tortilla chips our food and drinks slowly came rolling out. We wanted soup, we wanted pupusas, we wanted menudo. Geez, don't they know their clientele? That they should make the menu smaller so that hungry, intoxicated customers wouldn't have such a hard time deciding what to order since everything sounds good at midnight?
They have this fantastic combo for like $8 or $9 bucks- you get two pupusas, and a (smallish) bowl of soup. Can you say HELL YEAH? the beautiful thing about pupusas is, you don't need to order two of the same kind, so you can get one with lorroco and cheese, one with just chicharrones, or one with chicharrones and beans, or one with... well, you get the picture.
I couldn't believe the size of the pupusas when they arrived at our table. They were half again as large as all the other pupusas we've gotten at other places (Los Cocos, Platano, Balompie, Panchita's, etc). After having a few bites of each, I thought that the masa was a bit drier in comparison to the other aforementioned places, but it wasn't so bad that it was hard to get down. The curtido was very good, not overly spiced with oregano, fresh and crunchy. The tomato sauce was very mildly spicy so I was able to handle it, and not too watery as some places will make it- it had a nice rich tomato flavor.
The soup was heaven at 12:15 at night. Bits of tender beef simmered into a broth with cabbage, carrots, chunks of squash- even a few large hunks of yucca that had soaked up enough of the soup it wasn't this dry powdery mass but instead was a deliciously soft and savory warm melting bite of carbohydrates. I had a sample of JR's caldo de pollo- yup- that was chicken alright, and it was just as good. My soup was beefy, his was chickeny. Seb offered some of his menudo so I had to try. The verdict? Menudo-y. If you know and like what menudo tastes like, then this is a good spot for it. Not bland, not totally smelly and stinking of offal and organ meat. It had the type of spiciness that builds up as you eat more and more, and a hearty soup that wasn't too thin but not viscous from too many bones either.
Knowing there's a place that's open late and serves El Salvadorean and Mexican cuisine is like striking gold. Late night eats that suit my palate and finicky stomach are not easy to come across, but with pupusas and chicken or beef soup it's always a win. Why anyone eats fast food when you can get ALL THIS for the same price is beyond me. I've seen people wait in the drive thru for Jack in the Crack or Toxic Hell aka Taco Bell for as long as 30 minutes on the weekends- that's not even ordering, but just queued up in their cars! I'd rather sit, have a beer or a licuado and chips while I wait for a damn good meal freshly made just for me.
Zocalo turned my frown upside down, so 4 stars to them!
First of all, El Zocalo is not a fancy place, not a place with good ambiance, and, in my opinion, not in a great location. But if what you are looking is to fill your craving for pupusas and other authentic Latin Food, especifically Salvadorian food, this place is worth visiting and coming back to. This place even beats Lupita's in Oakland, which had been my favorite pupuseria for years, so that is saying a lot.
The staff was friendly, welcoming and fast. For $14 we were full, had 2 aguas frescas and had enough leftovers for lunch the next day.
Nothing fancy, but the best pupusas! Soooo....good and the prices are great! Go hungry and get your pupusa on!
The cabbage is awesome, actually has a "tang" to it to compliment the food!
We came here for late night snacks after the Muse concert. My friend did most of the ordering. But wow!! hands down the Pupusas were so tasteful. We had tons of leftovers because we ordered soo much. I regret not taking some of the leftovers home, because I was craving Pupusas the next morning. You just can't get enough of them.
There's nothing like scarfing down deliciously greasy pupusas and pastelitos at 3am after a night on the town (though at that hour the restaurant can be quite crowded so expect to wait a while for food). I recommend the plato tipico.
best pupusas in sf
Best pupusas ever! The only downside to El Zocalo is that the service is slow, but they make up for that with their pupusas. My dad used to order pupusas from here all the time when I was little, so this place is definitely my favorite :)
LATE NIGHT MEXICAN COMFORT FOOD
This is another old reliable in the Mission for me. The food is a blend of Mexican and Salvadoran food. You must try one of their pupusas and some cortido (Latin American sauerkraut) if it is your first visit. The waiter brought us chips in a foil-lined bowl served with salsa on the side.
Cheese Enchilada and Chili Relleno
I forgot how big their portions were until my dish arrived. I was considering a three-item combination plate but I am glad I decided on a two-item combination. The cheese enchilada was great but I thought the chili relleno had too much cheese. Refried beans, rice, and a small salad with Thousand Island dressing joined the enchilada and relleno.
Zocalo Enchiladas
L ordered the Zocalo Enchiladas. Two enchiladas were covered in a spicy sauce and filled with chicken. Refried beans, rice, and salad rounded out the plate. L really liked the spicy enchilada sauce and could barely finish the dish. The waiter asked if we wanted tortillas to go along with our meals but we said no. You will not go hungry here!
The service was excellent and I have never been disappointed with the food. A great inexpensive restaurant in the Mission.
Is there anything better as a late-late-night snack on a cold evening than sopa de pollo and a coupla kickass pupusas? I say no, no there isn't, and you should say the same.
I went to El Zocalo for a birthday dinner the other night. I heard amazing things about their papusas and was dying to try them. I was definitely satisfied!
I ordered the plato tipico (if I remember the name correctly) and it came with 2 papusas, a pastelito and something that resembled an open faced taco (with a hard taco shell). This was priced at $7 so I didn't think the portions would be very big, how wrong I was! I could barely get through the whole meal and it was delicious from beginning to end. I am by no means a lightweight eater, but this meal gave me a run for my money.
Once I finished my meal I realized that the papusa plates at $6 are also portioned generously. Believe me, you will not go home hungry
I'm giving it 4 stars just because this was my first time and I don't have a lot of experience with the menu, but (just to give you an idea of my experience) I will definitely be going back soon :)
Food great , food took a long while to be served, but friendly service, but PLEASE renovate the restaurant, need new flooring, a paint job, and deep cleaning (place smells dirty), bathroom very third world. I am assure you can afford new linoleum and a fresh coat of paint. Offer delivery service to nearby residential areas with $25.00 minimum. Could compete with pizzerias! "Pupusas" are to DIE FOR! I had assorted appetizers and I had to take a doggy bag home. Heated up "pupusa" in broiler oven and tasted fresh off the grill. Cabbage salad fresh and healthy accompaniment.
I love this place for one reason, and this reason alone.
Pupusas=Heaven in your MOUTH. No joke.
Yeah there are a couple places I know in Sac that do offer them, but this just trumps all.
Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 2 stars
Service: 1 star
Cleanliness: 1 star
Ok, I don't even want to give such a low rating, but when we walked in, there was this piss smell around us and it was a bit gross b/c we're there to eat.
Then we witness this waiter drop a spoon on the floor and throwing it onto the pile of the clean ones. That's super gross. We dont' expect much in the mission, but at least hide it better. We can't pretend that we didn't see that. And the service was much worst. It was not only slow. But they started taking orders from another table when we've been waving to them first!
The food though is great and cheap. A quesadilla is only $5.50. One pupusa goes for $1.90. I have nothing to say about the quality of the food. But I guess I might rate it higher if I took the food to go.
After a night of partying, boozing, or just plain fun, this is a place where the food will taste delicious as the cooks put much heart and soul into the El Salvadorean food that comes off their grills.
The prices are amazing, where you can get a large enough meal for yourself for under $10! The service is a little slow, but everything is made to order, and while you wait for your meal you can eat chips with tasty and hot salsa. Their signature product is their pupusas. Simply amazing at this hour, so you must try it folks!
It may get crowded at late hours, but this place is worth the wait. However, do note that their bathrooms are clean enough and the place isn't as well-kept as other places, so their food is the main reason people flock there after hours.
If it weren't for the siren's call of the chorizo taco at nearby Taqueria Cancun, I probably would have eaten more meals here during my stay in San Francisco. Regardless, this was a very solid choice for getting some Mexican food before hitting the dive bars on and around Mission St.
I ordered the pollo encebollado, which those of you who speak Spanish would recognize as "[roasted] chicken with [grilled] onions," but which I, basically ignorant of that language, recognized as "chicken which may or may not turn out to be delicious when it arrives at the table and I see what it actually is." Turns out I got lucky, since the roasted quarter chicken was incredibly juicy and tender, with a flavorful, crispy skin. The onions nearly melted in my mouth. I don't recall specific details on the rice & beans but they were entirely sufficient as side dishes.
I washed it down with $2 cans of Tecate. In fact, the entire meal was relatively cheap--I think with two or three of those beers plus my entree and tip I spent less than $15 to fill my stomach.
The service was a bit slow, but on the balance, when you consider the prices and the flavor, great option for some quality Mexican food.
I must love this place because I've been back like 10 times.
This was the first place I was introduced to pupusas after a night of clubbing.
The last time went I walked from 24th and Castro to the SF Street Food Festival. When I got there it was WAY too crowded so I left and walked to El Zocalo and had 2 Empandas and a pupusas. The staff is always friendly and while it can take a while for your order to arrive at least you know it is freshly made.
I ate here and it was tasty. However, I saw a mouse run across the room, so keep that in mind.
Had the Enchilada Salvadorean which is a plate of two crispy tostadas topped with beans, pork and sauerkraut. So YUM! Great service and prices too.
This was after a pretty horrible experience at K.O. Though, I'd suffer through K.O. again just to eat here afterward.
A few friends and I were craving some late night Mexican cuisine. One of my friends suggested this place, which had a mix of Mexican and Salvadoran food. I had never eaten Salvadoran food before so I was curious. The place was pretty comfy, there weren't a lot of people and it felt like an ordinary cafe/diner.
I ordered the steak with tomatoes, bell peppers and onions and it came with rice, salad, and refried beans with cheese. It was alright, I don't eat a lot of Mexican-Salvadoran food so I can't really compare it to anything else. The price for it was okay and the portions were decent.
The service was mediocre. Although, the waitress we had was nice, the wait for our food took a while, about 30-35 minutes. Some people who came in after us ended up being served their food before us.
Overall, it was a good experience, the prices are not bad and the food is alright. The servers there seem nice but be prepared to wait a while for your food.
How awesome is going out for drinks then being able to get a great pupusa afterward? In my book, really~really awesome.
Besides being really inexpensive, the pupusas are super yummy and hit that spot. Plus being open late - 2:30 a.m. was a plus. Very satisfying after a night on the town.
My first ever pupusa was in this place. In fact, my only pupusas have been at this place. Now, I love me a fatty pupusa.
Chicken! Cheese and beans! Pork! Pork, beans and cheese! You can find all these pupusas at El Zocalo. Here's where I really wow you: $1.90. Yep, for under two dollars you can get a pupusa that will fend off your hungries or order two for full stuffation. Comes with complimentary chips (some of the best deep fried tortilla bits in the City) and salsa.
The eatery is basic in decor, never crowded and if your companion speaks Spanish and orders thusly, the lady servers get all charmed & sweet on you.
I love this spot for a quick bite, a beer and some chatting with the boyfriend on the cheap.
P.S. Chances are you'll get a chance to by a fake flower bouquet for your sweetheart; at least three different floral merchants stopped by our table last visit. We declined, but if you are into that sort of thing...
3.5 stars.
Juicy and I ended up for a late night dinner here after 3 hours at Mission Cliffs ... where we mostly continued the conversation regarding the ridiculousness that I've been getting myself into. Since Mi Lindo Peru was packed, we came in here instead. The dining room itself is a bit bright for my liking and when the loud music kicked in, I thought people were going to start dancing next to my grubby, sweaty butt ... but turns out it was just a big Mexican family dinner.
We ordered 2 pupusas and the chili verde. I liked the chicken and cheese pupusa ... which is like a pancake that you put sauerkraut and salsa on. The chili verde was huge - tasty, but pretty standard.
I've eaten a pretty wide variety of dishes from El Zocalo before. I've had papusas, I've had enchiladas, I've had the bacon wrapped shrimp. Overall, all of the dishes were fine and I had an OK impression of the place.
Until last night.
*queue horror music now*
After barely surviving a horrendous day, I was dying for a lomo saltado from Mi Lindo Peru. Alas, for some odd reason, they were closed. The bf tried to salvage the moment by disappearing into the night and triumphantly returning (almost 45 minutes later) with what he claimed was a similar dish from El Zocalo.
Uhm.... not!
The beef (at least I think it was beef) looked like a piece of old grungy cardboard and tasted like petrified wood. The sauteed bell peppers on top of this abomination reminded me of soggy McDonalds fries that had been soaked in lysol. Rice was ok..but was on the mushy side. It took them 45 minutes to make THAT?!!
I'm personally offended that El Zocalo served this thing and charged money for it, cos I basically paid $9 to eat mushy rice last night.
So.. why am I giving them two stars instead of negative 2000? Well, in the past the food has been decent and sometimes cooks just have bad nights. However, Zocalo, be warned that for now you are definitely on my s**t list.
A couple of notes from when I was there at some ungodly hour of the night/morning:
-El Zocalo seriously has the most amazing pupusas (at $2 a pop)
-They have the best horchata I've had in the city
-There was a random guy selling fake red roses stuffed with red crotchless thongs from a bucket in the restaurant.
1 star for being open until 4am, 2 stars for the food and drink, and another 2 stars for the crotchless panties.
The food is great and moderately priced. The papusas are delicious and authentic. The causal ambiance works well with the neighborhood and menu. Problem here is the horrible service. The cooks and waitresses are these little old sassy El Salvadorean ladies who move at a glacial pace. Kind of hypnotic to watch though, they are all plump and sort of waddle around. If you go here make sure you have the plenty of time and patience.
Most places I've encountered seem to focus on Mexican and then as an afterthought throw in a couple of pupusa options and call it a Salvadoran restaurant. Not at El Zocalo. This is the real deal.
I had a Salvadoran feast of loroco pupusas, plantanos and crema and a Salvadoran tamale.
The chips were stale and the service was slow, but I'll excuse that for great, made-to-order pupusas with generous portions of curtido (Salvadoran cabbage salad) that cut through the cheesy goodness and provided the perfect tanginess to the pupusas.
OK, it may seem to be one of a million Latin American cusine spots in the Mission, could there ever be too many places for beans/rice/meat combinations of deliciousness? No. El Zocalo is special, it's a sweet, unpretentious (reasonably priced) date dinner or good for a group of family/friends.
The menu has whatever plato you are looking for. I stick with the Enchiladas Zocalo, sin cebollas (satisfies my craving for savory red sauce, tender chicken and gooey cheese- hold the onions for me please). My dude favors the Bistec con Cebollas (big, juicy steak covered in sauteed/grilled? onions- even I will eat some of these onions as they are so flavorful and perfect with the red meat). With a meal like this, I choose an ice cold coca cola classic, done deal, perfect meal.
Keep in mind that it is conveniently, or not so much, located around 30th/Mission = often times no parking, but the 14 stops right outside all day and night.
Take note: late night spot on Mission!
I came here for lunch with my boss and we were both very pleased with the quality of the food and the value.
For $8 I got a plate of carne asasda, rice, tortillas and beans. It was probably one of the best values for lunch I have had in SF for the amount of food I received.
I have been here before at 1am and had their pupusas. They claim to have the best pupusas in town, which I am uncertain about but they are definitely very good.
The horchata is here is quite good as well.
If it matter to you (as it did to my boss) they do take American Express and other forms of credit cards
We've eaten there twice now. My boyfriend always remembers this place because he loves the name - "El Zocalo" which means "The Plaza".
Generally though, the the food is not that memorable. It's solid. But not particularly special. If there was a 1/2 star rating between 3 and 4 I would rate it a 3.5.
In my opinion, there are bettter Mexican and Salvadorean places. For example, Balompie 3 is much better for Pupusas and for atmosphere.
I came here for my birthday last year. I had these really good flat things with cheese, beans and meat in them. They must have been flat tamales but I must say they were even tastier. I washed them down with this sweet seasoned milky tastting water. it was pretty good stuff!
i really liked how opportunites to shop came right to the table!
Late night hours, close to sidespot, and did i already say, LATE NIGHT?...
el bistec con camarones, y papusas....
only wish they had greater selection of aguas frescas...
but the hours, proximity, food and prices......
Late night, ALL THE TIME....
This place is been around for years i remember going there as a kid.
Well a lot of years had passed since i had been there and it seems like the service got worse with time. We came in for lunch and off course i ordered pupusas that's what they're known for. The waitress took a long time to take our order, once she took the order she only came back to serve our food which took forever and didnt come back to ask us if we needed anything else to drink or eat. The place was practically empty that day i dont know why the service was so crappy. I was kind of dissapointed since i've been going there since tiny Tim but i think that restaurants and places where people eat have to improve their business as time passes. Not only remodel the place but also service wise.
I love fat pupusas. David N. and I happened to walk by El Zocalo and upon noticing that he has never tried pupusas, a quick look at yelp's 4 stars rating led us into the restaurant eager to give this place a try. The people there make good use of what might have been a diner by adding photographs and cultural symbols of El Salvador. Although the barred windows and doors prevented us from a good view of the interior before walking in, we later find the décor spaciously arranged with good natural lighting.
Each pupusa is $1.90 and I end up choosing their two pupusas with menudo combo ($8). I thought our complimentary chips were decent but the salsa was a bit diluted and did not make an impression. The pupusas however, were huge with thick doughy texture and plenty of hearty fillings. I loved the texture as it did not come oily and was soft like warm bread--nicely browned and blistered. My queso con loroco had a good amount of stringing melted cheese and a very mild hint of loroco (Salvadorian flower), and my revuelta con frijoles was dominated by beans with ruminants of pork and beans as secondary elements to a savory pupusa. The combination of semi-sweet and savory complimented each other and was a nice change of pace next to a big bowl of menudo. Although the broth lacked flare and could use more salt, diced onions, jalapenos and cilantros, there were tons of chucky tripes with a thick ultra humongous piece of tendon at the bottom. I didn't finish the soup but everything else in that bowl are long gone.
David N. loved his pupusa. I also tasted his pierna de pollo asada, and his grilled chicken thigh was juicy, tender and bursting with flavor. His dish was also generously filled with refried beans with cheese, salad, rice, and a sizable piece of chicken. I thought his dish was more delicious than mine!
Service was absent and distanced. Aside from the weak salsa and the menudo soup base, I thought the main course was pretty good and almost 4 stars worthy. 3.5 stars for the overall experience.
My boyfriend had raved about pupusas and looked like he would faint when I first told him I had never had one, so he took me here about a week ago. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon and the restaurant only had a couple patrons. Out of excitement my boyfriend quickly ordered two plates of pupusas.
They were delicious! I could barely eat them at first because they were hot and fresh off the skillet, but once I had a bite, I was sold. Normally my boyfriend can finish off any leftovers from my plate and he was happy when I couldn't even finish my two pupusas. But this was one time where even he had trouble finishing our meals. We were so full we skipped dinner that night.
The pupusas were delicious and very cheap. (Less than $20 to fill us both up) I will definitely be back!
Good food and an excellent value. The trout is only $10, and you get an entire fish on a platter covered in a tomato sauce with baby shrimp AND an even bigger platter with all your sides (rice, beans, and salad).
Like this place. The pupusas are good. However, the last time i had them they were kinda thin, they need more stuffing! Overall, it is one of my to-go places. The downside and reason i didn't give 5stars is because they don't have some of my favorite salvadorean must have- atol de elote(corn soup)!
the one in El Camino is really good too.
Really good Salvadorean food!!!! Love the pupusas and chilate(sweet potatoe & plantain cooked in… Read more »
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Category: Latin American
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