El Chero

I don’t understand how people are rating this to be a great place to eat. This place is pathetic. It’s so small that when you’re waiting in line to place your order you’re standing next to people who are seating down eating their food. Practically you can’t move without bumping into them but that’s not the worst thing about this place. The wait for the food. I waited over 30 minutes for my food. YEAH I REALLY DID. Guess what I ordered? Plátanos fritos and 1 pupusas revuelta. I was hoping at least the food would make up for all the bad. I was disappointed I couldn’t believe I waited that long for 4 quarter size Plátanos and a huge river of beans with Knudsen Cream (Sour Cream) when what I wanted was authentic salvadoran cream. Let’s not even talk about their «5 Star» pricing. Never again would I ever come to this piece of junk. They’re lucky the option of no stars isn’t available here.

This is our first time here. Food is tasty and preety good. The menu is a little overwhelming and tricky, if you’re like me, and don’t understand Spanish… but hey, it never stops me from ordering good food like this!
From the outside, you might not think much of even parking and going in, because of all the glass is covered in bars. DON’T LET THAT SCARE and ESPECIALLY FOOL YOU! GO IN!!!
As soon as I stepped in, I could see how packed this place was! It was around 2pm on a weekday, but it was busy and the phones barely stopped ringing with orders. I couldn’t see cook, but I could hear non-​stop slapping, which I’m assuming was the making of tons of pupusas!
The purpose of my visit was the pupusas. Love pupusas! I ordered 2 chicharon con queso pupusas. After ordering, they give you a number on a stand, and they serve you at the table. When my order was brought, they also bring you a jar of pickled cabbage (typically given with pupusas anywhere you go) along with 2 bottles of sauce H and M. The pupusas were thick, moist, and full of pork and lots of cheese.
I immediately dug into the first one, with lots of hot sauce and cabbage. Peruvian pickled cabbage is seriously the best thing ever! The pupusas was yummy, but because they put so much cheese, I could barely get through the second one. That’s the only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5. Maybe others might like more cheese, but I think if it had less, I could have eaten more. Maybe 3! Yeah, too much lol
I also ordered a horchata. Delicious and addicting. Order a large. trust me!
The customer service is excellent! The woman I spoke with was super-​friendly. I asked how long they’ve been at this location and she said «7 years». She then told me about another one in San Pedro and gave me a coupon to use there. Very cool!
I’ll be back here. I wanted to try the tamales con hilote, but they didn’t have any tameles today.
Thanks for some good food!

So many pupuserias around here, but el chero you’re it!!! Pupusas are the best.
Not as greasy as other places and the masa to filling ratio is legit.
Revueltas are my favorite, but I’ve taken a liking to the calabasa y queso. (Pumpkin and cheese) Sooo good! Their curtido is delicious and always tastes fresh and the horchata… addicting.
All the times I’ve been to el chero and they’ve yet to disappoint. Order by phone, that’s the way to do it!
Forever 5 stars.

I was in the mood for pupusas and was happy to find a location close to Carson. The food is tasty. Pretty authentic. The location is in an industrial part of Gardena on a busy intersection. The restaurant is small and unimpressive, but it’s a busy kitchen and seating area. The food is good and prices are reasonable.

I saw a bunch of moms in the kitchen making papusas. So I already knew something good was coming. And Yuppp. Papusas on point. Will come back for sure. Nice service, but I’m here for the food

If ur looking for authentic Salvadorean food this is the place to come. Although the location is very small it stays packed. The food is made fresh so sometimes the wait can be a bit long but it’s so worth it. The pupusas are stuffed with chicharrón or cheese they even have special order pupusas. I come here as often as I can. They have daily specials and the breakfast very well satisfying. Better yet the prices are great.

What can I say? Greatness, awesomeness, just tasty & delicious. Everything is made fresh & the curtido is the best I’ve ever had. I’m very picky about my salsa, curtido & pupusa. Put it this way i live in west covina but drive here to get my Salvadorian grub on

Was excited to try the pupusas here and talked my wife into going here. Ordered 4 pupusas to go. No menu prices anywhere and just paid what they said to pay. We saw people ordering after us and getting there food and more people coming in and getting there food so I thought I’d ask where were our 4 pupusas. They said it was coming. This was 20 minutes already and said they must have forgotten our order. 30 minutes in my wife asked about our order. They said its coming soon. O.k. so 10 minutes goes by and I’m thinking to tell them forget it and give me my money back. I’m pissed and go to the car. My wife waits another 10 minutes and she finally gets our 4 pupusas that took 50 minutes to make. After all of that we had our pupusas when we got home. Not good. They were oily and doughy. Not going back.

I have been a regular here for about a year. The pupusas are the best I’ve tried. The beans, pork, everything is so delicious. They have perfected their recipes! You get a choice of spicy or mild salsa. They are both delicious! The curtido is the best I’ve tried. It has just the right amount of loroco and a few big slices of jalapeño. I really like the ensalada and passion fruit juices. They are usually really busy but the staff is always nice. I’ll be trying the soups soon, since it’s Fall now :)
Their food tastes like it came out of someone’s abuela’s kitchen. You can taste the love. They really know what they are doing here!

I had 2 rice flour cheese pupusas the bestest! I enjoyed them with the freshly made curtido. My kids had the regular cheese pupusas they were enjoying them till the last bite. Delicious. I called to place order and picked it up. With the horchata. Really good as well!

Solid pupusas. Definitely kept me satisfied. More of an order and take out place than a sit down restaurant.

A Pupusas spot in the middle of Gardena whaaa? Not bad at all. I love my spot Los Malcajetes but thesebwere really tasty.

this place is the bomb! the only reason i held out on the 5^th star was because the dining room is soooo dam tiny!!! call and order ahead of time if you want but i can never wait to get home to destroy these pupusas! its cheap, the parking is legit, and its always busy…

OMG, I went back to El Chero today to get my phone order to go order. My sister tried a place by my house in Baldwin Park and it was horrible so I recommended El Chero telling her that this place was fabulous. She said that remains to be seen. I told her ok, I’m going to bring some home on Thursday. I had to call 30 min before my lunch because it takes them at least 20 min to prepare since their made to order. I decided to order some extra for lunch. The calabasa and queso pupusas are heaven! OMG, how did I miss these last time. This place doesn’t disappoint. The pupusas are a decent size and they give you plenty of salsa and curtido. I ordered an agua de fruta which was pretty refreshing and tasty. If my sister doesn’t like these there is something seriously wrong with her because these pupusas are not greasy and they are not stingy with the fillings! It’s so close to my place of employment. LOVE El Chero!

As I sit here waiting for my order, I can eat the pounding of the flour in the background.
This spot is small and found in a plaza on the corner. The menu is all in Spanish and I am so thankful that they have a «to go» menu in English. I am also so thankful that the cashier spoke English because I could order this delicious food.
So each papusas is 2.30. You have a few choices and they all look yummy. We ordered two pork, bean and cheese. Then I also ordered chicken soup for my boyfriend (who’s sick). The soup looks large (in the picture) and I hope it’s delicious at 7 bucks a pop.
They seem to have a good faithful crowd here, double taking me as I tried to order.
Now after getting the food, here’s the review on that. The soup could have been not ordered. It had a chicken leg and I think it was a breast? Maybe a thigh. I couldn’t tell. It was submerged in what they would like to call soup but it was oil based and the vegetables weren’t cooked thoroughly. There was carrots, onions and potatoes. Literally, when opening up the soup, the container was covered in oil. After opening it, the soup was bland and just a disappointment.
I guess people come here for pupusas and that’s ALL you should come here for. They’re flavorful but make sure you add on the cabbage and the hot sauce. Without it, it’s almost pointless. It’s fresh.
I’m happy to say that I’ve tried this place but I can’t say that I would come back. Enjoy friends!

Yes, this is a small establishment, but food is Delish. They have super yummy pupusas. Don’t be taken back by the Spanish only Menu. For you English only literate people there is an English menu on the counter. Most importantly, how can you go wrong when it’s «A» rated!

This is a gold mine! The pupusas are delicious and only come out to $ 2.30! Their Tamarindo agua is also good, it doesn’t taste like that fake mixed stuff, it genuinely tastes real.
They have a nice sitting area, it’s not that big, but they have a television in their and great service.

I’ve been here several times and let me tell you, I love this place! It’s a tiny happy family-​run place with a menu board all in Spanish. For the gringos: Don’t be scared, there’s a printed English menu at the counter. Not to mention, the girl that works there [is totally hot and] always gives good suggestions when I tell her I want to try to something new. She has yet to steer me wrong.
You could stop at the pupusas and die and go to pig heaven, but I think they have a lot more to offer as well. Their horchata is flavorful with a bit of a different homemade taste than what you usually get. Like I said, the pupusas won’t steer you wrong and are cheap, savory and filling. Go for two for a light lunch or four for a pig out. But do the four and you’ll have no room for those delectable plantains that come with beans, cabbage salad, and El Salvador style tortillas (like a pupusa without the filling). El Salvadorean sandwiches are fresh with crisp vegetables stuffed atop a generous serving of meats and come with a light sauce to compliment and power up the flavor. If that’s all not enough, enjoy some offerings from their mini-​panaderia case. There’s a round corn cake in there, like a sweet cornbread that they’ll heat up for you. I defy you not to wolf down the whole thing.

This review is long overdue. I’ve been going here for over a couple years now… and it’s not just because it’s convenient and close to work. Their food is really good. I usually order pupusas and two is good for me, but sometimes I eat three and get stuffed. They run about $ 2 and some change. I usually get the loroco, calabaza, or frijol/​queso. I can probably eat these things all week for lunch. They’re good stuff. But the other day I seen a pollo asado plate on the next table and it looked so good. I couldn’t stop looking at it. That was one of the specials of the day and they have daily specials all week. I have also had their El Chero breakfasts… yum. On a side note, they serve fresh bread with their breakfasts that is so soft on the inside with a nice crust on the outside. Funny how a piece of bread left such an impression.
There’s another great thing about this restaurant. The very nice people who run the joint and their friendly customer service. It’s a very warm, welcoming feeling walking into their restaurant.
I’m glad they’re here in Gardena.

Their pupusas are great! They’re large, and stuffed to perfection. My favorite are the revueltas. The staff isn’t stingy with their toppings.
Their chicken dinner plate is also good. Everything from the grilled chicken to their side salad is fresh and tasty.
El Chero is located in a small plaza on the corner of Gardena blvd and Main st. It’s a small restaurant, so I suggest ordering over the phone and getting your meal to go.
It’s a little pricey compared to other Salvadorean restaurants, but they’re food is worth it.
Yes they take credit cards.