Salvadoran Restaurants near Garden Grove, CA

“We stayed next door at the Great Wolf Lodge and were looking for dinner that wouldn't cost us an arm and a leg. We found this Pupuseria next door and decided to give it a try. I must say that we enjoyed the pupusas very much. They were delicious. The pricing was good and the size is that of your average pupusa. Our server was really nice and helped answer any questions that we had. He came constantly to see if we needed or wanted to order anything else. We actually did order a few more pupusas and a macho banana with condensed milk (which was delicious). I would definitely come back to eat here if I was in the area, or when we come back to the hotel next door. If you are staying at the GWL, just walk over, it's next door. No need to move your car from the crazy parking structure.“

“Sweet Salvadorin Mary and Joseph. Place is crazy delicious. Started off with queso con Pollo pupusa which was perfectly crafted.

Came out with a red sauce my taste buds never knew existed. And the slaw of slaws. I could have been full off of that alone. But dropped in to the Carne Asada plate. Refried beans and rice made me feel like I was back in central America.

Steak was delicious. And all the flavors were very unique. Place is a m a z i n g.

Service was also friendly and fun. Do your taste buds a favor and get in here!

- Tony Pepperoni“

“Muy buena la comida 🥘 todo muy rico“

“Recomiendo rio Restaurante por la comida muy orijinal benga buen servício“

“Love me some pupusass! This spot slaps. Ordered they're chicharon, ruelta, pollo, and vegan spinach pupusas and all we're exceptional. Alongside we ordered they're pollo tamales and horchata which were all bomb.

One caveat is they're cortido could've been more sour for my liking. They're cortido is more on the salty side.

The spot feels very homey and cultural.

Loved it.“

“Was in the area and in search of some delicious Guatemalan food. El Curtido Pupuseria did not disappoint! I ordered the caldo de rez and it was perfect! Flavorful and came with home made tortillas. I also ordered a rice dough pupusas revuelta and it was my first time trying one that’s not corn. The horchata was so yummy! I’m so glad I found this spot! Place was clean, staff was welcoming! Gabby was so kind and friendly, everyone made you feel at home! They also have sweet bread so I took some home! Give them a visit if you find yourself in the area, you won’t regret it! 🫶🏽 Estaba de visita y en busca de deliciosa comida guatemalteca. ¡El Curtido Pupuseria no me decepcionó! Pedí el caldo de res y estaba perfecto. Lleno de sabor y venía con tortillas caseras. También pedí una pupusa revuelta de masa de arroz, y era la primera vez que probaba una que no fuera de maíz. ¡La horchata estaba riquísima! ¡Me alegra mucho haber encontrado este lugar! El local estaba limpio y el personal era muy amable. Gabby fue muy atenta y simpática, ¡todos te hacían sentir como en casa! También tienen pan dulce, así que me llevé un poco a casa. Si están por la zona, ¡visítenlos, no se arrepentirán!“

“The owner prepares everything handmade right when you order it! The prices are low for such high quality food. I noticed a lot of people called ahead to order to go but I enjoy eating there. The pork & cheese, also chicken & cheese pupusas are fantastic! The owner was helpful & her husband is always nice. The menu, which is laid out well. Clean restroom, authentic decor, nice variety of drinks. Music is at a high volume. Yummy spicy curtido and the red sauce is just right, with good spices. So far I have brought two new friends to this place and I will keep bringing more here. I'm excited to have an authentic El Salvadorian restaurant in Fullerton!“

“Absolutely loved this restaurant! The food (pupusas de chicharon con queso & pupusas de revuelta, pastelitos de pollo, and the empanada de plátanos) were delicious! The Salvi Horchata was very good and authentic- I loved it (that's saying something cause I'm picky with my horchata)! Will definitely be coming back and bringing my friends and family!“

“Nancy's is unassuming, a hole-in-the-wall kind of place. I can't believe it took a long time to visit. I've dropped in a couple of times already and enjoyed my meals. They have a local feel when you walk inside.

There is a little bit of a wait, and I think they make the food to order, so it's hot and fresh when you receive it. I recommend that if you plan to take out, call ahead to place your order to save time.

They are known for their pupusas, which I got on my first visit. I was curious after reading some of the positive reviews. I ordered the revuelta and chicken with cheese. Both had great flavors and would consider getting them again.

The flavorful, crispy empanadas were among my favorites. I got the carne (beef) and spinach with cheese empanadas and loved them. The perfectly fried shell and flavorful filling.

Their Salvadoran tamales are prepared in the traditional style, with a flavorful filling and soft, moist masa, wrapped in banana leaves rather than corn husks. I love Mexican-style tamales (especially homemade), so this was a new experience trying Salvadoran-style tamales.

I think most people will order takeout, but there's a moderately sized dining area with tables. It has a local feel and a pleasant atmosphere. The staff was kind and provided great service. The prices are fair for the quality of the food.

I still can't believe I waited this long to visit Nancy's. I can't wait to come back and try other items on the menu.

Note:
There is a little charge for using credit cards, so cash would be better if you want to avoid the CC charge.“

“Don’t let the exterior deter you from some good pupusas. We liked the balance between the masa and cheese. Other places give you a ton of masa and little to no contents. This is not the case here. Good flavor, good ingredients, good curtido and their red salsa was nice and spicy. Look forward to trying others. They had cheese, bean, been and cheese, squash/calabasitas and cheese, chicharrón, and revueltas. We had cheese and a revuelta.“

“El caldo de ayer,me encanto.ese lugat me gusta.porque la comida esta sabrosa.y lo mas importante de un restaurante para mi.es el baño,felicidades estan muy limpios,.les recomiendo este lugar!!“

“Our family loves this small restaurant. Food is always hot, fresh, and tasty. Some favorites are the pupusas, pollo encebollado, carne asada, and the yucca or fried banana for a side. The glass bottles of soda out of the fridge are always cold.“

“Their popusas are the most flavorful and tasty in town.
Their Mexican food is also great. Been coming here for over 7 years - this location ia new but they have another in Costa Mesa. Highly recommend this restaurant. Order ahead because wait times can be 25 minutes.“

“A nice restaurant with good food. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is that the food took 30 mins to come out. I ordered 8 papusas. I can appreciate that it was so fresh and really tasty, but I didn't expect the long wait.
Worth the wait though! I recommend. Ps. The curtido (sp?) Was a bit spicy! Very good food and good prices too!“

“If you're looking for authentic Salvadorian food, this is the spot. You can tell they cook things to order here. I was craving some good pupusas, and we found this place on Google Maps, and I'm glad we did. Excited to go back again.“

“If you would like a southern feeling laid back old school cafe this is the place. Wonderful staff. Wske up in the morning go get old school breakfast nothing outrageous. Just a little on your stomach then hit the beach. They sure keep up this kind of atmosphere. Not expensive wonderful food. And clean old school feeling. I will definitely recommend. Omelet was amazing.“

“If you’re looking for real authentic Mexican food here is the hole in the wall. Delicious Popusas. The birria Tacos with Hand Made tortillas hits the spot! Blessed to have places like this open and sharing our culture foods to others. Come try this place!“

“Giving these wonderful people 5 stars for staying open late for me as I walked in right before they closed—sorry, I thought you closed later. I went with the Chicha y Frijoles no Queso Papusa which came with a nice slaw and it totally stole the show. The papusa texture was like a fluffy tortilla stuffed with goodies that wrapped around the slaw like a taco. The tenderness of the chicharon and crunch from the slaw plus the comfort from the beans really hit home. This mom and pop shop is quaint, reserved and focused on serving up great flavors with love.“

“todo esta delicioso.... la comida 100% salvadoreña“

“Let me tell you, at first glance, the food looks a little sad, but it’s deceiving because the flavors are all there. I guess I missed taking a picture of the beans and rice with the salad. Dang it. But, those sides were delicious. My fish tacos were really good, don’t be fooled by the pic. Sometimes great food isn’t photogenic. The salsas were spicy and flavorful. My wife was craving fried fish so we made the 30 minute drive here, only place close to where we were at that sells fried fish. Crazy, because we were literally at and around Balboa Island, and none of those restaurants offer fried fish. Thank you for our dinner 😊“

“Very friendly and helpful.All the waitress are very pretty.The dishwasher even greeted us with a Buenas Tardes,Opened the door for us.That kicked off a great evening dinning there.Can't complain everything went smooth,Popusas were freshly made brought to us hot.Great way to end a hard working week.Gracias“