Anyone who lives in San Mateo is lucky enough to have access to many Pupuserias (I spend a lot of time all around California, and the only other city that rivals is Los Angeles). This also means there is a selection to choose from, and not all of them good. La Piñata now ranks at the top of my list; the quality, consistency and selection of items/dishes is as authentic as they come. And God bless them for staying open and accommodating customers through extra indoor measures and open outdoor seating (right on B street!) for anyone who wants to dine there. Again, for authentic Salvadoran food and a wide selection of Mexican favorites at high quality, this is the place to go in San Mateo. read more

Thank you fellow Yelpers for helping me find this wonderful Peninsula gem. The ladies that work here are very nice. Food is really good. I wish that my stomach was big enough, so I could order everything that looked good to me on the menu. But more reason for me to keep going back. I think so far, hands down this place has the best papusas. Why? Because they are not super greasy and made fresh. I also ordered a side of their re-fried beans, and they are also really good. Next time I want to get some plantains, atole and who knows what else? Maybe some more papusas! Mmmmmm. read more

The food is generally pretty good tho the prices seem a bit steep..then again this is the Bay Area so it's to be expected I guess..unfortunately from my experience I sense some hostility from one of the cashiers because I do not speak fluent Spanish even tho I am a "Latino". Regardless tho, the food is good & I would recommend read more

Delicious food and super authentic which I love. The pupusas are my favorite. Only reason why I did not give a 5 star rating is because of the pick up situation. I call and order ahead of time to have a fast in and out experience but then have to wait about 20 min in line to pick up. Maybe having a separate line for pickup for a fast in and out experience would be helpful. read more

Place is good but a little bit pricie. It looks like is better for pick up than dining in because you have to wait too much for your order

I love this place!! I refuse to buy pupusas from anywhere else. They're authentically made and I usually just stare at the ladies making them (I know awkward). Lol The price is inexpensive for a pupusa! At least to me, and my pockets aren't always full. If you're a self-proclaimed food guru or want some sorta fancy schmancy atmosphere, you're better off eating something else. My favorite, after trying all different combo's, is zucchini and cheese! read more

La Pinata Mexicatesen - With the fixings added! - Latin American Near Me - San Mateo, California

Excellent pupusas!!! Refried beans and platanos with sour cream is also very good. Highly recommend La Pinata. Only downside is the wait time for your order..... but well worth it when you bite into one! read more

Have been coming here for years food is amazing and amazing customer service. My sons favorite place to come get food

The best tamales in the world. The masa is so juicy and the little olives are a treat (be careful of the pit). Each time I go, I order 2 chicken tamales and the platanos fritos (fried plantains). To eat the plantains, ask for some sugar, pour it on the plantains and then dip the plantains in the cream they provide on the dish. Oh so good! Their other food is good but I prefer to save my stomach for the tamales and plantains. If I lived closer, I'd eat there every other day. The place is a hole-in-the-wall. The bathroom is a bit scary and the juke box is played loud. This is definitely the kind of place where you go for the food and not the service/atmosphere. 3/24/2014 update: I'm a big fan of the enchiladas Salvadorian style. Now I gotta eat standing up so I can cram that in my tummy. So good! The platter is enough to share if you order other things. read more

They still make you wait in line for an order placed through the phone. the whole point of ordering via phone is to not have to wait in line. The food is good but there are more authentic places in town & better service. read more

Craving Papusas? This place will fulfill all your Papusa cravings and fantasies... well that's what I come here for that is. Nothing new I can state that everyone else has already said about their Papusas. Made to order. Fresh. Filling. VERY GOOD. The overall place is typical of eateries of this kind. The nice wall art, music, cutomers, tables and chairs are in good condition and not run down like some places. Feels very authentic in terms of what is authentic to us here in the U.S. and everyone kept to their own and were very pleasent. Come here to get your fix on. You won't regret it. read more

Great puppusas! Lots of flavor and best when overcooked so the cheese melts out and is crisp on the outside.... not a fan of the rice. Kinda tastes boiled like rice in a box. Will order puppusas and skip the rice. read more

This place just has too many issues, they are not friendly at all, the food takes forever to come and today I saw one of the cooks coming out of the bathroom with out washing their hands. Never again for me our my family enjoy it at your own risk. read more

The sopa de pata (beef foot soup) at $7.95 is really quite good. It has just the right amount of tripe. (Pata by itself isn't filling enough, but there shouldn't be too much tripe to take the focus off of the pata. The shrimp soup is a few bucks more, but is teeming with jumbo prawns. The pupusas...decent but I've had better. They're a little too greasy, although I like that they leave on the cheese that oozes out of it and gets all nice and crispy on the broiler. Their curtido is a pleasant light shade of purple and tastes awesome. read more

Authentic and delicious pupusas and salvadorean tamales. Those are the only things I've tried here and they are the best I've had in the Bay Area. The curtido (cole slaw topping) is great and I love adding a ton of it on each pupusa. I got four pupusas for under $11 today! So affordable! The people who work here are all very nice and it's great that you can see the ladies over the counter making the pupusas by hand all fresh to order. The tamales have to be made in advance so they heat it up and serve it to you after you order. They're definitely fresh because they sell out every day. Every time that I've tried to order one in the evening, they are usually gone so make sure to get one early!! Different than Mexican tamales, they are more moist and in my opinion, tastier. The location is nice, a little outside of downtown San Mateo but easily accessible by walking and there's usually parking spots available as well. The restaurant is clean and there are always people there no matter the time of day, which goes to show how good and reasonably priced the food is. read more

Just got 16 tamales and 16 pupusas revueltas and every single tamale n pupusa tasted good it's like opening a bottle of wine .... the more you ordered they be they taste my holidays are definitely better w tamales n pupusas I love this place and definitely recommend read more

Walked in during lunch to an almost empty restaurant. If not for the fact that almost every casual Mexican place I love is like this, I would've gotten cold feet and turned back. We came here for the pupusas and that was exactly what we got. Pupusas with pork, cheese and beans, complete with hot sauce and pickles...so simple yet so good! The cheese and beans version always underwhelms me, but their pork here is very tasty. Looking back at the Yelp reviews in hindsight, they seem to have a following for their carnitas. Definitely going to try that next time :) Yay pork. read more

Bomb , best pupusas in the bay. Always freshly made in front of you. Sooo good . I always come here with my family . Next best to the ones from El Salvador. read more

La Pinata Mexicatesen - Mom knows best. - Latin American Near Me - San Mateo, California

Im actually very surprised with this place. Its hard to find good authentic pupusas now a days and this place was perfect. My bf got tamales and we forgot and they san in the fridge for about a week but ill be ordering those next time. read more

I was craving Pupusas so much yesterday. After going through several different reviews I found this place and although it was little out of my way I decided to venture up to eat there. SERVICE: Very very friendly and great at answering questions.You pay up front though so don't expect to have someone coming around refilling your water. Nevertheless, they bring you food and ask if you need anything else when they do so. FOOD: We ordered pupusas which tasted pretty good after the second or third bite. For some reason the first bite was a little flavorless and dry. The spicy sauce they provided however and especially lemon that I sprinkled on afterwards REALLY brought out the taste. It was so good. read more

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This restaurant was one of the best restaurants I've ever eaten at great costumer service just amazing

Good flavor. Amazing pupusas! Be prepared to wait at least 25min for this awesome food. I would also consider calling in ahead for your order or to pick up. Will be returning! read more

I love this place, best popusas in San Mateo area. I usually order take out and my order is always ready on time. All their dishes are authentic and they taste like home made. During winter season I love ordering their chicken soup. They also have tamales very delicious and authentic. My favorite is pork tamales, the only bad thing is that they sale out very fast. read more

Def not authentic Mexican tamales. San Mateo honestly has no good authentic Mexican food. It's been a disappointment moving here honestly. No good food spots read more

I'm originally from LA and it's always a mission to find a good Mexican restaurant until now. This place is amazing! One of the best burritos I've ever had. From their fresh in house tortillas to their overall service, fantastic! Do yourself a favor and stop by! I always thank the employees here because they pour their heart and sweat into making the perfect meal for you. read more

Best food in SAN MATEO.. PERIOD. Family owned, amazing food, great service, as well as authentic Salvi beer!. If this isn't your go to spot, you're TRIPPIN!!!! FIRE FIRE FIRE read more

My husband and I love the chicharron bean and cheese pupusas. I highly recommend. The parking kinda sucks but other than that no complaints. Food is made fresh, prices are reasonable and everything is super bomb read more

The food is a 5, the service is a 5, the ambience is a 5, everything is a 5 for me. My friend and I spent a good hour here eating, talking, and listening to Latin music. The service was exceptional and the chefs nailed it! Pretty much everything is fresh because you can see it being made in front of you. The papusas are to die for and their burritos are perfectly stuffed! I would go back any day! read more

I hope this place can adopt me. I could be kept in a cage here and be satisfied still

Everything is super delicious love the pupusas revueltas with the fried plantains . Love the staff and all the lovely ladies who take orders and prepare the food read more

The worst service to take out, I order 8 Pupusas, the lady upset gave me a little bag of curtido, when I asked her for another bag she said , do you want a $2.00 or $4.00 , I took the $4.00 bag, I usually buy at Maria's in San Mateo at Carey St. but ot was closed and the Pupusas are a lot better flavor, and thicker very tasty and DON'T CHARGE YOU FOR EXTRA CURTIDO read more

I've been ordering pupusas from this restaurant for several years now. These are the best tasting pupusas on this side of the peninsula. They're freshly made right in front of you. And, even though they are pricey. They are surely worth it! I love and highly recommend this restaurant!!!!!! read more

Consider yourself a burrito aficionado? What's your filling of choice? Carne Asada? Lengua? Veggie? haha j/k....Veggie?..Get out of here. Nope, if it ain't Al Pastor then you're no connoisseur. Yeah, I ryhmed it. Marinated, spicy pork chunks, fried up right before assembling so that it gets nice and crispy. It is the satisfaction trinity: spicy, porky, crispy. Rice, beans, salsa, the tortilla...eh..not that important. To me, it is all about the pork. I know it, you know it, and the folks at Pinata know it. But why 4 stars and not 5? Two things: First, they are not the most consistent cooks around. You'll go there and have an epic burrito, come back after a month or so and it'll be a soggy, above average mess. Still good but not great. Go back again and it's back to normal. Second, the texture of the pork could be crispier. Nit-picky? Yep. But right next door is El Toro Meat Market and they fry their pork until it's like chitlins. Only thing is, the taste can't compare to Pinata and I'll take flavor over texture pretty much any day. Now if a burrito from El Toro and Pinata got together and you know, one thing led to another...bow chicka waw wow.....They'd produce an unstoppable force of spicy, crispy, pork goodness. One last thing. I've been going there for awhile and I still don't know their hours. Closed alternating Tuesdays and Thursdays every other week according to the phases of the moon. Something like that. read more

Let me first say this: It's not located between 114-130 N. B St. It's actually 4 blocks NORTH of 1st. St. by the Mexican grocery stores and past the St. Vincent DePaul. One of you Yelpers will be thanking me for this when you too try looking for this place in vain and I will save you the 20 minutes it took me to find it. The papusas are not all that great but considering we're in the middle of San Mateo, it isn't half bad. You walk into a pseudo cafeteria area where the ladies speak no English or at least pretend to speak no English. The cafeteria board itself is pretty confusing and the papusas varieties aren't as plentiful as other El Salvadorean restaurants. I'm not a huge fan of pork rinds myself so I opted for the cheese and beans. Ah yes, cheese and beans that are 10x better than any Taco Bell cheese and bean burrito and don't hate me because I referenced the TB in a review of a Mexican place. The decor was classic and had paintings of Mexico here and there but other than that, it's pretty bare bones. Let's just say you don't come in for the ambiance. The papusas came in hot and quick (they're handmade by the way) and although we had to ask for the cabbage, the set up was pleasant and efficient. I love Tapatio hot sauce to cover up the taste of the mediocre cabbage stuffing they serve you in reused candy containers. The cheese was hot and crusty but not overwhelming and had an even ratio to the beans and bready pocket. My favorite favorite part of the meal here though? The .5 L of real Coke they sell! I've never had .5L of real Coke ever and I crave that stuff like a junkie. I think I made an ass of myself while I squealed and pointed at the case like a kid at a zoo though but it's not like I understood the Spanish the cashier was speaking to the bf so I couldn't care less. She did ask how the hell he ended up with me, but I'll take it as a compliment. So nyah nyah nyah. If you're looking for a dive of a restaurant, I'd highly recommend this place. There's no fancy menus, decor, or even music but it's good grub and that's all you need right? read more

This was my first time trying papusas and have I been missing out! How could you go wrong with freshly made delicious filled tortillas. I loved the coleslaw and salsa that accompanied the papusas. I took off one star because I didn't appreciate how rude the workers treated me because there was a language barrier. I was still checking out the menu and kind of confused but instead of helping they got impatient. Will be back though! read more

I used to hit Juanita's across the street for my Salvadorean fix as she offered a larger variety of entrees and homecooked style meals. Unfortunately she's no longer there and Pinata is the last remnant of Salvadorean on the block. They were playing some raelly bad Arnold Schwarzenegger movie on Telemundo when we walked in so there was entertainment to boot. The verdict? Very good Al Pastor Tacos, average asada tacos but the Chicharron y Queso pupusas are fantastic. It's worth coming to this locale for those alone. I noticed the Atol de Elote (which is an old Mayan recipe) is quite popular here too but I wanted something cold and opted for the refreshing jamaica juice. Definitely coming back for those pupusas! read more

Seriously good pupusas, love it when you walk in and the little woman is right at the front of the shop slapping the masa around! This is a bare-bones type of place, you go in order and either sit down and slam those beautiful cheesy golden babies or you buy 20 of them and take them home to eat them in a dark room, all by your lonesome so you don't have to share. I'm definitely partial to the eating in a dark room all by myself. It's just that I sometimes cannot stand the torture of having these sitting next to me in the car with their deliciousness wafting up teasing me - so I usually pick at one as I try to drive and not get grease on everything in the car. A feat, but one that I'm unusually adept at navigating. read more

Another delicious and inexpensive hole in the wall recommended by my brother-in-law who knows good food. Get pupusas and plantains for sure. The alfajores are also good and the super burritos are a deal with plenty of avocado. It can get pretty busy so don't expect rapid service, but you will definitely be happy with your food. read more

A place that's called a "Mexicatesen" can't be bad, right? Tons of people on a recent weekend evening. There was quite a wait, but when our food arrived, it was well worth it. Pupusas were good and the cortido slaw served with them was the best I've had. The wait staff brings a big tub to the table with the pupusas. Perfectly brined, lots of oregano flavor and a good balance of vinegar flavor. A nice accompaniment to those little discs of cheesy heaven. The plantanos with crema and beans were also very well prepared with a nice caramelized outside. My husband is now an al pastor burrito convert because of this place. Forget carne asada, al pastor is where it's at. read more

Delicious pupusas! Tasty curtido (a little pinkish from red cabbage here)! Friendly service! Cheap cheap prices! Costa Rican beer! (PURA VIDA!) Need I say more? We come here all the time and love it. Never a bad experience, and they turn a blind eye when I pig out on the curtido. read more