Newly expanded and remodeled, same great and authentic Southamerican food. The place was very small and always packed. They've now closed the store and doubled the size of the restaurant. There is plenty of sitting space, less wait, and more good eating! The only mystery here is that they stopped serving COFFEE. WHY????? A good breakfast is not complete without coffee. Come on, guys, what's the deal? They even used to serve hot milk for your coffee and regular cold milk for the kids... as of today, it's gone. When and if you bring coffee and milk back, I will change my rating to 5 stars... until then, you get 4 because coffee or not, the food is still great. read more

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Very very authentic. Nice owner and staff. And they will humor you and speak Spanish if you need to practice. We loved it.

La comida esta rico. I'm choosing to leave this review in English in hopes that more non Spanish speaker give this place a try. Definitely, on of the better Spanish food restaurants outisde of the Mexican restaurants littered all over Charleston. I always get the "Bandeja Paisa" typically a Columbian dish but the make it pretty good here and since I don't know of any Columbia restaurants in the area. I'm all in. read more

Been looking for good Puerto Rican food and this place is it. They have the best crispy plantains I have found in greater Charleston. Don't believe show me one better? read more

The service in this restaurant is the worst in whole Charleston !! It's a shame, good food but the service it's incredible terrible

I lived in NYC for over 50 years so I know a little about Latin food. When I returned to South Carolina I looked for sites that could reach the level of the shops in NYC. Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban, Mexican...I'm talking about authentic food made by folks whose heritage is the cuisine. This place was recommended. If you've read any of my posts you know by now that I like to try new things. The best thing about this place is the price. It's really cheap compared to the amount you get. Enough for seconds for sure. However, that's want enough for the time it took to get there. Was it packed? Yes it was. So seeing all of the families there I was encouraged that the food would be awesome and flavorful. Nope. I missed the sting Latin flavors I was used to. The rice was fine but I expected the beans, I asked for black beans but that not what I got, would be a big burst of flavor. Garlic, sazon, perhaps cilantro. Nope. I sat wondering why the place was so packed. Volume maybe cause it sure wasn't flavor. I've been to get places to eat Spanish food. From NYC to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and countless of Latino homes where mama or grandma was throwing down in the kitchen. I'm still looking for "that"" spot down here. I'll let you guys know when I find it. read more

Very, very clean, and where i sat i could see in the kitchen, Very clean well organised and professional,How hard is that for some of these restaurants to pull off ? You walk into this little market that's up front and you go to the back, And that is where the magic is done. Have you ever said to yourself I want something different I'm tired of the same old thing well here's your chance, If good authentic food very clean almost clinical Is high on your list you need to go in and give it a try. And if you're trying to figure out what countries are Central America look on the wall they have a picture that shows you each of the countries. Now when my wife says you go there a lot I can say I'm in training for our next vacation read more

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Love this place! Authentic Spanish food! I'd recommend the bandeja paisa !!!!!!!!!!!!

I enjoyed my meal here thoroughly! I ordered a cheese pupusas (corn patty stuffed with cheese, maduro (sweet plantains), along with the grilled fish dinner plate. The pupusa was sooo perfectly cooked and cheesy. The sweet plantains were almost dessert like and were the perfect compliment to my savory fish dish. My fish dish came with a large piece of fish that was seasoned better than any grilled fish I've ever eaten here in Charleston. So awesomely delicious! My sides were traditional rice and beans along with a side salad. Lots of food for me to enjoy and I sure did enjoy! By the way, the beans were also well seasoned and delicious. I wish I took pictures but I was so hungry I forgot. This meal definitely hit the spot. Best Latino food in Charleston! My husband and daughter ordered the Bandeja Paisa it's a plate filled with food: steak, sausage, sweet plantain, rice, beans, an egg, chiccarrón (pork rind), arepa (corn patty) and a slice of avocado. Neither of them could finish their meal & both of them were quiet while eating. They said their food was just too good to not try and eat it all. My husband said it was the best meal since his last visit to a Colombian restaurant. All he kept saying once he was stuffed with pure happiness was we will definitely be returning to eat here. Both my daughter and I agree! read more

El Centroamericano - Salvadoran Near Me - Ladson, South Carolina

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I loved the variety of cultural foods and I am learning español so it is good to go there as only one server spoke English. She was so nice and explained so much. We also bought some tea at the grocery in the front. read more

Never knew this was in my own town. Looked it up after watching a street food show. The Horchata was amazing!! I had the fried fish and plantains (not sweet) and it was so delicious. I really like that there's a store in front and restaurant in back. The restaurant area is not huge but surprisingly there's still a lot of room. read more

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Loved everything we received. As authentic as it gets. Service was friendly, food was excellent. We will be back.

Food was great! The lady at the store was so helpful. We can't speak Spanish but pictures posted at yelp were helpful. read more

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For a hole in the wall Mexican store and authentic restaurant in ladson SC, this place puts on and excellent feed. I was stuffed. Great deal and lots of food for the price. Heartily recommend this place but it helps if you know some Spanish or really know Spanish food.  Both choices were excellent read more

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Pupusas were delicious. We definitely have to come back to try some of the other dishes. Plenty of parking, clean, and the staff is amazing. The really got to know us and have us great recommendations. See y'all soon. read more

Tucked away in a shopping mall in back of a tiny groceria, (we were initially not sure they were even open!) it is worth wandering back to the tables for a bit of an culinary adventure. This is not run of the mill Tex-Mex. We started by sharing two Papusas as an appetizer served with a bit of slaw, and green and red sauces. Delicious! This was followed by the fried tomales. Do not expect any meat in these, they are thick cornmeal with a touch of sweetness. We also shared the Bistec con Gallo Pinto, thinly sliced beef with fried plantains and a black bean and rice combo. Authentic and genuine. Friendly and helpful service with excellent advice if you are unfamiliar with Spanish or with the menu items. There is a disclaimer posted about "not being a fast food restaurant" but we agreed the service was just fine and our food came out promptly, though it was a week night and only about half the tables were occupied. Definitely worth a trip back. read more

Now one of my favorite hidden gems in the Lowcountry. In front there is a small insurance agency that uses a small table for its operations. And the rest of the front area is a grocery where cool Central American food and drink can be purchased like tortillas, drinks, and a good supply of things necessary to cook Central American goods. Behind the retail area is a small restaurant where the food is fantastic. I had empanadas that were pretty good. I had several other items that were fantastic. The fruit juice is a very large portion and sweet but very tasty. We got the passion fruit and split it. Their refried beans were fantastic and my wife loved the plantains. We went 2 days in a row so a mix of reviews. Our waitress the first day was pretty fluent in both English and Spanish. The second day our waitress knew little to no English. More authentic for sure but a little harder to order but thankfully the menu has pics and you can point. It really is a fantastic out of the way place that I recommend highly and will be back. read more

El Centroamericano - Passion fruit juice - Salvadoran Near Me - Ladson, South Carolina

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I direct many new in town folks I meet to centro Americano if we make a connection over Culture or being foodies. 90% of the time if they are Latino, they have already been here and agree that it's a little gem and several gave me their word that the horchata is on point. (Horchata is a traditional salvadorean iced cinnamon rice milk, really good when homemade but can also be made too sugary and fake tasting. I still have yet to try centro's horchata but I will) The coke is Mexican coke (same as American coke- but with REAL sugar so it actually tastes better!) I tried the mango juice and that was very sugary and not made with enough mango. The restaurant seems to get very crowded when futbol is on, as there are several TV screens to watch it. Pupusas are a total fail-proof food- you can bring your pickiest eating friend/cousin/sister and if they like cheese and eat wheat they'll love pupusas. I have a bf who is picky this way and he loves pupusas as much as I do- even though he won't try the curtido (a pickled slaw side) that just means extra for me!! My bf orders the shrimp quesadilla and loves it, the shrimp taste very fresh and grilled smokey. I tried the filet fish with spices and I liked that it was saucy and crunchy. I was warned it would be "picante" lol, I'm all for spicy fish!! It didn't taste all the hot though. The rice that comes with the fish is very good too. The service has been really good everytime too. By default, everyone speaks Spanish but you won't be lost if you don't speak any. The waitresses speak English and will speak both if you are a language learner! This gives me the confidence to speak Spanish no matter how silly I sound! I did say I need a moment to look at the money instead of the menu and when I didn't understand what she was asking me with my order of water, the waitress switched to English and asked if I wanted it with ice. read more

El Centroamericano - Fish filet with spices, "pescado avodabo" I was warned it was "picante!" - spicy. But really isn't (to my tastes at least) - Salvadoran Near Me - Ladson, South Carolina

Remarkable papusas and plantains. We love everything about this place, especially the lovely people working there.

Great local Central American food. Pupusas y jugos naturales. Great caldo for hangovers. The food is delicious. Usually busy so you know it slaps. read more

I had the fried red fish and it was excellent. It came with fried plantains and a wonderful salad with avocado slices. Most of the staff do not speak English like a native, so brush up on your Spanish. It is well worth it. read more

El Centroamericano - Salvadoran Near Me - Ladson, South Carolina

This is my favorite Hispanic restaurant. The flavors are outstanding and the food is so authentic. It tastes like the food I had in Miami. Also, don't get any of the Mexican food. It isn't very good, but this isn't a Mexican restaurant so go for their house specials if you want to know what they really offer. I enjoy their pupusas and anything on their house special should make you leave really happy and satisfied. read more

The food was delicious. Was really quick to sit. I felt I was in my parents country town (Nicaragua), friendly atmosphere. Loved the fried chicken, steak with veggies and ox tail soup. I've tried all 3 in different occasions. Amazing food. read more

the servers are very quick and professional, the food is not too flavor of the season is light, the music is good and the place is very clean, read more

Tried this place today with the family. The restaurant is located inside a small latin products store. Service was pretty good and fast. Sitting is kind of cramped but nothing bad. The food was very well priced and the prices were totally in tune with the ammount of food. They have a very good selection of local and imported beers to include centroamerican and Mexican ones. We had the whole fried fish, their house special and a seafood soup, colombian style empanadas and chicharrones all of them totally worth it. We'll definitely be visiting again. read more

My wife used to live in El Salvador and she has been talking about Pupusas since as long as I can remember and we have never found them here in the Lowcountry until today. I have to say these are quite the tasty little treat. We tried both the cheese and the mixed versions. The mixed are stuffed with pork, cheese, and beans. The staff was super sweet and food very hot and all sorts of yum. Its a bit off the beaten path and the front is a small grocery store and you find the restaurant in the back. Definitely worth a stop....2 thumbs up! read more

El Centroamericano - Salvadoran Near Me - Ladson, South Carolina

With this visit I have officially decided that I will never find a place in Charleston that serves Latin food as good as Miami. That being said, this place is a close second. The Popusas were delicious and my favorite part of our meal. The chicharrones were fresh, and crunchy but could have used some salt. I had the Plato Típico with the Carne Asada and Gallo Pinto and it was delicious and very filling. My husband had the Medio Pollo Frito and he was very happy with it as well. It is important to note that the plaza where this place is located is very sketchy. The restaurant itself, however, is very clean has new furniture, and is well maintained. The entrance has a small grocery store with all of your typical Latin American staples including cheeses and desserts. I will absolutely be back here and would encourage anyone looking for authentic Latin food in the area to do the same. I wouldn't go to this place for Mexican food though, there are plenty of great places to get tacos and such, come here for a brand new experience. read more

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El Centro Americano has great Central American good. My wife is Honduran and her family visits this place regularly. This is honestly the only authentic Central American place we've found in Charleston. The portions are huge, the staff is friendly, and they even have a little market in the front of the store with Central American groceries that are tough to find elsewhere. Definitely worth a visit if you enjoy Central American cuisine. read more

El Centroamericano - Pollo frito con tajatas verdes - Salvadoran Near Me - Ladson, South Carolina

Great service! Great hole in the wall place. I will definitely be back. I had the Torta Cubana, if you like variety it's the sandwich for you. read more

El Centroamericano - Salvadoran Near Me - Ladson, South Carolina

I have been searching for good carne asada ever since I left California, and I had given up hope until today. This place is great. Very very espanol. Great carne asada beef. read more

El Centroamericano - Salvadoran Near Me - Ladson, South Carolina

Just sat down and a waitress was right over. Polite and well spoken. As I have never been here before asked for a recommendation and went with it let's see how it turns out lol! Food is hot and the wait was what I would expect. So I think I got the Typical Plate and it was great. A little much for lunch but now I have dinner or lunch for tomorrow. I gave it four stars because I have never been here and believe five stars are for places that deliver with every visit. Since I like "Mexican" and the place is across the street from work I am sure I will be back soon enough to give it that last star! Great place. read more

El Centroamericano - Salvadoran Near Me - Ladson, South Carolina

We almost always get pupusas. They're not the best ones we've had, but they're quite good and might be the only ones in Charleston. Green sauce is delicious and super hot for a gringo like myself. Pretty good selection of Central American fare with a confusing menu (it will say things like "huevos rancheros" and the description is "ranchers eggs" but no explanation of what that means at all). They just re-did the interior so that's nice but they also opted to go with the iPad-based billing system which I hate. All things considered, it's good food and reasonably priced and we'll be coming back for ages. Side note: you might have to learn about Latin holidays as we tried to go here on Dia de los somethings and they weren't open. It might've been a family emergency that coincidentally was on a holiday or it might be that they observe holidays from their native culture. read more

This place is real authentic Central American food!!! Highly recommend!! Their prices are reasonable.

We have been to this place a couple of times and it has become a family favorite. It is authentic Latino food. We love the chicken tajadas, paisa, carne asada, pupusas etc. The mart at the front of the store has imported goods from different Central American countries. I definitely recommend eating here at any time! read more

One of the waitresses ('our' waitress) was a difficult person to communicate with and not particularly friendly. I speak fluent Spanish and English and she spoke almost exclusively in Spanish and didn't understand when I spoke some English. My native Spanish-speaking family was also having a hard time getting this woman's attention fixed as they gave her their orders, and had a hard time pulling answers out of her that were appropriate to the question asked. She did not explain the menu well at all. Assumed we should've known things that are not very common. (my wife ordered a chicken enchilada, and instead of telling her immediately that they don't serve chicken enchiladas, she simply put in her order as the enchilada as they make it - with only some weird goopy cheese mixture. When my wife asked her about this, she gave no solution whatsoever and turned back to the kitchen as soon as earthly possible, leaving us absolutely stunned at her inability to read the situation and/or care about an obvious grievance.) I am NO stranger to Latin American food and culture but the people who work in this little half restaurant/half store seem to think that customer service is an open option that they can freely ignore without consequence. Also they ticketed our food incorrectly and charged us more money for the tacos we ordered. Did I bring this to their attention? No. Is that why I am complaining here? No. It was a relatively small amount overcharge and would probably drain their last drop of customer service If I chose to bring it up. This does speak to their lax attitude about menu and pricing. I want everyone to know what you are walking into before you make your choice. That is why I took the time to write this. We left as soon as the last person was finished eating. I was tired of running someone down to get a to-go box, and tired of feeling like an inconvenience to the workers ( except one other waitress who had started to pick up the slack of our first waitress who suddenly disappeared on us after the enchilada incident). We were calm, friendly and forbearing the entire time, and never rude, but certainly disappointed by the end. We, the tourists, left this place with our high hopes deflated. Why am I not bringing up the quality of the food? It is absolutely no different than any other taqueria or Mexican restaurant you've been to (except no chips and salsa, being somewhat more 'authentic'). If you need to eat Mexican food, you won't be disappointed, but if you can manage to wait, just wait so you can go somewhere that you won't be an inconvenience. read more

Man this was good eating!! Does it seem like every restaurant attached to a grocery store has delicious food?? Or has that just been my experience. We decided to hit up Centro Americano before day 2 of the Southern Ground Music Festival. A friend had mentioned their food was good and it was right down the road. The place was packed when we got there, but we were able to snag a table. We decided to order a couple of items and share. My friend mentioned the pupusa, which I'd never had before. If I recall correctly, they offer it with meat, cheese or both. I think we ordered the one with both. To be honest, it was just okay. Of course I can't say whether it was done right or done well because I've never tried that dish before. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything to write home about. We also ordered the torta (sandwich) and 3 tacos. Man ALL of that was soooo gooood!!!! We were so stuffed and happy. I stuck to water but my companion ordered the melon water or juice, not sure how they refer to it but it was very tasty as well so upon our return, I'll definitely try that fruit juice as they have a variety of options. Nothing fancy but anyone who doesn't get that food doesn't have to be fancy to be good, doesn't get good food. :) To top it all off, our final bill was so cheap, we double checked it was right! The service was good, the food was delicious, and the bill was cheap. What else do you need?? read more

What a diamond in the rough! Love this place.. start out with pupusas for everyone at the table plus maybe order a few extra because they are to die for!! I had the steak with peppers and onions gallo pinto... I wish I had saved some but, it was so delicious I cleaned my plate. I love the little store in the front that carried hard to find Central American grocery items ... nothing fancy just good authentic food, great service, and honest prices!! read more

El Centroamericano - Menu - Salvadoran Near Me - Ladson, South Carolina

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Super delicious food! I had the Pollo de plancha plate and I wish I knew how to cook chicken like this! It came with a simple side salad, rice and beans a slice of lime and 2 small tortilla shells. The waitress approached us and said Buenas tardes, and once I said hello she switched to english. But I love places that approach me in Spanish great place to try and practice my spanish. It is located in a small shopping center and is at the back of the grocery store. I would agree with other reviews it's more authentic food. I would highly recommend this place! read more

El Centroamericano - Outside of Centro Americano restaurant. - Salvadoran Near Me - Ladson, South Carolina

Great authentic Latin food. Price is great. Portions are good. Service was awesome. Old school diner inside a grocery store.

We are not close to home and this has been the closest food to home made in the area. Fyi food could be hit or miss when it's too crowded.