Samantha's Pupusas

First time trying Salvador food. Great find. Small excellent place to grab a bite to eat. I had chicken, chorizo, and cheese pupusas. Everything is made to order. I have never got food served so hot. It stayed hot the whole time I was eating. Will return to try something else. Very reasonably priced.

The jalapeño cheddar biscuit looked great, but unfurtunately lacked the structural integrity required for a breakfast sandwich. I got one bite in before it disintegrated and I finished the remainder with a fork. A bit dry, the biscuit would probably work well if smothered in gravy but it just doesn't work for a breakfast sandwich - I'm glad I had it to stay, trying to eat it on the go would have been a disaster.

This is my little getaway after a hard day. I love the authentic food and relaxed atmosphere. The staff are kind and pretend to be impressed by my terrible Spanish.

Best authentic food in town. Fresh fresh fresh with flavor not some red and brown sauces that cover the so called authentic food at other Hispanic restaurants. I can't exactly pronounce all the options but I love the three tacos plate. Great homemade desserts too. The food far exceeds the looks of the place. Great quality at a reasonable price.

This is a small and intimate mom and pops place which is easy to overlook if you're not paying attention. It doesn't scream at you but those who know, know. They visit and return again. Everything was smooth. The other process was easy. The selection was good, though I kept it simple with 3 pork tacos all the way. I usually avoid anything pork these days but a co-worker insisted on not ordering the chicken ones. I wasn't disappointed. The servers were friendly and brought out the food after about 15 minutes. The portions were ample perhaps more than what you need for a lunch break, but no complaints here. The taste was delicious! Also the drink selection is excellent. I chose the purple fountain drink which is the best. Forgive me as I can't remember what they call it. It's very similar to the one they serve at Alpaca in Raleigh. Either way we scored big on this lunch meal. I highly recommend stopping by if you're in the area. Beware that seating is limited if you want to dine in as it's a very small restaurant.

Remember to order at the counter before sitting down. I made the mistake of sitting down first and realized no one was coming to take my order. I placed my order, sat down and the food was out in about 10 minutes. I ordered a breakfast biscuit and chicken pupusas. Everything was great and hot and the staff was perfect. I will be back.

The food was delicious and all the staff members were really nice. My family tried some pupusas, tacos, and pastelitos. My favorite pupusa was the revuelta: shredded pork, beans, and cheese. The flan was spectacular!! 😋🤌 Looking forward to trying more entrees and desserts in the future! *Updated to add pictures of the menu from my last visit (1/19/25), as I haven't been able to find the complete menu online. Also included a picture of my pupusas revueltas, yuca fries, and Salvadoran sauerkraut from my last visit as well.

Looking for wholesome, quaint, and nutritious with amazing options and delicious coffee? Look no further! I love the menu, Owner is friendly and welcoming! Coffee is crafted with care and a thermos is included to refill your own mug, coffee was smooth and delicious! Breakfast Menu was appetizing and written in both English and Spanish! Very satisfied; highly recommend!

This place is amazing! The food is incredible, with delicious flavors and a cozy, homemade feel. The service is fantastic, and the tacos are fresh and easy to eat. The homemade fries are top-notch, Salvadoran style, and the corn on the cob is a great addition. Grilled Corn on a Cob Asada Taco + Crispy Pork Skin Taco Salvadoran Fries (cheese, ketchup, mayo) Me every bite...

Was able to eat here for breakfast. Fresh avocado made this meal a treat. Service was exceptional.

Such a happy find on our journey out to the country today! We stumbled upon Samantha's Pupusas while getting gas nearby. Inside is small but there is some seating for 3 groups of 4 plus two larger tables for 8 plus a lot of outdoor seating, in nicer weather. The workers were kind and the location clean; it has a recent sanitation rating of 100! We ordered several things to get the full experience: empanadas Salvadoreñas de leche o de Frijoles, Tacos (2 chicken and 1 asada), chicken tamale, and Papusas (1-spinach, 1-chicken, chorizo, and cheese, 1-cheese) and it came with salvadorian cole slaw! We had so much food and EVERY BITE was as good as the last. If dessert is what you want they also have a bakery full of some delicious looking items and even do special orders per the menu!

Food is delicious! The only think I didn't like was the curtido or pickled cabbage that is served when u order pupusas, it was sweet other than that, everything was really good,

This is a delicious, friendly Salvadorian restaurant with savory Pupusas and burritos and cookies. The ambiance is casual but comfortable. While busy, we had no difficulties finding seating. I think most order to go. The bean pupusas are earthy and addictive. The service was friendly and helpful, despite how busy they were. The cake, pie, and baked goods menu is extensive, as well!

This place is incredible. Delicious pupusas and tacos, a huge array of homemade deserts, friendly service, family run business, cozy spot, Can't recommend highly enough. It's always a good night when we go to Samantha's.

Excellent food. The pupusas are delicious although they are on the small side. I felt that $4 each for their size was a little steep. However I will always support a small business. They have a huge variety of desserts! So much to choose from. I tried the oatmeal chocolate chip peanut butter cookie and it was so good! I wasn't crazy about the regular chocolate chip -!; the brown sugar cookie was delicious but they sprinkle (or pour) white sugar over each cookie and it isn't necessary. We tried a blueberry scone and it was soft and had great blueberry distribution Very clean and the rating shows it! Come check them out!

Worth the drive. Off the main road. All made to order. The caldo de pollo and the pupusa were spot on. The dessert display is also tempting. The flan was delicious.

Great food and good variety to choose from. Pupusas with mushrooms and beans was good. Also the menudo was good and beef soup delicious.

The most delicious Salvadoran dinner at Samantha's Papusas in Hillsborough, NC. I got the Salvadoran Stew and Steven got the mix and match papusas. Everything was soo good. The rice was amazing and their corn tortillas were so good. Their salsitas were also phenomenal. I'm from Greensboro, but we will be back for sure!!

Delicious food! While visiting Hillsborough we stopped by for lunch. We ordered inside and they brought our food outside for us. They have a number of tables outside with umbrellas. It's next to a busy road so beware it's very loud. Lots of trucks and motorcycles drove by while we were there. The food was great and very affordable. I had a veggie burrito. I liked how it came with pico and two sauces. The red was was very hot but I really liked it! My husband had Pupusas. He had 3 and was able to pick different ones - Camaron, chorizo chicken and cheese, and Loroco. His favorites were the Camaron and Chorizo ones. Masks are not required and I did not see any staff with masks on. Definitely try this spot if you are in the area!!

Samantha's 3 for 10 pupusas deal may be the most (non-fast food) food you can get for $10 in the area - I certainly didn't need 3, and probably could have filled up with 1. The issue for me was the fillings - they use SO much cheese that it dwarfs whatever filling you chose. I got black bean, loroco, and zucchini - but honestly couldn't tell the latter two apart because they were both just seas of cheese with green specks in them. Even the black bean was so cheese-saturated that its general color was pretty close to white. Obviously I like cheese or I wouldn't order pupusas, but this was just extreme. Otherwise, they're cooked well, come with two different (both pretty mild) salsas and a healthy serving of curtido, and, as I said, will more than fill you up. I really liked their tamarind agua fresca. Thick, almost cloudy with the fruit fibers, and strongly tart.

Trust me - SPINACH PAPUSAS!!!! They are the best, although you can't go wrong with any of Samantha's dishes at any meal. Breakfasts are also excellent, and their dessert case is swoon worthy. Don't forget their whole pies and cakes if you need for an event or for the family. It's ALL good!!!

I'm always a bit skeptical when I arrive at a place based solely on the reviews, because the internet told me it was good, knowing nothing about it. This little Salvadoran hole in the wall is next to a gas station in middle of nowhere, NC was one I wasn't sure would truly be worth a stop. Even though I ate my pupusas later, reheated, I must say I couldn't have asked for more flavor. The menu has a variety of options including beans and loroco (a little flower bud). The pupusas do all come with cheese, so perhaps not the best place for the dairy free crowd. Other menu options had items like squash flower and huitlachoche (look it up). In addition, a mouthwatering cake display was there for the wait. But I was there for pupusas, and they offered a grilled corn edge, along with salty cheese and some impressive condiments, including a sweet and sour curtido (pickled cabbage) and a venomous habanero hot sauce. Satisfying stuff. I have no trouble imagining their other menu items being just as delicious.

Best takeout in town! Very friendly. Wonderful food! Our favorites are the pork, bean and cheese pupusa, shrimp pupusa, chicken quesadilla, and veggie burrito. Don't forget to grab a dessert!

Yes! Everything I've had here is absolutely amazing, from Salvadoran breakfast to pupusas to dessert! I especially liked the brown sugar cookies last time I was there. The people are friendly and bilingual, so don't be worried you won't know what to order. :) Go for it! :) They have limited seating inside and outside, so it might be a good to-go option too.

So affordable and delicious! This is a staple in our house! The papusas are out of this world. Just order ahead because they are always busy!

I am somewhat obsessed with papusas do when I found a place that served the Salvadorean favorite, I knew where I would be heading for dinner. Samantha's Papusas is housed within a nondescript building, the kind that you would pass by ten thousand times without ever considering that a culinary treasure might lie beyond the faded exterior of the building. The food is freshly made, so there will be a bit of a wait. I ordered three papusas (two carnitas and one chorizo), as well as an asada taco. After a bit of a wait, my food was finally brought to my table. The papusas were good, although they needed a bit of salt and the taco was also good. Price was good on these items and the meal left me full. I would return to this establishment.

Man this is a place only I wish I knew about. Mouthwatering pupusas... 3 giant pupusas for $10 that comes with some really great hot sauce and salvadorean cabbage slaw. We ordered a variety (some with corn flour, some with rice dough, some with cheese and beans and some with just cheese) and all of them were incredible. I wished I weren't getting so full just so I could enjoy them all over again. I am counting down the days until I will come back again.

The food is really good, and the service was too slow. I've never had a problem with them, I've also never ate in the restaurant. I take my food to go,but whenever I'm there the ambiance seems chill.

My 4 stars is for the food, not desserts. Everything I've had here is good on the food side. Typically always go for pupusas - the fried pork, beans and cheese ones. Tacos, huraches are also good. Have tried a few of the cakes and cookiesand don't really care for them. Cakes were kind of dry and cookies were too hard for my liking.

The food is very good. Ambiance is a little lacking, but the light inside is very good. Service is courteous. I had sopes and my vegan daughter the plaintians, beans and corn. We both liked our food. Of the two sauces served, the salsa verde is much better. The portions of some of the other patrons looked quite large. Portion size seems to vary a great deal between dishes.

This place was a delicious surprise. My wife and I were staying with family up the street and tried Samantha's out for breakfast. It's an unassuming storefront on a nondescript street corner sort of out in the middle of nowhere. The inside was small and clean. The counters are tall and covered with placards of the special dish for the month, and there are tasty-looking cakes and cookies and scones in the display cases beneath. The staff is friendly and polite. We had the Salvadoran huevos rancheros, which was a huge dish of eggs, salsa, beans, a papusa (like a hearty thick tortilla), and a full wedge of queso fresco (like feta cheese) that looked like a tiny cheesecake. It was delicious and filling. We also had the migas tacos. The eggs were well cooked (not overcooked), and they included potatoes in the migas, which is genius. The tortillas were thick and flavorful and clearly fresh. So we came back for lunch. The second time, we had papusas, which come in threes. I had the mushroom, the jalapeño, and the garlic (I'm vegetarian), and my wife had the pork, the zucchini, and the shrimp. They were served with a simple cole slaw, black beans, and salsas. Their red salsa is very spicy but it's worth the burn: smokey and delicious. The green is also great, less spicy but interesting. They also have a tomato sauce, which tastes like El Pato and brought me right back to my childhood in southern Arizona; IYKYK. Mrs. loved the pork and the zucchini papusas, and the shrimp would have been perfect if it wasn't oversalted; she thinks they maybe forgot to salt the zucchini and double salted the shrimp by mistake. The mushroom papusa was rich and flavorful and paired well with both the red and tomato sauces. The fresh jalapeño tasted just like roasted Hatch green chilis with the red sauce. The garlic was overpowered by the sauces but was fantastic on its own--garlicky and buttery and delicious; it was my favorite. All of them had just the right amount of gooey cheese. The papusas themselves were excellent: slightly crispy on the edges, warm and mealy in the center, hearty without being heavy. We'll absolutely be back. Oh, and we tried some baked goods because c'mon. The coconut macaroon was crispy outside and soft inside and tasted slightly caramelized--wonderful.

We stopped by on our way to Durham and had a delightful meal at this hole in the wall! The staff were so kind and friendly, and the sopes, pupusas, and pastelitos were delicious. They had a variety of sauces from mild to spicy, and the slaw on the side was refreshing. We also devoured the plantain bread pudding and got some cookies for the road. We will definitely stop here again.

Incredibly great lunch. I didn't even know what a pupusa was, but I tried it because it had great reviews -- deservedly so. Friendly staff and the flavors were wonderful. The slaw is great, too!!!

Unbelievable food and service. You can't go wrong with the spinach or mushroom pupusas.

Freshly made. Have visited multiple times, always great quality and delicious! They do have vegetarian/vegan options available upon request. This is one of my favorite spots for a quick meal.

I will say one thing the food is okay I got there pupusas! And they have a variety to pick from. They have huge menu! But I have had better! Plus their service is why lacking PERIOD. I had a waitress who was Sweet and very on top of thing Waitress who to was the only one that had just started working there told me they are a full family run business and she and young man were the only ones not in the family, and she could not take my tip I wanted to give her for the excellent service because I had to place it in a tip jar and it had to divided up even to the dishwasher!!! I was like what!! But you waited one me it doesn't matter how much salt was in my food?? How much tip I giving you?? So bewared the family is taken the take a too not the waitress!!

I made two trips in the last two weeks to this place because the food is amazing. Of course the pupusas are fantastic but also the quesadilla, guacamole, salsa and omg the desserts. Amazing cookies and cakes. I'll be ordering a whole cake for my next bday.

And another score, the pupusas and curtido the real thing! Can hear them slapping the masa as they make them to order in the back. Loved the loroco and revuelta, next time would try the zucchini. Husband's chilaquiles with salsa verde as good as anywhere, generous portion and full of flavor. And if that wasn't enough, lots of home baked cookies and sweets if you're not quite full. Samanthas is definitely worth going out of your way if you're craving good pupusas.

Amazing food for a small place. The service was also amazing they would treat you kindly when you order and they are multi language

Probably the best pupusas I have ever eaten! The pork beans and cheese were amazing! The red spicy hot sauce actually has some heat to it so was pleasantly surprised. I didn't love the curtido ( pickled slaw) as it was on the sweet side compared to tangy spicy flavors I'm used to but still flavorful. I have a potential relocation in this area and would definitely make this a regular spot if I end up moving. It's a little dive with a small bakery as well. Friendly service. It was 3 pupusas for $10. They are very filling, I can usually only eat 2. Leftovers were still yum the next day!

Always a wonderful experience. The staff are always so pleasant. The food is excellent. Very authentic. One of my favorite places to go to when I'm in Hillsborough.

Finally! We drive by here twice a day and always say we gotta stop because everyone says how good it is. Well, everyone was right! We tried the 3 Pupusas for $10, chicken, mushroom and shrimp. They were absolutely delicious, fresh and as authentic as you can get! The salsa verde and slaw were a nice layer of acid and crunch to add to the bread. They have much more than Pupusas and we can't wait to go back and try some other dishes, including some of their homemade desserts. Small place, but friendly and very clean. Note: food is made fresh so expect to have to wait a little bit.

Samantha's has breakfast available Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings. We had the Salvadoran breakfast, a breakfast burrito, and blueberry pancakes. It was delicious but the burrito simply tasted like minimally seasoned ingredients wrapped in a tortilla. It would've been better if there was more seasoning and cheese to the ingredients. Just tasted like boiled potatoes and boiled black beans and bland eggs. The pancakes were delicious and some of the best I've ever had. Price for the 3 items was a bit high for breakfast, over $34 without a tip! We will try again but due to the price it'll be occasionally. Lunch and dinner is always a hit!

The best! Pupusas and plantain empanadas are incredible! Definitely try the horchata and the hibiscus juice!

I will definitely be coming back to Samantha's! I placed a order for pick up, which was super easy, and arrived 20 minutes later as advised. When I arrived, there was a very short wait as someone in front of me was placing their order. The guy behind the counter was super nice when it was my turn. He quickly grabbed my order and packed it neatly. The food was delicious! We had three types of pupusas and they were all amazing. My favorite was the chicharron. We also tried the carrot cake which was huge! It was good, but had a lot of nuts and dried fruit- which wasn't my favorite. All the desserts looked delicious and I will definitely be back to try more

Love this local whole in the wall. Always fresh and always satisfying. Tacos are ny favorite.

Delicious veggie tacos, as well as pastor and chicken. Burrito was small but super tasty. Our third time eating here did not disappoint (and yeah next time getting the mushroom pupusas. )

Great pupusas, great desserts including pies, cakes, cookies, and flan, reasonable prices, and fast service.

Amazing desserts the tres Leite was the best I've ever had. The flan was also pretty good.

This is a fantastic "hole in the wall" place. I stopped here on my way home from an event so unfortunately it's not close to home. I'm gonna come here anytime I pass by though. Nice people. Great food, and a good price. Highly recommend

Excellent food! Definitely worth the stop! The mushroom Pupusas were perfection and the cakes were delicious. Take time to stop by for breakfast it will make your day.

This place is pretty good. This was my first time eating pupusas, and I was kind of disappointed. For something so deeply unhealthy and full of starch, the flavor was kind of lacking. I will go back but I don't get the hype.

I cannot believe that Samantha's only has 56 reviews (at the time of this one). This place is a hidden gem! Everyone that we talk to about restaurants in Hillsborough brings up Samantha's. We have only ever eaten the pupusas because we love them so much that we won't deviate from our regular order! We particularly like the black bean ones. This is a great stop after hiking nearby especially!

Have been wanting to try this place for months after reading such good reviews online. You'll have to excuse the photos taken from inside the car- I couldn't wait long enough to get home to try since it looked and smelled so good! I thoroughly enjoyed my food, their staff are very friendly, and I appreciate their care and concern with following health and safety standards. I will definitely be going back again soon and can't wait to try more from the menu!

Excellent pupusas and tacos. My husband got the pollo torta and loved it. Also great variety of fresh baked goods. We got a slice of coconut cake and carrot cake to enjoy later & they were delicious as well.

We stopped in here for a late lunch, seeking a Mexican\Latin American restaurant near our new home in Hillsborough (coming from Durham, where we have several fave restaurants in this genre). Their menu was broad and varied, we picked 8 things to try but there was so much more we wanted to try! Everything is made in house, from their tortillas to their big case of baked goods. Everything we are was delicious. Best pupusas we've had outside Latin America, and more filling options than I've ever seen in pupusas before, and everything else we tried from meats to plantains was wonderful. And the staff were delightful, lovely service. We'll definitely be back, struggling to decide between re ordering the delicious dishes we had on the last visit or try other dishes we want to try and know will be just as good. Hello, new favorite Latin American restaurant!

The food here is always thoughtfully prepared and usually consistent in quality and flavor. They have traditional dishes and some more unique varieties. The desserts are next level. Highly recommend!