What a great dinner I had at Popoca! It was a great little intro to Salvadorian cuisine!…read more After perusing the menu, it was so hard to choose, but Popoca had the right solution! A super affordable tasting menu that for only $80 a person and it was such a great value. Started with the fried chicken and guacamole. Now, im not a guac girl, but this was so flavorful and delicious. I really enjoyed it! We also had the pupusas (duh!), the trout (so delicious), veranito loco, and flan for dessert. The most interesting part of the meal was in the middle of it, they served a dish of fruit and veg in a fresh crema. Perfect palate cleanser and super unique! The customer service was absolutely great! Our server answered all of our questions! Great Great Experience over at Popoca, food was great, service was awesome and best of all....they played a ton of Spice Girls. Warmed my millennial heart right up!

What's sexier than a cheese pull?…read more A cheese pull with meltingly tender lengua! Pop-up turned brick and mortar, Popoca is serving up Modern Salvi Cuisine with California ingredients and fine dining techniques. The seasonal menu emphasizes wood-fired cooking. For parties 2 or more, they have a shared, for lack of better words, tasting menu for $80 pp. Full bar available. Rezzies are a must on the weekend! Back patio is TT friendly but kindly note it's communal tables. F O O D * Pollo "Campero": Chicken wings, lime, panela, hot sauce made en casa, escabeche (3 pc-$17): https://tinyurl.com/2brx7bbu - Added an additional piece for $5.50 An nod to the Guatemalan fried chicken chain that became widely popular in El Salvador, the chicken wings are brined and double fried. They're served hot and crunchy but I wished the sweetness from the panela came through and the hot sauce had more heat. I mean, they were tasty but given the mad hype, I expected more. * Pupusa de Lengua: Beef tongue, queso, recaudo ($11 x2): https://tinyurl.com/2wuk2m7x Made from scratch with nixtamalized heirloom corn, the masa was crisp on the outside and soft inside, with a warm, earthy corn flavor and smoky char from the grill. Generously filled with stretchy, molten cheese and tender, beefy lengua....it was BOMB. To nitpick, I wish the curtido (cabbage slaw) had more acid and the salsas were punchier to cut through the richness. I don't know any place in the bay that offers pupusa de lengua so it's a must order if you love lengua. * Bistic Encebollado: Grilled New York steak, bbq shallots, cherry tomatoes, recaudo, onion crema, loroco, sesame ($63): https://tinyurl.com/3bvfan6t Initially, I was bummed to learn they no longer serve their lamb neck but one bite of the bistic, lamb what? The beautifully cooked steak was incredibly tender and flavorful, with a nice smoky char from the grill. The recaudo added an earthy flavor, while the sesame brought a delicious nuttiness. * Arroz ($8) To cheap to pay $17 for a side of rice and beans, we just ordered a side of rice...perfect for two to share. Savory and lightly spiced, it went well with the steak and soaked up all those flavorful juices. S E R V I C E Friendly hostess. Service could have been better, we barely saw our server so couldn't order additional cocktails. Prompt food service. A M B I A N C E Industrial-chic with high ceilings, exposed brick walls, and lush greenery. There's two separate indoor dining areas, one with the bar. Back patio is partially covered. P A R K I N G We easily found street parking on a Saturday evening. Overall, it's no surprise that Popoca has been featured in numerous lists including Bon Appétit, SF Chron Top 100, and NYT...and have been recognized by the Michelin Guide. Aside from an pop-up in LA, they're the only resto in the entire state serving Modern Salvi Cuisine, bringing a unique dining experience in The Town's food scene.

Don't come eat here. The owner is bitter and rude. She has a crazy rule that everyone that dines in…read morehas to order a minimum of 2 pupusas even toddlers. Ridiculous Save your money and go where you are appreciated

Best pupusas I have ever had personally. I am not Salvadoran but had my fair amount of pupusas. I…read morethink the size of the pupusas are big and I get full with two. They taste really good and not greasy or anything like that and they taste fresh.

I love the whole menu. It has everything I need here! The pupusa hamburger was phenomenal!!!…read moreDefinitely one of the best burger I ever had in my life!! But I did felt like it was missing something.. which was the Curtido(pickled cabbages). I'm going to have to try it again with the curtido in the pupusa hamburger. I also had the Salvadorian Torta sandwich , super DELICIOUS flat, crispy, flavorful, meaty, cheesy. And the Birria is super duper delicious as well, Very crispy, juicy, meaty and cheesy and had a side of chili oil. Love it!!! Definitely going back for the PUPUSA HAMBURGER!

Food is good but pricey for what it is. I got the lunch plate with the tamale which was more…read moredelicious than the pupusas, which were bland and a bit dissapointing. The price was disappointingly high, costing more than double for two pupusas alone, adding only a tamale and a small serving of rice which added about $17 to two pupusas alone. Still, the place is nice, the service was good.

Service was great. Food was even better. We all had Pescado Frito and the fish was delicious. Side…read moreof rice, refried beans, and yucca fries were bomb. Also had a pupusa that was good. Definitely our to go spot when craving fried fish

Terrible experience. The service was awful from start to finish. They seemed to be in a huge rush,…read moreyet still made us wait about 40 minutes for our order. To make matters worse, the bag was completely sealed, so we couldn't check the food until we got home. When we opened it, the food was completely tossed around, just like in the photo. If there were a rating lower than one star, I'd give it. This is by far the worst Hispanic restaurant I've been to in this area. I don't recommend it at all. Save your money and go somewhere else.

I was craving Pupusas and Platanos for months and just haven't gotten a chance to get some. After…read morerunning on Sunday, I decided to try Pupuseria Rosita. 2 Pupusas for $7, 2 Platanos for $8 and $15 was well spent. I was not disappointed as their Pupusas were actually well filled, unlike other places that I've tried. I waited about 20 minutes after placing my order. There are tables and seating on the back/side of the truck if you wanted to eat there but parking isn't the easiest in the area. I would definitely be returning for my future cravings!

Humble Salvadoran food truck located off 14th Ave. usually plenty of street parking available on…read morethe side street of the liquor store or in front of the truck. People usually come for pupusas which are good and a great deal ($7/2). I come for their tamales. The masa is so flavorful and the banana leaf keeps it very moist. It comes piping hot and with curtido and your choice of red or green salsa. I always order pork for more flavor. They also have other plates with fried plantains and other Salvadoran staples. It's an impressive spread for a food truck!

Don't let the location for you. Some of the best pupusas I've ever had (and I have had my fair…read moreshare). Cooked to having a soft center. The masa (corn flour) complements the other flavors without overpowering them. I am not a big believer in perfection, but the way these were cooked came damn close. And this was just the main dish. The cabbage salad, (curtido) that accompanied it was solid as well. Crisp, fresh with the proper acidity. I will be back.

Awesome pupusas!! Price is reasonable and I love doing take out for the whole family. Great for…read morepotlucks too

The restaurant is clean, and the food is good. I've been here a few times. Great nachos, and fried…read moreplantains. The pictures on the wall are good looking (i've seen worse). Recommend for good latin food to eat.

This place was fire! Came here right before rush time and they were SO good! Their horchata is also…read moreamazing! I will definitely be back soon!

I believe this space was a Burmese restaurant called Tharaphu a few years back. They made a decent…read moretea leaf salad but without the tableside show. I doubt that made much difference to their clientele, but in its place is another family-run business, this time Salvadoran. This one offers more generic plates at student-friendly prices for undiscriminating palates. That's at least my take in the couple of occasions I've tried it after going to the gym. The first time I tried it I couldn't see the menu until I got up to the order counter. Then I made the server wait since the menu was so comprehensive (Photo 5). I went basic and ordered the $16.99 Chicken Platter because the kabob version was five dollars more. It was decent enough though on the bland side with rice, fresh tomato salsa, and a small side salad of iceberg lettuce, sliced cucumber, and radish (Photo 9). The menu mentioned a house white sauce. I didn't see it, but I also didn't miss it either. I came back to try them again. I tried ordering the $14.99 Scrambled Eggs with Beef Chorizo but was told they were out of chorizo. This was looking to be a recurring theme because I was rebuffed the first time when I unsuccessfully ordered the beef gyro. Ironically this time they had the $16.99 Beef Gyro Platter. The rice and salad were identical to my previous platter, the beef was just OK (Photo 10). FOOD - 3 stars...middling meats, edible but not overly appetizing AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...spacious enough and nicely decorated SERVICE - 3 stars...minimal communication on the food and when it will be ready TOTAL - 3 stars...fitting for a student appetite, good enough for the rest of us if expectations are kept in check RELATED - Exploring Berkeley? Here's my collection of places l've patronized and reviewed: https://yelp.to/KDNpY106O8

Here goes, short and sweet…read more Yes on the pupusas....no on the birria taco. So the pupusa was definitely handmade and 4 stars. Service was super slow and I was one of 3 people there when they opened. Not sure what was going on. They also took forever to make my food. The birria was lacking flavor was was super chewy. Needed to be more tender.

The atmosphere was refreshing and the food was wonderful! I will absolutely be returning!read more

Love this place because of the bright, colorful, and tropical interior! Also their Baja fish taco…read moreis sooo good because the fish is really crispy and flavorful. I also like that the service is really fast! You order first, find a seat, and they'll bring your food to your table pretty quickly

This is a very hole in the wall mom and pop shop that I drive by and if you blink, you'll miss it…read more There's street parking around but if you don't mind crossing the street, there's parking around Walgreens. It's a pretty small spot but well worth it. You can order from the window or you can sit, look at the menu and then wait. The food takes time to come out but that is because everything is made fresh and to order. I cannot begin to describe how worth it the wait was. We got horchata to sip on while we talked and were kept in good company until we got empanadas, yucas and finally, our pupusas. All I can say it, everything was delicious and made with love. I do wish they have more support but they seem to be doing well since they've been at the spot forever. All I can say is I was speechless once the food came out because I was just eating.

Los Olivios has my heart! I am so happy to have found a delicious authentic pupusa spot!…read more I'm always on the hunt for a good pupusa and most places either don't have enough filling or have a bland salsa (and we all know how important salsa is!) Thankfully, this place is 10/10 on BOTH! They fill up their pupusas and they taste amazingggg. They also offer the option of spicy or non spicy salsa. I personally get the spicy and I love the kick / flavor, it pairs very well with the pupusa. I also order their platano frito with frijol + crema, the staff is super accommodating and nice when I ask for them to slice the banana thinner for a crispier bite. I highly recommend this location! Service is amazing and food is even better.