Cristina's Salvadorean Food

Made-to-order pupusas served by friendly staff in an immaculately clean restaurant. That sums up Christina’s. The food is fresh, flavorful, and bright. The tamale was amongst the best I’ve ever had; the sampler plate that I got is a great way to dip your toes into what Christina’s offers. Bear in mind, don’t expect your meal in 5 minutes. Good things take time. So grab a seat, get a beverage, engage yourself in the telenovela on the TV, and immerse yourself in the experience. If you haven’t been here before, here’s your official invitation.

Worth the wait! We waited about 45 for a to go order but once we got home it was worth the wait. We had the pupusa de arroz, so delicious. There was the perfect amount of masa. The quesadilla was good, not dry. We also got #23 and the flavor was good.

I love pupusas, but Salvadorian cuisine holds a special place in my heart, and I'm happy to have tried this place. The pupusa is delicious, with a generous filling. The salsa has a perfect consistency, and the repollo is excellent. I had eggs with chorizo, beans, cream, and plantains. The plantains with cream and some beans create the perfect bite. The eggs and chorizo are complementary when given that plate array. The service was fine; I had to table myself and was not greeted. I even had to get up and walk to the register to request support. Beware, you can hear music bumping from the next-door barber shop, which is slightly annoying, but the storeowners should address this. If I'm in the area, I will return.

My food and service was on point. I enjoyed the papusas and plantains were good as well! The setting is more like a fast food restaurant it would be nice if it was more intimate!

If you want pupusas for sure come here, they have a good food. The restaurant is clean and next time I am going to try the pan con pollo. Come hungry and leave very happy. Coming back here to eat again.

I tried this place on a whim, and i am glad i did. The food looked and tasted delicious very flavorful and filling. You definitely have to try the pupusas and the chicken tamales. Will definitely be goung back again to try more menu items.

First time visitor to this restaurant. Also first time tasting Salvadorian food. First impression is the cleanliness of the restaurant. Next was the spacious seating. All tables, no booths. I like my space so this was a good thing. They created a nice ambiance with the wall decor. The menu provided many options and thankfully offered English translation on the menu. Pictures of the food on the menu were helpful in the decision making process. We tried a variety of selections from the menu and the server was very friendly, offering to explain the ingredients. I will just add pictures and say that every thing we ordered was delicious. I am excited to go back and try more! Highly recommend for a taste vacation to El Salvador! Wonderful experience all around! The drink is a Salvadorian version of a Horchata.

WOW, JUST WOW. Hands down, this place is amazing. Food is beyond good. Yes it takes a lil bit to get your food, but that's bcuz it's made FRESH! I definitely don't mind waiting for fresh food. I highly recommend this place. I will definitely be returning 😁😁😁

I've been on the hunt for authentic Salvadorean food, and Cristina's did not disappoint! Even though it was a 20-minute drive, it was absolutely worth it. I placed a to-go order and tried several dishes, all of which were delicious and authentic. I ordered the pupusas revueltas, which came with fried plantains. The flavors were spot on. I also tried the pan con pollo, which was packed with flavor and just as good as I remembered. The drinks were another highlight: the agua de guanabana and the liquado de zapote were both refreshing and tasty. I couldn't resist buying some extra items for later, so I picked up a quesadilla and tamales de pollo, which I'm excited to try. The customer service was quick and friendly, making the experience even better. The restaurant has plenty of tables and a welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere. They even had a soccer game on TV while I was there, something I know my dad would have enjoyed. I'm definitely planning to come back and dine in next time.

Great Papusas! Worth the wait for the food to be made. Just wish they all spoke English to understand the order.

Hmmmm, Food is okay. We ordered French bread on the side- and it felt like it was days old, they heated it up in the microwave and then gave it to us. Within seconds the bread was as hard as a rock. Service is not good either, I only saw my server twice and then another one took our check. When I told her about the bread, she laughed and said "they just toasted it too much" even after I explained that that's not what it looks like. I had to repeat it to her and be more assertive so they remove the bread from my bill. The food had good taste, very greasy though. I'm sure my service experience is overpowering my experience with flavor. Maybe I'll return one day.

I wish I could give this place a better review but ..... To start, the service was lovely. Our waitress was so sweet. Felt really bad for her since she was literally the only person taking orders or bussing tables. It's unfortunate when places are short staffed but that's to be expected. We ordered pupusas and they were yummy. I did order the Salvadorean Tipico platter which was fine although the beef that came with this meal was harder than shoe leather. I also felt like the prices were a bit high for this standard type of menu. As an example, normally, Sopa de Res (beef stew) is around $9-13 per bowl. They charge $19.99 for soup? Um, no. That's quite high. I know that inflation is rough but I found the qualify of the food to be just okay.

First time here and I will definitely return. My family and I tried the pupusas and the chicken tamales and they were definitely delicious

Wow! These are AMAZING. They were so cheesy, warm, gooey, savory, tasty, thick, EVERYTHING. First time visiting and not the last. Yummm!!!u

Love me a good pupusa and the plantinos were amazing . Good service fresh food what more could you want !

I had an incredible experience here. Placing a phone order for a large meal, they requested my credit card information, which was understandable. The restaurant was spotless, and the food, both authentic and delicious, had no issues. Despite arriving close to closing time, the staff greeted us warmly. Our order, just a 5-minute drive away, was still piping hot. Living nearby, I look forward to making this place a regular dining spot!

OMGosh. This food is amazing. My first time in and the staff friendly and explained the food. I will be back.

This Christina's food is very tasty and delicious I would must recommend wait time: 5 minutes and the server was very nice and understandable with our order. Outside was looking very nice and the wind was cool. Interior was looking very great with bathrooms and pictures of their flag El Salvador and pictures of their food on display. Must recommend and this is my spot when I don't know what to eat and we wanna go out. My spot Fr

So glad I found this spot! Moved here from the Bay Area a few years ago and I'm part Salvadorian.. so our food culture back home is definitely different. This place hits. My kids love it too. Portions are huge! Recommend the plátanos con crema and the bean & cheese pupusas. We'll be back!

Customer service is terrible. The server turned people away for dining in at 7:19pm when they close at 8pm. She clearly wanted to go home and resulted in a terrible experience. Food is great thankfully.

1st time going. Definitely will return. I need to try more dishes lol Maybe eat in instead of carry out.

Great tasty pupusas and I also like their Tamarindo drinks. A little hard to place a phone order as you have to pay in advance but it only bothers if I don't have my wallet w me. Great service and quality food

Good, slow service but it was worth the wait. Had 48 with pupusa, empanada, pastelitos, yucca and chicharrones. Everything was excellent. Tried 41 which was like a slightly sweet/cheese corn bread. Plenty of meat and flavor in everything. The tamale had a different flavor than I am used to but was very good.

Pupusas are great when they give you the right amount. The last two times I have been here I ordered take out. Both times I paid with my card and when the payment posted on my account it was higher than what I was originally charged. If you're going to eat here make sure they don't add their own tip, bring cash instead because they seem to alter the prices after you've already been charged and left the restaurant.

They are very kind! Nice service. The food is a little crease but it's still good! I keep coming back to it. :)

The food was so delicious and the service was really great too! My favorite meal is Pastelitos,Parrillada salvadoreña. like new culture myexperience Cristina's Salvador Restaurant .I met the owner. He was great person.

Food was good. We did not eat inside so can't speak about ambiance. The food was prepared In a timely manner.

My hubby and I had a delicious meal here! We enjoyed our pupusas. They are delicious stuffed pockets. What we enjoyed the most was the crispy pork morsels and the fried plantains. Everything was fresh tasting and the warm hospitality. Be prepared to wait as there is only one cook and one server when we were there.

Yes ill recommend this place i come here because of my daughter she likes popusas or ill say she loves popusas , just a bit pricey at least in my opinion.

Support small business, these folks are great and have always been very welcoming. Been coming for years.

HOLY MOLY!! So incredibly good!!! I called in and placed my to-go order ahead of time. I did get a decent amount of food so I was told 25mins. I got myself combo #56: 2 revuelta pupusas, rice and beans. The revueltas was a mixture of pork, beans and cheese. Sooo good! The texture of the masa was perfection. The rice and beans were delicious, actually had flavor unlike most places. The consumé and salsa were also, very good! The pupusas are generously sized, maybe a little bigger than a normal sized tortilla and keep in mind these are thick so I was full after 1 and a 1/2. The slaw is also very favorable and highly recommend eating this along w the pupusa. It did take a little longer than 25mins (probably more like 40mins) but like most of the other reviews here, ITS WORTH THE WAIT. The ladies here were very sweet on the phone and in person. I will definitely be back. They have such a large menu I would probably try something different each time. And their desserts. Lol Open for dine in. Seating is limited.

My first visit. I ordered 7 different papusas all so delicious. Will definitely be back to dine in. The service was quick and staff was very kind.

We had family visiting and they were craving pupusas last Sunday in the evening. This narrowed down the places that were open and we could go. After a quick search we found Cristinas. It wasn't full at all so we sat right away and looked at the menu- which has a big selection of plates and offerings. Since we weren't super hungry my husband and I split the number 50 which is Dos Pupusas Revueltas, Dos Empanadas y Yuca con Chicharrón (which on their menu translates to - Two Mixed Pupusas, Two Plantain Empanadas and Fried Yucca with Pork) My sister in law order the number 49 which was Tres Pupusas Revueltas y Plátanos con Crema (Three Mixed Pupusas and Fried Plantain with Cream) Mixed pupusas have shredded pork, melted white cheese and beans. The plantain empanadas are a type of dough made of sweet bananas (which is different for me as plantains and bananas are NOT the same where I'm from) filled with cream. Yucca is a tuber from the same family as potatoes, just more more fibrous - I was pretty exited about this as I rarely find yucca here in Phx. The meal was big enough to fill us both. The empanadas where fairly big and came with sole cole slaw. The yucca and plantains were perfectly fried and so was the chicharron. We ordered an horchata but the server didn't bring it so we weren't able to try that. They also have smaller plates or just pupusas by themselves. All in all a good place to grab some pupusas and meals are big enough to share.

The food was excellent and really authentic Salvadoran (so). I realize afterwards that I should have taken pictures of my meal. If you come froM Mexico or Ecuador this is the place to come. I went with fluent Spanish speaking friends I didn't need to know the language and the customers that all came I. Spoke Spanish so I am not sure if they speak English but the menu has plenty of photos and they have it written in English as well. Give them a try. You will enjoy.

Found this spot randomly as I go next door to get my eyebrows threaded. I was starving and needed some bomb food. When I got there it was empty. It has a really odd smell ... like they cleaned the tables with a dirty towel. I asked the server what was good and I got the platter with all the Salvadorian must haves. All good, but the Salvadorian tamal had little to no chicken. So basically the smell and lack of meat overall is why I took the stars. I'll be back to give them another shot tho...

Papusas we're good place was clean as well as the bathrooms staff was friendly definitely will comeback soon

Place is so good! I felt like I was at my grandmother's house. Pupusas are a must have!

The pupusas are amazing! Hands down best place I have ever eaten at in the west side. The green salsa man it's so good but if you don't like spicy don't have it. Lol

Tried this place since our favorite spot on 75th and Thomas did not answer their phone. Dinner was good. We had a mix of the queso/loroco and revueltas they where good but the chicharrón tasted like it was chewy. The dough was hard when we got them maybe just because they where done way before we picked them up. I'll try them again or even some of their other food on the menu like the panes!!

Ordered the pupusas with cheese, pork, & beans. Absolutely outstanding food! I haven't had pupusas in a long time--it's difficult to find Salvadorean cuisine in the small town I moved from. Cristina's was piping hot, freshly made, & melt-in-your-mouth delicious. I also ordered the chicken tamales. These were not my favorite, but I think that's just personal preference. The masa was tender & so was the chicken stuffing. Just not really my thing. We also sampled the plantain empanadas for dessert. It was the perfect balance of sweet & savory, & my wife was finishing them off in a matter of minutes! We ordered takeout & it took over 25 minutes for our order to be completed. This was because the staff was making everything fresh, by hand. If you're willing to be patient, you'll be rewarded with truly delicious food that satisfies! Great place, highly recommend.

Food was great, did a pick up order and was ready quickly. Will definitely come back.

Short Review: friendly staff, clean, mediocre Pupusas & curtido, good salsa, good ensalada drink, great tamales. Detailed Review: I'm half Salvi and grew up eating Pupusas both home made and at many restaurants. I also grew up in L.A. where I have tons of Pupusas options. That said, I've been on the hunt for Pupusas in Phoenix since I moved here 12 years ago. This is the 6th restaurant I've found and tried here. I always get the same thing at each restaurant for fair comparison: 1 tamal de pollo, 1 Pupusa revuelta (pork, beans, cheese), and to drink an ensalada. The ensalada here is really good. I just wish it had more fruit in it. The pupusa was meh.... it lacked flavor and didn't have a good mix of beans and cheese. It was mostly chicharrón. The curtido was too vinegary for my liking plus I'm not a fan of any curtido that looks pink or purple. The salsa roja was actually pretty good though. I doused my pupusa and tamal with the salsa. Oh and the tamal was delicious! The masa and chicken has a lot of flavor. It reminded me of my late grandma's tamales. I even ordered a few more to take home and warm up in the oven later. While waiting for my additional tamales to go, I noticed a couple that had just arrived were served chips and salsa while they waited. I also noticed on other Yelp posts that this is a complimentary thing.... but I didn't get any chips and salsa. So I'm a bit bummed about that. Otherwise the staff seemed polite (although they didn't seem interested in too much chit chat) and the place was clean. It was kind of odd that it was really empty for a Sunday evening around dinner time (6ish). I did notice they received a few phone orders while I was there which seems to have kept them busy.

Moved to AZ last summer from the Bay Area (CA) one thing I miss back home is the food. Thankfully found this spot and let me say they're generous in size! I only finished half my plate! My daughter was in Pupusa heaven! Lol will definitely be back. The plátanos maduros hit the spot

This place has some delicious Pupusas. There is a lot on their menu still left to try but I bet it's all delicious. The chicken tamales were good too. Different but delicious.

Good salvadorean food! I've been going here for years and my family and I enjoy the pupusas, pastelitos, and sweet empanadas. My reason for 4 stars is because the prices have gone up way too much for the pupusas! A pupusa is almost $4!!! I think a taco is probably cheaper. I need to start making my own pupusas if this inflation keeps going .

Definitivamente Algo cambio en El servicio, TAL vez nuevos empleados x que estoy no solia SER ASI. Quise hacer una orden por telefono y me dejaron en espera por 10 min. Intente de Nuevo y El telefono sonaba descolgado, por fin de 20min logre hacer minorsen pero me pedian que pagara por telefono a lo que no acepte, le dije que tomara mi orden y pasaria a Pagar cuando levatara mi pedido. Cuando llegue a Pagar una empleada estaba comiendo enfrente del mostrador mientras Otra tomaba una orden por telefono y Otra empleada estaba en El dinning room, Al final pague mi orden pero tuve que esperar de Nuevo por 15 min por que no habian mandado mi orden para SER preparada. Definitivamente Algo a cambiado terrible experiences, si la gerencia lee esto es debido tomar cartas en El asunto, los empleados parecen no importarles el servicio que prestan.

I was really excited to find this little place!! I love Salvadorian food! I was so disappointed. I had the mojarra frita, and the popusas.... It was nasty, tasteless food!! Don't waste your time, or if you want try it and find out.

I must confess that this was my first time eating Salvadoran food. I don't know much about Salvadoran cuisine except that pupusas are a staple and after my first bite, I'm kicking myself for not trying pupusas earlier. I wish I ordered two! While nachos are pretty standard everywhere, I will say their beans are quite flavorful and doesn't seem to be the generic straight-out-of-the-can kind. It's really nothing to write home about but it was still tasty and I'm glad I shared because it was a pretty big portion . Their pupusas though... Oh my. Thick cornmeal tortillas filled with cheese and pork for around $2 a pop. It came with a cabbage slaw and this watery tomato salsa. I don't know if I was eating it correctly but I piled my pupusas with some slaw, sprinkled on the salsa, and tore into it with my hands. Hey, it strikes me as street food and ain't nobody got time for a fork and knife. It was bliss! The pupusas was delicious without the slaw and salsa but with everything on it, it was refreshing and even more flavorful. My mouth is drooling just thinking about today's lunch. Cristina's is a nice clean restaurant with a slow but steady crowd. The cashier was friendly, answered all our noob questions, and was patient. Their staff size seems to consist of two people so it's a bit of a wait but it's definitely worth it. I'll definitely be sneaking over this gem of a place while I work. :)

First of all, i want to start from the end of my visit experience and I want to apologize because I almost left without paying I'm sorry for that. It was a misunderstanding it took it so long for them to get my bill and when the waiter finally gave me my bill she gave me the customer copy and I thought it was paid. However, we solved it. Even though the service was super slow (or maybe I haven't getting used to Arizona, I'm a new resident) food was good, loved the fact their menu is big and you can choose what's on it. Waiter were nice, spacious place and clean.

I happened to be passing thru the area in need of a meal and a quick yelp search identified Christina's. This was the very first Salvadoran meal I've had the opportunity to enjoy. I selected two mix papusas filled with ground pork, beans, and cheese. Sides of rice, beans and a coleslaw like salad that was seasoned with a spicy vinegar dressing were also offered. Two ice cold salsas were provided, red and green, the red was thin with a fresh tomato flavor,.. very tasty. I never made it past the red to try the green, it appeared to be a tomatillo type salsa. The waitress was quick, attentive, and friendly. I thought the meal was a great value, I would absolutely dine here again,

We ordered popusas, Chile rellenos, a torta and some platanitos! Really tasty and great service!

I was craving some pupusas and decided to grab my yelp app to see where I can get some. The closest to me was Cristinas restaurant I decided to call ahead since we were just going to pick it up. There were only 2 tables taken and the place wasnt busy at all. The lady took my payment and she was nice (ish) -- until I asked for extra cabbage salad for my pupusas. She went and got some more but her attitude changed. I guess I was spoiled coming from california for a vacation and the place gave us a tub of cabbage salad for toppings with no questions ask. I was kind of taken back by the slight but noticeable change of attitude. The pupusas was "ok". A bit dry and the cabbage I spoke off was not even fresh. It was actually a bit pricy to get 3 pupusas + fried plantains. Nothing special Ill try a different place next time.

Hungry and didn't know what I wanted so we decided to stop in and get some pupusas. I actually prefer this place than my regular Salvadorian Restaurant in the Valley. They stepped up their game! Food is very fresh and tasty, the combination plates are perfect. I'm glad we stopped in for a quick lunch.

We had been looking for some delicious pupusas on our side of town. This place was amazing. Their Jalapeño and cheese are the BEST! The service is always great and friendly. We will return over and over again.

My second time coming here. It was over a year ago that I ate at this local Salvadorian restaurant. Walking in, it was quiet, clean, with warm colors. The seating is disorganized as it's unclear whether you seat yourself or if they seat you. There are no prices on their menu so if the price of your dish matters, you might be awhile asking the server what each dish costs. It wasn't after we placed our order and got our drinks that the server brought out complimentary chips salsa. They are pretty slow with getting your food out to you. However you can enjoy the chips and salsa in the meantime. Both my kiddo and I ordered pupusas they were phenomenal. Our server had to be reminded of our bill to pay. It could have earned one more star if they had better service.

The place was spotless. The food was ready right away. The food was delicious, I had the Pupusas Revueltas, rice, and black beans, and they were everything I was expecting and more. It has to be one of the best Salvadorean restaurants I've visited. I will definitely be coming back.

I love Cristina's pupusas. My family has come here or ordered take out for many years. Try their pupusas, plátano con crema y frijoles, their sampler and of course their ensalada fresh drink or créeme soda Kola Champan. They are wonderful and they make delicious food.