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    El Centroamericano

    4.4 (56 reviews)
    Open 9:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    EL CENTROAMERICANO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Great view of kitchen very clean and  Organised
    Bob M.

    Very, very clean, and where i sat i could see in the kitchen, Very clean well organised and professional,How hard is that for some of these restaurants to pull off ? You walk into this little market that's up front and you go to the back, And that is where the magic is done. Have you ever said to yourself I want something different I'm tired of the same old thing well here's your chance, If good authentic food very clean almost clinical Is high on your list you need to go in and give it a try. And if you're trying to figure out what countries are Central America look on the wall they have a picture that shows you each of the countries. Now when my wife says you go there a lot I can say I'm in training for our next vacation

    Ann-marie D.

    I enjoyed my meal here thoroughly! I ordered a cheese pupusas (corn patty stuffed with cheese, maduro (sweet plantains), along with the grilled fish dinner plate. The pupusa was sooo perfectly cooked and cheesy. The sweet plantains were almost dessert like and were the perfect compliment to my savory fish dish. My fish dish came with a large piece of fish that was seasoned better than any grilled fish I've ever eaten here in Charleston. So awesomely delicious! My sides were traditional rice and beans along with a side salad. Lots of food for me to enjoy and I sure did enjoy! By the way, the beans were also well seasoned and delicious. I wish I took pictures but I was so hungry I forgot. This meal definitely hit the spot. Best Latino food in Charleston! My husband and daughter ordered the Bandeja Paisa it's a plate filled with food: steak, sausage, sweet plantain, rice, beans, an egg, chiccarrón (pork rind), arepa (corn patty) and a slice of avocado. Neither of them could finish their meal & both of them were quiet while eating. They said their food was just too good to not try and eat it all. My husband said it was the best meal since his last visit to a Colombian restaurant. All he kept saying once he was stuffed with pure happiness was we will definitely be returning to eat here. Both my daughter and I agree!

    Horchata & Passion Fruit
    Sammantha J.

    Never knew this was in my own town. Looked it up after watching a street food show. The Horchata was amazing!! I had the fried fish and plantains (not sweet) and it was so delicious. I really like that there's a store in front and restaurant in back. The restaurant area is not huge but surprisingly there's still a lot of room.

    Steak, fried pork belly and sausage!  With 3 food that we ordered, 2 of us were SOOO full!
    Tentay P.

    Food was great! The lady at the store was so helpful. We can't speak Spanish but pictures posted at yelp were helpful.

    Arien E.

    For a hole in the wall Mexican store and authentic restaurant in ladson SC, this place puts on and excellent feed. I was stuffed. Great deal and lots of food for the price. Heartily recommend this place but it helps if you know some Spanish or really know Spanish food.  Both choices were excellent

    Fish filet with spices, "pescado avodabo" I was warned it was "picante!" - spicy. But really isn't (to my tastes at least)
    Hana M.

    I direct many new in town folks I meet to centro Americano if we make a connection over Culture or being foodies. 90% of the time if they are Latino, they have already been here and agree that it's a little gem and several gave me their word that the horchata is on point. (Horchata is a traditional salvadorean iced cinnamon rice milk, really good when homemade but can also be made too sugary and fake tasting. I still have yet to try centro's horchata but I will) The coke is Mexican coke (same as American coke- but with REAL sugar so it actually tastes better!) I tried the mango juice and that was very sugary and not made with enough mango. The restaurant seems to get very crowded when futbol is on, as there are several TV screens to watch it. Pupusas are a total fail-proof food- you can bring your pickiest eating friend/cousin/sister and if they like cheese and eat wheat they'll love pupusas. I have a bf who is picky this way and he loves pupusas as much as I do- even though he won't try the curtido (a pickled slaw side) that just means extra for me!! My bf orders the shrimp quesadilla and loves it, the shrimp taste very fresh and grilled smokey. I tried the filet fish with spices and I liked that it was saucy and crunchy. I was warned it would be "picante" lol, I'm all for spicy fish!! It didn't taste all the hot though. The rice that comes with the fish is very good too. The service has been really good everytime too. By default, everyone speaks Spanish but you won't be lost if you don't speak any. The waitresses speak English and will speak both if you are a language learner! This gives me the confidence to speak Spanish no matter how silly I sound! I did say I need a moment to look at the money instead of the menu and when I didn't understand what she was asking me with my order of water, the waitress switched to English and asked if I wanted it with ice.

    Passion fruit juice
    Ryan H.

    Now one of my favorite hidden gems in the Lowcountry. In front there is a small insurance agency that uses a small table for its operations. And the rest of the front area is a grocery where cool Central American food and drink can be purchased like tortillas, drinks, and a good supply of things necessary to cook Central American goods. Behind the retail area is a small restaurant where the food is fantastic. I had empanadas that were pretty good. I had several other items that were fantastic. The fruit juice is a very large portion and sweet but very tasty. We got the passion fruit and split it. Their refried beans were fantastic and my wife loved the plantains. We went 2 days in a row so a mix of reviews. Our waitress the first day was pretty fluent in both English and Spanish. The second day our waitress knew little to no English. More authentic for sure but a little harder to order but thankfully the menu has pics and you can point. It really is a fantastic out of the way place that I recommend highly and will be back.

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    8 years ago

    New favorite place. Taste just like my mom's and grandma's Nicaraguan cooking! The maduros and carne asada were amazing.

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    9 years ago

    We are not close to home and this has been the closest food to home made in the area. Fyi food could be hit or miss when it's too crowded.

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    12 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    7 years ago

    The food is authentic, the sauces are awesome. For breakfast, lunch, or dinner you won't regret eating here.

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    10 years ago

    Great little place, authentic as you can get and clearly a local hot spot for those that know this place.

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    9 years ago

    What an awesome find. We will be back for the outstanding food and service. We had pupusas and chicken fajitas.

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    9 years ago

    What make this little restaurant one of my favorite is the food always good and fresh ....comida muy sabrosa ‍

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    11 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    11 years ago

    Very authentic tasting Central American food. The best in the charleston area. Deff worth the 45 min drive from mount pleasant. LOVE IT

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    Review Highlights - El Centroamericano

    Definitely, on of the better Spanish food restaurants outisde of the Mexican restaurants littered all over Charleston.

    Mentioned in 6 reviews

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    Palmira Barbecue

    Palmira Barbecue

    4.2(249 reviews)
    12.2 miWest Ashley
    $$

    I can only rate this restaurant on two items, but they were fabulous. I had never had beef cheek…read morebefore, but I love all things BBQ and my neighbor across the street said they do a fantastic job with them . So off we went. The restaurant itself is not at all fancy, even rustic one might say, but I came to eat, not look at decor. You stand in line and tell them what you want and they slice it right there and you move to the next station for sides and then drinks. So we got two whole beef cheeks and the Puerto Rican beans. I asked the fella behind the counter if I wanted the hash and rice or the beans and he said definitely the beans. Boy was he right. Make sure to get the house made pickles and pickled onions as they add the perfect amount of acid to the rich beef cheeks. I am a barbecue pork fanatic. Even after living in Texas where brisket and the beef rib are king, I favor pork. Today I jumped to the beef side. Beef cheeks that is. So tender that no knife was needed. Smokey with a flavor I can't describe because I never had them before. Heavenly. Those Puerto Rican beans also had a combination of flavors I haven't had before. LOVED THEM!!! They did not have wine although the website said they did, but I lived. Dog friendly as well. My daughter is coming from NYC and I can't wait for her to try them. You should as well.

    Hands down- the absolute best bbq we've ever had!! THE BEEF CHEEK!!!! Holy cow! We also got the…read moreDino bone, delicious however about $50/bone. All the sides were perfection. Ordering is done thru a line walking along the window, so no servers, however that tip screen still pops up when paying. Family of 4 ate for a little over $100 but the beef cheek was well worth the trip! Definitely will be back when visiting Charleston!

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    Palmira Barbecue - Beef rib

    Beef rib

    Palmira Barbecue - Beef cheek, arroz con gandules, habichuelas, and brisket tacos.

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    Beef cheek, arroz con gandules, habichuelas, and brisket tacos.

    El Centroamericano - salvadoran - Updated September 2026

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