El Salvadoreno

The pupusas and curtido here are delicious. From the revueltas con todo to the loroco with cheese, we tried them all, and they are all delicious! Their horchata is different, it reminds me of a drink in Mexico we call agua de cebada. The ensalada drink is a mix of different fruits, mainly tastes like pinapple juice with a hint of apple juice, it's very refreshing. The atole de elote is ok, it's more of a micena with elote (corn). Overall this place is very good, I'll definitely be trying more dishes!

We were a party of 6 and it was our first time eating in this restaurant. We went Friday night at 7 pm, and it wasn’t busy. It is a casual restaurant with several tables. Our server was very attentive and friendly. The menu items were reasonably priced & the portions were good. Everyone enjoyed our meal.

TASTY MIXED PUPUSAS! My family and I stumbled upon this place near Grant Hill after craving something warm to eat all-day, we were definitely impressed! We ordered a variety of different pupusas ranging from mushroom, vegan, revueltas (mixed - beans, pork, and cheese) and chicharrón. Each pupusa was about $5.50 EACH. My order included the chicharrón and revueltas. The clear winner was the revueltas as the pork was absolutely delicious and flavorful. The chicharrón was also good, but it didn’t blow my mind like the other pupusa. El Salvadoreño also serves refreshing fruit drinks called Ensaladas (not to be confused w/ a Salad) which include chunks of fruit. My Mom particularly liked these and informed me that it tasted pretty authentic! Service was great, our waitress was polite and refilled our drinks quickly! The dining room is sizable and fits both small and large groups. Restrooms are available! I’ll definitely return to this place and suggest it to my Yelp friends.

I always forget how good the food here is. I live too far away to eat here more often, but I make sure to visit when I'm in the area.

Overall a great place for Salvadorian food. The Pupusas were great and the café de olla was just right. Definitely a must for Salvadorian food.

First time here and I loved it. I had popusas, envalada and to drink Atol and a fruit drink. Everything was 5 stars. First time trying Salvadorian food, I have to go back and expand my review later on this year. My apologies for not taking pictures of the food... I attacked it as soon as I saw it. Update: back again many times, still a great place for popusas. Finally took a picture of my last bite . Atol is still the best drink here!

El salvadoreño is definitely one of my favorite restaurants in San Diego. The food is absolutely delicious! My favorite are the popusas and the aguas frescas! Everything we try from this place is really really good!!! The place is very cozy and the service is really good, everyone is so attentive.

This place is always busy ( esp. weekends after church) with large groups, big togo orders, and all the walk-ins. The staff always does their best to accommodate groups of all sizes and provide speedy service. Don't come here if you're looking for a quick meal. The food is prepared fresh and takes time. The popusas are always hot and delicious and usually not TOO greasy. I always ask for extra curtido aka the delicious cabbage salad that comes on the side. Homemade food takes time so don't be a rude A-hole. The corn atole is TO DIE FOR, please don't skip this yummy, hot, creamy, drink topped off with cinnamon. The coffee and aguas frescas are good too. My family is from central America and this place does it right.

El salvadoreño is definitely one of my favorite restaurants in San Diego. The food is absolutely delicious! My favorite are the popusas and the aguas frescas! Everything we try from this place is really really good!!! The place is very cozy and the service is really good, everyone is so attentive.

Salvadorian pupusas here are full of flavor and super consistent -- they always hit the spot. The curtido and spicy salsa are savory, bold, and bring the whole plate to life. Definitely the highlight every time I come. The Horchata Salvadoreña, though... it's been a hit or miss for me. I've tried it about three different times now, and honestly, it just feels inconsistent -- sometimes it's rich and creamy other times it tastes a little watered down or something. Service tends to be mediocre and the food usually takes a while, but I do cut them some slack since everything is made fresh to order.

We had a horrible experience. We were enjoying the food until I got my soup which was wayyy salty. I politely asked the server if I could switch it for something else. She said she needed to ask. The manager came and asked what's wrong with it and I told her it was too salty. She rudely said I already tried it and it's not salty. I disagreed and she walked away saying outlook to the workers that nothing is wrong with the soup. When she came back with the menu and said she could add something to my order but I'd have to pay for the soup and the new order. I said I didn't want the soup because it was too salty to eat and she said I'm wrong that it's not salty and that she COULDN'T remove it from the table. I asked why and she claimed that restaurants can't take the food and throw it away. But then she said she could "fix" it. Which is ironic because that's actually against health code but also how do you "fix" a salty stock that's supposed to cook in meat for a long time. I said you're just gonna add water and she said "no we'll make it from scratch for you, this whole time you've been complaining the soup would be done by now" I don't need to explain what's wrong with that statement but in case this restaurant is really that amateur and doesn't ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO MAKE A SOUP FROM SCRATCH, soup and stock isn't made in 5 minutes...UNLESS you just grab water and add bouillon and PRETEND you're serving authentic stock. It doesn't even matter which culture or country soup you're making weather it's a Mexican caldo, Salvadoran, etc it takes time to cook tough meat and let the stock have flavor and be actual stock. LET ME TRACH YOU ANOTHER BASIC LESSON YOUR MANAGER IS SO CLUELESS ABOUT...a small bowl of a huge pot of stock probably cost this restaurant $2 and I was gonna order something else that costs $20 so if anything you would have lost $2 dollars and kept a happy customer. Instead, you lost the ENTIRE lifetime value of a customer, a bad review for this restaurant, AND bad rep om social media...but you saved $2 dollars...wow. The owner needs to fire this "manager." The worst part was how rude she was and condescending! When I asked her if I could talk to the chef she claimed that "chefs aren't allowed to come out of the kitchen" and that's its "the law." That's when I got really annoyed. Idk why this girl was lying so much for a small bowl of soup. And she kept repeating how "by this time we could have a new soup for you. I even asked her why would I lie. We ordered a lot of food! And why would I wanna lie about a small bowl of soup. I also explained I'm pregnant and made my husband drive us here out of our area because I was craving their food. She said it didn't matter that "nothing is wrong with the soup and something is wrong with my taste buds and I'm lying." She totally ruined my appetite and meal. All for what?! $2 bucks? Morale of the story? Be prepared to eat everything they give you and not have a single complaint because they won't accommodate, they don't know anything about customer service, they are willing to lie instead of doing their job and also ACCORDING to this manager...their supposedly authentic Salvadoran soup is made is 10-15 minutes. Salvadoran ladies would be rolling laughing if you said that to them. I grew up with this soup and it's at least 1-2 hours if you get really tender meat. It also tasted artificial but that explains a lot if they made it in a few minutes it's just water with bouillon. There was no pride in this restaurant or for their cuisine or service. Don't come here if you wanna be treated badly and all they care about is pennies.

Food is awesome but be aware, their pupusa is smaller than other restaurants at 4.5 in diameter, cost of $7.25. Most other restaurant pupusa diameter varies from 5-6 in at $3.50 a $5.00 each.

TASTY MIXED PUPUSAS! My family and I stumbled upon this place near Grant Hill after craving something warm to eat all-day, we were definitely impressed! We ordered a variety of different pupusas ranging from mushroom, vegan, revueltas (mixed - beans, pork, and cheese) and chicharrón. One pupusa was about $5.50 EACH. My order included the chicharrón and revueltas. The clear winner was the revueltas as the pork was absolutely delicious and flavorful. The chicharrón was also good, but it didn't blow my mind like the other pupusa. El Salvadoreño also serves refreshing fruit drinks called Ensaladas (not to be confused w/ a Salad) which include chunks of fruit. My Mom particularly liked these and informed me that it tasted pretty authentic! Service was great, our waitress was polite and refilled our drinks quickly! The dining room is sizable and fits both small and large groups. Restrooms are available! I'll definitely return to this place and suggest it to my Yelp friends.

This is a really great restaurant with a Salvadorian atmosphere. The staff is 110%. Friendly, polite, fast and accurate. I rarely write reviews, especially if everything was good, only if it was bad , but this place was impossible to pass by. The food is top notch, the taste is just amazing. The drinks are great. And the atmosphere, my God, I have never seen such a thing in an American restaurant, fun, full of life. I was with my child and he felt great. We really enjoyed it.

Stopped in for some Pupusas, left with full bellies and the desire to come back and try other items on the menu. Lunch rush definitely hits this place hard, may want to time your visit after 1:30 pm to ensure timely service.

Food was terrible. Look like a theycook with rancid oil or oil with fish flavor I ordered different dishes from pupusa, enchiladas fried plantain and Pasteles no good at all location and service acceptable but food wasn't ,I was excited to try a new Salvadorean place, I won't recommend this place.

The absolute best pupusa I've ever had. Hand down. The rice and beans were so good! I can't rave enough about the food. The service was fast considering how busy they were on a Sunday late afternoon. It was busy but the vibe was so chill. Families and friends enjoying food and laughs. I'll be back as long as they're around.

This restaurant is an absolute gem! Tasty, authentic Central American food and great service. We are from Los Angeles and we make this a must stop when we visit San Diego. The ambiance is lovely and welcoming.

I've been coming here for 20 years and the quality has been consistent. A pleasant dining room with booths and tables not too close together. There is a patio, a covered area on a raised platform with what used to be part of a parking lot, Covid style. The servers are friendly, but just know your food will come out when it's ready, and it's never less than 20-25 min. That is okay with me because... The pupusas are out-****-standing. If you haven't had one, imagine a corn tortilla that is stuffed with cheese, pork, or a multitude of things that you choose, all stuffed to order and cooked on a griddle. Top said pupusa with curtido (kind of like a Cole slaw, but not at all sweet) and tomato and hot sauce and you are in for a treat. I usually get chicharrón(pork), cheese, and loroco (the flower of some climbing plant indigenous to the El Salvador area). Today it delivered just as it has every other time I've been here, but I could only eat two and a half as I'm not the mass consumer I used to be. If you plan on having the hot sauce, I highly recommend ordering the Ensalada drink, which is kind of like a mixed fruit drink with a bunch of floating fruit bits. Perfect pairing.

Came here on a Sunday noon. We were acknowledged by staff right away, had another couple ahead of us, and had to wait about 5-10 minutes to get a table (the waiting area is a bit small and there was a 2-3 person bench available). The service was very good as they kept checking on us and bringing whatever was requested pretty quickly. Single occupancy restrooms (1 labeled for men and 1 for women) were clean. The place itself has some old-timey character. We very much enjoyed the "Yuca con Chicharrón" (fried root with juicy seared pork meat) dish, as well as the "curtido" (pickled cole slaw) and sauces. The pupusas felt a very doughty and not as tasty as in other places. Would come back to try other dishes.

Amazing food, all we ordered was fantastic. Great restaurant for Central American food. I would absolutely recommend this place.

Salvadorian heaven, in San Diego is a must stop. Let me start with the platanos con crema, they are the best sweet tooth craving. You will automatically fall in love with them. Warm soul loving food. The horchata they sell here is authentic in flavor. I'm addicted. My sweetheart brought me here and I was utterly in love with the food taste. So much to try, gotta return, for now farewell. Ambiance is great, seating is spacious. Cozy spot for a rainy day. I'm from LA. Out here on a business trip. Happiest time here in my tummy.

Pupusas me! What I like about this restaurant you ask? Pretty much everything. - Clean and well organised with plenty of tables and nice back patio. - Very friendly and attentive service. - Authentic Salvadorian food. Food was the main reason of our trip here and it was worth it. Good flavours, seasoning, and overall presentation. Everything was prepared to order and tasted very fresh. 1. Ceviche was made with white fish and was quite spicy. You can ask to remove spicy peppers if you don't like your food to be too spicy. This goes for all the dishes that require cooking with peppers. 2. Pupusas were very good too and paired well with delicious and crunchy curtido. 3. Empanada de plátano, pork tamales and corn tamale were super tasty and melt in your mouth. 4. Atol de elote was sweet and creamy. Yum! You must try this restaurant if you crave Salvadorian food.

An absolute gem! I'm from Miami and was looking for authentic Salvadoran food to remind me of home, and definitely found it here. We had the plátano relleno - it was a delicious surprise. We ordered it because it was different and something we hadn't had before, but will be ordering it every time we visit from here on out. Would also HIGHLY recommend the baleada. Service was great, ambience was nice, restaurant was clean. Overall a really good experience if you are looking for authentic Central American food.

Ray was super informative and cared to tell us about the food items we were not familiar with. Very friendly staff overall. Foods were fantastic, all 4 of us enjoyed the 3 plates of food plus the shrimp soup was amazing!!!

This homely spot is a great place to visit for some authentic Salvadoran cuisine that'll fill you right up. The pupusas especially are priced just right and are delicious. We got the revuelta and res (+ todo) pupusas and they packed so much goodness inside!

DO NOT GO HERE!!! Because I don't need more of you showing up to the greatest Salvadorian restaurant in San Diego!!!! Where do I begin I've been going to this place for over 5years and let me tell you it's like a first kiss every time..... I've celebrated birthdays and anniversaries here. The service is A1 people are friendly and very knowledgeable about the food so if your new they will make you feel comfortable about diving into any dish. Everything that I have ever had taste amazing I mean I should have to say it but make sure you have the pupusas, I've taken people and they don't get one then end up eating mine, so I never bring them back haha My favorite dish is the grilled pork chip with onions and pepper's AKA Encebollados! The most amazing pork chop on earth so flavorful it doesn't make sense! Also on my most recent visit I tried the Platano Relleno and OMG if you want to take your flavor palate to the next level order this you won't be disappointed! Enjoy and your welcome!

Service/Setting Very friendly staff with a warm family vibe. Restaurant is clean, spacious, and welcoming. Food: The pupusas here are outstanding. Fresh, hot, good ingredients inside. The curtido and hot salsa add extra layers of flavor. Satisfying! Overall: Great restaurant for families with an awesome staff, good prices, and delicious food. The whole package.

The service here was top-tier! We stopped by for a late breakfast and were greeted right away. Our drink orders were taken quickly, and the food arrived in no time. Everything tasted so authentic and delicious. This family-owned spot has such a beautiful, welcoming atmosphere. It's truly a hidden gem! If I'm ever in San Diego again, I'm definitely coming back. Highly recommend checking this place out!

Had the most delicious Pupusas at El Salvadoreño Restaurant on Imperial Ave. The pupusas tasted very authentic similar to the ones I tried in Olocuilta, El Salvador home of the pupusas. I recommend this place. The service was great and the restaurant was clean. There's only street parking.

Omgah their papusas I had to order twice they were that good ! So many different choices sooo good you can't just have 2 lol ! And they have a great happy hour ! The service was great the ladies are so sweet ! Made to order goodness you have to stop by when in sd area !

The best Salvadorian food! All the plates are extremely good, you get that home feeling. I love their caldo de res It's so good and big portion. The menu has changed within the last years, but the casamiento is good too! Rice with beans, fried banana, sour cream and queso fresco. Such a good breakfast. Now this place is known for the popusas, freshly made tortillas, different kind of fillings, my fav is the cheese with chicharrón! They give you this curtido, it's like cabbage, carrots, so good! The salsa spicy a solid 7/10 but so good. Parking, sucks. It's only street parking! They do have parking behind the location but it's limited! Love coming here. Oh and how can I forget about the agua fresca, It's agua de ensalada. So good and refreshing.

We were a party of 6 and it was our first time eating in this restaurant. We went Friday night at 7 pm, and it wasn't busy. It is a casual restaurant with several tables. Our server was very attentive and friendly. The menu items were reasonably priced & the portions were good. Everyone enjoyed our meal.

The best pupusas I ever had !! The best service ever all the lady were so sweet . Definitely coming back such a chill place to bring back friends and family!

The food is delicious!! The platanos 10.00 for beans cream and bread a little pricy better of just ordering separate. The pupusas 4.00 they taste good ! We were served in 15 minutes Very good Definitely will return!! Fast Service, also curteous. Clean establishment

This is easily one of my favorite restaurants in all of San Diego. It's got a great story, is true to its roots, and puts out fantastic cuisine. The pupusas and baleadas are to die for. Service is great, though it can be slow.

Pupusas were good, a little greasy. The cortado was very good. Nice selection of pupusas. Will return to try the guisado, more pupusas, horchata and agua ensalada. Excited to discover another El Salvadorian restaurant.

To anyone who says the pupusas here are good they are lying. I do recommend the tamales de elote and the desayuno típico

This is one of my all time favorite restaurants in San Diego. The food is so delicious and the portions are pretty generous too! Every time someone visits me from out of town I always make sure to take them to this restaurant. And I have never met a person who has not wanted to return. 10/10!

More Updates: I tried the Antojito Salvatchura and it was delicious. Loved trying everything, yuca fries and the pastel were my favorite. I'd like to suggest trying to go on a weekday if u can as theyre less busy. This was my first time going on a weekend and it was BUSSYYYY. Be prepared to really wait for your food on a busy Sunday. They have some outside seating in the back as well. Update: tried their ceviche today, loved it. SO TANGY! Food is absolutely chefs kiss so good! We ordered a few pupusas and LOVED it. So tasty, and we also ordered a carne asada baleada and the meat was cooked perfectly, tasted fresh and hot off the grill straight to us. Service was amazing, the restaurant is clean, and they definitely take pride in their food and you will see that when you visit!! Absolutely worth a visit and can't wait to get pupusas again! Ps. The homemade horchata is divine!! As is the atole de elote

This place really captures the essence of family food. As soon as you take a bite of the pupusas wooo you gonna leave this place with your pants unbuttoned

Born and raise in El Salvador, and this place is close enough for salvadorean cooking. Food was delicious, the service was excellent the restaurants ambiance is very inviting and pleasant. If you like pupusas and Salvadorean food, you need to come here.

This is my go to spot for Salvadoran food. I have visited the country many years ago and the food there is great. This place does it Justice. Many authentic plates. I love it because it is a break from Mexican food and the food is delicious. Some times the service can be slow but I don't mind waiting for hood food to be prepared so be patient friends. Especially if they are busy. They have plenty of seating and they even added a huge patio dining in the back. You have to look for it though. I highly recommend this spot

Absolutely loved this place. We had papusas and they were delicious. Recommend the beef for sure! Coffee was strong just like I like it. Felt like a home cooked meal here. It's not fancy but it tasted great. Also enjoyed a garden salad and It was real fresh, ranch was perfect. Will be back. Perfect price! Want to try the plantains next time!

The best place in San Diego for authentic pupusas!! This family owned business is a gem in San Diego. Been going for years and it never disappoints. The pupusas can be so simple like bean & cheese, yet their flavor profiles are EVERYTHING! -CLOSE SATURDAYS-

The best pupusas! Freshly made as ordered :) The aguas frescas are amazing and feels like you are eating at home. Servers are always friendly and attentive My favorite is chicarrón and been with cheese Love the fact we can customize the pupusas with any of the toppings.

I am from Los Angeles and Pupusas is my favorite food. This place had awful ones that were overpriced. To this day I need a replacement spot because I don't want to go back here for pupusas.

El Salvadoreño my family & I have to say this Resturant has great Pupusa's here crispy cooked on out side. Filled to your liking, fresh & great ingredients curtido But the flavors marry with sauce of tomate so good. I love the chicharrón Pupusa and there Yucca but This time we forgot to fried Yucca and Chicharroñ frita. They have drink that is salad de fruita that is so good It fresh fruits chopped and grated fine in Pina agua fresca this is the best drink you'll never have here. The Resturant is family owned business. They been here awhile. On Saturday they closed. But on any other day check it out. I would say seat down and enjoy this food. Take is okay but it's not hot and pupusa's aren't the same like when here.

Haven't been at the restaurant in years and I think this time was my last... They just don't know how serve food to go, super expensive and not worth it. Sorry...

Made sure to call them for my order and they did not do the accommodations I asked for. I made sure they knew the name of the order and they assured me they did. I ordered a papusa with an extra side order and I did not receive it. Even called a little later and they just said whoops sorry.

Discovered a nice local mom and pop restaurant! With the interior, open kitchen concept and the colorful plates, you will feel like eating at someone's grandma house. Pupusa was the perfect size. Order 2-3 per person and add some sides! The corn tamales was sweet and perfect with the sour cream. Can't forget the fried plantains and the cabbage slaw! Such a great spot with some authentic food. Parking: street parking only and it does get busy around the neighborhood.

Incredible authentic Salvadoreñan food, friendly staff, wonderful ambiance with great indoor and outdoor seating

La comida esta buena aún en este lugar antes me encantaba venir te atendían bien con respecto y muy amables ahora te hacen cera y literalmente mi familia y yo esperamos 1 hora a que nos trajieran la comida asta que se levanto mi esposo y le dijo que para lluevar es cuando apenas las vivan a traer a la mesa .las bebidas están extremadamente caras una bebida chica de niños 5 dólares un jugo de manzana 4 dólares de niños y no hay que hablar de los regulares hay uno que son más de 10 dólares ...es una ridiculez la verdad no voy a volver a este lugar tampoco se los recomiendo ..

So I wanted to order takeout I called and I ordered two steak baleadas and I asked if they can put the toppings on the side which is onion, sour cream, and cheese and they said no we can't do that Not sure why it's so difficult for them to put three pieces of onion and some cheese on the side so I just said thank you bye

Grew up in the Sherman heights area , I have been at El Salvadoreño twice my whole life & I am really upset at the moment .... Why haven't I been here more often ? Place is really nice inside , service AMAZING - Rey & Chave i believe is the young girl serving me - I love their service . I would totally recommend this place Try The beef + cheese + beans Thank me later

Wow this was so good! Highly recommend the Sampler platter and you get to choose which two pupusas you want in it! So we got the most expensive ones haha the ones with most ingredients in it. I love that they offer a sampler cause usually when you try a new place, its hard to decide what to get cause you wanna try it all and even when you get a sampler, not everything is good. Everything in this was so good! I've never had salvadorean food this good in the states before. I'm also a native San Diegan so I love mexican food but honestly, I have a new bae. Salvadorean food is like they took mexican food and finesse it.

If you want some "Authentic" Salvadoran food well guess what this is the spot ! I would normally go to another place to eat Salvadoran food but changed it to this place . Let me start by saying that the Taste of the every dish we got was on POINT!! Trust me when I say this you must come and try this place !!