Monse's Pupuseria

Oh wow. We went here on a Sunday because our friend has a gluten allergy and left with our bellies full of incredibly delicious food. I had the Salvadoran Bowl and it was incredible. We had a party of 5 people and everyone ordered something different and everyone absolutely loved it. There was a line but moves quick and it’s totally worth the wait. Great atmosphere and vibes. Best plantains I’ve had in my life.

Wow- what a great experience all around!! We did not know how big the Papusas were and ordered arguably too much, but not mad about it. The Yuca fries are 11/10 and the green salsa brings so much flavor and spice. Love that they have vegan and vegetarian options for more variety. The mushroom papusa was really good too.

While visiting Colorado Springs my son took me to Monse’s for began pupusas. They were delicious, big, freshly made. I would definitely recommend this restaurant and I can’t wait to go back. So good!!

Arguably the best Latin food in Colorado Springs. So freaking delicious!! Me encanto El Avalanche con Birria adentro y Al pastor arriba. I paired my dish with Cortido which was so refreshing! I loved that I was able to speak Spanish and the music made me feel transported 💛 I can’t wait to go back!

The food was good but the service was not great. The kids liked the food. It was the first time they ate traditional food from El Salvador. I don't think we will come again.

I love this restaurant! 100% Gluten free and the pupusas are AMAZING! The GF desserts are great too. Highly recommend to any and everyone.

I went on a weekday afternoon for lunch. No crowd, no waiting. But I've seen this place pretty packed on a weekend evening. The first obstacle was the language barrier with the sweet lady taking orders. It was my first time there and I had questions, which she tried very hard to answer. There is a small bar with no seating. I got a mojito with no sweetener and it was very good, though a little pricey at $10. I wish they had bar stools to sit on. Be sure you're not in a hurry.... Food takes 20-30 min to come out. My chicken and cheese pupusa was delicious! Full of flavor. Love the green sauces. I love yucca fries and it's so hard to find a place that cooks them right.... Sadly this place does not. The yucca fries were way overcooked to the point of almost being rock hard. They were also cut too thin/small. They have vegan and gluten free options as well.

Food was delicious and tasty!! Music and vibe were cool with the indoor/outdoor seating. Hidden gem just right off the main road. Super sweet bartender and chef!!

My experience was fantastic! Medically I must eat a gluten free diet and Monse's nailed it! I enjoyed a Colorado papusa with Birria meat! It was full of flavor, a huge protion (I enjoyed leftovers for breakfast) and an awesome price. I'm from Anchorage and we don't have anything like this at home. The ambiance was great too!

We went here for dinner. They have a dog-friendly patio. We ordered inside. The cashier was friendly and explained some of the menu items. We ordered pupusas with plantains and strawberry horchata. The pupusas are double the size that I'm used to getting. They came with red and green sauces (I prefer the green). We ordered the birria with cheese, pork with cheese, and asada. They were all delicious. I definitely recommend this restaurant.

I like writing reviews because once in a while you find something unexpectedly wonderful. Monse's Pupuseria is today's find. I ordered the popular Pupusa Colorado with spicy Carnitas. Wow! The pupusa was very fresh, almost melting as my knife cut it. All the ingredients were fresh and flavorful. My side was Pla pains which is hard to find. They were cooked perfectly and melted in my mouth. The restaurant functions like a street café with indoor and outdoor seating. I had to study the menu but tge order raker was helpful in making my choice. I had to pay to park but I had the app. Highly recommend for lunch!

I've had heard great things about this place and finally made my way for some breakfast. Very cute, easy to find, and ample parking (paid) restaurant. Good service and good food. Took me back to my childhood when my mom used to make pupusas for us. The sizes of the pupusas are big, so if you don't eat much, one is more than enough. I picked the two pupusas (beans and cheese) with a side. They have many different choices, of course, I had to pick maduros. My only complaint is that they don't give enough salsa and curtido. Other than that, the food and the horchata were good.

I've had pupusas before but this was a completely different experience. It could be that this is just my type of cuisine but I'll explain why. The pupusas are HUGE but also very very greasy. If you get one that's loaded like I did, it makes like 10 times worse. The meal is good the first bite but then flavor fatigue hits fast and the fantastic sauce is not enough to save it. Also we waited about 45-50 minutes to even get our food out. Lots of tables near us were also getting annoyed for waiting so long. I got the normal plate with one pupusa, and a side. If you're wondering if that's enough food IT IS. For my side I got plantains and I also tried the rice. Both were just okay. My plantains were COLD which made me really sad. Overall I couldn't finish the food and honestly... didn't really want to. There are some highlights like the margarita was good and the people were nice but that's about it.

I've been to El Salvador and pupusas are my favorite. While this did not seem like authentic Salvadorian pupusas, they were very tasty and generous in size. The chicken pupusa was bland but the beans and cheese and the beef pupusas were very tasty. They are very big, and my wife and I shared three and barely finished. The yucca fries were overcooked and tough. Still, a very tasty -- GF dedicated spot.

Seriously one of the best meals I've ever had! I got the vegan papusa filed with beans and chile topped with soy curls, pico and aioli with a side of plantains. Omg so delicious. Fun little location with a cute outdoor patio.

I had the grande tamale plate. I love thick flavored masa and this fit the bill. These are not your traditional Mexican tamale. Mine was stuffed with cheese and the meat of your choice actually tops the tamale. The masa was smooth textured, soft and seasoned wonderfully. The tamale itself was as large as my plate and the chicken was flavorful, savory and very moist. My side was rice and beans and was, meh, a side dish. Black beans were mixed with the rice and the flavor was, too me, non-traditional. Next time I'll definitely order a pupusa as they looked delicious also. Taking my wife next time.

What a fantastic place to eat. Vegan and gluten/dairy free options. Even though it was a busy saturday night we ordered, sat and got our food fairly quickly. Good friendly service, cool art and great vibes. A bit odd of a set up. You order at the host stand/bar and then you get sat but it's also open seating? Then when you're done you can leave your dirty dishes but also have bus tubs at the trashes? Could have been because it was busy things were a bit out of order but definitely wasn't a deal breaker. great portions and taste for such a great price. my family who is gluten and dairy free loved their Pupusa. will 100% be going back!

Came here for lunch and ordered the Salvadoran Bowl with asada. It was a large bowl. Pretty good. Guac was tasty. Meat was a tad dry. Also, unfortunately, I found a short strand of black hair in the carne asada!! Whoever is preparing food in the kitchen needs to wear a hair net. Also, the cashier girl short-changed me. My total was $17.21. I handed her a $20 bill, and she gave me back $2.05. When I asked her about my remaining 74-cents, she handed me 50 cents in 4 dimes and 2 nickels. She tried counting it, so I counted it with her in Spanish and told her she still owes me 24 cents. So she gave me 2 more dimes. I asked her what was she doing, and she said she has no small change. I told her well, if that's the case, she needs to tell the customers. You don't shortchange people and expect people to not notice these things. Poor customer service. Get someone at the register that can count money correctly, please. Indoor/outdoor seating available. Casual, no frills place.

This place does it right, their pupusas are made to order every single time and they are very large. I'm 6'1" and 250 pounds, I thought that I HAD to have two pupusas to get full but one with sides was more than enough and I too the second one home. Pro Tip: If you're a sauce person (like I am), go ahead and ask for extra sauce ahead of time when you order bc you'll end up using the little bit they give you pretty quickly. Cons: The service can get slow, especially when things start to get busy. If you are trying to stop by here for a quick bite or on time constraints, then this may not be the right fit for those situations.

Honestly, just really, really good food. Do yourself a favor and go, you will not regret it. Our whole family loved this place.

My friend tried this place last week and said that it wasn't that good & that her pupusas were basically empty inside... however she's never had a pupusa before so... me being me I thought I'd try it out & see what was what. When we got there it was packed - so I was excited that many people wouldn't be there for bad food. The line moved very slowly but that was ok we were not in a hurry. This place is very niche cutely decorated it's in a great space with a roll up door & an amazing patio. Once we were up to order we decided in the 5 pupusa meal with rice & beans & sweet plantains to split between my hubby & I (we are pupusa lovers) & my daughter got an empanada that we were lead to believe came with a side of sweet plantains as well. To drink we got strawberry horchatas & a coke plus chips, queso & salsa. Altogether this incl tip was $85. Kinda steep if I'm being honest. The service was Great! Whoever the guy was- he was kind, had a smile & he did a fantastic job. Once our food came we were shocked at how huge the pupusas were (literal size of a dinner plate) & that my daughters meal was just an empanada (no side as we were told there would be) so we just shared our sides with her. Now eating the pupusas... they seamed kinda mealy & undercooked, very underfilled & lacked that flavor punch you get with typical pupusas. So we left 3 there only 1/3 eaten & took the other two & left. When I got home I put them in the oven for 15 min on 350 then added a little seasoning, cheese & meat to the inside & put the back in for another 15 & they were good. So I was right. We were served under cooked, under seasoned & underfilled pupusas. That made me sad. I really wanted to love this place. The vibe & energy are there but the staple food item itself is lacking.

Friend recommended Monse's! It was a snow day so glad they were open. Only one other table seated when we got there. Reggaton music playing and vibrant painted walls. Ordered the two pupusa plate. And strawberry agua Fresca. The portion is huge! Drink was tasty but little too sweet for me. Everything was delicious. Took awhile to get our order but granted it's all fresh. Highly recommended

Came back for a second visit because my soul has been craving this food. This place is pure magic. I had the nachos, a pupusa, and the tres leches cake -- every bite was incredible. This is true soul food, the kind that nourishes you from the inside out. It reminds me so much of my grandmother's cooking -- comforting, rich with love, and unforgettable. I only wish it were closer, because I'd be here every week. I don't know if you can be in love with a restaurant, but I might be...

I don't know why we waited over a year of living here to try Monse's. I think it is our favorite place we have tried in Colorado Springs. I went to get carry out on a Friday night and it was pretty busy. It took while to get our order but it was worth the wait. I didn't realize how big the pupusas were and ordered more than we needed. I was really impressed with all the vegan options with vegan cheese. I got a jackfruit and a green chili pupusa with the escabeche salad. I got my husband three pupusas with birria, jalapeño and chicken and pork. We both really liked the pupusas we ordered. I especially liked the jackfruit filling. The gave us a red and green dipping sauce and we especially liked the green sauce. We will definitely be back.

Came to this place in a pinch. Wasn't expecting much. First off, this place had a cool late-night vibe. There was live music and everyone was having a good time. I loved that! I will say, the line kinda did take a while but it wasn't that big of a deal. The girl who took our order was nice and helped us navigate the menu. We tried one of their pupusas and I wish I could remember which one we got because it was to DIE FOR!! This place has some amazing food and if you like pupusas, you should come check this place out! You won't regret it!

On my list while exploring old Colorado Springs. I'm glad we went! The food was amazing! And they do offer vegan options so that's even better. I had a one pupusa (soyrizo and vegan cheese) plate with Yucca fries. Husband got the two pupusa plate with grilled jalapeño peppers. He got the ground beef and cheese plus revueltas (pork) and cheese. I was very curious to try some of the order vegan options so they kindly have me a sample of their vegan birria. It was very good. When the plates came we were shocked on how huge the pupusas are. We eat them quite often in a small Salvadoran place in our area but they are much smaller. I was glad I ordered only one as I wouldn't be able to eat two. My husband barely ate his. The entire food was delicious and fresh. The owner was very friendly, he came to chat with us for a while. I'll definetly visit them again while in the area.

Absolute gem of a find. Phenomenal service - the owner explained the menu to us, how to order, and reserved us a table. He was so kind and helpful! The wait for the food wasn't long at all - and it was all AMAZING. The yucca fries were phenomenal, the chicken and cheese was excellent, and the plantains were top notch. The atmosphere is beautiful, with a nice outdoor patio. Definitely get the strawberry horchata and check this place out!

Good Lord! Why did I wait so long to go to Monse's??? Housed in what used to be a rad jazz bar, Monse's is very chill with a HUGE patio. Great anytime but I'm looking forward to going back when the weather is nice to enjoy that patio. The menu was pretty straight forward, but not being super familiar with El Salvadorian food we asked the staff member at the counter what his favorite things were. He definitely steered us right. I can't even remember the names of the pupusa plates we ordered but it doesn't really matter. Both plates made us ooh and ahh. We were blown away by the fresh and savory delicious grub. You order at the counter, and aside from a person dropping off your food that's the only interaction you have with staff.

We came here on a late afternoon with probably around 15 of us. They were able to push a couple tables together for us outside. I had never had pupusas before, so I was pretty excited to try. My husband and I got three different meat filled ones (I believe the spicy carnitas and cheese, chicken and cheese, and beef and cheese) - we could have really gone with one, maybe two of them as they are huge and we eat small portions. However, it was nice to try different ones, with our favorite being the chicken. The popusas themselves made me think of a corn meal type pancake, not much flavor until you have a bite with the filling. We had it with plantains, and they were great! We also got a margarita and mojito which were both very good. Service was slow for not being a busy restaurant and we were all served at various times, some just getting theirs when others were finished. Definitely a great place to try and recommend if you are in the area!

Honestly this place does not live up to the hype. Their pupusas are dry and their horchata takes nothing like authentic horchata. The only good thing were the plátanos. To top it off , the woman taking the orders is rude and impatient. People ask her questions and she dismisses them rudely.

Excellent food, fun music, great outdoor patio & good cocktails! If you've not had a pupusa before you'll LOVE them, & if you've not have these are likely better (unless you're In El Salvador!)

Great tasting food for a dedicated gluten free place! Definitely coming back here. Got the avalanche pupusas and it was smothered in queso which made it extra delicious. The plantains were perfectly cooked and also something to definitely get if you like plantains.

We were pretty disappointed eating here. Read the reviews beforehand and was excited, but the pupusas were not what we expected. They were big, split open at the sides and had uncooked masa. They had no integrity, the "cheese" was watery and made everything fall apart. On top of that, the ratio of salsa and curtido provided was not enough compared to the size of the pupusa. The salsa was unseasoned and tasted just like tomato paste. As a Salvadoran, I was sad and disappointed at the pupusas. The one positive was that the pineapple and mango agua Fresca was tasty.

The food was great, service a bit slow but It looked like there was only 2 people working. I felt bad for them when one person wasn't happy with their food. I'll still be back.

The food is not authentic at all! Also paid for Horchata but they didn't have and never reimbursed me. Ambience is cute but again this is not El Salvadoran food at all! Lastly the price!! 2 pupusas for $16!! Yes they are large but just no!

We had the Salvadoran bowl w/carnitas and the triple pupusa plate with plantain side (takeout). The food is delicious, fresh, and very generously portioned. The hostess was very friendly and the dining area is near with both inside and outdoor seating. The location is 1-1/2 blocks off Colorado Ave in a nice quiet setting. We would highly recommend.

Great pupusas! Could use a little bit more zing in the pickled cabbage . But very authentic. They aren't cheap, but the quality and amount of food you get more than makes up for it! The service was great & the ambience was perfect as well.

I love Monses! Delicious food and wonderful owner. I use them for catering all the time for my job, and everyone loves it!

Really wanted to give a better score but I feel like the place has changed since a couple years ago when I last visited. Maybe I'm just remembering it wrong. Single diner with an almost empty restaurant at 3 PM. Counter service, so very little service but of course the tablet suggests 18-25% tip. About $29 with tip out the door for two pupusa's and an Horchata . Seems like a lot for very casual counter service cuisine. I realize the price of inputs is higher these days, but seems a little outrageous . The pupusa's were enormous, I wished they were smaller so I could select maybe 1, 2 or 3 and then add sides accordingly. The patio is great but wasn't very well cleaned. After meeting the owner years ago, she was so nice so I'll probably be back, but might have different expectations.

The food is absolutely amazing! The Salvadoran Bowl with chicken was amazing!! So was the pupusas! Chicken and cheese and beef ones were great! The service was fast, the ambiance was amazing! The Jamaica was also great! Can't wait to go again!

Something must have changed... we had a huge group tonight and ordered a wide variety of menu items. Most were lacking in some way - it seems like the recipe changed for the drinks AND the food. The plantains were underripe, the carne asada was greasy, the tacos came with nothing in them other than protein. The salsas were very watery. The mojito was more like a margarita - and a monse's mojito was our favorite drink in town. I hate to leave a bad review as this was one of our favorite places! I hope they can correct for some of their food quality issues and come back stronger. We will continue to try them throughout the summer and hope for the best.

Delicious, quality food. I can see why they made it to Yelp's Top 100. My mom and I shared the 3 pupusas with 1 side of Escabeche. Really filling and we were satisfied for the entire day! I also ordered a yummy glass of horchata -- not too sweet, very cinammony and my mom got the margarita. The margarita is a must not miss! It's truly one of the best I've had -- which was surprising. The only thing lacking was the speed -- it was quite slow service, felt a little impersonal too, which is what I think they could work on. Pay to park!

I finally understand the hype!! The food was delicious. Each papusa is huge so be aware of that when you order. Tried the chicken/ cheese and a veggie one and both were great. Lots of space to sit and they had a solid latin music on.

If you have food allergies, DO NOT EAT HERE I was on vacation & picked dining in this restaurant because of their "claim" to have allergy protocols in place. We placed our order with the owner & Monse herself assured us I would be safe, she assured us that she would make sure personally. Our vegan queso & chips were okay, and then came our entrees. They served me my husband's dish (dairy & real meat) & vice versa, the hubs got the vegan option. Because they were pupusas the entrees looked identical. We confirmed with the server that my food was dairy free, explained my life threatening allergies again, and he confirmed that the food was absolutely safe. After a few bites I immediately felt my throat close, my chest seize. Monse came over and literally scolded me for eating "the wrong food". The food her restaurant not only served me, but they confirmed more than once, was safe. I was rushed to the hospital, nearly died from the most serious anaphylactic reaction I've had in my life. I was given countless life saving medications & almost had a tracheotomy. I was served pure dairy cheese & told it was vegan. Monse has accepted absolutely NO responsibility & will not return emails or calls. I nearly died. My husband & I have followed up with her extensively & she has ghosted us. You would expect a restaurant that prides itself in allergy friendly food would care about nearly killing a customer. But she absolutely didn't. If you don't have food allergies enjoy. If you do, I would never eat here. It nearly cost me my life.

I called two days in a row, they NEVER answered. And so we decided to go in. Well.... It took 43 minutes to get my order. I cannot believe my experience here. I usually go to Las Americas and will not give this place another chance. I will also say, the food was disappointing. It wasn't very good.

Although they were busy when we arrived, the service was pretty fast! We ordered some drinks (mojito and margarita, yum!) I favored the mango margarita, 10/10! The food was great quality and delicious. I'm gluten free so their 100% GF kitchen was incredible! The carnitas and cheese pupusa and street corn were my favorite! The ambiance was nice and lively with really fun Latin music playing in the background, once I got a few drinks in me - I was moving and grooving! We will be back next time we visit Colorado Springs!

This place was an amazing surprise. My husband and I shared the pupusas and tacos. Both were amazing. The owner took our order and answered all of our questions. Great find in a tourist area.

The food is really tasty but be warned the portions are huge! We got a plate of three pupusas and a side (plantains) plus two empanadas. We shared that plate and sides amongst two adults and a child and it was more than plenty. We ended up taking home almost half of it. The spicy carnitas and the ground beef and cheese were my favorite fillings. Next time I'll definitely get one with toppings, without it, they can seem a little plain / dry. It's delicious but was better with the sauce and cole slaw they gave us. I saw some amazing looking toppings on others I want to try next time. The chicken and cheese was a little too much inside the empanadas. It's sooooo full you really need to cut it up and things can get soggy if you don't eat it right away. The setup is very cool with a big patio and indoor seating, although you do have to pay for parking if you park in the very convenient lot where they are located. Will definitely be back!

Food was amazing and the location is tucked away in a great spot. Service was good and they were taking care of a lot of people for lunch.

Oh man couldn't get enough of these pupusas! I had a craving and just searched in yelp and Monse's came up and I will now be a reoccurring customer!

Normally this is a five star spot but i believe they are under new ownership as a young man working there told me ownership changed. Not as much flavor in the sauces and Curtido kinda feels watered down and maybe skimping on some spices. The girl taking orders is nice but doesn't understand enough English to get your order correct. This used to be one of my favorite places, pretty bummed that it changed ownership. Still the best place that I know of for pupusa but definitely on the look out for a new place if it stays this way.

This place is awesome! You order at the counter but they have both indoor and outdoor seating and bring the food to your table. They have variety of different pupusas including vegan and vegetarian options if desired with planted based meats and cheeses. Their pupusas are huge and 1 pupusa and side should be plenty for a person. I loved their plantains and escabeche (marinated cauliflower). The salsas the Pupusas are served with are also delicious. Would also recommend their horchata. They also have a bar! They don't have their own parking lot and rather it is a public paid parking lot but I believe you can also park on the street for free.

The service was nice. You order at the counter when you come in and take a seat and then they bring it out to you. Ask about the coconut margarita which I thought was nice. I saw families and groups, couples. I was there with my dog and felt very welcome. I heard this place is Nicaraguan and the papusa is a favorite dish. My son was introduced to these by his sister. So come here if you want to enjoy a papusa the rest of the menu is limited

A hole in the wall, not really. Something to rave about, absolutely! I recently stumbled upon Monse's on a trip to Old Colorado City, and boy was it a (mouthwatering) experience! The menu has something for everyone - meat lovers, vegetarians, vegans, kids et all! I would recommend the pupusa combo platter so you can get different sides and drinks. The price is a pupusa may seem steep, but they are HUGE! It doesn't hurt that they taste very good too *wink wink* Their Strawberry Fresca is SO GOOD! and the guac accompanying the chips is commendable as well. Indoor + outdoor seating and big parking lot are pros! Service is prompt and food (although it took a while to come out, I blame the Saturday brunch rush) was made fresh and flavorful. Monse's is another reason to re-visit old Colorado city

Supposedly close at 8pm, lies! Closes before but they do not want to keep serving, go to somewhere else .. we come from new mexico and they give you prices and menus but after that they dont serve

Absolutely amazing food. What a hidden gem. Flavor explosion in your mouth from the first bite. The Fried Yucca Fries were huge. My wife and I barely ate half the plate. Very filling. The combination of flavors were perfect. Savory with a little spice. The Pupusas are phenomenal and large. I had the Double Colorado and only ate one of the two Pupusas. Great leftovers the next day. I had Spicy Carnitas and Cheese on one (spice level very low on pork) and Roasted Pueblo Chile and Cheese on the other. Carne Asada topping on both. I loved the combination of cornmeal, cheese, meats and El Salvadoran spices. The authentic homemade flavors topped any other restaurant I've had in Old Colorado City. Wife had the double plate black been and cheese and zucchini, chile poblano and cheese. Also had lots to take home. She liked the Blake bean best. Will definitely make this a consistent stop when in the area as it's far exceeded my expectations. This is one of my favorite new food stops.

First time visiting Old Colorado City and it's fabulous! This super cute, casual restaurant is located in a building with a a large pull up garage door. There's indoor and outdoor space (with umbrellas) for seating. For a first timer the menu is a lot! The cashier was super helpful with ordering. Love there's a great selection of vegetarian and vegan options. I ordered the Pupusa Colorado - a pupusa topped with choice of meat/vegan meat substitute and served with a side. I tried the black bean and cheese topped with vegan pastor - so delicious and flavorful! My friend tried the spicy carnitas and cheese - lots of heat and spice! My side, plantains, were good. I ordered a second dude that never was delivered to my table. Yucca fries were also delicious! Lots of photo opportunities with beautifully done murals in the walls outside. Definitely would return if in the area again!