Cuisine type: Salvadorian, South American
Atmosphere: austere, diner bench seating
Meal: lunch
Overall score: 7.4
Nina
After a full week of dutifully cooking dinner at home every night, it was our turn to splurge a bit. We had a dining certificate for $25 for this place, though the minimum purchase to use it was $35 - we assumed it wouldn’t be too hard to hit our target from previous experience, but boy were we wrong! This small, austere eatery had entrees in the range of $6-$8, with the fancier options going as high as $11. We decided that we had to take something to go to hit our target, so we planned for a burrito for Sunday’s breakfast and then proceeded to pick out what we’d order for dinner. One thing we noted was that they were so small they didn’t have a liquor license, so the only beverage offerings were extra sweet fruity sodas, so we decided right away to stick with water.
We started out with pupusas, which are traditional Salvadorian appetizers. Really, they are extra-thick tortillas (think ¾” thick) that are stuffed with various fillings. We picked three different ones, just to cover a wider variety of their offerings: the first one was stuffed with cheese, beans and chicharron (fried pork rinds, a much loved treat in South America and other parts of the world), the second was cheese and jalapeno, and the last (and my personal favorite) was cheese and chopped beef (I’d guess it was flank steak but I can’t be sure). These were all tasty, though somewhat heavy due to their thick and dense breadiness, and we soon realized that this would be a very carb-rich and heavy meal.
My entree was the “camarones a la plancha,” which really just means grilled shrimp. The meat portion was fairly generous, though seasoning was close to absent and there was nothing special about the preparation - really just a bunch of medium sized shrimp thrown on a griddle and seared on both sides. This came on a large plate along with mild rice, refried beans (though I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor and integrity of the beans, there is nothing that I like less than the mushy shapeless beans that come in some burritos) and an iceberg lettuce, cucumber and tomato salad that was neither seasoned or dressed. On top of all this, it also came with a side of plain pupusas, which I barely touched since I had all the stuffed once to eat too. There were a couple of sauces on the side which definitely improved the flavor of these pancake like concoctions.
The service was great and the homey family owned feel of the restaurant made up for the austere setup and small space. The food was tasty, though nothing too far out of the ordinary - it made for a satisfying and unique meal in some ways (never had pupusas before, now I know what they are), but it wasn’t anything too far out of the ordinary. This can be a good place for a quick, cheap meal and a little change of pace, though I wouldn’t necessarily go too far out of my way to try this place again.
We started out with pupusas, which are traditional Salvadorian appetizers. Really, they are extra-thick tortillas (think ¾” thick) that are stuffed with various fillings. We picked three different ones, just to cover a wider variety of their offerings: the first one was stuffed with cheese, beans and chicharron (fried pork rinds, a much loved treat in South America and other parts of the world), the second was cheese and jalapeno, and the last (and my personal favorite) was cheese and chopped beef (I’d guess it was flank steak but I can’t be sure). These were all tasty, though somewhat heavy due to their thick and dense breadiness, and we soon realized that this would be a very carb-rich and heavy meal.
The service was great and the homey family owned feel of the restaurant made up for the austere setup and small space. The food was tasty, though nothing too far out of the ordinary - it made for a satisfying and unique meal in some ways (never had pupusas before, now I know what they are), but it wasn’t anything too far out of the ordinary. This can be a good place for a quick, cheap meal and a little change of pace, though I wouldn’t necessarily go too far out of my way to try this place again.
Food 7
Drinks 5
Atmosphere 6
Service 10
Value 8
Drinks 5
Atmosphere 6
Service 10
Value 8
Ben
This is a fun place - I only wish I worked closer as I would love to eat lunches here. We had a restaurant.com coupon which required we spend $35, which was definitely quite a challenge as the prices are pretty low. You order at the counter but they bring out chips and a great homemade salsa. The Salvadoran menu appears a lot like basic mexican food, except their signature, a Salvadoran dish called "pupusas." Pupusas are a thick corn tortilla filled with your stuffing of choice, and a great way to get a variety of flavors by ordering multiple different ones at ~$2-$2.50 each. We ordered 3 different pupusa combos: queso, chicharron, frijoles; jalapeno con queso; carne asada con queso. I actually really liked them, though I can imagine they would become a bit heavy on the dense breadiness if I were to eat them very frequently. I also had a pollo en salsa verde which was a meaty thigh with a tasty (a little soft on spice) salsa verde. To go, I ordered a chicken burrito. We went on a weekend, but apparently during weekday lunches it can become quite crowded, and I can understand why. Overall all the food was good and a nice twist from classic Mexican food, the manager / owner (?) is a funny, easy-going guy, and the place has a very relaxed, fun vibe.
Food 8
Drinks 6
Atmosphere 6
Service 9
Value 9
Drinks 6
Atmosphere 6
Service 9
Value 9
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