El Cuscatlan Restaurant

We got three cheese and bean pupusas today with extra curtido for 2.50…read more These are the best pupusas in the East Bay. Large, stuffed generously and just delicious. We loved their red spicy sauce and super crunchy fresh curtido. They are packed into small zip lock bags. I forgot to take photos since I was hungry. This little shop is in the middle of nowhere next to a small auto parts shop and parking is limited. The immediate area is ugly and industrial but the pupusas keep us coming back. Best taken to go. It's not a comfortable spot to eat in. We paid 4 dollars per pupusa to go. Friendly staff. Highly recommended.

The freshest most authentic Salvadoran food I've ever had. Recently, I came and ate here twice in…read moreone day it was so good. My go to is the 3/$12 Revuelta pupusas and the Plantains with the beans . Top tier beans and plantains. I am so glad I found this place. It is very close to my work. I do recommend calling in your order at least 30 minutes before so that it'll be ready for you to pick up. sometimes they do not answer their phone but they will give you a call back. Keep in mind they do not accept tap pay, but they do accept Zelle and Venmo if you need to make a mobile payment. It is small and cozy inside but there are at least 4 tables if you want to dine in. They do have a few tvs if you were there to relax while waiting or out with your family. Being new to the area, this place will definitely be my go to for pupusas.

Cheese pupusas, these are the best I've ever had

See all

Pupusas

Xinia's Bakery

4.6(270 reviews)

5.1 mi

I love Xinia's! They are one of my 2 regular spots in the neighborhood. I bring everyone who visits…read moreme there. The food is truly superb and the staff are lovely. My favorites are the desayuno, the carne guisada, and the yuca frita. I also love that they have so many different aguas frescas, and fresh squeezed juices. And the TORTILLAS! So FLUFFY!!! I like to sit at the outdoor tables when the weather is good, and unfortunately, Xinia's is right next to busy San Pablo Dam Road, so it gets noisy out there. This is the biggest downside. Still, I'm glad Xinia's is where it is, close to me, on SPD road where we need them. I have a gluten allergy, so I can't speak to the many pastries they offer. I can only imagine that they're delicious like everything else.

I used to come here more often when I worked in Richmond as it was on my way home. Yesterday, I was…read morein the area and figured I would stop by. I am so disappointed at the food changes and feeling bad to give a bad review as I love supporting small businesses and love Salvadorean food. There's a lot of room to improve. I've been eating Salvi food since I was child. If you order to go check before you leave. I had an item missing. I called and was able to get a refund. She handled it nice too since she forgot to add it. I took food to go. I added pictures on all. The tamales both chipilin and pork were good. The masa was excellent. The size was small to medium. The pupusas are tiny, they are good but nothing extraordinary. As they are small there's no cheese stretch or a good feel about the filling. The masa is good. The quesadilla pasty was crumbly, it did not feel fresh. It was dry with no flavor compared to ones I've eaten before. The best Salvi quesadillas are moist. The guava, pineapple, and custard empanada pastry were small. The pineapple one did not feel fresh, more on the dry side, crumbly compared to other flavors. The pork empanada was probably the worst. They were tiny with hardly any filling. The empanadas usually have a ground meat or shredded chicken. This one had pieces of pork so it was not flavorful at all. There's table seating indoors and outdoors. The yucca con chicharron was okay too. Usually it comes with a salad like but this one came with 1 beet, 1 slice of tomato and 1 slice of cucumber with a small bag of curtido. No sauce. Tip: The server gave me a business card and recommended to call for orders to go as the waiting time was 30 minutes. I did not mind waiting. I appreciated her sharing this. Tip: recommend the pork tamal. The pupusas if hungry get at least 3.

Yucca con chicharron

See all

Tres Leches Cake- Customized to your liking.

El Cuscatlan

2.7(195 reviews)

5.9 mi

Terrible service…read more They charged me for churrasco salvadoreño $50 for each when on the menu they are at 28.99 I ordered 3 and they charge 150 for the 3 I will never come to this place again No vengan a este lugar se amargarán el día como me pasó a mí

always get Pollo Encebollado or Pupusas, I don't understand…read morethe negative reviews because food for me is always 10/10, yes sometimes when you go in service might be slow or rushed but they're always busy so that's understandable. Also I finally tried their alcoholic beverages and I got the adios MF and 10000/10. I'm Salvadorian and this is the only place I get my pupusas in Richmond.

Dining room

Fried Tilapia

See all

Rinconcito Salvadoreno

4.1(166 reviews)

7.1 mi

Amazing papusas, i wish i had tried this place a long time ago. Definitely would recommend trying…read morethis place!

Friendly service, not the fastest but the FLAVOR is amazing! I def recommend this place, I can't…read morewait to come and try more of their menu.

Fried plantains and sour cream

See all

Horchata

El Sitio Restaurant

4.0(99 reviews)

6.4 mi

Great shrimp burrito. May need to replace their chips though...not as great. A little thick and not…read moreas crispy/light. Service is always friendly and quick!

OMG love this place, great food good service, open space, great for a nice family brunch... or my…read morenight craving snack

Las mejores pupusas que he probado en el área de la bahía, excelente servicio y calidad... 100% recomendado

See all

La Costa Del Sol

3.6(151 reviews)

7.1 mi

Service is great I luv how inviting this place is , also vary spacious lots of tables and parking…read morethe food is good I have been looking for good papusa and I have found it since moving to Vallejo from SF mission the food is very tasty and the staff is great

I was craving some Mexican food and decided to try a new spot, so I came to La Costa del Sol. I…read moreordered a steak quesadilla, and honestly, it might be one of the best quesadillas I've ever had. The steak was super flavorful and cooked perfectly. The guacamole and pico de gallo were fresh and really complemented the dish. I also appreciated that they included shredded lettuce on the side, that's a small touch that I always enjoy having it with my quesadilla. The only downside was the sour cream. It was really watery, and I was a little nervous that it might've been spoiled. That part was disappointing. Overall though, the steak quesadilla was amazing. I'll definitely be back for that and I might even try the steak burrito next time.

Part of the restaurant

Sopa de res.

See all

Kaliente Restaurant

3.4(269 reviews)

4.8 mi

Warm greeting when I walked in, assisted me with ordering options. Their tap pay doesn't work so…read moremake sure to have cash or card on hand. The food: I had ordered the pupusas plate: 2 pork n cheese with black beans and rice as sides and my partner ordered pupusas plate pork n cheese but replaced sides with fried plantains. Pupusas are 5/5 for sure! They're not greasy and they're crispy! The cabbage salad is on the saltier side than the usual places I've been to. That was 3/5. The plantains were very soggy and greasy and burnt at the same time 2/5.

Walked in and small inside but as good seating friendly attentive staff menu is pretty decent lot…read moreof variety to choose from Mexcian food to salvadorean food why not have both !! Had pupusas which did not disappoint they were fluffy cheesy and delicious also had the steak tacos very nice portion and full of flavor can't go wrong overall great place great food !

Dining room

See all

Ambience

La Cuchara

3.8(152 reviews)

6.6 mi

First time trying biria in La Cuchara and it was the best biria I've had so far. I've gone to other…read moreplaces to eat biria but so far this is the best for me. Great customer service and very friendly owner! I'd recommend this place to anyone. Great food, great vibe!

Hi everyone, I just want to say that the food here is awesome. I have the beef soup and pupusas and…read moreit's just amazing. Plus, the service is great the place is clean and the staff is friendly. Nice vibe here !! Come by and enjoy the food.

Paper thin piece of fish in the fish tacos. Only this piece!!!

See all

El Mono

We loooove el mono. We decided to do a trip to the east bay today and decided to stop by our…read morefavorite Peruvian spot. I was greeted by Andres who was friendly and we asked to sit outside with our puppy. Andres stopped by many times to ask if we needed anything. Our server was Marlene who was very sweet and helpful. The paella takes a bit of time to come out but didn't notice that bc we were munching on some nice toasted corn and green sauce. We also ordered the pollo del buen Chico for the puppy who loved it. They also gave him his own water bowl. It was fresh and tasty. Our paella was tasty as usual. The outdoor seating area is nice and private and quiet and clean. Gotta come back the next time we're here! I wonder if they still have the live music on Fridays/saturday nights which was very nice.

Service, food., music, ambience…read more Consistent and no complaints. Been coming here since they opened and I have not been disappointed.

10.3 mi•Downtown Berkeley

Miti Miti. Very refreshing! Get this if you like variety ;)

Calamari yum

See all

Papa a la huancaina

Pupuseria Y Restaurante Platano

4.0(1.1k reviews)

Great food! Hubs is from ES and says this place is as close to his grandmother's cooking as he's…read morecome across...and just as tasty. Generous portions, too.

I ran across this place on my way to another restaurant. Pupusa are one of my favorite latinos…read morefoods. They had just opened so there weren't alot of folks in there, so I got seated right way. They have an extensive menu and there are three locations, one close to my house, but love how especially in the University setting they're including in culinary diversity. I settled on the $25 lunch option that came with 2 pupusas of your choice and various sides to choose from. They are listed as different combo. Service is ok, but I tend to like service where they check in once or twice and I'm good, which what they did. They also didn't rush me. I ordered the combo with chicken & Cheese Pupusa and Loroco & Cheese, plantains and rice and beans with sour cream. I love plantains and they gave a healthy portion and I was getting full on that and the rice and the first pupusa. I also love they they bring out a little mason jar of curtido (pickled cabbage) with this little tongs. I also ordered a el salavdorian for chats which I found a lot sweeter than a regular. May check out the Oakland location and compare but Ill definitely come back here.

Avocado Salad

See all

Why does Yelp recommend reviews?

Hundreds of millions of reviews are posted on Yelp, and our automated recommendation software works in the background to showcase the reviews that it …

8 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Brittany V.

142

103

2 years ago

A Hidden Gem in Hercules: A Taste of El Salvador If you're looking for an authentic Salvadorian experience right here in Hercules, look no further--El Cuscatlan has been my go-to for years, and it never disappoints. From the moment you step inside, you're greeted with a warm, welcoming atmosphere. The food? Outstanding! Every dish I've tried has been bursting with flavor, crafted with care, and served with a side of love. The Sopa de Res is an absolute must-try! This hearty, flavorful beef soup is packed with tender oxtail, vegetables, and a rich broth that warms you from the inside out--perfect for a cold day or when you just need something comforting. Then there are the Pupusas, a true Salvadorian staple. The pupusas are always served fresh and hot, and whether you choose the cheese, beans, or pork fillings, each bite is a little piece of heaven. And don't even get me started on the Ceviche. It's always fresh, zesty, and balanced just right--a perfect refresher between those rich, savory dishes. The Platanos are sweet and make for a delicious side dish or dessert. Their Tamal de Elote is another standout, it's the kind of treat that'll have you coming back for more. What really makes this place stand out, though, is the people. The owner is friendly, and genuinely cares about your experience. You can tell they take pride in what they do, and their passion shines through in the quality of the food and the service. The ambiance is another highlight. It's cozy, clean, and the music always adds that perfect touch to the meal. I've been coming here since they opened, and it's clear that their dedication to serving delicious, authentic food has never wavered. I highly recommend this spot to anyone and everyone! I'm confident you'll leave feeling as full in your heart as you are in your stomach. It's not just a meal; it's an experience. read more

Samantha M.

4 years ago

Great food better than the other location. Just can't tolerate the bad customer service and mandatory tip? I'm all about giving a great gratitude/tip but when it's forced upon you after having a bad experience- it's just not great etiquette. They are new so I'll come back when they've fixed their kinks. read more

S d.

256

1 year ago

First time there; although my Daughter goes there often. Was very good food; I had stuffed chiles with rice/beans. Workers were ncie and gave good service. Spacious and clean place. I will go there again.... read more

Roberto A.

1 year ago

Asombroso comida excelente, muy buen servicio como también muy buen trato y pues ya tengo un restaurante agregado donde siempre voy a comer

Moises Q.

1 year ago

No cumplen el horario que tienen establecido de atencion. Que sentido tiene q digan q Cierran a las 9 si a las 8:30 dejan de atender.?

Andrea G.

121

4 years ago

Food, service, and ambiance were all very good. But I wish it was a bit more affordable. read more

Daniel B.

4 years ago

The food was bad and the custo er service was terribale

Laura C.

4 years ago

Liking this restaurant their foods are so tasty.

El Cuscatlan Restaurant - salvadoran - Updated October 2026

People who viewed El Cuscatlan Restaurant also viewed

Que onda tacobar

3.8

(366 reviews)

I love to visit this location. The employees make you feel welcomed and like family…read more And, their food, no matter what it is is always good. I love their Quesa Birria. Yum

I really liked all the food we ordered. That while fried tilapia served with sauce was my favorite…read moredish! The sauce tasted like a Mexican bbq sauce, flavorful with spices. We also tried their birria, super tender meat. We also ordered 3 tacos plate because it happened to be Tuesday so we felt like we HAD to try their Taco Tuesday special which is 3 tacos of your choice served with beans and rice. The people working there were super friendly and checked in on us to see if we needed anything else. Their service here was exceeding my expectations. Restaurant was clean. I liked that they don't have salsa sitting around for people to self serve, everything is handled by their staff behind the counters. I noticed their food is on the lower sodium side compared to other restaurants. I personally prefer less salt because sodium isn't good for our health and I like to put extra sauces on my Mexican food anyway. But one of my friends thought their food tasted a bit bland. Pricing wise, I thought the food was good value. Our family of 4 couldn't finish the items we ordered and had to take home a box. I cannot wait to go back for more at Que Onda!

El Trompudo

4.1

(599 reviews)

Excellent service and quality!…read more The people at El Trompudo really take care of their customers. They also support their local first responders by letting them eat free on Sunday ^_^ We've catered them many times and the food is excellent. I ordered three tacos: carnitas, asada, and shrimp. They were not stingy with the meat and I love that they add pickled veggies and turnips on the side. Each was loaded and their red sauce is nice and spicy. 100% recommend them!

This is a very small, unassuming, neighborhood "order at the window" and find yourself a seat…read moreplace. (That's generally a good thing unless you're looking for full service.) if you're eating there and manage to find a table, be prepared to wipe it down yourself, because the staff is super busy taking and preparing orders. The staff was polite and helpful, the cashier providing guidance on menu options to us 1st timers. We ordered and paid for 2 "chicken fajita-type" plates. The orders come with salsa and a tiny bag of store-bought tortilla chips. (The cashier told me they would bring the food to our table, because we never would have heard them calling order #s from where we were seated.) This place seems well frequented by locals (it was lunchtime on a weekday). So, we waited a while for our order, so long that we decided we wanted to take it to go instead. However, when I went up to ask them to pack our food to go instead, one of our orders was in the pick up window. Turns out, they had been calling our order # AND they only made 1 plate, not the 2 we ordered and paid for. The helper was apologetic and quickly refunded the $ for the 2nd plate that never came. I packed the 1 order to go, and off we went. Although we won't go here again, fortunately for us, the food was decent, and the 1 order was enough for 2 people.

Balompie Sports Bar & Grill

4.4

(7 reviews)

### Discovering Balompie in Richmond: A Culinary Delight…read more When I first learned that Balompie was opening in Richmond, I couldn't contain my excitement. Having grown up enjoying the generous portions and delicious offerings at their locations in the city, I eagerly anticipated the opportunity to indulge in my favorite dishes once again. On our first visit, we arrived at the restaurant around 1:30 PM, only to be informed that the wait for food would be approximately 45 minutes to an hour. Understanding the high demand, my husband and I opted to order light. We selected a total of four pupusas and the yuca frita con chicharrón. To our delight, the pupusas were not only incredibly flavorful but also quite filling. The food arrived in a timely manner--just 40 minutes after ordering--which was impressive given the crowd. Each bite brought back fond memories, reaffirming why Balompie holds a special place in my heart. The experience was a delightful reminder of the rich culinary traditions that this beloved restaurant embodies.

I love Balompie. OMG! So good. So glad the same owner from SF Mission district opened up one in…read moreHilltop, close by. We needed a good pupusas spot around here. Same tastes as the one in the mission. The place is definitely fairly new. Just opened up yesterday. Im pretty sure theyre going to add more chairs and tables and decor. We got greeted with great customer service. Big spacious and clean restaurant. Got the 2 pupusas cheese plate with curtido and salsa with a side of casamiento. The pupusas were perfect, flavorful, and loved seeing the cheese ooze out of mine. That's how you know its going to be so good. The masa was cooked and grilled to perfection. Not black and burned. The curtido is just right, the way i like it. Nice and pickeled OMG, so good. Lets talk about how good the casamiento was. Great flavor, hits your palate and just melts well blended in with the pupusas. Ugh, cant wait to to back. Attached some photos of our meals. So happy this is in our area. Can't go wrong here. 5 stars!

Tortas Y Taqueria Los Picudos

3.7

(152 reviews)

Ambiance was busy pretty much but and go service was fast and not really attentive! Needles to say…read morei ordered tacos and meat was dry bland but everyone there seemed to get tortas so I will give second chance and try the torta .

Went to tortas Taqueria yesterday Customer service is good…read moreand placed had to go order. Very disappointed when I opened the food at home the tacos didn't looked appetizing overcooked chicken as if they thrown in there but that's not how tacos look if you get it from other restaurants..bad presentation Cheese quesadillas look plain and un appetizing over $7.00 We spent almost $90 of food there and all of them the chicken was dried and chewy including in the wet burrito. Will have to avoid this spot.

Salsa Taqueria

3.8

(50 reviews)

The food is always excellent. Whenever I come I've had their nachos their crispy tacos. They're…read moreenchilada plate a burrito and every time they meet us flavorful the chicken well seasoned Chile Verde nice and tender and they're always so welcoming when you come in the place is always busy as well no matter what time I go during lunch in the evening for dinner and it's great to bring your family to come and try some of the Mexican food. It's really delicious it in a busy plaza next-door to food Co., but don't let that deter you stop and they got specials really good people and great food.

omg!! my auntie took me to this place! I had the garlic shrimp burrito!!! it was so good!! very…read morejuicy fresh!!! i live so far from this place but i must come back!! i also had extra garlic & it's was so good !!!i almost ate the whole thing!! i will definitely come back to visit again!!! thx u so much!!!

Richmond Eats

3.9

(15 reviews)

We come to Richmond and I always go to Lee's donuts. Now I have a new favorite stop at Richmond…read moreEats. Armando and his wife are an amazing duo! I was craving chilequilles or huevos rancheros and cafe con leche. After looking at their menu I chose the CASAMIENTO 2 Huevos estrellados con entomatada, queso, cream, platano y 2 tortillas / rice, beans, 2 fried eggs with tomato sauce, cheese, cream, plantain and 2 tortillas. That would have taken a bit longer to prepare as they had just opened. Instead, I ordered a quick Salvadoran breakfast to go: PLATANOS FRITOS, HUEVO PICADO, ARROZ CON MAIZ, QUESO, CREMA, PUPUSA. The absolute most delicious breakfast I've had all summer! Just go and watch the soccer game while you're there. Great place, genuinely good people and incredible food. I can't wait to try their cafe con maiz in the winter.

Great pupusas. Service is excellent and very clean spacious restaurant. Family oriented.read more

Firegrill

4.0

(4 reviews)

Tried out this food truck in Hercules. The food was really great, glad there's a place to get…read morequesabirrias close by. The consume was super flavorful and the meat was tender. Each quesabirria was $4 which is pretty standard. The tostadas were also good, especially when you poured the consume over it.

First time here and got a carnitas burrito. It was good, but nothing special for $12. I'll try the…read moretacos next time. The quesabirria tacos looked good so I'll give those a try.

Mi Casa Grill

4.1

(490 reviews)

Their food is amazing, very authentic and delicious! Service was friendly and great as well. Loved…read morethe atmosphere and cleanliness of the place!

Great menudo and tortillas and salsa with guacamole…read more Also the crab salad is lovely. All gluten free and the service is lovely

Antojitos Y Carniceria Tadeo

3.8

(6 reviews)

Good flavors here for sure. My only complaint is that for the price, there was very little meat in…read morethe burrito. It was mostly all rice and beans with just a bit of meat laid in. I'm not sure if they were just having an off day or if this is normal here. I will try this place again at some point.

I've always shopped inside this grocery store with amazing service and today I finally decided to…read moretry their tacos which were around the same price as other competition. I ordered 7 tacos total and spent $22 (with tax). The tacos are well stacked with meat which makes the tacos look amazing at first glance. After taking a few bites I have really liked them. Some meat pieces were a bit crunchy but the onion and cilantro with salsa verde really take that away negative away. Overall, these tacos were very delicious and well made, unlike other places these tacos did have lots of meat and flavor. Id say the only downside is they don't already pre put the salsa onto the tacos and do only give 1 small container of each salsa which was barely enough for all the tacos. Overall I'd rate the tacos a 9/10 and would 100% come again.

El Agave Azul

3.9

(444 reviews)