I hate writing this. I grew up eating at this spot with my family in the early 2000's. I hadn't been here in at least 10 years and was excited to return. The food was not good. The pan con pollo's flavor wasn't there. The chicken was included with the bone. Big pet peeve of mine but whatever I can look past this. It even looked a bit unappetizing when I received it but I was hoping the taste would be there. It wasn't. 2/5 Pupusa de queso was a 3/5 - nothing bad but nothing great. Could've been cooked a little more. Pupusa de chicharrón con queso had pieces tomatoes in it. I know the chicharrón was probably cooked / seasoned with it but it was off putting to see tomatoes in my pupusas. Also nothing bad but def not great. 2.5/5 The curtido and salsa for the pupusas was great. My boyfriend got the sopa de marisco - he didn't even eat 1/3 of it. He said the caldo itself wasn't so bad but the actual pieces of seafood were unpleasant. Def not fresh. I didn't get a pic of this but he says 2/5 I hate that im writing this but maybe they can improve and bring back what so many of us loved about this place. Service was also not bad but def not great. The waitress made me feel like we were a burden. All of the food came out at different times. Half the pupusas we ordered came out then 10 minutes later the sandwich, 10 minutes after that the other half of our pupusas arrived. Then the soup like 10 minutes after that. I could've looked past this if it had been busy but it was not. There's also no parking - they had to give us a paper (like a printed out temporary parking pass) to go out in our car so we wouldn't get towed. The inside still looks good, clean and authentic. I felt sad as I drove away. This place was amazing when I was younger and it was always so packed on a Friday night we knew there would be a wait! Hoping they make improvements to keep this place open. read more

The food is delicious, this is definitely one of those places you can't judge a book by the cover. The pupusa are the best and you can't beat the prices with the carne, although the meat may have been too well done. I still truly enjoyed. I would recommend coming and parking at the liquor store next door. If you're looking for affordably delicious food this place won't disappoint. Thank you for the patience and food. Location can still use some love don't stop trying to do better! La comida es deliciosa, este es definitivamente uno de esos lugares en los que no puedes juzgar un libro por la portada. Las pupusa son las mejores y no se puede superar los precios con la carne, aunque la carne puede haber estado demasiado bien hecha. Aún así, realmente lo disfruté. Recomendaría venir y aparcar en la licorería de al lado. Si estás buscando comida deliciosa y asequible, este lugar no te decepcionará. Gracias por la paciencia y la comida. La ubicación todavía puede usar un poco de amor, ¡no dejes de intentar hacerlo mejor! read more

Definitely the best pupusas I've ever had! The rice ones are so good! I'd totally go back! The vibe is more take out but you can dine in. Service was great. read more

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It has lost its touch - food is so-so and service is poor. It's been a while since the food hit the spot and since the service was worth the hassle of inadequate parking. I prefer to visit other restaurants but when they're packed, I've come here due to convenience and custom... but that's not likely to happen, again. Today was the last time I was willing to give this business a shot at changing my opinion And they failed from their behavior towards other customers, their behavior towards me, and the food they provided. It was not worth the amount I spend and the time I traveled to that difficult location. read more

Pupuseria Doña Azucena - Latin American Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

Affordable, yummy Pupusas and other great food. Friendly, helpful staff. Sit in a Or take away. Good parking. read more

There was a betel trying to eat me alive and the door handle was missing to the bathroom read more

Pupuseria Doña Azucena - In the bathroom and I had some open the door cuz of this - Latin American Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

Best pupusas in Silver Spring !! Don't let the location discourage you. Hard to park but worth the challenge of getting there.

Three and half star. Yes, pupusas are great. I tried bean/cheese pupusas and salvadorian plant/cheese pupusas. The 2nd one didn't have strong flavor of plant but it does have interesting nice flavor. Something different from usual pupusas. Fried plantain with soft-milky filling was interesting too. Another one I tried was Nuegados con chilate (fried light hollow ball w/sugar syrup and corn porridge). I didn't know how to combine corn liquid (porridge) to the rest .. corn liquid wasn't sweet.. oh well.. experiment. I didn't like tamale much though.. It was a bit denser than I thought. I like fluffy and a bit sweet tamale, and only chicken tamale.. Very friendly service and good sitting area inside. read more

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I will seriously disagree with other reviews about the pupusas here. Had the revuelta and the main difference is that they cook it longer so that it is slightly crispy, which I really like. However, there is not much cheese and the dough is a lot thicker then any other place I have been to. There is a good amount of meet inside, they don't skimp on that. Overall it is a decent pupusa, better then La Casita but still pales in comparison to Samantha's right around the corner. The quality, taste, and overall goodness cannot be beat. (At Samantha's). Plus at Dona they don't give you adequate salsa for the pupusas!!! This place makes a run at it but cannot match up. I also tried the chicken and was disappointed. Slightly dry and really really really lacked flavor. Barely any seasoning and fell really short of what in was hoping for based purely on smell. read more

This place has the best rice pupusas that I have had! Stopped by here because I was unfortunately unable to satisfy my craving for pupusa elsewhere. Service was ok, typical of a pupusa place. You walkin and sit down at your leisure, and the waitress will attend to you if she notices. Other than that this place is the best pupuseria I have found in this area. The revueltas (pork, beans, and cheese) here are unmatched!!! I had the fried plantains with 2 rice revueltas pupusas on the side, and I crushed everything even though I thought I couldn't eat anymore. I even ordered 4 to go so I can bring them to work and share them with my friends. As long as I live in this area, I will only get pupusas from here. Boss Este es el mejor lugar para las pupusas de arroz que yo he encontrado en este ciudad. Hay que probar las revueltas de aqui, son las mejores que yo he comido. Este lugar no es tan ocupado, y no va a esperar mucho tiempo por la comida. Las pupusas de otros lugares no se pueden comparar de este restaurante. Recomiendo que llama la tienda cuando uno esta en camino para que tengan las pupusas listas cuando llegue. Hasta que yo me muevo del cuidad, siempre voy a este lugar para comprar pupusas. read more

Pupuseria Doña Azucena - Fried plantains with refried beans and salvadorian sour cream. - Latin American Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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If I had a child I would sell them for these papusas. They are that good. What are papusas? Well if you are asking I am truly sorry you do not know yet. I am however excited for you and your taste buds. Papusas are delicious tortilla like circles filled with your choice of cheese, bean, pork, and a mixture thereof. I have had a lot of different papusas, but these take the cake. Pair your papusas with one of their Horchata drinks and sit back and relax in the throes of taste bud heaven. Horchata is a Salvadoran drink that tastes a bit like oatmeal, but better. Food this good and the price cannot be beat. I would come here everyday if I lived closer. read more

We first walked in around 5:30 on a Sunday afternoon. Wasn't too busy but still steady. My friends and I ended up sitting down and 15 minutes until a waitress came by and took our orders. Be mindful that it's nice to know Spanish but not necessary. So we ordered around 5:50 and didn't end up getting our food until 6:30. There was a table of 5 seated after us and still got their food before ours. But anyways, I ordered the chicken and cheese pupusas with a side of Kola Champagne. The drink was awesome and the pupusas were good. There was more dough than filling but it was still delicious nonetheless. It was also blazing hot inside. You could hear the A/C running but no cold air was circulating. Nice little authentic pupusa spot! Would recommend :) read more

Love this place! Reasonable pricing. The employees here are very nice. Delicious nugados! :)

I'd never had pupusas before tonight, but I'm giving this place four stars! If you're looking for a quick, cheap bite, this place is dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt cheap! A pupusa, which a normal Washingtonian might be willing to pay $5 for is only $1.25. Other entrees are similarly priced and similarly delicious! I went with a hungry group of 8 tonight. We ate to our hearts' content and the bill came out to $41! Truly amazing. From what we saw, the prices were sliiightly raised since the Washington Post article came out (see link below), so don't wait too long before trying this place. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/06/AR2007110600401_pf.html read more

I remember coming here back when I went to University of Maryland. I know what you are wondering how come I have never reviewed any places in College Park? Well, I hardly ever ate in College Park. The food in College Park cater to College pricks so I would always venture for the surrounding ethnic cuisine. College Park establishments DO NOT need my money; they are making plenty enough from drunken college lards. The surrounding neighborhoods: Langley Park, Riverdale, Adelphi, Berwyn Heights, New Carrollton do not receive the same infrastructure and care that College Park gets. Why do cities and counties believe it is okay to marginalize neighborhoods? It is not okay for government to let places go to crumble because they do not wield as much power or leverage to enact change. You truly believe the College Park students are going to stay in the College Park area or surrounding neighborhoods giving back to the area. That is a load of malarkey. Students are looking to graduate and gtfo and become yuppies. PG County can care about the money makers: Central and Southern PG and College Park. At any rate, Pupuseria Dona Azucena is great. The food is incredible. They are a factory of Salvadorean food. They get incredible business from the locals which make parking extremely tight and difficult. There is an employee whose job is to direct traffic in its modest parking area. The worker would make you wait in the parking lot until a car leaves, which often leave when a dine-in patron is finished eating which can take upwards of twenty minutes. Try avoid coming here during peak lunch hours and after 6pm. I usually get pupusa de revueltas y platanos con crema y frijoles. They give a hearty amount of curtidos and salsa. One of the best pupuseria in the area as can be inferred from the lack of English spoken here. read more

Love love Dona Azucena's pupusas. I live close by, and this is the main place for us (and lots and lots of other people) to get pupusas in the area. Samantha's are good, El Golfo's are ok, but Dona Azucena's are the best. They're way cheap and made to order, which also means that it takes time. I love the bean and cheese pupusas, and their plantains with beans and crema are to die for. I wish I could recommend the horchata, but unfortunately, every time I get it, thinking that this time will be different, I feel like I'm drinking cigarette butts. Yuck! I haven't tried much more of the menu because the real reason to go is for pupusas, but my friends like the meatier pupusas (which pork, for example), and the soup looks pretty good. The desserts are so-so. For me, 2-3 pupusas are way more than enough to fill me up. You have to pile up the curtado, which has been described as a "vinegary slaw" and the tomato sauce. It gets messy and juicy and salty and really yummy... This place is always packed--my boyfriend and I joke that it's busy even at 4 a.m. on a Sunday night--but that just shows you how loved it is! I also know that there are employees who have been there for many, many years, and that's gotta say something, right? read more

Excellent Salvadorean food. I have tried many a Pupusa all over town and this is probably the all-around best. The flavor in the masa de maíz (flour) was much more intense and layered than in other Pupuas. The curtido (side of mixed cabbage and spices) was spicy and delicious. I feel like the cheese could be better, I prefer the cheese used in the pupusas at Le Preferida food truck. Other items I tried: - The Horchatta was good but not the best I have had - Nougados con Chilate were great. Never had this dish before, tasted like fried cheese bread with maple syrup or something. - Tamales with chicken were yummy. - atole de elote (hot corn drink) was good, like a hot tea. The service is very good and the menus printed in english and spanish. A little tip: If there is a HUGE group at the door, they may all be one family. Go to the front and let the server know you are only a small group and you could get seated quicker. Parking is generally impossible, park at the giant latin supermarket across the street near the Jiffy Lube and walk. read more

I'm extremely sad that I'm away from home because I'm very pupusa deprived!!!!!! This place is amazing. The best pupusas you can get in the DC area. Cheap and scrumptious. I've been going to this place ever since I can remember and the pupusas are the same if not better. Every dish on the menu is delicious. The sopa de res is only served on weekends which makes it even that much better when you do get to eat it. There is always a line but it's definitely worth the wait. If you haven't had pupusas before this is the place to go, you will not be disappointed. read more

Dang these pupusas are good! They do takeout or eat-in, and I've found the employees to be friendly and helpful. I've gotten the bean/cheese and pork/bean/cheese pupusas, and they are fresh, made-to-order, and delicious. We also ordered the side of plantains, refritos and crema, and it was AMAZING! I highly recommend it. Our only difficulty was when my husband and I did takeout and ordered five different pupusas, they were all stacked in one styrofoam takeout container, and since they were so hot and fresh we had trouble not only separating them without them falling apart, but also telling which pupusa was which. Not a huge problem for us, though, since they are all delicious. I also enjoy piling on the cabbage slaw and tomato hot sauce that comes with each. And you cannot beat the price. I will be going back again and again! (And have been there twice since we moved here three weeks ago!) read more

I came here with some friends and didn't know what to expect. Wow the pupusas are excellent! So large, full of filling, hot, fresh!!! Wonderful flavor! Others got the carne asada and I was surprised at the size of the steak and the amount of food you get. Looked amazing. Definitely would go back here. The place gets crowded so be prepared read more

This place is where its at. Ask anyone who's from the area and they will tell you that dona azucena has the best pupusas. I think iv eaten everything on the menu and all of it is good. Location is good but parking can be a bit tough. I think a lot of people park at the panam and just walk across university blvd. I have been known to do it too after shopping at the panam. The staff at dona azucenas is friendly. The restaurant looks good as far as decoration. Its got good music on the jukebox and has pleanty of space to dine in except for real busy times. I usually go for carry out but the waiters seem to be good from what I see read more

I had a very good experience. A friend and I tried out papusas for the first time and it was pretty yummy. Also tried the plantain empanadas. Tasted as you would expect them to. The staff (at least that we encountered) do not speak English but it was okay, still easy enough to talk to them. Very obvious that el Salvadorians eat here, as we were the only English speaking Americans in there. That's a good indicator you are getting good authentic food. The silverware and utensils are plastic, but my friend and I both ate for a grand total of $10 so that must be why they do it. If you're looking for a new experience and to try other cultures' food, then I recommend giving this place a try. read more

I gave it a one star Because it is not what it use too be I went yesterday and the food they gave me wasn't even cook well I rather go to el comalito which is up the street from this place and it so much better read more

minutes ago VERY VERY disappointed.. I called in to place an order because El Comalito was closed, placed my order rushed all the way from Bethesda to find out that this EXTREMELY RUDE female closed the register.. I had gone to El Comalito because the food was better but now I am really not ever coming back to this place. To drive 20 min to find out the register is closed and my Pupusas just there.. it was a waste of food, time, and gas. Never coming back here again... this was the it place to be now all it is is just disappointment. read more

The service sucks but the food is awesome. That's why you always call ahead and get it to go. I've been coming here since I was a little girl and I haven't found a place yet that has better pupusas. Always. ALWAYS. Get the Carne Asada. You will not be disappointed. Put a little lime on it and it's perfect. Also, get an Horchata. When you do all this you have the best meal. Eat slowly because it's filling. Make sure to enjoy every bite :) read more

The good was ok, wouldn't say it was great. The rice for example was hard tasted old. The kitchen area was dirty, I am a kitchen manager and we do not tolerate tha read more

I give 5 starts for their food and pupusas and 3 starts for customer service Their food is very traditional, menu has considerable food options, and everything is delicious. Parking: you can park by the Dentist's office parking next to this place. The things I didn't like about this place even though, they have space they don't use the entire place and makes people to wait and bathrooms need more attention. read more

I love this location. I read all the reviews before I wrote mine. While there were a lot of comments on how rude and unfriendly the staff are. I have had great experiences and while the staff somedays are running around all over the place, they still take the time to look at you in the eyes and thank you for choosing them and supporting them. I was pretty pleased with the food portions and food quality. I've tried pupusas from many pupuserias but nothing like this restaurant. I've even worked in a pupuseria but this restaurant puts them all to shame. I've had their pan con Gallina or pan con pollo & it's amazing.! The taste, the size & the presentation is a 10. Their drinks are fresh and the price is great. The salsa and curtido taste fresh and they give enough. The fried Yuca is just the way it should taste, not just pulled out of a soup & not frozen tasting. My family has a bunch of allergies and this restaurant has been very accommodating and helpful. Thank you for being as great as you are and going above and beyond to make sure those dining in or taking out have the best food in front of them. Thank you Mario for always being so professional and nice. & ladies thank you for cooking so good. read more

Dona azucena is a nice spaced restaurant but yet they don't use their entire space when seating guests also could use some redecorating, parking is VERY LIMITED. I would rate the service 2 stars. The pork pupusas are good but I've tried better. The carne asada though is really good! Best in the area. Food: 3 -3.5 stars Service: 2 stars read more

The carne asada is the best I have ever tasted as well as the pupusas. This place is extremely affordable and you get a good amount of food. I would recommend it to anyone. read more

Food - Good Service - Good Price - Good Will I be back - YUP, sure will and looking forward to my next visit! We ordered many different things - All very good. Only thing is for my personal taste the steak was a little more well done then I prefer but was still very good. We got lucky and found a parking place right out in front - But parking is very limited otherwise. read more

The pupusas were piping hot and fresh and the perfect size. My husband and I each got two and were just the right amount of full. With an horchata and two more pupusas each for tomorrow's lunch, the bill came to just over 15 - what a steal!!! The place was full at 9pm on a Sunday and parking was horrendous but the food makes it all worth it. read more

Stopped in for lunch and it's a local place. Much bigger inside than I expected. Thought it needed a little face lift and a cosmetic touch up, a little beat up. The food was good, fresh and hot. Value price. I don't know about bringing a date but a quick meal I'm OK with. read more

Hands down, the *best* pupusas in the DMV area!! Seriously...take it from me, a half Salvadoran. The cheese is like butter just melts in your mouth...delish! The decor is not that great and service is ok (way better than Irene's though...big time). Definitely give this place a shot. You wont regret it. read more

It does not get more authentic than this. My family is from El Salvador and I don't know if I could tell the difference between most of the food here and my mother's cooking. The pupusas are a must. The turkey sandwich is another great option. If you like corn, try the atole de elote drink (if available). read more

Best pupusas, best atol de elote, best chilate & nuegados, best mondongo... Everytime I have stopped there is worth it; it seems to be always crowed but worth all the wait. CHEAP & GOOD FOOD read more

If there were zero starts this place would get them. I called an order by phone to pick up. After being told it would take 20 to 25 minutes I waited the time and arrived at the location around 30 minutes later. I pay for the 5 pupusas ordered. I then had to wait another 25 minutes while others who arrived after I did get theirs before and didn't even pre-order. I find this very disrespectful to any patrons time. As I get back in line to just ask for a refund the person goes to get the pupusas and then hands them to me. I did not want to cause any disturbance there but i will definitely not be returning to this location or giving them any of my business. Zero in my book unless you have an hour to waist for 5 pupusas. read more

Great pupusas nice atmosphere love the horchata. But the service is very slow. Our waitress for got my drink I ask her again for a horchata and for got it again. I ask her for more curtido for my pupusas 15 minutes later I got it. Is a slow monday night. I get that people like this place but a good service is very important to me. I don't think I will be going to azusena's place again unless I order my food for pick up. read more

Fire always amazing, service can be so-so but they're busy so its understandable.

Very delicious pupusas but do try the fried fish and the steak platters. They are fantastic and reasonably priced. The service is also very friendly and they take the time to explain the menu. read more