El Guanaco

Chips were stale, "salsa" had heat but nothing else stood out about it.
Bathroom looks like the breeding ground for all that is evil in the world.
Overall the place is pretty rundown (or call it a dive, if you must). I usually give some of these places the benefit of the doubt because sometimes they have fantastic food.

I wouldn't go as far as to say fantastic...

Pupusa's were hit and miss, cheese was good, chicken was just ok. Dining partner said the pork was bland but the steak was awesome.Chicken tamale was mushy and gross.

I was afraid to drink my water.

Random dance floor with red and green lights flashing didn't quite fit the 1 O'clock Saturday afternoon vibe.

Their is a location closer to Logan Square so maybe they have better stuff. I for one will get my Salvadoran fix elsewhere.

After an eight hour class I was tired, hungry and stranded. I'd never been in this part of town. There were no taxis anywhere. I hopped on a bus going in the general direction of River North. All of a sudden the bus hit the Grand Ave. stop. I jumped out and then looked for a cab which I couldn't find. I saw a Chinese restaurant and was going to go inside but then saw an El Salvadorean place (El Guanaco). As usual, I went with the unfamiliar.

El Guanaco is a dive. I ordered 2 pupusas and a steak taco. This was the first time I had pupusas. They are flat sweet doughy pucks. One was filled with fingernail-sized shimp and cheese. The other with chorizo and cheese. Not a fan I must admit. They are too sweet and doughy. They would be better as a desset stuffed with fruit or dolce de leche.

I did thoroughly enjoy my steak taco though. The meat was was juicy, moist and the outside was slightly caramelized.  The amazing salsa perfected it.

The best part of the meal was the salse and chips. They are both made on-site. The chips are slightly thick but not hard. They have small chambers of air within making them crispy and airy.

The salsa is the best I have had in the city if not the USA (at least what I can remember). Yeah, like wine or coffee, salsa is very relative in terms of how good it is. This is the 5 - Diamond rating for me. Smooth bright red salsa where you can see the chile seeds. It has a fresh taste with a a slight smokiness to it. The perfect amount of heat - scorches the tongue and inner cheeks but keeps making you go back for more.

I asked the waiter who also by the way was the host and cashier if I could buy some and he said no, but he did give me a cup of it to-go gratis.