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    El Chalateco

    3.0 (27 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 11:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

    Order El Chalateco Takeout or Delivery

    El Chalateco Photos

    El Chalateco - a plate of mexican food - Salvadoran Near Me - San Jose, California
    El Chalateco - Inside chaleteco - Salvadoran Near Me - San Jose, California
    El Chalateco - Looks like I'll need to come back on Tuesday! - Salvadoran Near Me - San Jose, California
    El Chalateco - two plates of food on a table - Salvadoran Near Me - San Jose, California
    El Chalateco - Super quesabirria - Salvadoran Near Me - San Jose, California
    El Chalateco - Chalateco on Jackson at Alum Rock - Salvadoran Near Me - San Jose, California
    El Chalateco - Al Pastor Trompo - Salvadoran Near Me - San Jose, California
    El Chalateco - Chalaparrillada - Spanish-style barbeque - Salvadoran Near Me - San Jose, California
    El Chalateco - Five of my fav Al Pastor Tacos in San Jose at El Chalateco at the flagship location on Alum Rock & Jackson. - Salvadoran Near Me - San Jose, California
    El Chalateco - Popusas - Salvadoran Near Me - San Jose, California
    El Chalateco - Al Pastor Tacos...perfection. - Salvadoran Near Me - San Jose, California

    +42

    El Chalateco - When Luis is the taquero, his tacos are amazing! - Salvadoran Near Me - San Jose, California

    Business Info

    EL CHALATECO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Dogs allowed

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    Reviews With Photos

    Rice pyramid
    Patricia A.

    Having lunch with coworkers and decided to come to El Chalateco. We were greeted by the young lady at the counter as we walked in the door. However, there was a scent that caught our attention right away. We looked over the menu and made our choices. Chips and salsa were brought over for us to snack on while we looked over the menu. Salsa was good and had a bit of a spice to it. I decided to go with the fried yucca with pork, one sope and a side of Mexican rice. The sope was just OK a bit bland but no problem added some salt and then it was OK. The rice had very good texture and seasoning. I really liked it. The star of the show was the fried yucca the pork complemented it however I could've eaten just the yucca it was that good. coworkers had the shrimp entrée that came with white rice, salad and fries. Their fries were cooked to perfection and the shrimp was spicy. The portion was huge enough for two people. Another coworker got the popusas which looked a bit plain, but she seemed to enjoy them.

    Café de olla
    Brenda C.

    The service was really good here. I really enjoyed the food. My family and i always order the pupusas here, they taste as if it came from our mother's kitchen. You can really taste the authenticity. The place is very spacious and the environment overall friendly. I wasn't a big fan of the cafe de olla, but i know their fruit juice is amazing! You won't regret coming here if you love pupusas!

    Taco Tuesdays! Different tacos
    Junelle F.

    I go to this place for Taco Tuesdays. It's a great deal, 5 for $10. I love the trip (extra crispy) tacos. They also sell Papusas. They have other dishes I have yet to try. You can get food to go or sit down to eat. There's plenty of tables, service is fast and staff is friendly.

    Pupusa revueltas
    Vanessa P.

    This place is not it. Our food took way too long to come out, one plate of 3 pupusas came out and then 45 minutes later the rest of our food came out . We were a party of 8 and we all ate at separate times . One of us didn't even get to eat their burrito until we were almost all finished because they forgot to bring it out. The service was so unorganized. I also don't appreciate that there are no prices of the food on the menu. The food was okay, but definitely not worth waiting for . It was oily, lacked flavor and only tasted okay if you drowned it in salsa. The highlight of the night was the bottle of coca cola. The pupusas were not bad, however I wouldn't go back just based upon my experience . Ambiance was uncomfortable, it just felt dingy everywhere and the restrooms were a nightmare. Giving this restaurant 2 stars because our waitress was kind, but sadly will not be returning.

    Inside chaleteco
    Oscar R.

    Ordered take out - took about 15 minutes to get our food. We got Salvadorian Pupusas and Mexican Tacos. Really good! Horchata was fantastic. Lively music in the back ground. Definitely a spot to check out!

    a plate of mexican food
    Amy V.

    Good spot if you're craving pupusas! There's a variety of dishes to eat and the portion is shareable. The tacos had great flavor and presentation was nice. Price is a bit on the higher side. Restaurant is spacious but English is very limited so please be considerate of that when asking for things.

    Beautiful presentation.
    Lou H.

    When I first got my food, it was beautiful. I thought, if the food is half as good as it looks, I'd be happy. The food was better. I loved what I ordered. Not sure the name, but it was like deconstructed enchiladas. Tremendous flavor. The prices were reasonable but as another review mentioned, there are no prices on the menu. I asked about the price before I ordered, so not a big deal, to me. The server was friendly. He didn't speak a ton of English, so he asked the girl at the counter to help. She was more than gracious enough to do so. All in all, a great experience. I came during lunch, so it was not horribly busy. I was extremely happy with the food and service.

    Chalateco on Jackson at Alum Rock
    Danny K.

    One Saturday night on a drive back from the Alum Rock Hills, my partner and I were in need of some food. We had recently tried some excellent tacos at Tacos Al Cabron in East LA, and were in the mood for some Al Pastor. Driving down Alum Rock, I spotted a taquero cooking outside of a Salvadoran restaurant called Chalateco across from the Mexican Heritage Plaza. He was shaving succulent cuts of Al Pastor off of the spinning spit grill on top of perfect little corn tortillas then flicking pineapple for the finishing touch. We had found a gem. That location (@1694 Alum Rock Ave) is now permanently closed, and their flagship restaurant is now at 2 N. Jackson St (at the corner of Alum Rock and Jackson). I point out the address because I was not able to find it on Yelp, so I created a new entry. There are a couple other Chalateco locations in Mountain View and West SJ, but I found that they were not quite at the level of cooking of the east side flagship. I could've picked just about any restaurant for my birthday with my extended family last week, and I chose Chalateco on Jackson. I've never been disappointed by any meal here or at the previous Alum Rock location. After trying a lot more of their extensive menu items over the past year, nothing has changed my mind. Their tacos are fantastic. The best Al Pastor tacos I've had in the city. They are served with a succulent shaving of spit-grilled al pastor pork, cilantro, onion and topped with a flick of pineapple and either red or green salsa, which seems completely random. The small tortillas are doubled and thin. They cover just enough to curl everything inside the tortilla when you pick it up. Take a bite and tell me I'm a liar. The rest of their menu is enormous. They have Pupusas, Tamal, Huarache, Consome (chicken broth) with Barbacoa or Chicken, Tortas, Fajitas, Aguachile (damn near burned my tongue off!), Burritos, Ceviche, Enchiladas, and entree plates of different meats. Then you've got huge goblets of Michelada, their Agua Frescas (Horchata, Arrayan, Jamaica and Frutas, a nice fresh fruit punch). Then there's flan and plaintains with cream. As for the ambience, there are a lot of tv's around, with yellow and red painted seats and interior. It used to be a Carl's Jr. and the building still kinda has that vibe. Usually it's pretty busy at night, but it's a spacious dining area that could probably seat about 60 people. They also have a good-sized parking lot in the back. As of December 2022, they only take cash, but there is an ATM near the register. If you haven't yet been to Chalateco, I happily recommend it.

    papusa
    Vu N.

    My Salvadoran friend raves about this place so we have to go each time he's in town. I recommend the revueltas papusa and pastor tacos. I don't like the fact that the menu does not have any prices on them, so you won't find out how much you've spent until you get the bill (that's not itemized). The bathrooms are old and dirty. They also sell Mexican tacos so it's not all Salvordan food. The staff are nice. They really need to upgrade the restaurant a bit to make it more clean

    Caldo de camarón con extra grasa y sal
    Elizabeth H.

    Tuve una muy mala experiencia en este lugar. El caldo estaba extremadamente salado y grasoso, lo cual lo hizo incomible. Además, la gordita que pedí estaba muy grasosa. Cuando le mencioné esto a nuestra mesera, ella dijo que los cocineros afirmaban que no era así. No volveré.

    Guys

    My wife and I have been coming to this restaurant for years, and we have always received good service. However, for the past eight months, there has been a male waiter who consistently gets our orders wrong or forgets what he's doing. Just today, I ordered a michelada and a shrimp cocktail. He first brought my wife's food, and then after about four minutes, he brought my drink. As he was approaching our table, he remarked, "Oh, you already have the shrimp cocktail." I replied, "Yes, I do." He then went back to the server and said that she already had the shrimp cocktail. The kitchen staff corrected him, saying, "No, she does not; she has a michelada." When he finally arrived at my table, I asked him to please pay attention.

    Cabaza tacos. Amazing!!

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    3 years ago

    Food is really great, great service only reason not a 5 due to the bathrooms are not very clean

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    El Palacio Del Sabor - Asada Nachos

    El Palacio Del Sabor

    4.1(259 reviews)
    0.7 miAlum Rock/East Foothills
    $$

    The pupusas are delicious and very consistent, which is why I continue to order from here. However,…read moreI've run into a recurring issue with their promotion: when you order 10 pupusas, you're supposed to receive 1 free. Unfortunately, I've now been missing the free pupusa four orders in a row. Each time I called to let them know, I was told to come back to get the free one. After the third time this happened, I stopped calling and claiming my free one. Now I no longer order 10 and instead only get the 7 I need for my family. Because the free pupusa is consistently forgotten, they end up losing out on additional sales each time I order now. I really enjoy the food and hope they can fix this small but ongoing issue, as it affects repeat customers.

    Cane into El Palacio Del Sabor for lunch to get my fix of something spicy. The lady at the register…read moregreeted us as we enterd and she was very friendly. Picked up a menu and made our selections to go. Orderd a gordita which is a thick corn tortilla filled with chicken, lettuce, queso Isco, and salsa. It was a bit bland so added some salt and red sauce and it was better. Also oredered the fried yuca with carnitas and the fried plantains with cream. The yuca and carnitas had a peqular taste wich I couldn't quite figure out. Will pass on this item next time. The plantains were ok and the cream added some sweetness to them.

    Photos
    El Palacio Del Sabor - Notice the photo frame in the back

    Notice the photo frame in the back

    El Palacio Del Sabor - Pupusa Revueltas

    Pupusa Revueltas

    El Palacio Del Sabor

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    L'Roco Grill - L'Roco seating area!

    L'Roco Grill

    4.3(205 reviews)
    4.8 miWillow Glen
    $$

    Food here is amazing Bought popusas de calabaza, loroco,…read morebeans and cheese. My favorite was the calabaza but the others were also good Bought the favorite parillada salvadorean That is extremely good. Meat was cooked perfect and with perfect seasoning. Was not over salted Beans and rice mixed was also perfect. Was not over salted like other places I usually dont like Sunnyside up eggs but it was good The small plátanos crispy with nice sweet flavors Definitely recommend!! Will be back to try other things There was an orange drink that was really good too. Forgot the name though Si recomiendo este lugar. La comida esta deliciosa!!

    Ordered the antojitos platter, which is a great option if you want to try a little bit of…read moreeverything. The platter includes one pupusa of your choice, one pastelito, one chicken tamal, one corn tamal, fried yuca with chicharron, one empanada, plantains, sour cream, pickled cabbage, and pickled red onions. I chose the pork, bean, and cheese pupusa, which ended up being one of my favorite items. It tasted authentic with great tortilla texture and flavor. The pastelito was nice and crispy. The chicken tamal was good and similar to a Mexican tamale, but with a softer masa. The corn tamal was sweet and tasted like a cornbread muffin. The fried yuca was good and had a similar texture to potatoes. The chicharron was okay and was a bit bland. The empanada was more of a dessert, as it was sweet with a custard-like filling. The plantains were cooked perfectly and had a nice balanced of sweetness. Also ordered one pupusa with pork and cheese. Personally, I prefer the version that includes beans, but this one was still worth trying. The sopa de pata is a cow feet soup that includes cabbage, carrots, tripe, and yuca, served with tortilla, dried chili peppers, and dried oregano on the side. The broth was flavorful, but there were a lot of vegetables. The cow feet did not have a lot of tendon, so it was basically two pieces of bone that took up a lot of space in the bowl. The tripe was soft, and I like how it was prepared well without any unpleasant smell. The horchata Salvadoreña was refreshing, but okay. Plenty of parking. Customer service was good, and both the waitress and kitchen staff were friendly and welcoming. The indoor dining is small and can fit about 20 to 25 people. Overall, this is a solid spot for Salvadoran food!

    Photos
    L'Roco Grill - Ceviche!

    Ceviche!

    L'Roco Grill - Sopa de Res!

    Sopa de Res!

    L'Roco Grill - Inside L'Roco grill

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    Inside L'Roco grill

    Maya's Cafe - Camarónes Aztecas ($24.50)

    Maya's Cafe

    4.3(754 reviews)
    7.6 miCambrian Park
    $$

    Small spot with a welcoming atmosphere and very friendly service. The carne asada plate was packed…read morewith flavor and the portions were generous. Everything tasted fresh and homemade.

    A Hondurian cafe that offers vegetarian, meat, and seafood options. My friend raved about this…read moreplace and I love supporting mom and pop restaurants so I had to try it. I tried the popular baleada, which is a home-made flour tortilla filled with a layer of mashed red beans, queso fresco, eggs and with or without meat (I got it with carne asada). The flour tortilla was just as other described - soft, buttery smooth, almost melt in your mouth goodness. The carne asada was dry and hard so I could've gone without. I bet a braised beef like barbacoa would've been perfect for this item. It also came with salsa and I selected mild which gave it a nice bright flavor. I also ordered a chicken tamale (they also offer pork) and I was surprised to find a whole chicken wing (no skin) stuffed into the tamale! I broke into it using a fork and hit something hard which turned out to be the bones. But honestly, this was one of the best tamales I've tried in a long time. Flavorful, moist, and a nice sized portion. It came wrapped in what I think was banana leaf. The service was fast on a Wednesday night and there were a handful of friendly patrons seated nearby. You could tell that they were regulars. The space was intimate with around 10-15 tables seating about 4 people each. Maya's Cafe menu has a wide assortment of dishes to choose from: serving breakfast dishes like chilaquiles, lunch items such as burritos, or soups and full on dinner plates with rice, beans, and choice of protein. There's even more selection and the whole menu is in Spanish so I'll be sure to use Google Translate next time!

    Photos
    Maya's Cafe
    Maya's Cafe - Tamarindo ($5)

    Tamarindo ($5)

    Maya's Cafe - Camarónes Aztecas ($24.50)

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    Camarónes Aztecas ($24.50)

    Pupuseria Delmy - Queso con loroco, revuelta

    Pupuseria Delmy

    3.9(146 reviews)
    4.9 miFairgrounds

    It had been a while since we came to Delmy's mostly because we don't frequent this area of San…read moreJose. It was super bowl Sunday and we had a great morning at Hellyer Park and we all agreed this was the place for lunch- my gosh this place is poppin! I called ahead and 25 min later the deliciousness was ready! I got mine of chicharron and beans (no cheese). They have two sauces on the table, on is the tomato based one and one is a spicy salsa. Both with the curtido is the best I have ever had. It is super crunchy and fresh and not too vinegary. The pupusas are so toasty on the inside and very large with lots of filling. Everything is absolutely perfect. Be prepared to wait if you didn't call ahead! There are about 4 tables with chairs in a half enclosed area against the food truck with street parking and the music jamming!

    First time trying this place out and I can honestly say their pupusas are top tier. Although the…read moremasa is bit on the thicker side, they loaded up with their filling which makes up for it. I love a good revuelta, but my favorite is the queso con loroco. Also their fruit salad agua Fresca was good and refreshing, but you definitely need a boba like straw for this as the fruit tends to get stuck on the thinner straws. Nonetheless this place is exceptionally tasty, I'll definitely be ordering from this place more often.

    Photos
    Pupuseria Delmy - Menu (5/7/23)

    Menu (5/7/23)

    Pupuseria Delmy - No cheese inside my cheese pupusa

    No cheese inside my cheese pupusa

    Pupuseria Delmy - Agua de fruta

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    Agua de fruta

    El Chalateco - salvadoran - Updated June 2026

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