El Salvador

Based on Unilocal reviews, we went there with high expectations. We were disappointed. I ordered fried fish which came with rice, beans and tortillas. The tortillas were good but the fish was over-​cooked and frankly not tasty. The beans were in a sweet sauce as if taken from a can. My friend ordered pupusas and a tongue taco and they were both decent. The «te de Jamaica» (the red Jamaican tea typical of Mexico) was very sweet and somewhat diluted in water. By the way, the restaurant moved to the corner and the previous place sells pizza. We are not going back.

This restaurant is no longer called «El Salvador» now it’s Melina’s and it’s been relocated to 500 Burnside Av.
Now here is my review.
I’ve been coming here for about a year, and the food is simply delicious, but most importantly, reasonably priced.
Everything is made from scratch, so the end result is a fresh and tasty meal.
I personally like the pupusas and the breakfast plate, but they sure have a lot more offerings.
If you want to try Salvadorian food, this is the place to go.

Pleasantly surprised! This is place is as good as it gets if you want authentic El Salvadorian/​Mexican food. I ordered Caldo de Res, it tastes just like the ones I had in Yucantan Mexico. They also have Pupusa if you want to go all the way Salvadorian.
Would definitely go back.

I love this place its a little hole in the wall type establishment. If i was to judge the food off the way the place looks i would have just drove by. I love the tortas and pupusas. If you are searching for authentic salvadorian food this is the place to go.

While I initially gave it a 5 I have revised my rating to a 3. I think a 3 is decent. It’s not bad by any means like the other reviewer suggests. Their pupusas are neither the best nor the worst I have had. I went back with my mother who flew in from Los Angeles and was born and lived in El Salvador for 30+ years. I tried a pupusa de queso, revuelta and one with queso and loroco. I wasn’t as impressed this time. Something was off with the cheese and it didn’t have the texture it normally has.
I have been to thousands of Salvadorian restaurants over the years in Los Angeles, SF, El Salvador etc and they are rarely very nice or very clean looking. It’s almost an accepted fact. You shouldn’t go there expecting a modern restaurant that is spotless.
If you are craving a pupusa or food from El Salvador you should check it out. Unlike Shane I have not become sick, nor has my fiancée nor has my mother.
Shane’s claim that the pupusas were not made fresh is a bit absurd. I’ve seen pupusas be made and reheated pupusas taste completely different than fresh ones. The pupusas here are definitely fresh. You can peek in the back as they make them if you really want to.

Worried about the high calorie pupusas revueltas? Don’t worry; they’ll turn into a nightmarish case of calorie purging diarrhea before you know it.
The pupusas themselves are leathery, and so difficult to cut that I would bet a large amount of money on them being frozen. Considering their hesitation to make even simple cuts on their chicken, to remove the spine or keel bone in the breast so you can actually cut it, I would guess the talent it would take to fill corn dough with gravy is too much work. It would surprise the shit out of me if they were handmade, assuming that crap wasn’t literally shooting out of me already.
Which brings me to my next point: this place is filthy. There were gnats floating around in my glass. The hot sauce bottles were all crusty. The cooler in front looks like it could use a good cleaning, too. Judging by the host of delivery guys lounging here and smoking cigarettes in the doorway so they can continue watching the soccer game, I would venture to say they aren’t very worried about keeping the place too clean.
The carne asada was cooked with a vengeance, turned completely to charcoal in some spots. Also, all of the food was ironically stained with spices yet so bland we could barely taste it. To be fair, the beans and rice tasted okay.
(Shaking fist at sky) Why do you hate me, God?! Whyyyyyy??? Do your colon a favor: ignore the boyfriend/​girlfriend couple who both rated this a five, and make the drive to Salsa’s in Springfield.

This place was such a pleasant surprise! I went in with relatively low expectations and I was totally blown away by how amazing the pupusas were.
I really recommend making a visit if you like Salvatorian food!

This place is GREAT! Cozy, clean, friendly. Most importantly, good, quality, homemade Salvadoran food. Great pupusas, tamales, dinner or lunch plates. I’ve liked Salvadoran food since traveling there 20 years ago, and this place brings it all back! It’s a hidden treasure, off the beaten path, but for some reason our GPS sent us there. So glad it did.