La Pupusa Loca 1

The service is the worst i honestly come here just for the popusas. The girl that was serving had an attitude when I asked her if the fans work and she was like idk well honey can u find out so lazy

Went for Valentine’s Day. They serve a lot of food but it’s not that great the left overs I gave them to the dog. No flavor, ordered Plato Tipico Salvadoreno. The only thing i liked was the chicken tamal. The rest not good.

The worse service ever and no curtido for my papusa where they do that at? …the shake was honestly the only thing I enjoyed even the rice that came with my meal was terrible sad part is even when the food isn’t the best I always tip well bc I know what it is to be a waitress but the server was horrible never came to the table to attend or see if we needed anything P. s the bathroom is terrifying

Tienen un servicio al cliente malísimo hay una mesera gorda y mala le habla mal a los niños nosotros éramos clientes de ahí pero desde que ella le dijo a mi hija que los dulces solo son para los clientes nunca más iré a este lugar por q si estábamos ahí era por qué somos clientes que mujer más déspota no debería de trabajar en un restaurante familiar muy malo no lo recomiendo aléjense de este lugar si no quieren que le hablen mal a sus hijos solo le falto que me le pegara que Dios la perdone.

Good pupusas, but the karaōke is too loud and annoying, so we go in and out as fast as possible, which is a shame because we would probably hang out longer and eat and drink more if it wasn’t so loud.
Tip: Come for lunch when there isn’t any karaōke going on.

Pupusas are great. And low cost! As far as the customer service though… they don’t know what that is. We had to waive down our server several times for additional drinks, etc. Just be prepared to order everything you want from the get go and you should be fine. Unless you’re there on a Sunday evening when some goofball gets up and tries to entertain with very poor kareoke!

The chicken tamales and sweet tamales were excellent! Great portions. The fried plantains were stale however.
The steak strips with veggies were good and the portion was great for $ 9.
The chicken soup was just ok — needed more salt bit that’s just my preference.
Garlic chicken was also good. Huge portions!!!
The pupusas were really good but I was kind of thrown off by the pickled cabbage jar… wish they didn’t give them freely to the customers and served in bowls to prevent contamination. I didn’t eat the pickles for that reason.
The sour cream was amazing and they gave a good amount.
Paterson location was sketchy even for daytime. We will be back but for takeout.
This place has really good and authentic food. Pricing and portions are also good.

five star for pupusa only — other than that its like a dive bar.

Stay away from the food, the servers make you feel so uneasy they stare you down and continuously watch what you are doing, my fiancé likes to order the pupusas and they don’t have the delicacy to put the pupusas on a dish instead they serve you on wax paper with a dish that’s made out of plastic with openings so when you poured the salsa and repollo the wax paper leaked all over the table making it so disgustingly uncomfortable to eat. This place is only good to drink… sadly

Good pupusas but not so great service. I only come here for the pupusas and they are pretty good; but the service is beyond slow and this is on a Monday night, I can’t even imagine what it’s like on the weekends. If you go be prepared to wait for your food, and to barely see your waitress throughout your meal so order everything you need ahead of time. We waited about 15 mins for a glass of water and about 10 minutes for a check, and all we ordered were the pupusas so keep that in mind.

I live in the area and have been to and enjoyed myself so much at this restaurant that it has compelled me to write my first Unilocal review. La Pupusa Loca is great (and superior to it’s sister restaurant La Pupusa Loca #2, though only because it’s more comfortable– the food is about the same).
First thing’s first about this place: it is LOUD. There are usually full families there chatting loudly, the music is loud, the karaōke singers are loud, the neon lights are loud in a delightful 80s music video sort of way. This is probably not the best place for a first date, but absolutely perfect for a celebratory occasion with a big group, or just on a night that you want to do something chill and inexpensive but feel like you had a full night out experience. There are also a lot of kids around– it is oddly kid-​friendly for a bar– but it’s so loud in there that they won’t bother you if you are not a kid sort of person.
Second thing: one of you should probably speak Spanish, but don’t not come to the restaurant because of the language barrier. I’ve been here with English-​speakers and the wait staff are extremely accommodating (usually flattered!) and will help you as best they can, but they’re not going to be fluent, so if you are the sort of person that is offended by migrants that haven’t made the jump to fluency yet, don’t bother. I suspect this is also why the food is so authentic and delicious– it’s probably somebody’s grandma making those pupusas in the kitchen.
For the quality of the food, it is ridiculously cheap. Yes, the entrees are expensive, and they are pretty good, but the way you want to approach this restaurant is to order a ton of appetizers for the table. Get a bunch of pupusas, some of the amazing crispy chicken tacos, or my favorite, the tamal con elote. I’m Cuban, so I’m used to my tamales being savory and full of meat in them. The elote tamal at Pupusa Loca is very sweet, almost like the cookie dough version of cornbread. It is great.
The pupusas are the finest I’ve had. They are extremely fresh, the smell of the grilled cheese inside is fantastic, and the meat is seasoned wonderfully. I’m no cabbage person, but the relish is great even on its own.
You will probably spend around $ 10 per person before you’ve realized you’ve made a huge mistake and can’t go on anymore.
The drinks are also ridiculously cheap (if you stick with beer). Can’t speak to the desserts, but I’ve seen them in passing, and almost regretted how many pupusas I’ve eaten.
A perfect restaurant for those who prefer a sense of whimsy with their cuisine. Not for «fancy» people. Big and comfortable and fun in every which way. Oh, and the food is not half bad, either.

I only come to Salvadoran restaurants for pupusas. note: I have been coming to this location for YEARS. During the year, my cousins and I eat pupusas about once a month. I refrained from writing a review here because these were the BEST pupusas we have had in the tri state area, but this past weekend we all noticed that something has changed. Now, it’s one thing if I am the only one that notices because then I could be wrong, but we all managed to mention it around the same time… hmmm
Maybe their regular chef took the night off and I get that, but as the regular/​executive chef you should make sure that your stand-​in chefs get the dishes right. This was definitely not the case. The pupusas were filled about 70% with ingredients that normally fill the entire pupusas up to nearly 95%. That is a HUGE difference, so the outer crust of some of our pupusas were simply discarded; too doughy.
Anyway, we will be back, maybe, but I hope that the chefs get back with the program, otherwise they will lose our loyalty to the Sunset Park food trucks. ;)

Service — great
Ambiance –Ok
Food — OK
Its a big place with cheap beer and latin vibe and ok food. If passing by I would go in again because of the whole thing not only for the food.

The food:
I have gotten a few things here, grilled chicken breast (a whole chicken breast flattened and grilled) The first time it was excellent the second time it was very good, but obviously it was done very differently from the first time I had it. I had it with black rice, which was also delicious and with tostones. The first time I had the tostones they were good; however, the second time I think the cook may have gotten lazy but for some reason I ended up with what looked to be an entire half of a plantain squashed into a giant, greasy tostone that I wasn’t going even going to try. It was already seeping oil and the thought of biting into it just seemed off putting.
I got café con leche from here twice. The first time I dined and had it the server brought me back a small cup of instant coffee with milk. The second time they actually made a fresh cup and it was obviously better. There are some consistancy issues with this place, which pops up in service.
The service:
The first time dining here a
coupon for $ 10 off was used. Now for those not familiar with these. Basically you spend a certain amount and get $ 10 off. You first have to buy these coupons though and you buy them at a discounted price.
then reimburses the restaurant for the amount of the coupon; ergo, no money lost. First time used everything went fine, they took the paper, and all was well. Left a tip, left, returned once between this use and my next for take out, and all was fine.
The second time I used this coupon in the following month is when a boat load of issues appeared out of thin air. The servers that were there (as usual) do not speak English; however, the manager (who wasn’t there and had to be called) does. They took the coupon, redeemed the coupon (which means
will send them $ 10); however, I didn’t buy or spend anything at this point and they refused to honor the coupon for about half an hour. They didn’t understand that when they called and put in the code that they had redeemed the coupon and their business was going to be sent the money. They didn’t understand because they didn’t speak any English. The manager gets called and after a lot of back and forth and back and forth, and yes, another back and forth they honor it. This entire time one of the servers who I assume is some type of supervisor but isn’t a manager had an attitude the entire time. Giving dirty looks and rambling off in Spanish while looking at us.
Essentially, we felt like gaijin in a Japan without our Japanese friend to get us into places marked «No Gaijin, Japanese only»
Fast forward to January 1^st, new year, new month. The coupons have been used here, perhaps now they understand. No, not at all.
At the end of service our server is shown the phone which has the coupon. On it it says «validate“and states that the coupon is good take 10 off the meal; however, our server not understanding any English doesn’t understand, sees it as it is done, puts the phone to her ear and then closes the page that says that message by mistake as we were trying to show her. In good faith after it was evident we weren’t going to get anything it was decided to use use another coupon (which was bought) just as good faith so they could see yes this is what is done yes look here, see there? Good. Which means they were going to get not 10 back, but 20 dollars back even though they really should have only gotten 10 they made an extra 10 dollars off our good faith, just to show them no harm no foul. This however did little good.
The server from last time who had the attitude won’t accept it. She had deplorable attitude kept speaking in Spanish, giving attitude. Finally and unfortunately for the one poor man who spoke English and Spanish, we got a translator. She wasn’t getting it, or rather she wasn’t accepting it. She then pulls out an old paper coupon (which was ours) saying someone else came in and did it and this is how they did it and that they must have a number. It was done in front of them, TWICE NOW, and yet they refused it giving attitude. Our server completely changed her story and said she saw nothing. She demanded we use ANOTHER one so they would get now $ 30, which is more than what the meal was! Eventually she took the 10 snatches the paper with attitude writes on it, gives back change with and gives back change with sass. What drives me crazy here is that they made more than we spent but are mad about it.
The food is okay, but if you’re not Spanish and do not speak Spanish, like most places in West New York, you’re not welcome and shown little hospitality.
The music by the way is ear shattering loud and you can barely talk over it.
Also I once called and asked a question and was met with «no English» then they hung up.

This place is the best place to get pupusas! Its at a great price and you always get fresh food. The only reason for 4 stars is because the ambience of the place even at 11am is like a bar. The music is way too loud to enjoy your food. We always just pick up to go. They used to do deliveries but not anymore. I love going there and won’t go anywhere else when I want pupusas.

Visited several Salvadorian Restaurants around new jersey, but none that could ever compare or top La Pupusa Loca # 1. Food is extremely delicious, while the prices are very affordable. They have Karaōke from Friday thru Sunday and music is a combination of both Spanish and English, depending on what clients request. Would definitely recommend this spot for any one looking for a place to hang out with friends and family. They even have take out and delivery, what else could you possibly ask for. I called for a reservation during the weekend, since it usually tends to get pretty busy and cannot complain about the staff or service we received. Everything was exquisite and better than I could have ever predicted.

When I first moved here I honestly thought it was one of those gogo bars. After I walked around bergenline for a bit and peeked in, I was surprised that its just a regular restaurant. Sorta hoping the waitress would dress a bit more revealing but no its just a restaurant.

Holy moly! This place is serving up some tasty grub. I was expecting Tony Montana to pop out of the kitchen any moment and quit his job as a dishwasher. Pictures on the menu, menus under glass on the tables. Seems they have a full bar. Ultimately this would be a good bar to have on the Berg., they should do a karaōke night or some other god awful marketing ploy to get the youths pile in on the weekends. Maybe they already do because I was there on a Monday night and it was dead. Yes, I realize this local gem is not Cuban cuisine. I did not try the pupusas so let me get that out of the way. I will write an update when I do but really there are many other things on the menu I want to try.
My background with Latin cuisine. I lived in San Diego so I know Mexican cuisine. I have lived in the Dominican Republic so I know the cuisine of the islands.
What did I eat (see pictures)? Chicken with white wine sauce. Yum. Exactly what I wanted.
Holy moly I got the tamal de pollo. Quite possible the softest most decadent tamale I have ever had. Not a bit of dryness on the masa. For $ 2 the thing is huge! The filling was sparse but tasty, maybe could have been better but the masa was out of this world put it in my mouth.
My dad had the pork shoulder. He said it was exceptionally good.
I got the beans and rice as a side. I have to agree with the other reviewer that some of the rice was slightly crunchy. I think it was a bit dried out, and it’s cheap rice. The beans were tasty, I think a red bean. Mix it with the rise, it will soften it up. Woot!
Oh and they have chicaronnes de pollo! Whaaaaat! yes! Can’t wait to try it.
And they deliver. This is me becoming a shut in. No not really.

Went here today. Haven’t been here in a very long time. The food quality has improved.
We had Pupusa with cheese and pork. They taste just like I remember.
The re-​fried beans are incredible and fresh.
The maduros {fried sweet plantains} are perfect with sour cream {crema}.
I even placed an order of Pupusa to go lol.
The service was pleasant.
This is a good place to go with friends, after a crazy week.

I grew up easting pupusas since my step dad is Salvadorean and my mom is Honduran which she makes them from scratch. Since my mom has moved to Florida it has been difficult finding a pupuseria that can match her pupusas. There were 2 restaurants in the Bronx that came pretty close and were very good but have since closed down and I was devastated and lost.
I went on a pupusa excursion with my cousin and needless to say La Pupusa Loca has filled that void. The pupusas are really good and the curtido is done the way I like it, in red vinegar and not the regular white vinegar which most restaurants make it. It takes alot of time to make pupusas from scratch and the curtido the correct way. I understand why most restaurants would shy from it especially if they are busy but nothing is more pleasing as a consumer knowing that you’re food has been made fresh. You definitely can taste the freshness in the pupusas from La Pupusa Loca, there other dishes are tasty as well. I’ve had the steak with onion with white rice and beans, very good. This is my go to place thus far for my pupusa cravings.

When deciding which pupusa to eat, why not choose the crazy one? I do not think there are #2 or #3 restaurants, but maybe this just aludes to the future. This one definitely has enough neon lighting for 10 restaurants, glowing outside and in, reflecting off the clear plastic tables and dishes, creating halos around our plates of food.
I always stay away from horchata made in Central America, even more sweet and sticky than its Mexican counterpart. My dining companion thoroughly enjoyed the one served here though.
Somehow I was so hungry and so ready to devour pupusas that I forgot to take any photos of them, but the little round delicacies normally appear the same way anyways. We piled on the pickled cabbage relish curtido and ate them by hand and fork.
Neighboring Honduras is well-​represented on the menu here, and we had to order a baleada. The beans are amazing inside this rendition, and the full slice of avocado was a nice addition.
We also could not resist the call of the Pollo Hondureño ($ 8), a dish of crispy fried chicken piled with pickled cabbage, tomatoes, onions, lime, cheese, and an orange salsa, amongst other items. The highlight of the dish are the tostones which make great receptacles for carrying all the other ingredients, including the tender chicken chunks that can be pried from the bones.
A walk down Bergenline Avenue and its neighboring streets is definitely a transportation to another place, and despite its urban nature, the two-​story buildings and calm feeling make for a very pleasant night escape from the city. It’s even within striking distance of a Dairy Queen!