Normally I don't write reviews but this place deserves it. I'm originally from the DC area and my family is from El Salvador, so eating here felt right at home. Loved the pupusas revueltas and qusadilla. The horchata could have been a bit sweeter but that is more nit picking than anything else. The place is a little hard to find at first(walked passed it a few times the first time I went here) but its a good find.
Review Source:This little half guanaca loves the food here! The pupusas revueltas (cheese, beans and chicharron) are awesome!!! The curtido is spiced just right and the salsa is great, too. Add some platanos or empanadas de frijoles, and you'll waddle your way on out of there (in a good way, that is). Top it off with a slice of quesadilla (which is cake in ES, not tortillas and melted cheese) for a perfect Salvi meal! I was tempted, however, to knock off a point for their pan con pavo sandwich, but I'm biased, 'cause my family's recipe is the best ;)
Review Source:Living on the southside, it is hard to find a pupusa when you are craving one. Â Luckily this little spot popped up about 3-4 years ago and I'm so happy it did. Â I had not tried pupusas EVER until I ate at this place.
I have not tried other pupusas at other establishments, but I'm pretty sure this place is top tier.  They have at least 5 different types of pupusas you can order if I recall correctly  (chorizo, rococo, revuelto, queso, calabaza) and each are awesome in their own right. Â
The place IS small and the seats a little awkward, but it is never too full to sit down and eat. Â Your table comes with curtido automatically (a sort of pickled and spiced cabbage salad) which is AWESOME and compliments every dish served. Â They have daily specials which are very reasonably priced and a good deal. Â If you are a newcomer, I highly recommend the plato tipico which comes with a bit of everything, one of each item in the menu. Â This gives you the opportunity to taste a bit of everything and by the end of the meal you will know what your go to item will be for your next visit....because you WILL come back again.
One small thing to note, the pupusas do take some time to make (up to 10 min+) Â so if you are in a rush and expect to come in and out right way, it is not going to happen. Â Just sit down, relax and wait for it. Â Deliciousness takes some time to be cooked in, it will be worth it.
They do have mexican food items on the menu also, but with so many mexican restaurants on the southside, I am not sure why you would come to a Salvadorian restaurant for mexican food....but hey, to each their own.
In any case, this place is very affordable, very delicious, and quaint, totally worth checking out if you are looking for something outside of the 100 mexican restaurants on the southside.
Let me start by saying I tried this after I've had Salvadorian food in DC. and anyone that knows that area knows there is a strong Salvadorian population.
Okay that said... this place is decent. A definite change from the typical Mexican fare in the city.
What we had... everything!
~pupusas
-beans and jalapenos
-chicken
~tamale wchicken
~stuffed fried yucca - chicken
~grilled chicken breast with grilled onions and rice and beans
~chicken tacos
~chicken quesadilla
and for the sweet spot
~empandana de leche (with condensed milk)
~empandana de frijoles (with refried beans)
and had to try the horchatta (rice water)
The food was decent nothing really rocked my socks like DC., but it wasn't bad.
I especially liked the fried yucca. The tamales where a bit of a disappointment. I got myself all wet when they came out in that classic Salvadorian banana leaf ~ but it was very similar to regular Mexican style. The pupusas were okay ~ it seemed that is what the locals came for. The entree was standard. The chicken was cooked and seasoned well ~ but not in the flavor I came to expect from the region. What did stand out was the rice ~ perfectly cooked and quite flavorful. The fried empanda (fried plantain) was sweet and dense. Just what I expected. ~ Oh can't forget the tacos ~ they were just okay. We were a little more impressed with the quesadilla. Not the standard folded tortilla. It was pinched and fried. Interesting. And finally the rice water was good.
I loved the fact that I could open my wonderful Argentinean wine to enjoy with dinner.
So why the 3 instead of 2 stars you ask?...
Well the server was patient with the English laden patron. The people were nice and it was a cute change.
And mostly because yelp doesn't let you give half stars. It truly deserves a 2.5 ~ so hey I rounded up.
Will I venture all the way to 41st and Archer for it again? Probably not. Well what if I'm in the area? Probably not.
The quest continues for a Delicious Salvadorian restaurant...
I had never tried Salvadorian food until I met my husband, he brought me to this restaurant a few years ago and I loved it. It's sooooo delicious. They have delicious pupusas, I love the mixtas de Chicharron and chicken. I also love the platano maduro (fried plantain) con frijoles y crema (beans and cream.) They also have good corn tamales, even their tortas (which are very common in Chicago) have their own unique style. I think they add cucumber.
I definitely recommend this restaurant, for one you'll try something different and with $20 bucks you can pick a little of everything from the menu.
Finally, got to try this out. I came with my cousin, but ended up getting carryout instead of dining in. So, I ended up over ordering since I've been wanting try this place out.
He got the steak and I got the chicken. His steak was sliced while my chicken was like 1/4 and we thought his was going to be a whole piece and mine was going to be slices.
Chicken was ok, but nothing really special. I did like the rice that came with it. I didn't eat the beans.
I got the pork pupusas and they were good. Also, the empanadas de leche, but weren't too impressed. Just tasted too banana-y (if that's a word)........perhaps it would've been better if I had it fresh and dined in.
I ordered a large horchata which was ok, not too sweet.
I wanted to really love this place.....but I'll maybe update the review when I dine in one of these days.
It's a typical hot summer afternoon in Chicago and I'm snacking on what I consider safe foods, namely pupusas and horchata. Â I'm not familiar with Salvadorian cuisine, so my original plan was to get to know the staff and get some recommendations. Â Well, the staff speaks about enough English to get your order proper, so I moved onto Plan B: Observation.
About an hour goes by and I observe a family sit down and order the sopa de pata which is only available on weekends. Â Personally, when the temperature outside rises above eighty I feel like it's too warm for soups, stews or anything chili-like, but for this reason the soup has me intrigued. Â If a small family sits down for a bowl in this heat, it must be good. Â I'm well aware the menu lists the soup as tripe soup, and being a little Polish I've had tripe before but never really enjoyed it, bit I decide to give it a try.
Well, I do enjoy some of the soup...
While the yuka, corn (oh the cob), banana and the chayotes are swimming around in my soup, I'm convinced I'm enjoying myself. Â Then I get to the tripe, and what turns out to be cow's feet and I'm not enjoying myself. Â I close my eyes and the sweet scents that were emitting from the sopa de pata have transformed into what I remember a cow smelling like at the petting zoo. Â The texture of the tripe is like somebody soaked a stack of tissue in beef broth, julienned it and served it in the soup. I'm not a fan.
Here is my advice:
Stick to the safe foods and you'll be really happy you found this place. Â I was particularly pleased with the chicken with grilled onions, the entire pupusa menu, and the empanadas de leche (smashed plantains with a Twinkie-like injection of condensed milk, rolled in cinnamon and fried) are a must.
As other reviewers mentioned, the wait staff doesn't speak English, but they are the nevertheless helpful and will still try to ask your preference on certain dishes ("Pork or chicken?"). Â If you lack Spanish skills, you can just point and gesture to request your items; this system seemed to work well enough for us. Â Also, all the menu items are printed with English translations, so you won't be completely helpless if you are unfamiliar with Salvadorean cuisine.
Speaking of which, the menu is divided into 3 main sections: smaller Salvadorean dishes (ranges from $1.75 to $6.00, you should pick a few of these items if you are ordering from this section), larger Salvadorean entrees or platters (usually $8.00 or more), and "Mexican" dishes (around $5.00, includes items like tortas and tacos).
My friends and I tried a few items during our visit: tamales, fried yuca, papusas, fried plantains, and empanadas de leche. Â Descriptions for each dish follow:
- If you've only had Mexican tamales, the tamales served as El Salvador Restaurante will be an interesting change. Â Instead of wrapping the usual corn-meal and meat combination with a corn husk, these are steamed in banana leaves (might be something else, but looked like banana leaves to me).
- Of the plates that came to our table, I enjoyed the fried yuca the best. Â The dish was presented somewhat like a salad, with generous portions of yuca (the texture is reminiscent of potatoes), fried pork fat, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a vinegar-based dressing to drizzle on top. Â
- Papusas are probably the most well-known Salvadorean dish, and El Salvador Restaurante gives this dish fair representation. Â This is also a case where Spanish skills would be helpful. Â While the menu featured the regular papusa dishes, signs were posted throughout the restaurant (in Spanish only) for "special limited time only" papusas, including one with spinach and cheese. Â I went for the regular papusa revuelta, which was filled with pork, refried beans and cheese. Â Delicious!
- The fried plantains were tasty, but probably the most modestly portioned dish we ordered, with just two long slices of pan-fried plantains (and small scoops of refried beans and sour cream). Â
- The empanadas de leche are not the usual wheat dough empanadas associated with Argentinian or Carribean cuisine. Â The filling consists of sweetened condensed milk, which is then wrapped in a thin layer of mashed plantains, fried, and rolled in coarse sugar. Â As you can imagine, these are heavy little desserts, and with 3 per order, you will have enough to share with a few friends (I could only take a few bites).
I've been here maybe 7 times and have never been disappointed. Â The food is amazing, and everyone here's super nice. They also have really good daily specials - which works out for me since I'm not El Salvadorian and so not too wise on the art of pupusa ordering.
Very chill and super reasonable prices especially for the quantity and quality of food.
FYI tho. the agua de tamarindo's pretty intense. But it might've been the last of the batch.
I'm still stuffed! I'd had it in my mind to visit ESR for a while now but I never did a test run to figure out how to get here. It should be easy enough. It's on a major street. Just go south until you hit it, right? That would have been right had I never listened to Google Maps. You did me wrong, Google Maps, and I demand restitution!! Despite common sense and previous trips to Mckinley Park and Archer Heights, I wound up going the wrong way on Damen off of I55. Oh, Google Maps. We need to have a talk...
Three car bottom outs, four bad turns, 30 minutes after I was supposed to get here, many swear words, and a frightened passenger later, I arrived. 'Cool little place.' The vibe is very homey with big tables and comfy seats. At the time my party showed up, we were the only folks in the joint. The woman behind the counter smiled, showed us to a table and asked if we had any Spanish speakers. We chimed in "not really." She laughed and said she didn't speak English but no matter. This is food. Food is universal. I am fluent -- check the man bosoms and dead sexy belly. I knew from the reviews that I wanted papusas. I had no idea what they were but I wanted them. A quick scan of the menu let me figure out that I wanted many other things as well. The menus are those big, laminated kind with El Salvador flags, pictures and bilingual descriptions of the food (plus info on whether you're ordering Salvadoran fare or Mexican). I settled on two papusas (with pork, bean and cheese), a chicken meal with beans, onions, rice, and salad, a medium horchata and a medium tamarindo. What? I'm a B cup.
The food was fantastic! I don't think it's because my frame of reference is limited. This was genuinely fantastic food. First off, the horchata was the BEST I have ever had. Every sip was a vacation to a warm, tropical place where cinnamony milky stuff flowed like water and I lounged by the pool with a Bow Chicka Woow Woow soundtrack played in the distance. Fantastic. As refreshingly sugary/cool as the horchata was, the tamarindo was tart, crisp and undeniable. Drinking both at once was a fun experience and colored my meal by the bite. I recommend it. The papusas were delicious. Imagine a flattened samosa topped with vinegary slaw, chile salsa and packed with pork, beans and cheese so hot and gooey it traveled from the plate to your mouth with every pull from the fork. I could have eaten a meal of just those. But, I couldn't. I had a half chicken covered in a light sauce and onions with salad, rice and beans (with cheese and chips) to take down. I put up a valiant fight but I couldn't finish all my food. It was SO.MUCH.FOOD. Each time our waitress came by, she smiled at our gluttony and willingness to try new things. I liked her.
I pulled away from the table, massaged my belly and looked up to realize that a few families had come in to dine since we arrived. As babies cooed and children played, my table spied friend things topped with granulated sugar. Stuffed and in pain, we wanted, nay, NEEDED, them now. Our waitress agreed. What they were were some kind of fried plantain ball filled with condensed milk and topped with cinnamony granulated sugar. [...] That pause was to give you time to slap someone's mama. Ridic. My meal (two drinks, two apps, entree, dessert, tax, and good tip) came to $18. Holla, El Salvador Restaurante!! You just got yourself a new, regular visitor.
I'm going to tell you guys a little story. Here it goes.
This past Sunday, as I was driving home from a long day of Riot Festing, my brakes went out. Well, almost all the way, but I had a bit of pressure left, so I had to drive home like a grandma. Well, not my grandma because she's a speed demon, but you know what I'm saying. Come Monday morning, I had to get a tow to the shop and then sit there for hours while my baby was getting fixed up. Needless to say, not the way I intended on spending my Monday off. I mean, I was finally going to try Kumas. Rats! By the time I was heading home, I was crabby and starving. I needed a little comfort food, but I wanted to try something new.
Enter El Salvador.
Now I have never had Salvadorian food before so I have no comparisons, but, the food at this place was delicious. I ordered 4 pupusas, the yuca and chicharones, and an horchata. I got one pupusa with cheese, chicharones, beans and cheese, and loroco and cheese. The chicarones one was my least fave. Now you all can see my severe cheese addiction. The fried yuca with chicharones - now that was killer. It comes with a vinegary type slaw and chile. The horchata was one of the best I've had, and I've had many. I can't speak to the service as I got my order to go. I wanted to give you guys my opinion, really I did, but my butt was off of my couch for far longer than I had intended, so I had to get home.
Not much ambiance in here, but what do you expect? The prices are dirt cheap ($13 for my bounty) and the food is excellent - ambiance shmambiance is what I say. Go check them out. I know, I know, it's on the South Side. So what? I go north all the time for good food - I suggest you do the same, but south. You know what I meant.
P.S. my limited repetoire of spanish came in handy here. Bring along your favorite spanish speaker and buy them a pupusa. They'll thank you.
I can't believe I didn't review this place the first time I went!
I went back to El Salvador last night, and had the yuca con chicharron, pupusas, and platanos fritos con frijoles y crema. Â They were all really good! Â Last time I was there, I only remember getting pupusas; this time I branched out and am glad I did!
The only reason I'm putting four stars instead of five is that I don't feel like I have enough Central American foods experience to properly compare it to the competition - the food and service are both great here, and it's very inexpensive!
I went to this place with some friends that just came back from El Salvador. I had high hopes after reading the reviews but this place was meh. We showed up on a Wednesday around 7. The place was pretty empty as there was only one other table besides ours. Anyways the menu was pretty small, maybe a total of 20 different things to order. My friends an I shared a combo place, 3 pupusas and an El Salvadorian enchillada platter. The combo platter consisted of a very fried pork with very fried potatoes, grilled plaintan, an empanda and something else that I just can't remember. We order a veggie, chicken, and pork pupusa. They were all very good. It was like having a stuffed tortilla. The enchillada was nothing like what we expected as we were hoping it would be similar to the Mexican kind. It basically resembled a tostada except it was on a thicker shell. The food was pretty bland. Nothing really wowed me as I was expecting more flavor and spices. The food was rather heavy as it was very starchy. Oh the owner was really nice and gave each of us a free desert. It was basically mashed up plaintan that was stuffed with a little bit of condensed milk that was slightly fried. This place was interesting but one venture with the Salvadorian cuisine is good enough for me.
Review Source:Well, okay. The food was tasty. We had pupusas with cheese and jalepenos, rice and beans and the empanadas de leche and also de frijoles, and all were quite delicious. But being spoiled on dirt cheap Mexican food as we are, some members of our party didn't order enough food (at El Faro, 3.75 buys you a platter of food not four fried nuggets) and all of the food came out piecemeal, SO SLOWLY. It took almost an hour for all of our dishes to straggle to the table. The pupusas and empanadas were pretty much the only meat free options, and the waitress' english wasn't good enough to give us a definitive answer on lard in the beans. Lovely horchata.
I don't know. I ordered two pupusas de queso and an order of the empanadas de frijoles, and they were delicious and I was full. Everyone else at the table never wants to come back.
I am a native of the South Side...well, we moved there when I was 7.
My parents still live only blocks away from this charming little restaurant. Sure, there isn't anything spectacular about it, only darned good food. The pupusas are amazing here. I highly recommend the plantains stuffed with condensed milk. I know, weird. But delicious. I have been here tons of times and recently trekked with two fellow northsiders. We agreed that half the enjoyment is in the journey.
And it's worth the journey, folks.
I know it is a effing long way to drive from the North side, but try the empenadas de leche. I swear that they are worth it. Imagine, if you will, tres leches cake smashed into nugget-like shape and deep fried and there you go. As long as you have the defibrillator paddles with, your drive home should be smooth as the leche dripping from your chin.
These little sweet nuggets were a joy.
Great place! Â Great pupusas! They are supremely authentic! Put the curtido salad over them and squeeze some hot sauce over the whole thing. YUM! The other food is pretty good, too! They've apparently been here for 9 years, so they must be doing SOMETHING right!
If you don't speak spanish, you might have a tiny bit of trouble, depending on the waitress.
God, I absolutely LOVE the chicharron that comes with fried yucca! Oy! To die for! And try the bean empanadas. Â They're different. Â They're mashed plantains stuffed with beans, shaped into nuggets, and then fried and dusted with sugar. Trust me, they're very tasty! I guess I should try the leche ones...
I keep going back, even though they're pretty far.
Chicago has very few places to get good pupusas, but of the couple we have this is the best one. Â GREAT chicarron, good queso and loroco, the empanadas were great and the horchata some of the best I have had in Chicago. Â Our waitress couldn't have been better, I was excited to hear that they are looking to open another location on the north side closer to my house. Â One warning though, once you have one of these tasty little treats you'll find yourself addicted!
UPDATE: Â I did forget to mention you really do have to speak Spanish like the person below stated. Â I gave myself a crash course so I could get by, the waitress was very ,very patient with me. Â Now that I live all of a mile away I think learning Spanish is paying off, and not just in pupusas!
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