La Margarita Express

I was just looking for a place to cool off here in Salem, OR just a few blocked from the Capital. It is situated in a strip mall, but convenient. One unexpected surprise was that there was a moratorium on parking fees. Anyway, the restaurant was nice, clean and inviting. It has the standard bright Mexican colors. The server seated me right away, brought chips and salsa and took my order right away. The salsa was tasty and spicy. The margaritas were were tiny, but good. I ordered the shrimp enchiladas, also great. Everything was reasonably priced. Not bad for the Pacific Northwest.

Love this place! Lunch or dinner here never fails to make me happy and satisfied. I suggest getting their taco salad if you're going there for lunch and get something warmer like enchiladas for dinner. Dine in or take away both taste delicious and they never forget the chips and salsa.

Visiting from Vegas and looked this place up based on rating. I ordered the pupusas plate that came with 1 tamal and chose black beans instead of the casamiento. What I liked the most was the cheese they used on the pupusas and the Yuca. I ordered a plate of yuca and came with some meat on top. Very good soft meat. I think the curtido can taste a little better and maybe have a little more carrot and some seasonings in it. It did look a little plain. I ordered the ensalada drink was so good not too sweet. My boyfriend ordered the fajitas and he said he really liked them as well. I'm definitely coming again next time I visit.

A solid and very pleasant dining experience. Always worth a visit.

Busy night for the restaurant but seated quickly and food was out in a rapid speed but did not lack in taste or portion size. Servers were friendly and accommodating!

Waited an hour for nothing. Wasn’t busy and people that came in after us were given their food before ours. I don’t know if it was because my fiance and I are a mixed couple but I noticed all the darker skinned people getting seated in the back with no service at all. The place was 100 degrees and I had to beg for water for my child (which he never received) We left after an hour of no attention and no communication. Would not recommend this place to anybody.

I had to get on and give our favorite place 5 stars. La Margarita is our go to spot to eat and if you’re thinking of trying it you should! Our favorite thing on the menu is the Enchiladas Suiza. We have had it time after time and it always hits the spot. They also have the best beans & tortillas around ;)

Outside sitting is so nice on a breezy summer day! We got the pitcher of margs just for convenience sake, which was delish! Even though it says express in the name, it’s lot a fast food place. Sit down, grab a drink and enjoy the people watching.

They are really friendly here and the food is delicious. They use a cream sauce for their standard enchiladas but easily swapped it out for the red sauce when I asked. Cute decor for Christmas. Great chips. Service was really slow this time around. They were short staffed and said they were trying to confirm an order from another patron of 50 papusas to go. Reasonable prices! There were three of us and it was about $50 with tip. This place also serves warm chips with the salsa.

They have really good salsa and pupusas. My favorite drinks is the Ensalada in the summertime. It's a non-alcoholic fruit juice drink. They have lots of seating inside and nice outside seating in the summer. My brother-in-law enjoyed their margarita flight. Plus, they have friendly, helpful staff.

No no and just yuck. Stopped in this place on a Thursday for a quick dinner. There were quite a few people sitting outside so it seemed a safe choice. The husband and I both got the Flautas plate to keep it simple. Food took forever to come out and when it did not only was it cold but it was obvious everything had been prepared much earlier in the day and kept in warmers. The flautas came in three. One pork, beef and chicken. The pork one had so much blubber it was inedible. The chicken and beef flautas were flavorless and dry. Also flautas are supposed to be deep fried and crispy. These were like pan fried maybe and weirdly soft. Meal came with black beans and rice. Also served cold and flavorless with a small amount of the cheapest waxiest Mexican cheese blend I've ever tasted scattered across the top. Food took forever to come out and when we were done we preemptively went in to pay after watching several other diners sitting around waiting forever for their bills. I would not recommend.

Great pupusas and other Salvadoran food favorites... including the drink called Ensalada (my favorite!) One of our go-to places in Salem when wanting comfort food. Highly recommended.

I came with one couple. The menu looked good. The drinks were very average. Not like the ones at the real La Margarita from which this one springs. The food was merely all right. Very average. Service was acceptable. Not a long wait. Nothing remarkable one way or the other. It had a pleasant atmosphere. It wasn't crowded. There just wasn't anything that would make me want to return. However my dinner guests were definitely the best part that made the experience acceptable.There just are better choices with infinitely better food.

The food is delicious, servings are generous, and the service is the best! I highly recommend La Margarita Express.

Dining here is like that Seinfeld episode, "The Strike", where the woman he is dating is beautiful one moment, then scary the next. The first time here, everything was so great, we were like YES! We've found our favorite Mexican restaurant in Salem! The food (see photos) was delicious, the Margaritas were perfect, and our waiter was so amazing, we left a HUGE tip (we often do but this even more extra) and left there feeling like we'd return again and again. This guy went above and beyond to be helpful in making menu suggestions, was warm and kind and efficient...just really great. The next time, it was like we were in some bad parallel universe. I hesitate to write a bad review, and if you've read any of my other reviews, you know I nearly always say positive things, love to support local businesses, and am pretty easy to please. I'll never pompously call myself that dreaded term so overused (..."foodie"...eyeroll...). First off, we did get a table quickly after entering, but the person who seated us literally threw menus on the table without a word and was gone. Then began a half-hour wait while NO ONE brought any water or acknowledged our existence, maybe just to say "Hey sorry, we're really busy tonight and will be with you soon", or even take a drink order which would have held us over for the long remainder of our wait. What made this exasperating was that a waitress was waiting on the table directly opposite us, and we're literally sitting two feet away being ignored. No eye contact or acknowledgement whatsoever. It began to get so ridiculous, we both wanted to leave, but being polite dummies, we tried to wait "a little longer". To make things even more annoying, that table was occupied by a large older couple, staring at their cell phones and not speaking to each other the entire time, and continuously eavesdropping on our conversation (by staring at us every time we quietly made a joke about being hungry, thirsty, trying to talk about other things to pass the time, etc.). Finally after half an hour, my son got up and went to the reception counter to ask if we could get some service or if they were just too busy to wait on us, we were leaving. As my son calmly walked from our table to say all this, the male of this charming couple said loudly to his equally charming female companion, "Where's HE going!", so loudly of course I could not help but hear him as I sat there alone. The entire situation was fubared. A server then finally appeared and took a drink order. We both ordered a Margarita, and I don't know if it was out of trying to make up for the long wait, or something less positive, but those drinks were the strongest either one of us had ever had--and not in a tasty, pleasant way. On a long-empty stomach, it was not a great situation. We ordered food which was no longer enjoyable by the time we finally ate (one hour after entering the restaurant). The server was not great and the entire experience left me with one thought: never going back as there are so many other dining establishments in downtown Salem to spend our hard-earned money at instead. (The attached photos were from our FIRST and much more pleasant visit.)

Food was delicious. We went on an evening where the food wait time was way longer than expected but service was enjoyable.

Wowza. Best Mexican food I think I've ever had. This place was amazing, service and food was top notch. This spinach and cheese Papusa is living in my head rent free to this day. Probably the best bite of food I've ever had. The man serving us did his job with pride, answered every question of ours with a smile. He was absolutely amazing. I believe this is his family's establishment and you could see the pride he has for the food they serve. It really impressed me to see this. I will most definitely go back and I will send all of my friends here. The environment was so clean, so comfy, and the prices were insanely cheap. Margaritas less than $10, papusas less than $4 (and huge!). I also got an order of flautas, and each flauta had a different protein in it! Their menu is so well thought out and I cannnnnnot say enough good things!!!!!!!!!!!

Allison (I hope I have her name right) went above and beyond!!! I had a large order and she was very thorough throughout the whole process. I also wanted extra condiments for everything and she made sure it was all there and all correct. While I waited for my order, which was to go, she checked on me and asked me if I wanted any extra utensils, etc. She put everything in a box for me to make it easier to carry. She even wrapped the top of the box with foil to keep my food warm and it was. Allison was very attentive, patient, and extremely accommodating. Now the food. The food was amazing. I really did not expect the portions to be so big. It was a great surprise and why I needed a box to carry it all lol. The carne asada was cooked to perfection. In my experience a lot of places over cook it. There was so much carne asada in my two tacos I was only able to eat one. Pupusa's had an even amount of meat and cheese. The steak enchiladas were beyond delicious. I wish I could say more but I'm still savoring the taste of them. All in all the service, atmosphere, and food was 10/10! Thank you everyone who works there. You guys are amazing.

The workers are super nice. The food is excellent. I love the molcajete with flour tortillas... it's a must!!!! It comes with shrimp cheese beef fajitas chicken fajitas cactus jalapeño and a special sauce that melts the cheese .. food come out fast and the restaurant is always clean. Love this place! Highly recommended

Their Cadillac margaritas are amazing, and their pupusas are incredible and affordable. We love them!

Not very clean. Flies around as well. Tables wobbly and really annoying. The music is way too loud and overwhelming. Waitress didn't check on us at all until the end. Waited over an hour for food. Not many people. The pollo en crema was waaaaay over salted. The carne asada was dry and not tasty. The lettuce was wilted. The rice was very plain. We enjoy spicy foods but the papusa with jalapeño and cheese was so spicy, it was inedible. I won't be coming back.

Best Salvadorian food ever. They make spinach and zucchini PAPUSAS. Fresh spicy pickled slaw and salsa. I always order 3, but it may take me 3 days to eat. They are not small. It's worth every penny to go here. Great service. The place is always clean.

My family walked in, got seated and waited over 20 minutes and nobody came by our table for service. We saw people behind us get dinks, chips, order placed and still nobody showed up. We all ended up walking out. This wasn't our first time here, but one of the worst experiences as far as services goes. Last few times have been okay... seems like they are understaffed.

This is a hidden gem... staff are friendly and attentive and the place is clean with a good vibe for authentic Mexican. I was beginning to think downtown was lacking good eateries. I moved away from my normal food choice and had Huarache and was pleasantly surprised. I would definitely recommend!!!

Best food in the Valley, best carne asada, best pupusas, best chicken dish, best service. I travel from my home town just to enjoy this food!

Love love love this place. It's quaint and delightful. Fantastic margaritas and service. Never have had a bad meal here. Highly recommended.

Margarita flights were really syrup-y but I still got drunk so it's good enough for me.

This place has absolutely horrible customer service, and the food isn't nearly good enough to force myself to ignore it. My visit last week was my last. Where are the waiters, because they sure as heck are not checking on their customers. I waited over 20 minutes for my soda and for a refill on the chips and salsa. Finally had to get up to ask my waiter, who was standing around fiddling with napkins or something. This was not the first time that I've had to track this guy down for a refill in the 6 or 7 times we've eaten here. And then a waitress brings us our plates, and when my husband tells her he ordered beef taquitos, not a beef burrito, she has the gall to question him, "Are you sure? I'm going to check". Yeah, my grown ass husband knows what he ordered, no need to question him. What's with your consistently crappy table tending skills? It sure isn't because you're too busy or understaffed.

I've been here before and really enjoy the food. It's worth giving a shot however customer service does lack. Just went with my family and got seated and forgotten about for over 15 minutes. They attended to people they sat after us and got them water, chips and salsa, and even alcoholic beverages as opposed to us, we hadn't even gotten water or checked in on. We decided to leave.

I used to go here often, but it has been a while. Service was awful. Food was lacking. Could barely order a drink-forget about a refill or a second margarita. We had to ask for salsa 3 times, before giving up. I ordered the fajitas and it came with one shell. After 20 minutes, no one check up and the food was cold. We never received a check, had to wait at the check stand. I will not be going back.

I love this place! Good food, lots of choices, great drinks, friendly service and reasonable prices. It s also good for small parties. They have special dishes not available elsewhere in Salem. During warm weather they have nice outdoor sidewalk seating with umbrellas for shade. You can watch the world go by while enjoying your meal. Here's a picture of me on a pre-covid birthday with one of their gracious servers. The hat is a birthday photo prop they provided.

Rolando and family will treat you with wonderful service and a delicious meal. I highly recommen!

My favorite place to eat at! Since I was 15 yrs old. Working next door at the mall. I would come here to eat. My favorite is las enchiladas verdes!!! The staff are so friendly. I love to bring my family & friends here. The chips and salsa and beans are so yummy!

We love the pupusas here. They also have a heavenly beverage called an ensalada (no, it's not a salad) with fresh fruit that's to die for. Not fancy, just tasty.

I was really excited to try this place when the regular la margarita closed because of COVID. Sadly it was tasteless. No salt. No pepper. No seasoning of any kind. The pinto beans tasted like nothing and (according to my parents) the meat was also tasteless. I really wish I could recommend this place. The rice was okay.

I love this place. The service is personal and always good. We love the food so much. The mocajete is absolutely delicious. Margaritas are really good. Also the fajitas trio is yummy. Tacos yummmmmmy. I love this place for lunch too. I haven't tried anything I didn't like after a few years.

This is one of our go to spots. They have red bean and cheese pupusas that are great for a toddler (and an adult). We usually do get the El Salvadorian food off the menu and it is always good. When you eat there they are very kid friendly and, now that we are in a pandemic, they are doing easy deliveries.

This review is specifically for the Salvadoran component of this restaurant that also serves Mexican food. Any number of people can talk about the more common cuisine from our friends immediately south of the border, but I want people to know about the tasty pupusas they serve at this place. A pupusa is a Salvadoran staple that's basically a thick corn "tortilla" that's about 1/4- 1/2" thick, heated on a flat pan and stuffed with different items of your choosing. I highly recommend the loroco (the edible flower of a vine that grows in El Salvador & Guatemala) and cheese and the pork and cheese pupusas. But really they're all good! They come served with a spicy cabbage side salad called curtido. The fried yuca (root vegetable- similar in texture to a potato) here was delicious and shouldn't be missed! The service here was personable and efficient. They have a nice selection of alcohol for their mixed drinks- margaritas, tequila sunrises (1977 called and wanted their experience back, haha) and you should check out their drink specials. But I tried the Salvadoran beer, which is a very light and easy to drink lager. The chips they serve are delicious and crisp but the highlight is really the tasty and nicely spiced salsa (yum!) and the refried bean dip. Step away from your comfort zone and try the Salvadoran cuisine here... you won't be disappointed!

Pros Was greeted at door by a very kinda lady and brought to a seat that I preferred without even asking.also salsa is pretty good, cheap food aswell. Cons -Red sauce was coagulated and tasted like plain tomato paste -All the food was microwaved before serving. -Steak was prebought in a chared form but the meat was tan and flavorless. - NO HOT SAUCES! I'm looking for homemade tortilla and sauces. Seems like if it isn't a hole in the wall it isn't worth it all all.

I hate giving one star but i would not go back here nor would i recommend it. I got a chicken wet burrito and my chicken was bad. Not "bad" as in it just didn't taste good but bad as in it was past it's expiration date. It was tough/chewy and tasted spoiled. I have never experienced that in a restaurant before. My husband got a steak burrito that he said was just ok. The sides (beans and rice) were great and the service was amazing. Everyone was super friendly. The restaurant itself was pretty cute too. Very quaint and cozy.

Here I go again, getting ethnic food in like, the whitest parts of America. But what can I say?? I get homesick and want my foods. I was drawn in by the sign advertising pupusas, so I got two pupusas with cheese and loroco a la carte. They were good and the curtido was tasty too, though my critique is that the cabbage was too roughly chopped. I could only get through one (too rich) and had the other for breakfast the next morning. I would probably have given this a three, but for Salem, OR, I'd say they're pretty good.

I've eaten here probably once a month since moving here a year ago. Papusas are consistently good. The plantains are delicious. Service is always good and the food is always ready quick, prices are reasonable.

Food was ok Atmosphere was authentic Fajitas sauce tasted like tomato juice with paprika . Best item was salsa

My friend's Birthday Luncheon was held today 12.06.2018. and we all had a great time in the rear seating area = large table / plenty of elbow room. Today I ordered the Steak Burrito and Pacifico Beer - perfect combo. I have tried 6 different types of burritos in the past year and they all were excellent - generous portions. The warm tortilla chips, bean dip and salsa are super yummy too. Everybody loved the food and service. Plus the Birthday Girl got a special ice cream sundae treat and birthday song. Highly Recommend to All. *****TEN STARS*****

I'm seriously eating my way through their menu... Have only had amazing experiences at this place. Bacon wrapped shrimp in creme sauce, pupusas, plantains. Excellent for sit down or take out!

Talk about accommodating. Walked in with a group of 14 for a board meeting for my Rotary group and they gave us the entire back room for two hours. While we should probably have asked them to come and take the orders a few minutes before we planned to start the meeting (she came in to take orders, just as we started so we had to take an immediate pause), the wait staff was on top of it with fourteen separate tickets and a to go meal. With four tables worth of people, it would have been nice to have had more than two baskets of chips, but the portions of the entrees are more quite generous, so on second thought, maybe good that we weren't all loaded up on chips and salsa. I'm certain that had we asked for additional baskets of chips they would have brought them too. I always get the same thing when I eat here. The enchilada suizas a la carte. Muy bien!

I am so sorry I'm sure the people who own this and work there are great but my guy and I went here and we were pretty disappointed.. it seemed like the food was all made the day before. Not sure though.. I got an enchilada and he got a carne asada. The carne asada was so tough. He could barely chew it. My enchilada was OK. As we were walking out I bought a soda to go because my stomach was turning. The soda was $2.50 for small fountain soda which is silly because we all know syrup and soda water are not worth that much. Anyway the next few days my stomach was still recovering. It wasn't pretty.

Cannot go wrong with this place. We have a wonderful experience every time we come here! Their plantains are amazing, didn't get them this time but they are one of my favorite items on their menu. Service is good, and margaritas are always delicious!

I've eaten here several times now and thought it time to add my take on the food, service, etc. Like another review I read here, I'll give a nod to the Salvadorean items on the menu. I had the pupusas last night and they were excellent. For those who've never tried them, trust me, you won't be disappointed. Soft corn pocket pastries filled with cheese and pork, they are delicious. The ratio of starch to filling was perfect. That wasn't the case with a tamale I had there a few weeks ago. In that case, the corn meal was tasty but a bit dry and there could have been more filling for my taste. Other than that, I've had the enchiladas which are also quite good, though now I'm hooked on the pupusas which are excellent. The house salsa is also delicious and the tortilla chips made on site are really good. Bean dip is provided with the salsa and very nice addition for dipping. Some here have complained about the service and I'm not sure I can add anything there. Generally they are attentive but can be a bit forgetful. This is a family business and I'm not especially looking for that in a place like this. I usually go to a place like this for the food and the authenticity of what's being offered. And of course, there's the cost which is perfect for someone looking for good eats at s good price.

Love this place, I recently had the chicken with plum sauce and it was so yummy. Their are other menu choices not usually found in most Mexican restaurants, probably because this is El Salvadoran, (I think). Love all the color on the walls, it is clean with plenty of space. The staff is very pleasant although service was a bit slow.

Great food!! We ordered the carne asada plate and taquitos plate. Everything was so flavorful. The staff were friendly and communicative. Love that they deliver themselves. We will definitely be back!!

I've eaten here a few times and today shall be my last. Every time I eat here I experience slow service, the food always seems to be a bit bland and the meat very dry, and when I order a side of sour cream or guac, the servers forget to bring the side until I remind them a couple times. Then they seem annoyed that I am reminding them to bring me what I will be paying for. :(

I love this place. Outdoor seating is nice, maragaritas are strong and if you want to just have a drink, you get free chips, beans and salsa.

The flavors are a little bland, and the food is a little overly gooey, but La Margarita Express is the only Jalisco style Mexican restaurant in Salem that I visit on a regular basis. La Margarita Express goes beyond the basic tacos and enchiladas; among other things, it features a full menu page of El Salvadoran lunch items. Even if the food isn't fantastic by any means, there is always something interesting and new to try. This was once an annex location for the La Margarita located around the corner from the Elsinore Theatre, but now it is its own separate entity. Don't go looking for pupusas at the other La Margarita!

Love this place! Great stop after an afternoon in downtown Salem. Outdoor seating great for people watching during the warm weather. The staff is always nice. The pupusa are good, with many options for filling and only 2.75 per order. That and the complimentary chips and salsa (with a CoronaRita of course) make a perfect affordable afternoon lunch

I have been coming here for years, best downtown Mexican/Salvadorian restaurant for sure. One of only three in the Salem/Keizer area that I can say I really like. This is a family owned restaurant, Fredericko and his wife are not only good at hiring great cooks, and personality rich staff, but Fredericko himself is quite the people person. They have several things that allow me to make healthy choices and still eat out. So far, everything I have tried has been a success. Margaritas, homemade salsa, delicious entrees, customer service, and at a decent price... Thanks guys, see you soon.

Totally dependable for fast service, fresh food, and exquisite chips. I just tried the pollo creama and it was so delicious, especially if you are a fan of mushrooms and onions. I've stopped by here for years and never had a bad experience.