My family and I love coming to Elsys! My favorite is their caldo de res sooooo good and a good sized bowl! We also love their pupusas and usually get extra to go so I can put them in my son's lunch the next day. Friendly and quick service in a nice little restaurant. The restaurant itself gives off a very homey feel with tons of Salvadoran art and pictures on the walls. read more

Best pupusas!! The servers always have personality and just great! The hen soup and beef soup INSANELY good! read more

Elsy's Restaurant - Sopa de res - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

Good food, good price, good service! Smaller more casual place, honestly idk what the long line next door ppl r thinking. Pause the burritos for one second and come next door and get a pupusa plate! You won't regret switching it up. Very tasty. I will say a lot of cheese in those badboys which is nice-- but u might want to get one with filling of choice and cheese, another without the cheese if you're the type that's not that into cheese. Personally not worried about that perfect balance, it is good. read more

This Elsy's is better than the taco place next door with the long line. Food is great and the place is authentic!

Come eat bones with me :D Caldo de gallina sucks . $20 on a bone ? Are you crazy. I gave the benefit of the doubt after getting my gallina not cooked well the first and second time I came here to get it. Customer services just the cherry on top. Rude. This is why this place doesn't have 5 stars. They talk to you like you're dumb, after I told them this piece was not okay. read more

This is the second time eating at this location and both visits have been great. I ordered the pupusas combo plate with rice and beans and atol de elote (sweet corn beverage). It's not a big restaurant something is limited and aisles are small but done let that stop you from passing by for a visit or perhaps picking up an order to go. The customer service was pleasant and ordering was easy with no issues. If you're passing by the area and want some Salvadorian food don't hesitate to give this place a try. read more

Elsy's Restaurant - Atol de elote. Sweet corn beverage hot - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

Highly recommend! I got two chicharrón con queso pupusas, and trust me they were absolutely delicious. I'm picky when it comes to pupusas, but these hit the spot. Whenever I'm craving some good ones, I know exactly where to go now. Thank you! read more

This place is Amazing way better than the taqueria with the long line. We went the taco place 1st but food sucked and the service wasn't great. since the $15 burrito was not good we decided to go next door to the pupusas and they were fire! read more

It is called "Pupusa" and NOT "Papusa" for all of those that can take 2 seconds to Google it. Anyhow, the food here is great. Don't expect for it to be cheap just because it is in the Mission. This restaurant has been around for a while and they know how to make great food. Yes, it takes a while, and yes, the dish portions are for ONE person. So if you are a penny pincher who loves to complain about every little single thing... this restaurant probably isn't for you. Other than that, the food here is great, the waitresses do a great job too. read more

While visiting friends in San Francisco I was craving some Salvadorian food and what better food then pupusa's? I came here over the weekend and it was pretty packed but still comfortable enough to have some space. There was even a mariachi band playing inside the restaurant. The decor was all about El Salvador with pictures from the owners beautiful country. Lets get down to the food... I decided to order 3 pupusas platter which was Revuelto. That's pork, beans and cheese. It was amazing and I loved how fresh it was. Everything was made to order to don't expect your food to be out real fast. It takes some time but trust me, it's great! The flavor of the pork and beans were perfectly matched with the cheese that they used. The horchata was good as well. It wasn't your typical "sweet" hotchata that you find at Mexican restaurants, this horchata was from El Salvador and they don't make it sweet at all. It's really different and much healthier but that's just my 2 cents. All in all, if you're looking for a nice cheap place for some authentic Salvadorian food or some amazing pupusas then give this restaurant a try. read more

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I was waiting for my husband to finish his business and desired to walk on Mission toward 25th street. I saw this Elsy's that were offering Pupusas and chicken tamales wrap with banana leaves. I was kind of desapoyó Ted the chicharrón with cheese pupusa, lírico and zucchini ha more cheese that the filling a was expecting very skimpy on the meat and vegetables . Flavor was good, the pickle cabbage and the accompanying sauce were good . I will go to Ballompie for the pupusa at least it has more meat and vegetables than this restaurant . read more

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Love their pupusas! The soups are always a hit as well and served with a side of rice and homemade tortillas.

Fui a este lugar con mi familia a desayunar y mientras esperabamos nuestra comida notamos un aroma asqueroso y terrible el baño apestaba terrible y estaba en todo el lugar (dentro del restaurant) le dijimos a la encargada (posible dueña) sobre el aroma e ignoro todo y le dijimos que ya no queriamos comer ahi y que cancelara nuestra orden y nos fuimos, la verdad que no recomiendo comer a nadie Aqui el lugar esta sucio y muy contaminado con el baño a la par fue bastante asqueroso. read more

The very best pupusas and Savadorean food in SF. Best customer service Thank you Elsy's ! Beautiful restaurant. read more

Delicious pupusas, I love this place! Everyone there is so kind and friendly, too. La taqueria next door is good, but honestly this place should be just as popular. There's a good amount of seating indoors or they have take out that can be ordered online. read more

I found a hair in my papusa. The papusas my mom ordered we old tasting and burnt. Very unsatisfied. If you think about giving it a try because another spot is closed, DON'T! Just find what you want. read more

I came here for lunch and tried there Popusas and also there salvador quesadilla it was awesome. The food was great I would highly recommend this place. read more

The best pupusas I've had in San Francisco. Very reasonable prices. $3 for pupusas. They also serve breakfast. 2 eggs, plantain, sour cream and refried beans for $9.99 and it comes with 2 handmade tortillas. Their ensalada drink is very fruity and tasty. I believe it's about $3. read more

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The original plan was to grab some burritos from La Taqueria next door...but the line was waaaaaay too long and so we were standing outside thinking about where could we eat instead. That's when we looked inside Elsy's Restaurant, which looks like the quintessential hole-in-the-wall: sparse decoration & locals eating. And when I mean locals, in this case it would be Salvadorians. And although I can't vouch for their ethnicity, just the fact that entire families including kids were enjoying their meals, was enough to convince me to try this out. We sat at the counter and right away our waiter came over. Having absolutely no idea what Salvadorian cuisine/food is like, we asked him what he would recommend: he then told us that the pupusas here were the most-wanted item on the menu. Pupusas, we learned, are blown-up tortillas with filling inside. They're quintessential Salvadorian! So, we opted for these and then also ordered the Salvadorian Steak, which comes with a pepper-onion sauce and is served with rice and mashed beans. As a drink, I ordered Tamarindo. Eventually the cheerful music would start - not unsimilar to the traditional Mexican tunes - and we knew we were in for a real treat. All in all, I very much enjoyed our visit here. The food was tasty and I especially liked the authentic feeling here...I really wish that with the ongoing gentrification in the Mission, places like this will still survive... read more

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I'm gonna totally own this and say that I often pick pupusas over tacos. I know, blasphemy from this California Texan! I knew I wanted to stock up on pupusas since there's not an immediate end to this COVID situation (can't do that w/tacos, can ya), so I was on the hunt for a dozen or more pupusas at a decent price. I was pleased to see that Elsy's does just that in addition to their regular menu, so I ordered a few pork/bean/cheese, pork/cheese, and zucchini/cheese. My quarantine pupusas arrived piping hot even through delivery all carefully swaddled in foil and parchment to keep them from sticking to one another. Their curtido was perfect as was the salsa. I had to stop myself from eating the entire dozen, but it was good to know I can still exercise a modicum of restraint when it comes to pupusas. These are the perfect dinner or even snack--order from Elsy's, eat a few fresh, throw a few in the fridge, and grab one and reheat on the stove when the craving hits. read more

Ordinary pupusas, extremely rude staff. Despite waiting to get an order before another couple who was waiting there, the woman ignored me and attended them first. There are various pupusas places around the mission with much better food and service. Wouldn't go back. Aquí las pupusas son ordinarias, y las trabajadoras maleducadas. Llegue antes de una pareja y los atendieron primero aunque vio que yo y otra señora estábamos esperando. Que mal servicio, lo bueno es que hay otras pupuserias en la Mission que tienen mejor comida y gente mucho más amable. Nunca regresaré. read more

I ordered by phone. I ordered 2 cheese and zucchini pupusas and I got 2 Revueltas pupusas instead. I also ordered one breakfast item, that their menu says it's $8.50 they actually charged $10.50, the order took 45 minutes from the time I ordered. I don't think I will order from this restaurant again!! read more

A hidden gem! La Taqueria next door always has a line out the door and it seems like people overlook this place unless they're locals. You can authentic pupusas and other Salvadoran food for a great deal. Hard to find a decent meal in SF these days for $10 but you can get it here! I loved the bean and cheese pupusa, it comes out so fresh and warm. My friend raved about the beef soup and said she'd never had anything like it before. There's a good selection of desserts, drinks, and appetizers too! read more

I have been looking for a good spot for pupusas (a regular lunch staple back when I was living in LA), and this place definitely takes the crown! Not only is it close to the 24th St. BART, but it's also usually a really short wait. There are unfortunately not enough people who frequent this excellent restaurant, which is good for me because that just means there's less of a wait for me! The pupusas themselves are delicious and unique. They're always made to order - you can even watch the ladies make them behind the counter if you want! I always get a variety of different flavors, with my favorite being any sort of cheese and pork combination. Even though I consider myself a big eater after 2 of these usually I'm full. At $3 a pupusa, you really can't beat the price or the quality. I wish it was busier as this place definitely deserves more business. Next time you have a hankering for good, cheap eats then this is your spot! read more

Elsy's Restaurant - Pupusas - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

On my last day in SF, my friend recommended to stop by this pupusería to have as my last meal. I've never tried pupusas before so I didn't know what to expect. The revuelta and zucchini & cheese pupusas were so, so good! The place is so charming -- there's an old jukebox in the back of the restaurant with old Spanish tunes (bandas, Selena, etc) which added a very nice ambience to the restaurant. read more

Elsy's Restaurant - Revuelta pupusas - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

Low-key feels like El Salvador because all of the paisanos there. Pupusas are my go-to here. I've heard the organic hen soup is good too.

I was next door at La Taqueria and so annoyed by the wait time and how its so gentrified with everybody in the city paying for $7 per super taco! I stumbled upon Elsy's sign that says "pupusas" and I've been curious on trying a pupusa so I went in to order two pork and cheese pupusas and to go and they were done within about 8 minutes and they didn't forget the pickled cabbage or the spicy red thing either. BOIIIII.... after I took a bite of them, I was a happy non-crazy girlfriend again because I was already upset that I had to withdraw cash at La Taqueria and there was a wait for food and a wait for seating. Elsy's did not have that and I loved it! The pupusas were crispy and not too dough-ey, while still being flavorful and not greasy. The pickled cabbage was the cherry on top. Will be back! read more

Great food and excellent customer service! We ordered pupusas, sopa de pata, and bistec salvadoreño. All tasty, huge portions and delicious. The plates come with homemade tortillas. read more

I came into Elsy's yesterday for lunch, with my Salvadoran friend who was introducing me to this hole in the wall. I was super excited to have pupusas as I don't get out much to the Mission for it, so it was a treat! It's a quaint little place, divey, no frills, but the food looked good and the place felt promising. It took a moment for my friend and I to be noticed by the staff but we just seated ourselves (guess that's how it goes here.) We sat for a few solid minutes without receiving any menus, so my friend ended up having to go and grab it (ugh -_-) Then we waited a while until they came to take our order. The staff at Elsy's are very stoic and nonchalant. Like a robot. No enthusiasm, but b*tch face they had down. Our drinks and chips & salsa (only $.99! I liked the salsa- is spicy!) came out in a timely manner, however the pupusas took a little longer, and the side of fried plantains took forever and the side of beans and sour cream- EVEN LONGER! Also, when I was trying to get their attention for extra ice and proper to-go containers it was pretty much a fail. BOTTOM LINE. Food was good, but service was painfully slow. Was going to give this place 3 stars, but while writing this, remembering how unexceptional and disappointing the service was, I'm knocking off another star. read more

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Was in the mission visiting family and friends and they wanted to try out a spot they talked about being good and knowing me I am always down to try new food spots. So right next door to La Taqueria is this spot and it's a small spot not too much seating so if you have a bigger group I would try and cut it down to a minimum. The place was ok reminds me of a basic taqueria I would find down town. So we sat down and was helped right away the place wasn't too busy for us so had help quick . I got the chorizo plate cause I wanted to get some breakfast at 9pm haha and had the fruit cocktail drink. So we got the food about 20 mins later and it was ok nothing to run home and tell everyone about the tortillas were very nice and warm! Loved that cause I just dip and roll around in my beans and creama awesome taste! The drink was right there very refreshing and ready to move that food down and man can I say I love the bits of fruit in my drink very nice crunch with the ice as well. So overall it was an ok spot I still live my La Santaneca right down the street . read more

Elsy's Restaurant - My son on KidsYouTube while we wait for some food - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Great pupusas and wonderful staff. Everything on the menu is solid and the wait time isn't super long ;)

It looks old, plain and authentic; a woman stands in the open kitchen slapping and shaping pupusas by her huge bowl of masa. Pupusas are $2 each with a minimum order of two. They don't have as many varieties of pupusas as Balompie Café. In addition to pupusas, the menu includes burritos, breakfast items, combo plates, soups, etc. I was in the soup mood, so I ordered something from the soup menu (can't remember the name, I think it had Indian in the name), $10.75. A big bowl of soup arrived along with a separate plate with steamed white rice, grilled hen (your choice of leg or thigh), salad, a wedge of avocado, and two plain thick tortillas (they looked like plain pupusas). The soup was a clear light broth filled with big chunks of carrots, zucchini, celery and potato. I was hoping for a heartier soup with hen in it, not a rice plate with veggie soup. The hen had a nice crisp skin but didn't seem to have seasoning other than salt. It was simple and plain - and the meat was quite lean. The pupusas were greasier than Balompie's and uneven in shape and thickness. The filling was coming out. Balompie's pupusas look and taste better. read more

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Elsy's has all kinds of interesting facts on the walls about salvadorean dishes/eats. obviously salvadorean so went for the pupusas: eats: pork (chiccarones) and cheese (2/4.50) -packaged in aluminum foil, curtido and salsa in plastic baggies hey! it cuts down the overhead and landfill waste -pupusa huge, fillings tasty, shell a bit toasty (like it!) leftovers: -best most recent pupusa ever ate -note on wall states U.S. Dollar is currency in El Salvador since 2002? -home cooking feeling said "gracias" to owner. he smiled and said about the same thing. read more

I am a lover of pupusas who currently lives in a county devoid of a single Salvadorean eatery. Elsy's satisfied my need (not a want, but a NEED) for a pupusa con loroco y queso. I could see a woman making the pupusas right there, just for me. Aside from a sad experience with a frozen Goya product, any pupusa with loroco is a good thing. The curtido was just fine, and the sauce was a little bland. But the pupusa itself was fresh and gooey and filled with happiness. read more

We wented to eat someplace else but they were closed on Easter Sun 4/4/10 and B. just picked this place. It's a Salvadorian restaurant. It wasn't very busy when we went in. B. got a lengua plate $8.50 - why get lengua in a Salvadorian restaurant? He's not good at ordering. The plate had one 3 lengua (tongue) pieces w/ rice and side of salad & side of refried beans. 2 homemade tortillas given on the side. Lengua wasn't very tender, rice - I didn't try, beans - runny, tortillas - good. He also picked Orchata - a little bit different from a Mexican Horchata - rice milk drink. Sweet w/ cinnamon served w/ ice. I got 2 pupusas - those are Salvadorian & the lady was standing by the window making them fresh. Menu says minimum 2 pupusas. They are $2 ea x 2. Side of cortida (pickled cabbage) - just ok. #45 Revueltas $2 - cheese, pork meat, & beans. I liked it fine. #49 Zuquini con queso $2 - zuquini & cheese. Not as good as Revueltas, but finished both. One unisex bathroom in the back - not very nice. Just ok, nothing special here. read more

One of my friends is from El Salvador and was shocked that I had never tried Salvadorian food despite my Latino background. She insisted that I go with her to the Mission and try one of her favorite places. We walked into Elsy's and were greeted with warm smiles, with the cook laughing at my friend for bringing yet anothet new person to come try the food out. She ordered us the vegetarian pupusas. I was expecting the salsa they had to have some sort of spice to it since I am so use to spicy Mexican food, but my friend explain to me that Salvadorian food did not have much spice to it. I was surprised that I did not find the food bland, but it was quite savory. While I enjoyed the pupusas, I could not handle the salad they gave us, which was bland. My friend pushed me to try the Jamaica (pronounces: he-my-ka) drink, which is infused with a flower. It was too sweet for my tastebuds and I was completely overwhelmed by the flavor. Overall, the food was GREAT! Delicious pupusas for about $3- can't beat that! read more

The staff here is very friendly and you can tell that they care about their product and the people that eat it. They have reasonable prices and have great friendly service. The pupusas here are really good, but what I enjoy the most here is the Salpicon. Salpicon is a dish where beef is cut up into a million tiny little pieces and has a lemony flavor, and is served with sides of rice and beans. Most restaurants (and my mother) put the beef in a blender and let it shred the beef for what seems like hours. This method sucks the flavor out of the beef and you end up getting dried meat--ELSY'S does not do this! Their meat tastes great. If you are coming here get pupusas, of course, but also try the salpicon. It is really, really, really good here. read more

Elsy's Restaurant - Sopa de Res - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

Walking in the street, here by random to try. Such a huge deception, it already doesn't look good about the restaurant from outside but the food does. Inside this is loud and small, booth (in wood) are so uncomfortable and small, I personally had a hard time to eat even if I'm thin. Staff doesn't speak English, not easy if we don't have some notions. Restroom are disgusting, it was 4 pm when I was there so kinda busy but no one checks it. About the food : tasteless, they probably save money on the meat. The drink are small and overpriced. "People love us on Yelp" on the door should not give confidence. read more

Elsy's Restaurant - Dirty - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Walked past this place after dinner and asked my friend the fatal question "what's a pupusa?" Dinner round 2 :p For those of you ignorant to El Salvadorian food like me this is the definition. "Pupusas are basically corn tortillas stuffed with any combination of pork, cheese, beans, and a few other ingredients. They're cooked for 8-12 minutes over a griddle by our skilled pupusa artesans. All pupusas are served with curtido and traditional salsa." I remain neutral to the dish. Interesting to try though and at only $9 for 4 pupusas it was a bargain! read more

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WOW!!! My first time having Pupusas and I'm so glad I can here. Comes with a Cole-slaw (Mayo-less) salad included! So good!!! $6 total read more

Elsy's Restaurant - Receipt - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

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