I should have stopped in this place long ago. And while I debated reviewing it cause they are…read moreplenty busy and I kind of want to keep it to myself I worry that someone out there like me needs this places as badly as I did. When I moved to STL well over a decade ago I bemoaned the lack of good Latin American food. I have since found a lot of good places that I love but I didn't realize til I was eating my lunch how big a gap was still there. I ordered tacos al pastor -- a favorite since I was in Sonora years ago and ate them multiple days in a row cause this street vendor was amazing. I order them a decent frequency but I now realize I haven't been truly satisfied til today. Seriously, I am wondering how quickly I will be back because these were incredible. Al pastor is a unique flavor profile and it goes in-depth, these folks GET IT! I took a bite and absolutely closed my eyes as I chewed because this was the al pastor I so often miss. I ordered two tacos al pastor and one asada. They came the Mexican way, simple onion and cilantro which I asked to clarify as recently I ordered street tacos and found them served with lettuce and cheese and was not happy. These were perfect. The steak was good but man I needed those al pastor tacos! Two would have been plenty and at $3 each what an inexpensive lunch! Other reviews mention lots of the other things that touch on the restaurant: - they have sections by country for Salvadoran, Honduran & Mexican foods - customers are mostly Central American, a combination of families and work crews - it is Spanish speaking by and large for staff and customers. - it's bare bones, simple tables and chairs, coolers with drinks and very few bottles behind the bar/register - chips were good (thick not too salty) with red and green sauces, the green was a bit hot for me but I mixed a bit into the red. I am so going back and hope to stay in the minority with English as my first language. They speak the language of slow cooked flavor!

My husband and I just moved here from LA, and we've been searching for some authentic Salvi-Mex…read morefood that reminds us of home. So far, this has been the best we've found in the area! The tacos and pupusas were SO good, and the servers were very kind and attentive. We got the asada and pastor tacos, pupusas revueltas, torta especial and horchatas! First off, it's so hard to find a place that makes their tortillas in-house, so that was already a huge plus! The curtido and salsa for the pupusas were also really good. Everything tasted fresh and authentic. I also saw some reviews complaining that some of the servers only speak Spanish, but honestly, that's part of why I'm writing this review. This place is AUTHENTIC -- authentic food and an authentic experience. As Salvadoran and Mexican people ourselves, this is exactly the kind of place we've been looking for. If a language barrier makes you uncomfortable, there are plenty of more Americanized/gentrified Latin food places around. But if you want the actual good, authentic food, this is the place! We'll definitely be coming back!

I was in town with friends and this restaurant did not disappoint. The food was so amazing I had…read morethe quesadillas. The chicken flavor was delicious, the chips were good and fresh when they came out, the salsa was good a little spicy but as we know salsa at any restaurant is hit or miss on spice but my other friends thought it wasn't. The drinks did not disappoint had a watermelon mixed w/pineapple margarita. Perry, was very nice and attentive to our table and his other tables while I observed. This is a small restaurant but they check all the marks we were greeted when we arrived at the door with smiles and kindness which is always a great start so I didn't expect anything less. Five stars lol no, 10 is appropriate EAT HERE DO NOT PASS THEM BY! *Perry was an awesome waitress* Thank you for taking care of us!!

Very good visit that was highlighted by our server, Maricela. She was so friendly and knowledgeable…read moreof the menu. My vegetarian wife had the Bean Tostada and I had the Chicken Fajitas. My wife loved her tostada and my fajitas were good...not great. The chicken seemed to not have a lot of flavor. The Margarita's on the ricks were good...again, not great. What is odd it that I was charged for Vegetarian Fajitas as well. I did not look at my receipt until I was 2,000 miles away. The Manager of Chavas credited my Visa was he informed of the issue. Again, Maricela was key in rectifying the issue. Chavas was very good and we would return if in the area.

The custom service is A1!Everything is made to order!So brace yourself for some authentic fresh…read moreMexican food.I love the fact that the restaurant is very homey.Not over the top and loud like newer places.We definitely will back.Highly recommend.Great people!

One of my favorite Mexican spots in town. Worth the wait! Try the steak ala mexicana!!read more

I want to start this review by saying I do not expect anything in return and that I truly enjoyed…read morethe first half of my meal. The flavors, sauces, and cooking seemed great. I also do not want to provide undue negativity to a non-corporate local spot. This review is purely to provide caution to other diners and a message for the owners to clean up the establishment. I got a Togo order with empanadas and the pollo cena and the plate was stuffed full. So full the lid couldn't close. That's a good thing. I ate one empanada and only a third of food and the rest I went to save and that's when I saw the cockroach. Bugs are simply unacceptable. I cannot in good faith return to this establishment. I wish them well but you need to clean your spot to protect yourself and your customers. Good luck.

The chicken here is EXCELLENT. The tajadas are also delicious. This is a great place to go to if…read moreyou want to try different Latin American cuisines instead of the better known ones. Highly recommend.

Apparently I missed the memo that Mayo Ketchup was no more and Salsa Rosada was the place to be! I…read moredecided to check this place out early Saturday afternoon. I walked in and decided bar seating looked best so I could watch tv. I was immediately given water, menus, and some time to decide. I was craving something sweet, so I got some passion fruit juice and decided on the steak bowl with arroz con gandules as my entree. The dish comes with steak, black beans, pico, white rice, jack cheese, and maduros. I think most dishes can be customized, but rest assured they're nothing short of flavor! Since I was one of few people, my dish came out rather quickly. The steak was tender and flavorful; the rice was seasoned perfectly and the maduros were fried to perfection. Everything was even better than I imagined. The server/bartender did a great job at keeping my water refilled and making sure I didn't needed anything. I was quite pleased with the food and service overall and I look forward to my return visit.

Finally! I made it to this place. And I was not disappointed. I went with a friend and she also…read morereally enjoyed it. We ordered grilled chicken bowl, chicken and a beef empanadas, Cuban sandwich, maduros (sweet plaintains), avocado salad and Nutella empanadas! Obviously I took some home. All the food was really good. The Nutella empanadas were stand outs. The other empanadas were good but a little greasy I think because I ordered the corn. Maybe the flour ones are not so greasy??? They have a fair amount of indoor seating without the tables being too close. Also there is an outdoor patio which is where we sat. Might be better to be under the awning so no rascally bird puts a deposit on your food. (It barely missed the the Nutella empanadas) I can't wait to go back to try more menu items.

We still love this place! I'm not sure how many times we've been here over the past few years, but…read morewe've never had a negative experience here. My husband and I have been here a number of times, we've brought our (adult) daughters and their partners, out of town visitors, and we've recommended it to friends. Some of our friends went on our recommendation and enjoyed it. Again, I have to say that we love the vibe, the staff, and the food - probably equally! We sat out on the covered patio last night. It was pretty hot out, but the cover and the fans made it feel okay out there. We ran into neighbors as we were leaving. It's about 35 minutes from our house and we have never seen anyone we know there. They were enjoying it as well! The only negative I can think of is the restroom situation. There is one restroom with one toilet - plan ahead! There's usually a line. We'll definitely be back!

This is a hard review because in my party of 4, my meal was horrible but everyone else had a…read moretasty-gratifying meal. To start, we ordered the guac. It's not authentic guac with chunks of guac, instead it was creamy and didn't have a clumps of avocado or flavor. It was more of a blended consistency with just a smashed avocado flavor. The chips were awesome! I ordered the mahi-mahi tacos. The first one that was brought to the table was fried so well done the fish inside was rubbery and dry, and the outer coating was black. My waiter apologized, visually confirmed that the dish was not right, took the dish and 5-10 minutes later brought out the same dish, assuming this one would be better. It wasn't. The fish was overwhelmingly fishy smelling, dry and overall, I felt like I would've had a better meal at McDonalds ordering their Filet o' fish. Ugh! The waiter took the one bite eaten from the taco dish and removed it from the ticket. He asked if he could bring me something else, but so much time had passed between the last 2 mix-ups that for me to order anything to replace the meal, my party would've left me at the table so I just had chips for dinner. Where I see an issue, is one would think a manager would've come over apologizing, or something. Yet, I felt like the bad guy sent to her room with no dinner. When the bill came, the waiter, what I feel like intentionally put the bill directly in front of another person from our party rather than in the center of the table. Probably because that person loved his meal... A person in my party got the 3 taco dinner- only ate one taco. Packaged up the other two tacos. I paid, tipped 20% assuming it wasn't the waiter's fault. And we walked out. We got to the front door, the person in my party that had boxed up the 2 tacos realized she left her box at the table, turned around 1-2 minutes after leaving, went back to the table and our waiter said he threw away the box! It wasn't busy ... I understand wanting to clean a table, but there should be some protocol of if this happens, maybe the bussers have x number of minutes before they throw away a meal that someone intentionally boxed up to take home. So -2 stars- I won't go back but if you try this place you might get something delish. My hope is you fall on the positive side of these reviews.

The food was so good and everything tasted really fresh! It's a smaller shop with all of the…read moreseating outside, but the weather was perfect, so it was actually really nice to sit outside and enjoy the atmosphere. I got the burrito bowl and absolutely loved it. The guacamole, queso, chicken, and all of the toppings were so flavorful and fresh--everything came together perfectly! The margaritas were also a highlight. The spicy jalapeño margarita was SO good, and their frozen margaritas were delicious too. Definitely a great spot for fresh food, good drinks, and a fun outdoor vibe. I'll definitely be back!

Plenty of parking in the strip mall. Seating outside only…read more Service very friendly and helpful. Tacos. 6/10. Tacos were fresh. Not very hot thermally. Flavor was ok. Could've used more to my taste. Used the green salsa to help there. Birria pizza. 6/10. It was tasty but the tortilla was not crispy and a bit soggy. We ate there so this was right out of the kitchen. Nachos looked good but I would've needed more queso.

I was craving pupusas, tamales and plátanos - all three were fantastic!!! I was so delighted to…read moresee we had such a restaurant in St. Louis!

This is a little slice of home. My family is Honduran and this spot is even parent approved! We…read morelove their fried fish, tacos, enchiladas, empanadas, etc. everything we have tried has been delicious! The service is always wonderful. Portions are huge and it's incredibly affordable.