I prefer la caravana up the street for pupusas but they don't have some of the drinks melys does so I picked up some drinks here and they added 1 fee for using credit card and they listed the charge as a food item so you get charged tax on top of the fee so be warned to use your card you will be charged 1.10. read more

Good food. Went here to get the cassava and plantains. Expect to pay around $20 for meals on the menu factoring today's inflation.

This place is excellent. The tamales are the best I've ever had. They put time into their food, and you can taste the difference. Having a unique Salvadoran restaurant is a blessing to Pasadena. Excellent find. The food looks exactly like the photos. read more

We ordered several dishes from this restaurant as we found out it's a fairly new restaurant in the area. It was the first order and unfortunately the last. He is what we ordered: 1) pupusas 2) tamales de pollo 3) yuca frita 4) pasteles de pollo With the exception of the pasteles de pollo everything was either not fresh or with a lack of taste. This is does not seem authentic Salvadorean food. La yuca seemed inconsistent (aguada) as it had been warmed up with a microwave. Pupusas revueltas had an unusual strong flavor. Tamales were so soft and with no flavor at all. Do not recommend this place. Never going back again to this place. read more

Melys is small, clean, and offers many authentic Salvadoran menu items. I came here visiting from the East Coast in search of my first pupusa experience - the kitchen here did not disappoint. There is a wide variety of fillings to choose from at very reasonable prices. My group also carried out an order of the fried yuca, plantain empanadas filled with beans, and the sweet corn cakes ("riguas"), which were a surprise hit. The staff speaks very little English (just double-check your order), and Melys is more of a "short order" takeout joint than a gourmet kitchen. That said, we would order everything we had again and may even expand our order into the more exotic next time around. read more

Melys Pupuseria - A hefty takeout spread: fried yuca, corn cakes, pupusas galore - Salvadoran Near Me - Pasadena, California

By recommendation of a good friend we ended up ordering pupusas we got a variety of them. Frijol, jalapeño, pollo, spinach and Squash, they were a good size and the right flavor the cheese is a little on the greasy side but expected, the price was a little on the pricey side but hey it's Pasadena. I will definetly order from here again . read more

Wonderful service. Wonderful food. A wonderful family. Will definitely be coming back to this establishment.

Yummy pupusas! I always order to go since I live nearby and the place is small. There is parking in the back. They have vegetarian and vegan option but ask when you order. Not all of the translations are accurate. read more

This pupusa place is delicious! The pupusas are never super greasy and they are always delicious. I highly recommend the asada pupusa, jalapenos and cheese pupusa, bean and cheese pupusa, and the chicharron pupusa. To drink, have a maraculla. As an appetizer, i recommend the yucca frita. Decently priced with amazing food. The parking here is an issue as their private lot is small and usually full, but it's worth parking on the street somewhere. The restaurant is small and cramped, but don't let that stop you from coming here! read more

Melys Pupuseria - delicious maraculla! - Salvadoran Near Me - Pasadena, California

Greets pupusa's always made fresh. What I like about this place is that the Pupusas aren't greasy like other Salvadorian restaurants I've been to. Horchata and the quesadilla are bomb!!! Make sure to call in your order. Usually takes about 20 min to make. read more

This place has the worse customer service ever I went with a friend and there were like 3 other pairs there we all ordered an Horchata and it tasted horrible . We all looked at each other and everyone just knew what the deal was... the horchata tasted like chalk. and we brought it to the waitress attention and she said she can change it out but we will still have to pay for it even though it tasted like absolute death. And sure enough it was on our bill ... is that even legal? We took half a sip and the cup was entirely full. read more

I had been craving pupusas for quite awhile now and when some of my coworkers couldn't decide what to eat I suggested pupusas. Since I pass by Mely's quite often we looked at the menu on our handy dandy Yelp app and placed a phone order. Since I knew where they were located I volunteered to pick up the order. Staff here was very nice and made sure my order was correct prior to leaving. The restaurant itself is quite small with only a couple tables crammed into this small establishment. But that didn't stop people from coming in! Here are the kinds of pupusas we ordered: -revuelta -vegetarian -frijol y queso -espinaca y queso -zuchinni, espinaca, y queso -carne asada y queso -pollo y queso And of course we ordered a couple ensalada drinks to wash it all down! The pupusas here are quite large and filled quite well. Two will definitely be enough to fill you up once you top it with the curtido and salsa! The four of us gobbled down our orders and were stuffed when we finally finished. We will definitely be back for more. There is a small lot behind the restaurant or street parking in front or on the side street! read more

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Went for a walk at rosebowl, and had a craving for pupusa all of a sudden, though last time I had it was last year at a farmers market. I really don't know where to get it or any particularly place that's good, so I yelp it and found this place. Surprisingly, it was really good -- crispiness is perfect and it's not oily. read more

Ordered this from Doordash and chose a few different items to try. Every one of them was delicious. The beans are some of the best I've had. My husband loved the rice so much too. Potato tacos were crispy and tasty. Highly recommend trying them all, as soon as you can. read more

Melys food is Delicious ! I always get the Carne Guisado it's my favorite comfort food and it always comes hot and ready to eat even when I uber eats the order! The staff is friendly considerate and It's always a pleasure stopping in for a bite uber eats or pick up ! If you want some very clean DELICIOUS food try Melys The owner and her Daughter are even a pleasure to talk to! Seriously!! Simply the best! If you like roast beef potatoes carrots a delicious gravy salad and rice It's the soul food of Latin cuisine OH and don't forget to ask for the red hot sauce if you love spicy add a touch of this sauce It also comes with Handmade corn tortillas Surely a shareable dish and a must try! read more

Great service! The food was delicious. I will definitely be coming back. Melys is an all time favorite.

Their pupusas are delicious and not greasy. Delicious. I gave them 3 stars because even though they have a friendly staff and great food, they always forget something in my order. I will keep ordering from them, but I hope they organize themselves. I wish them the best. read more

PREFACE - I REALLY REALLY WANTED TO LIKE THIS PLACE. okay, so there you have my disclaimer, but seriously such a total let down. I ordered an asada with cheese pupusa and chicharrón con frijoles pupusa. The chicharrón was a total NO. It was just bad - I kid you not I didn't even eat a fourth of it. The asada&cheese was alright, but don't expect a lot of meat. I ordered a side of rice after reading a review on how good it was and let me tell you, bland is an understatement. The only saving grace was the the wet burrito my boyfriend got. The sauce is some sort of cheese like sauce, but it's pretty good. The quality of meat was good, but again the rice in the burrito killed it for me. Anyway, I wouldn't come back here unless someone really wanted to go. I don't know if it was just an off night or something, but my overall impression was just "ehhh". Not worth the calories. read more

Great small business. This is by far the best place in town I've order pupusas from. Not to mention their sopes are quite delicious as well.

Good food, had the casamiento breakfast with all the fixings and the quesadilla warmed up is bomb! Pupusas were good as well. The place is very tiny, so either you can get lucky like I did today or expect to wait but worth it. Service was also pretty great. read more

OMG !!! Seriously good food. It's a little place almost hidden but wow were we surprised how good the food is. Lots of flavors. We will be back. This feels like it's family run with lots of little be in the cooking. read more

I have been a patron of this restaurant for several years, so I wanted to support them during the restaurant closures right now. Via postmates, I ordered a very simple order: 1 spinach and cheese pupusa 3 bean and cheese pupusas 1 can of sprite 1 can of coke I only got 1 spinach and cheese & 1 bean and cheese. Also, NO curtido or red sauce. When I called the restaurant, the woman who answered the phone, completely steam rolled over me and told me that they just do the orders how postmates tell them and that sometimes they get calls from postmates with order info. NOT TRUE. I work at a restaurant that uses postmates! You very clearly get the order on a tablet. Also, If the person packing the order would have been paying attention, they would've at least included sauce and curtido, but there was none! Mistakes happen, I get that, but at least TRY to sound like you care about your customers! Your food is phenomenal, I had never had a bad meal there. Yet, this order completely left out MY food. I had been looking forward to ordering from you for a few weeks and then this happened. I am So disappointed that I'm never ordering from you again. WHY DON'T CARE ABOUT WHAT YOUR PAYING CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING?! We are paying you not just for food but for a pleasant experience, you mensos! read more

I agree, it was worth the wait! I was getting cranky because my to go order was taking so long, but after I got home and tasted how yummy and fresh my pupusas were, all was forgiven! Tip #1 - Call ahead for to go orders. Tip #2 - Bring cash or expect to pay $.75 to use a credit card. Tip #3 - Parking is limited so expect to wait or walk for parking. read more

Melys Pupuseria - To go menu - Salvadoran Near Me - Pasadena, California

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I am not big into pupusas but I know some people who are and hence we ended up at Mely's. The restaurant is small (I think only 5-6 tables) and the service is personal. I ordered a soup off their menu and was charged a very low price for a big bowl of broth, veggies and chicken as well as a side of tortillas. Side note, I was rather startled that the soup had a floating chicken foot inside. I also loved their ensalada drink so get that if you can. My friend who is a pupusa expert said he only enjoyed the bean/cheese one but the revuelta pupusa was all masa and no filling. Considering that the place is so small, you can hear everyones's conversation and the people next to us spoke about roaches for a good 15 minutes while waiting for their food which really turned me off. So please save your conversations about rodents and insects for a different time. read more

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The fluffiness of the pupusas. Not greasy. The cortido and salsa de tomato was freshly made. I'll be back to try everything else.

I have tried giving Mely's many opportunities to be my number one restaurant but after many negative and undesirable experiences, I just can't give Mely's anything more than a 1-star rating. I keep asking myself, "Why do I keep coming back?" For the pupusas as of course. Today's experience on 7-1-18 was my last visit here. We waited over 40 minutes for our food. We were about to leave when the owner came in and I complained to her about the long wait for our food. I also noticed than many other patrons, almost everyone that came in after us, were getting served before us. Finally when our food came to our table, our order was NOT complete and so we had to wait yet longer. This has occurred many, many times times and we have complained and complained each time. The staff's response is to the long, long wait time is usually no response! The staff usually gives us a nervous laugh and walk away. Or they simply say, "food is coming." What else are they going to say anyhow?? Lately, the wait time has been at least 40 minutes and that's during non-peak hours! I'd also say this has happened 8/10 times. This can't be the norm!!! It just simply can't. I do understand that pupusas take a long time to cook but 40 minutes? I also understand that during peak hours things do get crazy and orders get backed up sometimes. But when we have been the only customers there, there is simply no excuse!! To the owner, Alicia- as much as love your pupusas, I just can't bear to sit and wait for 40-50 minutes for an order of pupusas and plantains! Especially when I bring in my 90 year old mom that simply can't or shouldn't wait 50 minutes for her order. FYI- when the owner is not in, things seem to move very slowly, things seem haywire and crazy. When the owner shows up, the staff seem to be on their toes and things run smoother. Please fix this! Unfortunately, I will need to find another place to eat pupusas and plantanos fritos. Lo siento mucho pero hoy fue nuestra ultima visits a Mely's! read more

The Pupusas are great and the drinks. My only complaint is the service really bad . The owners and the employees are not friendly or welcoming . So sad to see their service is bad because the food is good. read more

I asked for extra cheese and beans and when I ordered I even told them to charge me extra for it and this is what I get. I'm so disappointed especially because all I was eating was mace dough (Maza). I also ordered a side of beans and it wasn't in my bag. I will definitely never come back here. They only reason I gave them 2 stars is because the only thing that went smoothly was how long it took for them to make my food. read more

Melys Pupuseria - Bean and cheese pupusas - Salvadoran Near Me - Pasadena, California

Delicious...I love their pupusas and my husband likes their soups ....the prices are a little high but worth it ...I would recommend

Just when I thought I had eaten some of the best pupusas that L.A. had to offer, I stumble across Mely's. Food (5/5): For about $9 I had a pork and cheese pupusa, a side of rice, a side of beans and a Coke - more than enough to fill me up. Regarding the pupusa, it was well made. Not only was it more fluffy/lighter than other versions, it also had more pork and cheese filling. In terms of the beans, I was a bit surprised to discover it was puréed. However, having it in this state brought out more flavors of the black beans. The rice seemed rather simple at first, but the peas and carrots helped add a bit more texture to the white rice. All three dishes eaten together resulted in a delicious meal. I'm coming back! Service (4/5): The waitress was friendly, responsive, and brought out the food within 5 minutes. Atmosphere (3/5): It's a humble and tiny restaurant with about 4-5 tables. There was nothing particularly interesting about the place and it had a dated feel to it. read more

Melys Pupuseria - Pork and cheese pupusa with a side of rice and beans. - Salvadoran Near Me - Pasadena, California

I called in an order for pick up. The lady on the phone said it would take 15 minutes. I get there in 15 minutes (I walked a lot to get there). As I arrived through the back parking lot. I saw a group of people eating on the table outside. I walked in and asked the lady if my order was ready. The lady looks at me with a confused face. She goes to the back to talk to the cook and then goes outside to the parking lot. She comes back with another guy I saw eating food on the table in the back parking lot. This guys tells me they gave my food away to another person. So I'm not sure what happen, if they gave away my food or he ate it. I was so upset I wasted my time and walk from far to get disappointed. read more

I loooove the thickness of their pupusas..and they also make one out of rice (extra) They always fill it with what they're supposed to..and it's reasonably priced. 2 of these will put you to sleep. read more

Mely's Pupusería is remarkably authentic. The restaurant is pretty small and it can get crowded (probably because the food is so good), but the cooks and servers are very, very kind. I happened to meet the owner one night, too. Again, very friendly. Also, this is the least expensive pupusa I've had in LA. All of that is wonderful, but the best part of Mely's is the food. It's delicious and very authentic. I lived in El Salvador for two years as a missionary and I've had a lot of good pupusas since I got home. This place is one of the best. Highly recommended! read more

Melys Pupuseria - Forgot to take the picture before I ate. Sooo good. - Salvadoran Near Me - Pasadena, California

I've been here with here twice and tonight I got the taquitos. With chicken ! Best deep friend tacos I've ever had !! The place is small & the food takes time! But it sure is fresh ! read more

Melys Pupuseria - I was so excited I took a bite ! And then took a picture :) - Salvadoran Near Me - Pasadena, California

This place is great. Food and service are fantastic. There is a guy name Juan in the front taking orders who goes beyond to help us customers. This guy should be working at a higher end restaurant. Definitely recommend their food and ask for Juan to help you. read more

Very friendly service and delicious food. He gave us samples of their delicious drinks. I had the Chia, which I've never had before and it was refreshing. I know people are crazy about the pupusas but I personally wasn't a huge fan of the beef and cheese. As a main, I tried the mushroom chicken plate. It was pretty good. All in all, great food and service for a good value. read more

Great hole in the wall place! I always order papusas to go. Very friendly. And tasty!

I drive all the way from Whittier when I am craving some good Salvadorian food. Enough said. But since this is supposed to be a review- here it goes. My last visit...4 hours ago...cost me $21.95 for three people and it was for 4 pupusas de chicharron con queso and two pupusas revueltas ( beans cheese and chicharron). It also included one agua de tamarindo and two Fantas in bottles. They give you a generous amount of curtido ( slaw ) and salsa. Very good size pupusas. Full of filling. Not doughy. Just perfect. Delicious. The bathroom is very clean. So is the restaurant. Small size, only about 5 tables in it. Had to wait for someone to finish in order to sit but it didn't take long. The service is great! Everyone was very attentive. Plus they make your food when you order it! Super fresh! Love this place and will probably be back within the week! read more

Melys Pupuseria - Massive pupusas on the cheap. - Salvadoran Near Me - Pasadena, California

I've ordered 5 times from this place and tonight Was just gross and disappointing. We placed an order for a plate of carne asada and pupusas. Everything was ok until we realized the pupusas revueltas had rancid pork Inside them. Please read this places health reports. They are accurate! We threw everything away except for the carne asada. We are reporting this place to the health department. Gross. read more

Delicious pupusas! Like really, really perfect. We got the pork & cheese and the bean & cheese and they were so good- super fresh and satisfying. The horchata was also really yummy! The restaurant itself is small but cute, and the servers are really attentive and sweet. Great little neighborhood spot. It was a little slow, but hey that's the price to pay for really fresh food! I'll definitely be back when I'm in Pasadena. read more