It's always a pleasure to come back to this amazing restaurant!!! First of all, all the servers are so nice and welcoming. The food is just so amazing, comforting, delicious and just the best for when you're super hungry!! The place has nice happy music but it might be a little loud. Can't wait to go back! read more

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Came here with a Syrian friend to introduce him to Salvadoran food, let me explain: he loved it. Awesome pupusas, and sopa de gallina India, great tamalada salvadoreños, and tasty plátanos con crema! Our server spoke only Spanish, but we wanted an authentic experience so this was great ! She also recommended the best dishes, ambiance is what u expect from a Latin American place, loud Latin music, warm environment, cleanliness throughout and incomparable friendliness el salvadoreno is a nice place to family dine ! read more

First timer here! Stopped by to have a lunch date as it was highly recommended by a friend. For starters, don't let the area discourage you. This is a hidden gem. Parking can be tricky as it's on a busy street and close to residential homes. Once you get past the parking, you'll see the great customer service this restaurant has. Looks nicely decorated with clean bathrooms too! Food itself was delicious. We got the Antojito Salvadoreno which had a variety of their food items. Savory, sweet, and just right. For people looking for authentic cuisine. This is a must. read more

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Came here for mother's day as it was highly recommended by my sister from her trips down to SD! Very short wait time and excellent service. The restaurant is very pretty and still has a family business feel, very welcoming. We enjoyed the Revuelta pupusas & queso con calabaza. Both were delicious, they are very generous with the fillings. They do charge extra for more curtido but they give you more than enough at the beginning. Their granadia is also great and not too sweet! Definitely coming back whenever we are in town! read more

El Salvadoreño - Pork and Cheese (Rev), Cheese and Zucchini (QCal) - Salvadoran Near Me - San Diego, California

Very good. This was my first time. I Just felt so happy and good and full. Words dont even describe how happy and appreciative the food made me. Was so great. 10/10 Thank you read more

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Loooooove the pupusas here, you definitely need at least 2. My favorite is the chicken con todo. Also the plátanos con lechera is soooo good if you want something sweet. The prices are fair and service is nice/quick :) read more

El Salvadoreño - Salvadoran Near Me - San Diego, California

We got lucky with parking so that was a plus. We were seated as soon as we came in on a friday afternoon. Very welcoming server and ambiance. The music was a good volume to uphold a conversation at your table. The server accommodated to my food allergies and made great recommendations. The food came out hot and perfectly seasoned. Definitely will be coming back read more

El Salvadoreño - Beef Salpicon / Salpicon De Res con arroz y ensalada - Salvadoran Near Me - San Diego, California

Salvadorian pupusas here are full of flavor and super consistent -- they always hit the spot. The curtido and spicy salsa are savory, bold, and bring the whole plate to life. Definitely the highlight every time I come. The Horchata Salvadoreña, though... it's been a hit or miss for me. I've tried it about three different times now, and honestly, it just feels inconsistent -- sometimes it's rich and creamy other times it tastes a little watered down or something. Service tends to be mediocre and the food usually takes a while, but I do cut them some slack since everything is made fresh to order. read more

El Salvadoreño - Chicharron pupusas with cheese and jalapeno - Salvadoran Near Me - San Diego, California

TASTY MIXED PUPUSAS! My family and I stumbled upon this place near Grant Hill after craving something warm to eat all-day, we were definitely impressed! We ordered a variety of different pupusas ranging from mushroom, vegan, revueltas (mixed - beans, pork, and cheese) and chicharrón. One pupusa was about $5.50 EACH. My order included the chicharrón and revueltas. The clear winner was the revueltas as the pork was absolutely delicious and flavorful. The chicharrón was also good, but it didn't blow my mind like the other pupusa. El Salvadoreño also serves refreshing fruit drinks called Ensaladas (not to be confused w/ a Salad) which include chunks of fruit. My Mom particularly liked these and informed me that it tasted pretty authentic! Service was great, our waitress was polite and refilled our drinks quickly! The dining room is sizable and fits both small and large groups. Restrooms are available! I'll definitely return to this place and suggest it to my Yelp friends. read more

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Every time my family and I come down to San Diego we always come have breakfast here before heading back home to Anaheim. This is by far the best salvadorean restaurant wish they were closer but it's not too bad of a drive we love it out here. The food is amazing and the customer service is great. My favorite plate is called "Puchica Vos" and I never get to finish it so I share with my husband. Their baleadas and pupusas are delicious as well. As for my favorite drink it's the "Granadia". Parking is bad in this area so you might be driving around for an open spot since this restaurant is surrounded by houses. read more

El Salvadoreño - Granadia sooo bomb!! - Salvadoran Near Me - San Diego, California

These are the best pupusas in San Diego. I went about 3 years ago and I keep going back. Quality is 10/10, service is 10/10 and most importantly it's very affordable read more

I've been coming to el Salvadoreño forever! Best pupusas in San Diego county! Food is always amazing! Service is excellent. I love their entire menu! read more

This is a great spot. Nice ambiance, friendly faces and good. ....................................................................................................... read more

The food was very good. We mostly ordered pupusa's. Unfortunately the service was very slow. We waited 40 minutes after we ordered.

A friend of mine brought me here. I've passed by it a dozen times. I've never had El Salvadoran food so I don't know what to compare it to, but everything was really good and fresh in my opinion. It seems like a family owned a restaurant. The staff is really sweet. They have all the classic dishes. I try a sampler plate and everything was delicious. The restaurant is really clean and they have a lot of tables. read more

Homemade style food ! Everything is great, we live the mojarras & pupusas. Service is friendly and bilingual. Family friendly and tvs to watch games. read more

El Salvadoreño - Red snapper - Salvadoran Near Me - San Diego, California

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Stopped in for some Pupusas, left with full bellies and the desire to come back and try other items on the menu. Lunch rush definitely hits this place hard, may want to time your visit after 1:30 pm to ensure timely service. read more

El Salvadoreño - Menu - December 2024 - Salvadoran Near Me - San Diego, California

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The pupusas are always delicious fresh and full of flavor every time I come here The service is consistently great and everyone is friendly and welcoming It is a spot I keep coming back to and definitely recommend read more

Quick spot we stopped at in San Diego me And the wifey loved it Authentic. Meal with authentic vibes! read more

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Pupusas me! What I like about this restaurant you ask? Pretty much everything. - Clean and well organised with plenty of tables and nice back patio. - Very friendly and attentive service. - Authentic Salvadorian food. Food was the main reason of our trip here and it was worth it. Good flavours, seasoning, and overall presentation. Everything was prepared to order and tasted very fresh. 1. Ceviche was made with white fish and was quite spicy. You can ask to remove spicy peppers if you don't like your food to be too spicy. This goes for all the dishes that require cooking with peppers. 2. Pupusas were very good too and paired well with delicious and crunchy curtido. 3. Empanada de plátano, pork tamales and corn tamale were super tasty and melt in your mouth. 4. Atol de elote was sweet and creamy. Yum! You must try this restaurant if you crave Salvadorian food. read more

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We had a horrible experience. We were enjoying the food until I got my soup which was wayyy salty. I politely asked the server if I could switch it for something else. She said she needed to ask. The manager came and asked what's wrong with it and I told her it was too salty. She rudely said I already tried it and it's not salty. I disagreed and she walked away saying outlook to the workers that nothing is wrong with the soup. When she came back with the menu and said she could add something to my order but I'd have to pay for the soup and the new order. I said I didn't want the soup because it was too salty to eat and she said I'm wrong that it's not salty and that she COULDN'T remove it from the table. I asked why and she claimed that restaurants can't take the food and throw it away. But then she said she could "fix" it. Which is ironic because that's actually against health code but also how do you "fix" a salty stock that's supposed to cook in meat for a long time. I said you're just gonna add water and she said "no we'll make it from scratch for you, this whole time you've been complaining the soup would be done by now" I don't need to explain what's wrong with that statement but in case this restaurant is really that amateur and doesn't ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO MAKE A SOUP FROM SCRATCH, soup and stock isn't made in 5 minutes...UNLESS you just grab water and add bouillon and PRETEND you're serving authentic stock. It doesn't even matter which culture or country soup you're making weather it's a Mexican caldo, Salvadoran, etc it takes time to cook tough meat and let the stock have flavor and be actual stock. LET ME TRACH YOU ANOTHER BASIC LESSON YOUR MANAGER IS SO CLUELESS ABOUT...a small bowl of a huge pot of stock probably cost this restaurant $2 and I was gonna order something else that costs $20 so if anything you would have lost $2 dollars and kept a happy customer. Instead, you lost the ENTIRE lifetime value of a customer, a bad review for this restaurant, AND bad rep om social media...but you saved $2 dollars...wow. The owner needs to fire this "manager." The worst part was how rude she was and condescending! When I asked her if I could talk to the chef she claimed that "chefs aren't allowed to come out of the kitchen" and that's its "the law." That's when I got really annoyed. Idk why this girl was lying so much for a small bowl of soup. And she kept repeating how "by this time we could have a new soup for you. I even asked her why would I lie. We ordered a lot of food! And why would I wanna lie about a small bowl of soup. I also explained I'm pregnant and made my husband drive us here out of our area because I was craving their food. She said it didn't matter that "nothing is wrong with the soup and something is wrong with my taste buds and I'm lying." She totally ruined my appetite and meal. All for what?! $2 bucks? Morale of the story? Be prepared to eat everything they give you and not have a single complaint because they won't accommodate, they don't know anything about customer service, they are willing to lie instead of doing their job and also ACCORDING to this manager...their supposedly authentic Salvadoran soup is made is 10-15 minutes. Salvadoran ladies would be rolling laughing if you said that to them. I grew up with this soup and it's at least 1-2 hours if you get really tender meat. It also tasted artificial but that explains a lot if they made it in a few minutes it's just water with bouillon. There was no pride in this restaurant or for their cuisine or service. Don't come here if you wanna be treated badly and all they care about is pennies. read more

El Salvadoreño - Their soup isn't authentic and is made in 15 minutes according to the manager and ALL Salvadorans make soup like that according to her. - Salvadoran Near Me - San Diego, California

Amazing service and amazing food! The restuarant was really clean and we had a great time! We ordered 2 pupusas Revuelta Frijole, 2 pupusas Revuelta Todo, platanos con creama, and horchata. Everything was good and even my husband enjoyed it too. Will definitely come back! read more

I live in the area and have come to this place several times food is good and service is good. Best pupusas i have had in a long time. Love the yucca frita. Omar is a good waiter read more

Delicious! Wonderful service, amazing food. Hard to find parking and a packed restaurant show how great the food here is. This has been added to our must eat at while in San Diego. read more

Food was delicious and definitely worth the wait. The staff is so attentive and caring. They deserve 10 stars. Love this place!!!

Ray was super informative and cared to tell us about the food items we were not familiar with. Very friendly staff overall. Foods were fantastic, all 4 of us enjoyed the 3 plates of food plus the shrimp soup was amazing!!! read more

El Salvadoreño - Salvadoran Near Me - San Diego, California

What a great meal!! Everything we tried was delicious but the star in my opinion was their tamal and their arepas. Service was great, lots of indoor and outdoor seating. We can't wait to be back! read more

DO NOT GO HERE!!! Because I don't need more of you showing up to the greatest Salvadorian restaurant in San Diego!!!! Where do I begin I've been going to this place for over 5years and let me tell you it's like a first kiss every time..... I've celebrated birthdays and anniversaries here. The service is A1 people are friendly and very knowledgeable about the food so if your new they will make you feel comfortable about diving into any dish. Everything that I have ever had taste amazing I mean I should have to say it but make sure you have the pupusas, I've taken people and they don't get one then end up eating mine, so I never bring them back haha My favorite dish is the grilled pork chip with onions and pepper's AKA Encebollados! The most amazing pork chop on earth so flavorful it doesn't make sense! Also on my most recent visit I tried the Platano Relleno and OMG if you want to take your flavor palate to the next level order this you won't be disappointed! Enjoy and your welcome! read more

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Overpriced and not even worth th $5.50 it cost. I went in and ordered (2) pupusas revueltas and a large agua fresca and the total came to be $22. They were small and they gave me spicy salsa in a bottle instead of traditional Salvaldoran sauce. Needs to sitch the name of the place because its def not "El Salvadoreno" in no way. read more

Pupusas were amazing! Truly authentic friendly service. It's a must if your in San Diego. Hidden gem

Salvadorian heaven, in San Diego is a must stop. Let me start with the platanos con crema, they are the best sweet tooth craving. You will automatically fall in love with them. Warm soul loving food. The horchata they sell here is authentic in flavor. I'm addicted. My sweetheart brought me here and I was utterly in love with the food taste. So much to try, gotta return, for now farewell. Ambiance is great, seating is spacious. Cozy spot for a rainy day. I'm from LA. Out here on a business trip. Happiest time here in my tummy. read more

El Salvadoreño - Menu - Salvadoran Near Me - San Diego, California

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Food is very delicious and fresh. I love the pupusas and also the grilled chicken. The salsas are spicy and flavorful. Another must have is their aguas de cebada Had a tasty dinner, a con is the wait time for food preparation but that is indicative of a good meal. read more

El Salvadoreño - Pupusas - Salvadoran Near Me - San Diego, California

Food is awesome but be aware, their pupusa is smaller than other restaurants at 4.5 in diameter, cost of $7.25. Most other restaurant pupusa diameter varies from 5-6 in at $3.50 a $5.00 each. read more

El Salvadoreño - Pupusa - Salvadoran Near Me - San Diego, California

The best Salvadorian food! All the plates are extremely good, you get that home feeling. I love their caldo de res It's so good and big portion. The menu has changed within the last years, but the casamiento is good too! Rice with beans, fried banana, sour cream and queso fresco. Such a good breakfast. Now this place is known for the popusas, freshly made tortillas, different kind of fillings, my fav is the cheese with chicharrón! They give you this curtido, it's like cabbage, carrots, so good! The salsa spicy a solid 7/10 but so good. Parking, sucks. It's only street parking! They do have parking behind the location but it's limited! Love coming here. Oh and how can I forget about the agua fresca, It's agua de ensalada. So good and refreshing. read more

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I've been coming here for 20 years and the quality has been consistent. A pleasant dining room with booths and tables not too close together. There is a patio, a covered area on a raised platform with what used to be part of a parking lot, Covid style. The servers are friendly, but just know your food will come out when it's ready, and it's never less than 20-25 min. That is okay with me because... The pupusas are out-****-standing. If you haven't had one, imagine a corn tortilla that is stuffed with cheese, pork, or a multitude of things that you choose, all stuffed to order and cooked on a griddle. Top said pupusa with curtido (kind of like a Cole slaw, but not at all sweet) and tomato and hot sauce and you are in for a treat. I usually get chicharrón(pork), cheese, and loroco (the flower of some climbing plant indigenous to the El Salvador area). Today it delivered just as it has every other time I've been here, but I could only eat two and a half as I'm not the mass consumer I used to be. If you plan on having the hot sauce, I highly recommend ordering the Ensalada drink, which is kind of like a mixed fruit drink with a bunch of floating fruit bits. Perfect pairing. read more

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This homely spot is a great place to visit for some authentic Salvadoran cuisine that'll fill you right up. The pupusas especially are priced just right and are delicious. We got the revuelta and res (+ todo) pupusas and they packed so much goodness inside! read more

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Service: 10/10 Food: 10/10 Overall this place gives cute ranch vibes, I had a chicken and cheese pupusas and my husband had a soupa de res, will be coming back! read more

The absolute best pupusa I've ever had. Hand down. The rice and beans were so good! I can't rave enough about the food. The service was fast considering how busy they were on a Sunday late afternoon. It was busy but the vibe was so chill. Families and friends enjoying food and laughs. I'll be back as long as they're around. read more

El Salvadoreño - Lots of pupusas with beans and rice. - Salvadoran Near Me - San Diego, California

An absolute gem! I'm from Miami and was looking for authentic Salvadoran food to remind me of home, and definitely found it here. We had the plátano relleno - it was a delicious surprise. We ordered it because it was different and something we hadn't had before, but will be ordering it every time we visit from here on out. Would also HIGHLY recommend the baleada. Service was great, ambience was nice, restaurant was clean. Overall a really good experience if you are looking for authentic Central American food. read more

Had the most delicious Pupusas at El Salvadoreño Restaurant on Imperial Ave. The pupusas tasted very authentic similar to the ones I tried in Olocuilta, El Salvador home of the pupusas. I recommend this place. The service was great and the restaurant was clean. There's only street parking. read more

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