How excellent it is to have a place that serves Salvadorian food so good in the Triangle. Seriously, they have the best pupusas I've had outside of El Salvador. You don't have to stick with just the ingredient choices on the menu either. Just ask and they gladly stuff them with you choice of veggies or meats. If you've never had one, you must try them here. read more

We love coming here! Pupusas are bomb. Fast Service ! Waitresses are not super friendly, but I don't care because food is bomb owner is really nice though ohh and prices are great, you get a lot for your buck! read more

Authentic authentic authentic! We ordered the fajita special...$5.00 and it was a meal for 2! Also got the plantins...you get more than just plantains. It came with refried beans which I'm not a fan of usually but these are delicious and sour cream! Well worth the visit read more

Nothing I can add here that others haven't. The pupusas are terrific and a freaking steal at only $2. Order the pork and cheese or the bean and cheese they are both great, two was plenty to fill me up. They brought chips and salsa to my table which I wasn't expecting for such an authentic hole in the wall, so I had to be very careful not to fill up on those after I had ordered so much food. I will say the Tamal de Elote was surprisingly tasty, for what just seemed like a steamed chunk of masa it had ridiculously strong and intense corn flavor, I'd eat it again. Another nice thing is that you can order take out directly from Yelp, so what are you waiting for? Go add some Pupusas to your cart, and start driving! read more

I'd been meaning to try El Cuscatleco for a while now and had such high hopes for this place. I love small, authentic, family owned restaurants. Unfortunately, the food was only okay. I tried the pork & cheese pupusa, bean & cheese pupusa, ceviche, and cheese enchilada. The pupusas were good (although Los Comales definitely has better ones) and the ceviche decent (a bit bland, but nothing that hot sauce can't fix). The only real disappointment was the cheese enchilada -- the cheese tasted exactly like Velveeta. Overall, just average, and in light of all the positive reviews, definitely a let down. Because there other great Mexican restaurants in Durham, I won't be coming back. read more

Came here for our daughter's birthday because she requested tacos. It was fun to branch out and try some salvadoran food. A bonus surprise was their $1.50 Margheritas (Monday special). We mentioned to the waitress at the end that it was our daughter's birthday, and she said "just one moment", put on the birthday music (which was still going for several song variations when we left--made her feel very special), and brought out a delicious fried tortilla, ice cream, chocolate and whipped cream dessert. read more

Very tasty! At first I thought that $1.75 was steep for one pupusa, but when I saw their size, I changed my mind! Loved the Salvadoran dishes, and the salsa was very good. The plato tipico was a panoply of fried deliciousness - an indulgence to be sure but worth it! read more

This is one of the few places in my area that serves Salvadorian food and so I love to come every once and a while and get a taste of my roots. However, this is by no place a fancy restaurant and if you're looking for exceptional service or a fancy atmosphere, keep searching. With that said, my favorite dish is there Sopa de Mondongo. It's a huge bowl and with an Horchata, I come out spending around $11 plus tip. The platanos are hit and miss so unless I really want a fix of plantains, I skip that choice. The pupusas are decent, but I'm not gonna lie - I've had better. Either way, if you're looking for a hearty Salvadorian/Mexican meal without a lot of frills this is the place to try. read more

Stopped here for the first time following previous yelp reviews and it did not disappoint. I tried the chicken pupusas and these were outstanding, and big and delicious. Took 4 to go! My husband had the Tahoe dinner and it was great as well. Prices are very reasonable. We will definitely be back soon!!! read more

oh man.. i was in durham for an interview and i almost just want to move here so i can eat here more often. the portion sizes are generous and the pupusas are incredible. it is a bit too oily for you waistline conscious.. there is a reason why this place is bustling at lunchtime and it's a good sign of authenticity to have latinos eating here. read more

Best pupusas y platanos in the triangle area, the place is a little small but who cares when it's that good!!! Hopefully they will expand or move to a bigger location. read more

We chose El Cuscatelo based on the raving review found here. Our experience was not the experience many of you described in your ratings and evaluations. We are fans of Mexican food. Warning sign #1. I've had margarita's before and know what they taste like. We ordered frozen margarita's so flavorless and colorless they couldn't possibly have contained any alcohol. They tasted like whipped ice. Warning sign #2. We both ordered the beef chimichanga's as our entree. I've never been served a chimichanga so unrecognizable with no seasoning (and nothing else with the 'meat', not even a hint onion or ANYthing) and overwhelmingly unappetizing in appearance, texture and taste. Needless to say, we didn't finish our meals. I'm not convinced that was beef. Honestly, when you go to a new restaurant based on reviews, you DO have certain expectations especially when they are so glowing! Our experience was dreadful and a huge disappointment. Did we complain to our waitress? Unfortunately, we discovered that communicating in English was a challenge. It would have been impossible to relate our concerns effectively. We chose to pay and tip but I promised myself I'd leave an honest review of our experience, to balance out the overwhelmingly positive reviews here. Maybe it was our fault for not ordering what foods were recommended in the reviews, but honestly, why should we have to? Do not visit this restaurant unless you are looking for Salvadorean food which seems to be their 'specialty'. No stars, not ever returning, would never recommend. read more

I have to say that I was kinda disappointed with this place. Perhaps I ordered the completely wrong things, but was expecting a lot more based on the good rating and upon looking at the menu. We got ceviche, taquitos fritos, and combinacion guanaca. The ceviche came out first, and came out warm, which was pretty off-putting, but it tasted fine, so we ate it anyway. All I could taste was lime, and it wasn't really balanced with other seasonings, so it was a sour-bland ceviche, if that makes sense. The taquitos fritos was what my girlfriend was looking forward to the most, because the idea of something stuffed with meat, fried, and topped with sour cream and guac is REALLY exciting. But too bad her excitement was resting on all those qualities being delivered, because the only things that were true were that it had meat and it was fried. It actually came with a salad instead of guac, and there was no sour cream. Though, by the time the main courses arrived we had been so deeply engrossed in the the children's cartoon playing on the TV near us that we weren't sure if we had misremembered or if we had been served the wrong thing. However, I did clearly remember that there were supposed to be 2 with chicken and 2 with beef, so I ate what I thought was one of each....but upon biting into the second one I realized it was chicken. So, imagine my surprise when I put down the second one and bit into the third one that it was ALSO chicken. That's pretty much when we decided to just roll with it because we've gone too far at this point. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The combinacion guanaca was ok, mainly because the beef was delicious! However, the beans (which were also served with the taquitos) were kinda unexciting, which was also the case for the rice. Rice is usually one of my favorite things in a Latin restaurant of any kind, and this was disappointing. After that, we just decided to eat until we're full and call it a day. The service was sparse, but friendly, and the cartoon was awesome. However, I will most likely not be going back. read more

The pupusas were delicious! My girlfriend had the Plato Típico. Everything on it was delicious. Of course the tamal didn't compare to my abuelas, but overall the food and service was good. Plus the place was packed, which is always a good sign. I will definitely be back. read more

One of the best, most affordable latin american restaurants I've ever had the pleasure of visiting. The digs are nothing special, the TV is loud (ours was playing Spongebob, vomit)...but DAMN the food is amazing. The tamales were some of the best I've ever tasted, and the burrito and enchiladas were just to die for. Parking was easy. Do yourself a favor and try it out! read more

Hidden and dark but open. It was empty for. Friday afternoon. But wanted to give it a try. Like others said it feels a little dirty but get over it! Worth it. Went for the selection of tequila and was friendly staff. Salud read more

I have been to the Durham location multiple times, and I've really enjoyed it each time! Delicious food at a GREAT price. There are plenty of vegetarian options. I especially love the pupusa- it's a must-try! The prices are great, the service is fast, and the restaurant is cute. It's a great option for a cheap date night. We're already planning to go back! read more

Delicious, unpretentious, inexpensive, addictive. This has become our new favorite Mexican spot. We call it "the yellow place" because the name is hard to master. As the reviews focus on, the Salvadorian food I tried was good - my first pupusa! However, Mexican is always what I'm craving, and it is excellent here. The fajitas are delicious - the meat and veggies seem very very fresh. Their quesadillas are also spot on. Just overall a predictably excellent meal every time. read more

I can't wait to eat here again. I split the papusas as an app, and was so full that I got to take home most of my beef fajitas for a second meal (and I LOVE scoring leftovers). Also happened to show up on $1.50 margarita Monday. They weren't super strong, but hey, for $1.50 just drink as many as it takes! Total hole-in-the-wall find! read more

Just found this wonderful salvadorian restaurant in a little plaza food is cooked to order portions are large and the cost is very reasonable I recommend the pupusas and the house Margarita plantain served with beans are delicious casual dining come for a good time read more

THIS PLACE IS AMAZING! Portions are huuuuuge, prices are cheap, and the food is delicioussssss. What more could you ask for? I really wish I had discovered this place earlier! Do not miss this gem in Durham. I'm drooling just thinking about the food. As everyone has said, the pupusas are amazing! I went in a group of 4 and everyone loved their food. read more

Tasty pupusas. Great prices and service. Camarones not so great. Specials are good. Kids meals are awesome deal and almost a big as an adult meal. We will be returning but it is not the best we have had. For comparison, however, we just moved here from san francisco so our opinion is skewed. read more

Food is OK. Tried the quesadilla and taco, not a big fan. There is a guy singing and playing music in the restaurant, and he is fantastic. If the food is half as good as he is then definitely 5 stars. read more

This just in: chimichangas taste good. Seriously, if you can't make a burrito taste good, something is horribly wrong. With that in mind, the food here is good. They do all the standard mexican food well. Also, food is really inexpensive, even shrimp and scallops. The service can be atrocious, though. Food may arrive cold, and servers may have no idea what menu items are. read more

A friend recommended this place and since I was in the area, I went by to give it a try. The food is FANTASTIC and the prices are unbelievable!!! I took my food to go as I had been out on errands and had groceries to get home. I drove 25 minutes from the restaurant back to the house, unpacked my groceries and sat down to eat and my food was still hot! They got my order wrong, they gave me a pork taco and chicken enchilada (I think) but it was so delish I ate it anyway, since I hadn't eaten lunch. It was probably the best mexican food I've ever had! And it cost me under $5!!!!!!!!!!! I WILL be back and soon. read more

Good stop! Stopped here on my way to the airport. Used Yelp for a suggestion and it didn't disappoint! I had a combo dish and my husband had am awesome, huge shellfish dish. Defiantly coming back for the food and price! read more

Awesome find in Durham! Great fajitas, tacos, chimichangas, and margaritas. Go on Mondays for $1.50 margaritas. Really inexpensive for authentic Mexican food! read more

Pretty good food here. The taco salad was tasty. It had a sauce added in and the chicken had good flavor. I also sampled the plantains which were amazing. The food was authentic. The service wasn't great. They were nice and the food came out fast. However, we sat there a while before anyone came to our table and then it took forever to get our check. Also, it was extremely hot. Wasn't sure if the AC was working or not. read more

The Pupusas were super cheesy! I got the mixed Pupusas but I could barely taste the mixture of chicharron and frijoles. I could only taste the cheese. The cheesier the better! Great place and overall great service. read more

Very authentic food and nice enough to accommodate large groups/split checks. Good margaritas and salsa/dips. Solid (if not memorable) entrees. It is Salvadorean food, not Mexican. Similar--but not the same. I love that it adds something different to the Durham food scene, especially in the 15-501 area, which doesn't have the abundant ethnic options as some other parts of the Triangle. read more

Exceptional. Real authentic Mexican food. I will tell you this place is not much to look at from the outside but if you can get past that your taste buds will be forever grateful. I had the Arroz Con Pollo and it was more than I could eat in one sitting and flavored perfectly. The service was exceptional and the entire staff friendly, Again you have to get past the building to enjoy the great food. read more

Great food! Their yucca took me back to Panama where I lived for a year and a half. My daughter loved their plantains. Everything we had was great. We will make the trip from Fayetteville again. read more

Both hubby & I got the Plato Tipico & found it rather nasty. Only ate 1/2 the plate. Disappointed since papusas sounded great. Not high quality food on any front. Barely A/C, filthy sticky menus, TV & music competing...we love authentic, cultural & hole in the wall....but this place had no redeeming qualities....except the nice waitress. read more

The service here is fantastic!!! We wanted to eat, but had limited time so we called ahead and they had our food ready! Very accommodating and the food is extremely tasty! The pineapple fajita was delicious! 10/10 would recommend eating here! read more

A little hole-in-the-wall place, not in the best neighborhood, and you might get seated at a booth that has chunks missing out of the seat...but the food is the best and it is super affordable. I am a creature of habit and get the pupusas every time (no complaints in that category, ever). This is my go-to pupusa place. Aguas frescas also delicious, with a good selection. The dinner platters are large, could easily feed two people, or have a sizeable to-go portion for one person. read more

Solid food and excellent price and speedy service. Take out experience only so far. I got the chicken Chimechanga meal and the chicken meat pulls nicely with good flavor. I also liked the queso cheese sauce on top of the Chimechanga. read more

El Cuscatleco - Daily special = $5.40 - Salvadoran Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

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Some of the more authentic Mexican/Salvadorean food you can find in Durham. Lots of Latino patrons, which is always a good sign. Good prices. I am always happy with my chimichanga, but I've recently been told that their pupusas are a must-try! read more

The food here is good, cheap, and plentiful. It's also authentic, if that's your thing. However, the whole place, while clean, is VERY run down and it looks like an old minimart from the outside. read more

This place is always packed! Seems like the place to be for inexpensive, enormous, and tasty meals. I went with some friends who were familiar with the menu and we ordered a variety of pupusas, fajitas, and the tilapia. Everything was fantastic! Not a place to enjoy the view or anything, but if it's a solid meal you want - you've got it! read more

The fish was burnt, like stick, toastes. Impossible to eat. Absurd. You have to change my food, you delivered in the hotel and you do not have a number to call. This number does not work. read more