My experience was the best as-always and always coming out with a full stomach the waitress was so nice, and the food was good. The place was calm, quiet everything is amazing and definitely coming again. Just one more things the waitress was welcoming! read more

VERY RUDE!! As soon as I walked in the restaurant the older lady did not greet me first thing she said was "Do you have an order?" I said no for dine in please, she walked away. There was only one person there so it wasn't full. I saw and waited she then comes up and asked me what I want. I tell her and she starts being sort of passive aggressive so I think to myself am I saying anything wrong? Or am I sounding mean or rude, but I wasn't. I just canceled my order because she was going to be prepping my food. So disappointed I really wanted my pupusas. read more

The staff were kind as could be and the food was delicious! Very reasonably priced and service was quick:) Definitely coming back :)

Everyone has a particular palate of taste when it comes to food. I reviewed the initial ratings before attempting to try this particular eatery, and came away confused. As a transparent rater of my own free will I wondered if I was in the right place. The food, decor, and service did not live up to previous ratings. The wait staff was not as welcoming nor did my taste buds receive the food well. I just know this particular cuisine is not one for me. This is an acquired taste that may fit within your taste wheelhouse. read more

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La Bendición is a delightful pupuseria in Coralville, right outside of Iowa City. The service is prompt and friendly, the prices are affordable, and the food is delicious and filling. In my stop I ordered 2 pupusas revueltas (cheese and pork) and 1 pupusas con queso y loroco (loroco is a type of flower). They were made immediately and came out very hot. You'll have to give the pupusas a minute to cool down before you bite into them-- the hot melting cheese might burn you! I'm pupusas are accompanied with curtido (a kind of pickled slaw) and a red tomato salsa (no spicy). I also ordered an agua de horchata (a bit too sweet for me) and a side of beans, which were delicious. I highly recommend La Bendición. Overall 5 star experience. read more

La Bendición - My full order: 2 pupusas revueltas, 1 pupusas with cheese and loroco, and a side of beans. - Salvadoran Near Me - Coralville, Iowa

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We live in Chicago and were passing by on our way back home from a road trip. We were pleasantly surprised to stumble upon this place looking for subway. I am Salvadoran, born and raised in the states. I have been eating Pupusas all my life. These are by far the best Pupusas I've had in a long time. It's a truly authentic restaurant and in my opinion these are better pupusas than some I've had in El Salvador when I traveled there. They are big and filling. We had the "cheese & beans" and the "cheese & Loroco). My 8 yr old son was quite happy and didn't want to share his loroco and cheese Pupusas. He has an out of the ordinary diverse palate. We also ordered a side of plantains with beans and cream. Yum! I also ordered extras to go and share with family. They loved them as well. I plan to make the 2.5 hour trip back to get more Pupusas at some point. We don't have anything good here. To the owner: please consider opening a branch in Chicago or Chicago suburbs. Would highly appreciate! :) read more

La Bendición - Pupusas - Salvadoran Near Me - Coralville, Iowa

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Ok. Ok. You ready for this? I had never heard of a pepusa until this biz opened up on the Coralville Strip. Then, I'd pass it and think, 'what in the world is a pepusa?!' Luckily, my Yelp Elite Squad took care of me and instantly flocked to this hidden gem. And they RAVED about it. It is truly one of a kind in the area. It has a great menu, the price is on point ... there's no parking issue. It's open everyday but Sunday. Fast forward a few YEARS... (eek, sorry it took me years El Bendicion!) We finally got our kiddos to agree to it. (After watching Encanto, where Mirabel's mom can heal people by simply feeding them pepusas. Yes. Seriously. I couldn't make this up...) We got take out on a Friday night. We ordered every damn pepusa as well as the carne asada dish and some side dishes. It was great-- though not a favorite of my kiddos. I don't think pepusas travel super well. El Bendicion made them piping hot, made fresh and they were really soggy by the time they got home. I am sure eating in the restaurant would be a totally different experience! I without a doubt will be back to dine-in. Support this Salvadorian gotta-try today. read more

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I got takeout here and it was super good, first time ever trying Salvadorian food. I've never had a pupusa before, but it's basically like an arepa with stuffing inside. We tries the pork and cheese with jalapeno - both were very yummy. Honestly for the price, this place is unbeatable. We also tried the fried fish (it was an ENTIRE fish, enough to feed 2-3 people honestly). It also came with yummy sides like beans, rice, salad. Overall clean restaurant with great tasting food, high recommend trying this out! read more

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Had 3 pupusas. Pupusas were filled with cheese but little else. It had a good flavor. Slaw was good with a strong oregano taste but I had to ask for a second cup and it was not enough for me. Red sauce tasted like tomatoes and little else. I would come back and try something else but not the pupusas. They were not bad but I have had much better. read more

La Bendición - Salvadoran Near Me - Coralville, Iowa

I got takeout from here today and it was an ooey gooey cheesy experience with a side of plantains and refried beans. I've never had a pupusa before, but it's basically like an arepa with stuff inside. Or, in other words, a corn flour pancake filled with cheese and whatever delicious item you choose. We had pork (highly recommend), spinach, carrot, jalapeno... and they were all great! If you are wondering how much a serving is, I think 2 is about right. I had one pupusa and half an order of plantains and I felt very satisfied. Everything was piping hot and just so delicious. It came with slaw, salsa, and sour cream. Good for vegetarians, as only one of the pupusa choices has meat in it. Not so much for vegans because everything is either meat or cheese. Definitely will be back! (I made a mistake with accounts, I need to get other account with this review removed) read more

New El Salvadoran Restaurant near the Heartland Inn. Limited menu. Little more fried food and cheese than I expected. For a college town, more expensive that I expected. Most appetizers $3 (bread and queso) and all entrees $14 (main entree and soup.) English is limited. Might have to ask for toilet paper in restroom. read more

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I was turned on to La Bendicion when I stumbled upon a very enthusiastic Yelp review a few weeks ago. The reviewer was right about the restaurant - now I've been there twice in the past two weeks! I've never had the pleasure of eating a pupusa before now, and I'm glad to have moved into a new phase of life that includes them. I haven't tried all of the different fillings, but they have a number of choices, from pork, to beans, to zucchini and more. The revuelta (cheese and pork) was a great first choice, and will become a regular for me. They're very flavorful, and the curtido provided along with the pupusas provides a great contrast. read more

Great food and love the plantain and beans The cola drinks are in the bottles The side Salad is great and fresh, very tasty read more

The pupusas were very good and the dipping salsa was unique and went well with the food. Unfortunately they were out of the tamal de elote so I will be back to try it. read more

I was surprised to find such a good restaurant in Coralville. I mean this place was delicious! We got the shrimp in garlic sauce. The seasoning in the shrimp was YUM and the rice was fluffy and the garlic sauce just added so much depth. We tried 3 pupusas. One with cheese & beans, cheese & jalapeño, and cheese & pork. All of them were phenomenal but the cheese & jalapeño was my favorite. I would get all of these dishes all over again if I could! read more

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This new el Salvadoran restaurant packs a flavorful punch. Large portions of amazing food at a reasonable price. Definitely the tastiest/most authentic Latin American food I've had in Iowa City. So to be honest, I came in with a bit of a grudge against this place. It replaced Nile Ethiopian, which was my favorite restaurant in town! :( nonetheless the quality of the food allowed me to power through my biases. I had a whole tilapia entree plus a horchata and spinach/cheese pupusa. The entree came with a whole (GIANT) fish, two tortillas, a tower of rice + beans + salad for 12.75. The fish was hot and tasted great. The beans were awesome, and the rice was soft and sticky (in a really, really good way!). I've been trying to hold back on my rice consumption but I ended up devouring the whole tower. The salad was great when mixed with the other food items. The tortillas were what stood out the most to me. Thick and the flavor of the corn came out really well. My fish entree could've been a delicious, filling meal even without the fish! The horchata (a sweet drink) was the best I've had in several years. My enjoyed my pupusa as well--the pupusas have the same high-quality tortilla bread, but with stuffing inside. My spinach-and-cheese one tasted, well, like spinach and cheese...it was good, but maybe I didn't make the most interesting choice of order. But they have lots of options and I bet you'll be able to find one out of this world! In summary: YUM! Give it a try!! read more

La Bendición - Spinach and cheese pupusa! - Salvadoran Near Me - Coralville, Iowa

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me encanta!, muy amables , buen servicio y sobre todo buen sabor , mi favorito plato pupusas .

All of the racist scumbags that judge this place based on small minds can get bent. Excellent food at prices that are almost too good to be true. Delicious!! read more

This little El Salvadoran spot tucked away at the corner of a rather small nondescript strip mall deserves nothing but 5 stars! I came to Iowa City for a few months from New York on a business trip and was absolutely blown away by this place. Coming from a massive foodie city like New York where literally you can find every cuisine under the sun, such authentic, family run, home cooking is really hard to find. La Benedicion had incredibly fresh, tasty and home cooked food which seemed like it came straight from a mom's or grandma's kitchen. The items on the menu are few but each and every dish is extraordinary. Through the few months of us staying here we literally went here once every week and my wife would always order the exact same dish which is most likely their best dish overall - the Mojarres Fritos - a whole beautiful, fried Tilapia which is juicy fall of the bone and is fantastic. And I would try out a different thing on their menu each time. All of them were great. Despite all the meats and fishes being fabulous, the yellow rice is a star! The beans and the salad too taste very fresh and homemade. This is quite unique given that often in similar restaurants the main meats might be good but the sides are not that flavorful and dry. On top of all this the price. Only $11-13 for a massive plate of maybe a whole fish, meat or chicken, rice, beans, salad and 2 delicious handmade thick tortillas! What a hidden gem in Iowa City! read more

Amazing food! Really great, small, friendly :) We tried a little bit of everything and the Shrimp con crema was a crowd pleaser. read more

La Bendición - Salvadoran Near Me - Coralville, Iowa

Excellent food - definitely authentic! From the food to the Abuela in the kitchen it could have been a little home-in-the-wall place in Usulutan, El Salvador. read more

Oh my gosh! Seriously so good! Beans, jalapeño and the zucchini ones were the ones we tried! Absolutely delicious! Still eating as a type but I just had to leave a review!! read more

La Bendición - Salvadoran Near Me - Coralville, Iowa

This review is only for pupusas., which are small to those who've had them before. Their pupusas are less greasy than others. They don't give a lot of cabbage slaw but enough. Parking is tight. Inside is decent place to stay and eat. Most convenient for those in IRL. So far second pupuseria I've tried here. I would go back because convenient to where my daughter lives and to try other menu items. read more

Horrible service! They took forever to give us our order. The women that served us didn't offer drinks to my daughters when they got there and when the food came out we asked for spicy salsa but she said they didn't have any while walking away from us and rudely mumbled under her breath. I will not be return to this restaurant!! U don't recommend this restaurant. read more

ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE new authentic restaurant to hit the iowa city scene! My husband and I absolutely love papusas but couldn't find them anywhere around Iowa City or elsewhere really. These are delicious! read more

Food was amazing- I love pupusas and was pleasantly surprised to find a restaurant near where we were shopping.

Absolutely delicious! The pupusas were a first for me and I really enjoyed them! Will definitely return SOON!

Their pupusas are delicious!! They always have them ready super fast and it is very fairly priced

Very friendly staff and good food. Nice to branch out and try cuisine other than what Coralville typically has to offer! Best horchata I have ever had read more

I'm new to IC and was excited to try this place after passing it on my drive to work. I've only had Pupusas from the wonderful stand at the DSM farmers market and thought those would be hard to beat but... the pupusas here are even better! So amazing. Nice crisp on the outside, cheesey goodness inside. Great selection of different flavors. I had the rice side as well which was tasty. At ~$2.50/pupusa the price seriously does not reflect how amazing they are. They're worth at least double. read more

First timers here and also never had a pupusa before today! Inexpensive food and everything was very delicious. Beans had amazing flavor, rice was fresh and tasty. Highly recommend the pork and cheese or bean and cheese pupusas! Salsa also ideal addition to these "stuffed corn pancakes"! Staff was very friendly and prompt! 2 pupusas were quite filling with a side of rice and beans! We will definitely be back! read more

La Bendición - Bean and cheese pupusa - Salvadoran Near Me - Coralville, Iowa

The menu checks a few boxes as far as El Salvadoran fare goes, but you're probably stopping by here for the pupusas. They're generously sized and overflowing with your choice of filling and cheese. The salsa is full flavored and spicy without being overwhelming, and of course the curtido is fantastic and also served in generous portions. The staff are friendly and warm and the prices are right, so you can treat your friends who haven't tried pupusas yet to a great meal. read more

Super great service & yummy food! Will definitely come back. I highly recommend this restaurant. Great ambiance!

I stopped in for lunch. Delicious pupusas (Salvadoran cornmeal flatbreads stuffed with pork or beans or veggies and cheese and fried) served with carrot and cabbage slaw and salsa. Homemade, very tasty, and inexpensive! read more

La Bendición - Contact information - Salvadoran Near Me - Coralville, Iowa

We made our first visit to the restaurant and find it to be a wonderful addition to the local eateries. Fast service and friendly staff make it a pleasant experience. read more

I had never had pupusas but heard about this place and I'm so glad I tried it! The pupusas were fantastic fresh when I picked them up and I got extras to try more of the flavors - they reheated great too! I'm excited to try more of their menu items as it all looked and smelled great! read more

A fantastic new restaurant that serves El Salvadoran cuisine. I had never had El Salvadoran food or pupusas, and I was not disappointed by either. The gentleman behind the counter was wearing a mask and rang me up, then washed his hands before handing me my order. This is the type of thoughtfulness that goes along way during a global pandemic. read more

This little place is tucked away so well, it would be easy to miss. I lived just down the street for a year before I found it and stopped in. The pupusas are incredible, and the service is quick and very reasonably priced. I highly recommend! read more

Wow, this place is deliciously awesome and flavorful! I had the pechuga chicken. The chicken was cooked and marinated so well. Plus, the rice and thick looking tortillas that come with it were nice a soft. I had a spinach/cheese papusa and a jalapeño/cheese papusa. These were amazing! I never had Salvadorain food before. This place is definitely top notch on the deliciousness scale. read more

This place is delicious and totally legit. It appears to be run by a husband and wife, and the food is homemade with much love. The horchata is excellent and tasty. The pupusas and the refried beans are fantastic. The fried chicken is very good and a meal unto its own. The tamale is entirely sweet corn, without anything else, and might be too uninteresting for some tastes such as those of my wife and son, but I enjoyed it. Looking forward to trying the soups! I am so glad this restaurant is here, and in Iowa City!!! read more

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