I decided to order carry out from here & in all my 20 years of living in the DMV I did not know about this hidden gem in Wheaton. I walked in and it felt like I was back at my grandma's house in El Salvador, I'm talking about the colorful decor on the walls, the charamuscas in the cooler at the front, Salvadoran chips, I mean it was giving Latino vibes for sure. Moving on to the food, I ordered a pan con pollo and boy I tell you their portions are generous, because it truly is. I had to cut the chicken with the knife because of how much they packed it! Beets, coleslaw, pickled onions, hardboiled egg, and the leafy greens are all included. I also got a Hisbiscus drink (jugo de Jamaica) and it was so refreshingly good. read more

Pupuseria La Familiar - Pan de pollo (gallina) - Salvadoran Near Me - Wheaton, Maryland

We always enjoy the delicious pupusas hot sauce, and cabbage salad. Great choice if you're looking for a friendly family restaurant just outside the beltway. read more

Service was slow but the food was good. I went on a rainy night when the restraint was almost empty but it took forever to get service. The food came out pretty quickly but then it took a long time to get the check. However, the food was delicious and filling. The portions were good. read more

10/10!! Chips were just out the fryer fresh! Definitely top 3 for sopa de mariscos in the area! Plus it's only $18 (usually there around 26+) and the give you a whole crab inside (most places will only give you half) The Pescado frito was also a 10/10! We didn't get the pupusas this time but we do get them often from here, they have SOOO many options and are always hot a good service is also really good read more

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I thought I already reviewed this place, but I guess I haven't. This will blow your mind if you're into Salvadorian and food. And it will broaden your horizons if you aren't. They have too many good things to list, but their Pupusas are excellent and they have so many choices for fillings. They also have this great sweet quesadilla, which I think is a Salvadorian traditional cultural dish. It resembles a mildly cheesy cake. It's quite sweet and has lots of corn flavor more, than it does what we think of as a quesadilla. But it's definitely worth a try. You could also try their Atol de Elote it's a hot corn drink or the Atol de piña, which is a hot pineapple drink - kind of like a thick, oatmeal sweet, warm, delicious wonderful interior hug. read more

Pupuseria La Familiar - Salvadoran Near Me - Wheaton, Maryland

The food was delicious. I got pupusas de queso frijol y loroco. I definitely recommend this place.

When I received my order, it was wrong! On top of that the pupusas didn't look that well.. they looked burnt!

I recently ate at Pupuseria La familiar that's located in Wheaton, and oh boy it was terrible the pupusas that I ordered was incorrect and what makes it worse is that my ordered had hair in it, clearly it wasn't mine. read more

Loved their College Park location and I'm so glad I finally made it to their Wheaton restaurant. You can tell that the pupusas are made fresh and they come out to the table with the cheese practically molten on the inside. I'll admit I haven't strayed beyond that section of the menu to try other offerings--there are so many different options when it comes to pupusas, and the prices are very reasonable too! read more

Pupuseria La Familiar - Menu - Salvadoran Near Me - Wheaton, Maryland

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Delish Salvadorean food. I love pupusas and they have the most extensive varieties I've ever seen. They use special ingredients for good flavor like herbs, variety of cheese, meats, etc. Each time I come here, I try different types. I am a fan! read more

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The food is spectacular and the prices are reasonable. The best pupusas and tamales I have eaten in my 70 years on this earth.

Food - Food was good and it was delicious Service - Service was very slow - were waiting for at least 10 minutes for them to give us the check then 10 minutes again for them to grab it (to pay) - there was moments where they kept giving our orders to the wrong person but it happens - our food came out in different orders, so most of us (3/5) got our food before the others and food took forever but its okay Ambiance - everything is calm - cant say its quiet because its a restaurant but it wasnt too loud so it was just right - music (great music choices) read more

My family and I have ordered takeout food, and while most of the items were satisfying, the pupusas were not to our liking. The main issue, however, was the disappointing level of customer service when they made errors with our orders. On two occasions, we either received the wrong order or had a missing item. This meant making the trip back to the restaurant, resulting in extra inconvenience and wasted time finding parking. Although the staff apologized, they did not offer any compensation such as a complimentary drink of our choice, dessert, etc. for the inconvenience we experienced. read more

This was my first time going here last week. I didn't know what to expect. My boyfriend ordered for me and he ordered me the Baleada. Omgosh it was sooo good. The easiest way to discribe it was basically a very good pancake with chicken, beans, guacamole, and eggs on the inside. The service, and ambiance was good as well. I would definitely go back. read more

Ordered carry out from Pupuseria La Familiar on a weekday. I phoned it in since I was unable to order online. Overall the experience was good. I ordered the sopa de res, pupusas revueltas and bean and cheese. I also had a chicken tamale, a pastel de carne and Salvadoran quesadilla. The sopa de res was a little too salty for my taste. The broth was dark like it had too much beef bouillon. However, the veggies were cooked well as the cabbage was not wilted and the corn was crunchy. They provided 2 large pieces of short rib which was cooked to perfection. The pastel de carne was a little over cooked however it was large. It contained a mixture of ground beef, potatoes and spices. It was good but I have had better. The chicken tamale was good also. I did not take a pic but it was the usual fare for a tamale. The pupusas were thick and had a good mixture of filling. These were good and give a few other spots a run for their money when it comes to pupusas. I asked if the Salvadoran quesadilla was fresh but it tasted like it had been out all day. It was still good but I have had fresher. I washed this down with fresco de Tamarindo. The tamarindo was bitter like it had been a batch from the previous day. Overall, the food was good and the prices were decent. There are certainly more expensive places that give you less food. read more

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My impression of Salvadoran/Central American food has entirely changed after having eaten here. This place greatly impressed me by all the delicious ethnic food that is most definitely DISTINCT from Mexican cuisine. Appetizers: Baleada - 5/5 - super delicious quesadilla-like filled with tender steak and eggs Chips & guacamole - 3.75/5 - not the best yet the worst that I've had Pastelitos de pollo o res - 4/5 - interesting fried meat pastries Chicharron & yuca - 5/5 - perfectly fried, tender on the inside Entrees: Salpicon - 5/5 - the seasoning in the diced (minced) meat is super delightful and aromatic; a favorite Costillas de res - 4.5/5 - delicious charbroiled short beef ribs Carne deshilada - 4/5 - peeled/shredded meat with eggs made with scrambled eggs Pupusas (de camaron, de espinaca, de chilipin, de frijoles & queso) - 4/5 - pretty good but not particularly impressive Carne asada - 4/5 - pretty good charbroiled steak but not particularly outstanding Camarones entomatados - 4/5 - the tomato sauce itself was quite salty (hopefully not the usual preparation ); shrimp itself was very fresh and chewy Beverage: Ensalada de fruta - 5/5 - delightful mixed fruit juice (strongly mango though) filled with diced fruit Service: super friendly, considerate and patient Ambience: interior makes you feel as if you were in a small town central american restaurant read more

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When that deshilada hit the table... I was like... oh no, we've made a huge mistake. I don't know what exactly I was expecting, but I can tell you that it was not that. I've never had deshilada before. First of all, I've learned that Deshilar mean's to fray, to get thin, shreds. And that's exactly what this dish was. Shreds of brisket mixed with egg, peppers, a few other things. It did not look wholly appetizing to be honest. Served along side of it was refried beans, a hearty slice of avocado, a soft cheese, fluffy rice, spicy pickled onions, and 2 housemade tortillas. Verdict: F*cking Delicious. All of it. All the bits and the bites and the bots. The meat that was running through the eggs was cooked perfectly. Refried beans were delicious. The two handmade tortillas were standout. THICK homemade tortillas. We're talkin' like a centimeter thick. The spicy onions were s-piiiicc-eeeyy. Watch out for them. But they also added a really nice contrast to the meal. If I got it again, I'd probably order another side of tortillas, cause a taco with the deshilada, avocado, refried beans and rice was like heaven. Rice was cooked next to perfect. We got the tamale de gallina (chicken tamale) : Standout, fantastic tamale. Great look to it too. Pupusa with spinach and cheese; FANTASTIC Chips with Guacamole: Chips were freshly cooked and the guacamole was super fresh, nice, and acidic. Pupusa with all of everything: This is the only thing we got which I did not fancy. Just tasted a bit too... not good.... Too many flavors competing. Went back 2 nights ago and got a burrito and a bean and cheese pupusa. Both we're freakin' delicious. The burrito was the size of a small football. Much softer and wetter inside than I expected, but none the less delicious. Can't wait to go back to this place and eat more through the menu. read more

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Food: - Carne Asada: I love carne asada and meat in general but I was pretty disappointed by the carne asada here. I was expecting a more authentic and flavorful carne asada bc of the hole in the wall vibe but the meat just wasn't that flavorful not much seasoning. I think I've had better carne asada at chain such as Uncle Julio's which is surprising. On the plus side, they give a decent portion and the price is cheap compared to other places. -Chicken Quesadilla: The quesadilla was probably the best thing we got from the visit. Hefty portion, lots of cheese, and lots of chicken. Not spectacular but good overall. Came with sour cream and guac! -Pork and Cheese pupusa: So I thought that the pupusas would be the highlight of the meal bc of the name of the resteraunt but I was once again slightly disappointed. The pupusas weren't bad but they weren't great. Not much flavor and there was kind of a strange after taste from the meat. I've had better pupusas elsewhere. TLDR: Probably would not come again but if I did I'd probably just get a quesadilla during a lunch break. Also I'm not an expert on el salvadorian food by any means haha. read more

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I've been coming to this place ever since they opened. The service and the food quality are always phenomenal. I highly recommend this place. read more

Gave us the wrong order (we ordered vegan and got meat/cheese) and took 30min for 2 pupusas. When we came back to fix it, it took another 40min. Won't visit again. read more

I was hungry on my drive back home from DC and randomly decided to pull over and visit Pupusa La Familiar on a BUSY Sunday afternoon. So glad I did. It seemed to be a self seating restaurant. Service was prompt, friendly, and efficient, and I got my tamarind juice (fresh, tangy, maybe a tad too sweet for my taste). I ordered two frijoles con queso y loroco (a sort of vegetable, DEFINITELY GIVE IT A TRY) pupusas and a side of plantains. It was a bit of a wait for the food, but it made sense given how the place was teeming with large groups of families. The pupusas were piping hot and delicious, curtido fresh, and the salsa had an extra savory flavor that I hadn't tasted before. The platanos were sweet and delicious as well, but a bit greasy. I left very satisfied and full, and in a good mood due to the laid back and boistrous atmosphere. Definitely worth a try! read more

Pupuseria La Familiar - Pupusas with frijoles, loroco, and queso (yum!) And a side of platanos - Salvadoran Near Me - Wheaton, Maryland

The best traditional Central American food in the DMV region. I drove an hour for an event and had breakfast at this place and it brought me memories from my childhood. Service is great and they have really good music playing from cumbia to merengue. If you're in a rush don't come to this restaurant, do it if you have an hour spare time. Trust me the wait is worth it. read more

I've been to the College Park location, which was one of my least favorite pupusa spots, but the Wheaton location exceeded my expectations! We came by for dinner before our movie and it turned out to be a great experience. The pupusas at this La Familiar location were delicious--crispy edges with lots of filling. This was much better than other places, which don't put enough filling and you get mostly tortilla dough on the edges. The curtido and tomato sauce could be better; the curtido wasn't very pickled and the sauce was watery. The horchata was great and very refreshing. I also really enjoyed the servers here, they all asked us multiple times if we needed anything and gave us extra curtido when we finished it. All in all, great experience and highly recommend. read more

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Tons of street parking around the restaurant. I did not get a chance to try their food. However, the staff members here appeared to be rude. We arrived here during the dinner hours on a weekday. Upon arrival, we were unsure where we seat ourselves or wait to be seated by a hostess. After standing in front of the restaurant for a minute, we decided to seat ourselves. From there, no staff member came over to our table to provide us with a menu. However, upon further review, we noticed that staff members indeed hand out their menus to customers at their table and pick them up after you order. So after sitting in our seats for 5 minutes, I decided to come to the front and grab a few menus for the table. After we decided what to order, no staff member came by our table to take our order. Felt like all the tables were treated with hospitality except our table. We felt that we were being ignored by the staff members here. As such, we politely left the establishment. Regardless of whether you are a returning customer or new customer, management needs to improve on customer service. Also, we noticed that the restaurant had an issue with cleanliness as there were several flies roaming around the building and the tables appeared not to be wiped down. I was looking forward to trying their food, however their lack of customer service prevented me from trying this place. If you come here, hope you get better service. At least, hope that the staff here talks to you and provide you with menus and take your order. read more

I'm not Spanish but I'll tell u this right now they do not sell real pupusas and as well the workers are horrible they don't attend to any needs and forget a lot of stuff "quote on quote"smh don't go here read more

I have never been to El Salvador. But in this restaurant it doesn't take much imagination to feel like you are there. My wife and I began with chicken/cheese and spinach/cheese pupusas. They burst with flavor, are light on the grease, and inexpensive. In order to get an overall sense of the place, we shared the mixed grill. Three meats that all had great smokey grill flavor. The steak was tough and chewy in spots, but really delicious. The chicken was not at all tough, and again maximum taste. The sausage I felt lagged the other two meats, with a neutral flavor, but good texture. The plate had a generous portion of flavored rice. It also had a mixed salad with no dressing. Not what you usually see locally, but authentic feeling. For dessert, they had these large bags of mango slices for $2.75. We went for it, but unfortunately they were not at all ripe. Oh well. Before I judged, I remembered that unripe bananas have higher antioxidant levels, and are healthier than fully ripened ones. So there is hope for their mangoes. read more

Pupuseria La Familiar - Sampler - Salvadoran Near Me - Wheaton, Maryland

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El Salvador is someplace I have yet to visit. If this restaurant is any indicator, Salvadorans have an interesting and delicious cuisine that is clearly Hispanic-American but unique and surprising. The papusas are excellent, particularly the jalepeno. My preference was for the single ingredient choices; the papusas with multiple ingredients tended toward bland. Fried plantains are served with a light crema sauce that makes a wonderful combination. Brush up on your Spanish as your server might have trouble determinining whether you want flour or corn papusas. That's more an encouraging sign than anything; I'll take a little language help from a fellow waiter any time I can get food that's clearly this authentic and well-loved by the indigenous clientele. One question I was too embarrassed to ask concerned the bowl filled with a tomato-based concoction served on my plate. Was this a cool tomato soup, or a sauce for the papusa? (Fellow Yelper, feel free to enlighten me). Despite my neck-craning in all directions, I could not find a fellow diner with the same dish. I decided to eat it as a soup. It was delicious, and I have no regrets even if eating it that way certified me as the American rube who can't tell his soup from sauce. read more

I'm not convinced the pupusas here are worth the aggravation of the carry out service. Every time I come here the wait is so long and only because the staff is so inefficient. First of all it takes a while for anyone to answer the phone to take an order. When they do they will sometimes get your order wrong so make sure you repeat it exactly the way you want it. Then when you pick up your food you will often be left standing waiting for the only person at the register who is also getting carry out orders, answering the phone and going back in the kitchen for extra items ordered. There has to be a better system!! Where's the manager?? Somebody needs to put all of these staff members to better use and they need a little customer service training. Que lastima porque las pupusas son ricas. read more

Best. Papusas. Ever. I've only tried the papusas and elote tamales, and both were truly delicious. The wait time is a little long but the food is worth it :) I plan on coming back and trying other dishes on the menu, and judging how packed the restaurant is I'm sure it'll be delicious! The only downside is the parking. It's literally always packed. read more

Your view when eating there just plain disgusting. The male food runner poor hygiene, a little old spice would help when approaching the guest. The servers are the worst 17min just to get tap water. Quick to jack up food price, owners attend to your business. read more

Pupuseria La Familiar - This is your view when eating there. Just plain Nasty. - Salvadoran Near Me - Wheaton, Maryland

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Used to be an excellent food .........now I just got out wheaton location its was big disappoints. Salpicon solo cebolla y mi carne azada era recalentada no fresca . Creo que ha cambiado de dueño y cocineros. read more

Pupuseria La Familiar - Salvadoran Near Me - Wheaton, Maryland

First time here and we'll be back, the Wheaton location. Pupusas were some of the best I have had, served with loads of curtido (pickled cabbage) and a great mild hot sauce. The beans here are super--seasoned in a way I have never had before, not at all bland. My wife got a burrito which she liked a lot. Prices are LOW compared to most other places. Don't expect anything fancy: plastic utensils, napkins in a dispenser, maybe 15 tables, carryout also. Service pretty decent, no complaints. If you like Central American food you will be happy here, though there are not all that many Mexican style options (enchiladas). read more

I have only been here for the pupusas so I can't speak for the rest of the menu. The revueltas (pork, bean, cheese) are solid. Very tasty. They are better than some other pupusas I've had at various places in the DMV. Since they do not have indoor dining right now, once I get home I reheat the pupusas in the oven to get them a little crispier after they've been steaming in the takeout box. The staff are attentive and efficient at taking orders and getting them to you quickly. They also have good covid protocols in place. I would recommend them if you are in the area! read more

The food was great. The waitress was very kind and patient. The set up was so cute and there was alot to see. Will definitely be back when I'm in the area. read more

Casual pupuseria with dozens of varieties. The beef is especially good. Also full menu besides pupusas. Parking can be tricky.

Podría decir que le doy un 6 de 10 a la comida, pero el servico es malisimo, las meseras están muy pocas preparadas para tratar al cliente, y el lugar deja mucho que desear en cuanto a la limpieza!! read more

Every time I come here I enjoy my time. The food is very tasty and well made. I love their smoothies. They have a variety of food to choose from. Sometimes it can get very busy but that hasn't stopped me from coming. I recommend their papas locas!! They're french fries topped with yellow mayo, ketchup, and Salvadorian cheese. read more

My friends and I are new to the Wheaton area and this is our favorite place in the neighborhood for some Latin American food. The pupusas are usually pretty good and the yuca comes chicharron is great too. Also, try their tamales! The food takes a while to come out but it's worth it. You should eat at the restaurant, it's not very good to-go. read more

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Never disappointed! Fresh food. Fresh amazing authentic taste. What else can I say? You have to try it for your selves! Customer service always on point. Very friendly & professional staff. One of the best Salvadoreño restaurants in the whole DMV. read more

Pupuseria La Familiar - Carne asada with rice, beans, & salad - Salvadoran Near Me - Wheaton, Maryland

I've visited this location a few times but today I took some family members for lunch. In the past, the service had been pretty good but today it was horrible! We waited about 15 minutes for our order of chips and guac. Then, another 40 MINUTES for two pupusas and Carne asada. After I asked the waitress to check our order, she actually brought us the check.....even though we had not received our lunch yet! It was not an issue of language, as I'm a native Spanish speaker...it was just bad service. The pupusas were quite good but frankly, after waiting so long, I had lost my appetite. The carne asada was just ok. I've had better at Los chorros in Wheaton. Sorry, La Familiar....I wish I could support this business (always looking for a good pupuseria for meetings for work), but I can't after today. I can't recommend this place! read more