We decided to check out El Mexsal on a weekday for lunch, and were encouraged by the fact that the place was packed. This is a really popular lunch choice in Provo. We ordered a selection of pupusas, chicken enchiladas, fish tacos, and a plate of fried plantain, sour cream, and beans with tortillas. We were excited to try the house made flour tortillas. The pupusas were far and away the best thing we ate. Absolutely delicious and highly recommended. We will be back for these many times. The fish tacos were light and delicious, the chicken enchiladas very much a comfort food dish, and the fried plantain was perfect. Even the beans and rice were particularly good, much better than run-of-the-mill Mexican restaurant fare. My husband wished that everything was spicier, but this is Salvadoran food: it is not known for being hot like some of the Mexican dishes we're used to. The salsa was good but bland, for instance. The only disappointment for me were the flour tortillas: they were not very tender and just didn't taste "homemade." Because I am pregnant, I didn't try the cabbage slaw, horchata, or unrefrigerated homemade sauces, so there will be an update at some point soon. I am also excited to try the chilaquiles, one of my favorite dishes. Service is fast, the restaurant is clean, and the prices are very right. They also serve cold bottled beer. Happy to add El Mexsal to our Utah County dinner rotation. read more

We stumbled upon this casual eatery yesterday. All 5 of us agree the food was fantastic. Some of the best Mexican we have had. The service was also impeccable. The chile relleno, tamales & carne asada tacos were some of my favorites. Also very reasonable. read more

The food is really good! Portion sizes are huge and the flavor of each item was VERY good! I had the Jose special and it was huge, definitely a two person-sharing dish! So flavorful, I had beef and it was perfect. My 3 year old loved the chicken taquitos! My husband enjoyed the bisteca Mexicali, and the steak was incredible! I think we just found a new fave. The only reason it doesn't get a five is because of location and some longer than usual waits. Still totally good though! read more

This is the only thing you need to know... "Dos revueltas por favor." The papusas here are amazing. I really like the beef enchiladas too. This place is always hoppin, but it's never too hard to get a table. Lunch specials are bomb and the servers always take good care of you. My parents go once a week and the waitress knows their names and order. read more

This place is so good. My wife and I have been here twice and the first time we got pupusas, a carne asada burrito, and a chimichanga. We ended up bringing the majority home because it's a lot of food. The second time we got pupusas and Tamales. The food here is awesome! read more

One of the best Mexican and el Salvadoran restaurants in Utah valley. The pupusas are my favorite. They have a great lunch special so it's really cheap for a lot of good food. Great environment. Bang for your buck. read more

These are some really solid pupusas! What is it with Provo having surprisingly good Latin cuisines? Definitely not what I expected. Pupusas, for those unfamiliar, are pancakes of masa stuffed with various fillings like chicharron (pork), queso (cheese), and loroco (a yummy pickled flower), and then cooked on a griddle and served with curtido (a cabbage slaw) and salsa roja. Revueltas are a kind of pupusa with beans, cheese, and pork. The pupusas at El Mexsal are some of the best I've had. The masa tastes freshly ground and not just out of a Maseca bag, the dough is moist enough, and they definitely don't skimp on the fillings! Even as you nibble the outermost edge of the pupusa you're going to get some of that inside goodness. The cheese is super deliciously sharp and the pork is MOIST and savory. There's little worse than dry, flavorless meat, but that's not something you'll find here. I found the curtido to be a little less interesting than at other places, but I can't put my finger on why. It's just mayo-less slaw. What makes one better than another? Does this one lack seasoning? I'm not quite sure. The salsa roja is exactly what you expect to come with your pupusa. Those who aren't into greasy food will probably be a little put off by the pupusas at El Mexsal. If they weren't so full-flavor, I might be put off by it, too, but something that tasty and savory doesn't get me bothered by a little extra fat. I have yet to try the tamales and enchiladas, but I'm not sure I ever will because now I know that the pupusas are enough to please this palate. read more

Their pupusas and horchata are amazing! I'm very picky with my hispanic food but this place definitely left me wanting to come back

El Mexsal exceeded my expectations... I'm pretty sure I set them really low, but regardless, this hole-in-the-wall joint will ignite your taste-buds and take em for a ride. POSITIVES: Pupusas are cheap and filling! All of their plates are huge portions! Decent prices. I had the Guadalajara Combo plate, and it was plenty of food to last me 2 additional meals. Almost every meal comes with a mountain of rice, beans, and lettuce/tomato. NEGATIVES: The place is a little run down. Service was a bit slow. Server seemed a bit standoffish, which put me off. PRICE: $6-10 a meal. I'll definitely come back to try more of their food. Support this local company, and don't let it's looks/location deceive you. It is a hidden gem. read more

The Bible in its current form completely leaves out the last step of God's plan of creation: "it is not good for man to be deprived of delicious tortillas stuffed with cheese, pork, and beans". With a wave of his almighty hand, God created the pupusa. Since these storied days, the pupusa has held on as the single most delicious piece of food available to mankind. It almost went tragically extinct during the flood of Noah's time: Noah brought both a male and female pupusa onto his ark, but got hungry somewhere around Day 28 and devoured both of them with lots of red sauce and scrumptious El Salvadorian cabbage slaw. Luckily, God looked down with mercy on the pupusa and lengthened its days upon the Earth by feeding it to the Israelites as they wandered through the desert ("Manna" is actually an ancient Spanish word meaning "Man, this bread thing is GOOD"). In our days, as an act of divine providence, El Mexsal has been established in South Provo. Being the heirs to the divine rite of pupusa-crafting, they take their job very seriously, delivering delectable pupusas for $2.15 each (and that's not even mentioning the chips and salsa and tasty water). I implore you, fair Yelp reader, to visit their humble shop and watch as the hunger and stress of your long day melts into pure cheese and pork-stuffed satisfaction. read more

Best pupusas in Provo! We love them. Flavors on point and service is great. The complimentary chips and salsa are amazing too! We finally brought our kids and they loved it. read more

If you want a religious experience with the latin kind of food in lame Provo, then you should head over to El Mexsal. Not only it's authentic Mexican/Salvadorian food as you can see the lovely ladies cooking in the kitchen, but its REALLY GOOD, because other latinos straight up from south of the border frequent this place, together with the cops, LDS missionaries, and hundreds of BYU Students. It is cheap, and delicious. They have lunch menus, and a good a la carte menu, but if you ask me what I recommend? I would say the Chicken Nachos (appetizer) and the Pupusas. Holy Hell. The pupusas are incredibly good, have a good amount of filling, and they are CHEAP. And when I say cheap, i mean it. If there's one down side to this place, it would be... its a bit greasy, not overbearing though... but then again, what mexican place doesn't punish its plates and customers with the delightful taste and texture of and overdosed oily delicious plate from the brown heavens? read more

Went with my mother to eat there and the place wasn't even packed. After waiting 40 mins for our food we decided to leave. Also other people got there after and they got their food. read more

This place is one of my favorites in Utah County. You know it's good because they are always busy. Very friendly staff and the food is always good. They have delicious Pupusas and Salvadoran Elotes (sweet tamales) which I like to order. My wife like the enchiladas. If you haven't tried this place, well worth it. read more

Excellent. We loved the papusas and chili relleno was one of the best I've had (and I love them and order them a lot!)

This place was fantastic! My husband and I needed to try a New Mexican place here in Provo and chose this one due to all of the good reviews, which it was easy to see why there were so many once we got there. I'm a little skeptical when it comes to trying New Mexican food but I got the pupusas, which I'm SO glad I did! They were fantastic and I doused them in the red sauce and cabbage they bring you which made them even better! Also the price was awesome. Just for 1 it was about $2.00, and I was so full off of just two. The only thing I wasn't overly satisfied with was the service, which wasn't necessarily awful but just slower than I would have preferred and not bad enough to deter from the five stars. read more

El Mexsal has good, cheap, hole in the wall Mexican food. The food is good, not great but good - but the salsa and the Horchata are great. The staff are friendly and helpful and they sell cool Mexican candy at the counter. It's not a place I'd go out of the way for but it's not a place I'd be upset about going if friends wanted to. read more

I was referred to this place by my barber who said they had the best pupusas. I was not disappointed! Very authentic. Simple place, decent service but good food. I also had the Chile Relleno, very cheesy and great sauce. I recommend! I'll be back. read more

The food is good. I ordered caldo de res. But the hour long wait was not worth it. I ordered guacamole two times--never got it. You would think that they would offer more chips and salsa to make the wait not seem so bad. But it never happened. Piss-poor service. read more

El Mexsal - Caldo de rez--tastes good - Mexican Near Me - Provo, Utah

After a long day of hiking and traveling, pupusas are the perfect way to refuel! I loved that this place was open on a Sunday afternoon (seems like everything is closed on a Sunday in UT). I was so hungry when we arrived so I ordered a pupusa, a tamal, and a chicken salad! Well, my eyes were bigger than my stomach but that just meant I had food for later! Let's talk about the pupusa, I had the bean pupusa topped with curtido and red sauce! I've been to a few El Salvadoran restaurants and each of them makes their curtido and sauce a bit different. I enjoyed their stuff but it had a different taste than what I'm used to. But it was still good. The tamal was good! It had a lot of masa so I dug our the chicken haha. The salad was good! I know, I know, a salad at a Latin place? But I was craving one and needed some extra protein! Let's just say they didn't skimp on that chicken! Overall, the food was amazing! The service was great! The body was well nourished and maybe even went into a slight food coma! read more

El Mexsal - Mexican Near Me - Provo, Utah

This is a great Resturant. Love the papusas. I also enjoyed the crab and shrimp enchiladas.

Great food, Great Service, Ordinary Interior. Great place for a college town! Definitely a place to go for down time with friends. It's not crazy loud, but no one will look at you side ways if you bring in your screaming baby! read more

Pupusas!!! So good. This place is authentic and delicious. This from an Arizona girl who knows what real Mexican food should taste like.

I think the Chile Verde contained thermosetting polymers. There was a long delay from order to food delivery, and it tasted fine. The pupusas were tasty and wow the price was right. The the epoxies started to harden, and the "food" had its revenge! Maybe I'm a gringo filled with beans, but I decided there is three vectors of food: taste, cost, and comfort. You can only have two. read more

Coming from San Francisco, where there's a wide range of Mexican & Salvadorian food, El MexSal seemed to have fed my hunger for pupusas. Not to mention the prices are affordable, which is a bonus as a broke college student. When the lady served the pupusas revueltas, it smelled of fresh cornmeal, pork, and gooey cheese. The taste went so well with these ingredients. However, I felt like the slaw could have been more fresh. I like the idea of storing the slaw in a jar, but in essence I feel like it took away the freshness of the cabbage and carrots. Other than that, this place is a gem! Free chips and salsa is also a huge incentive! read more

See all

Great pupusas! However the service wasn't the best and they took forever to take our order and then bring our food. I would personally call in ahead of time next time and just pick it up and eat it at Home. Their fountain drink machine was also broken so their drinks were limited. read more

Okay, I know that all the guys in this town love El Mexsal because of the cheap Papusas. But honestly... that's all they've got going for them, and even those really aren't that great. The rest of their menu is mediocre. The service is almost non-existent. Good luck getting drink refills! read more

So far so good, second time here and the Enchiladas and Pupusas are on point. Chips and salsa are an awesome and are a welcome starter. If you can't handle spice, go easy on the salsa because it will beat you up. Beef enchiladas, loaded with meat and very flavorful. Chicken enchiladas, same thing though they're served with sour cream which my husband and I opt out of. The Orchata, is amazing stuff and not overly sweet and the rice is not completely subdued. I've had the flan and it's delicious enough. The soda servings being limited to one free refill is unfortunate but I can understand why it's in place. Overall this place is a good spot. I need to explore the menu more, but for now-- It's exactly what my husband and I were looking for. Give it a try, could be you're pleasantly surprised like I was after visiting a similar Salvadorian establishment up the block and really not having the best of experiences there. read more

See all

I don't go for the Mexican food (which is just ok). But I LOVE their pupusas! Don't go on a weekend night, though, or you'll be subjected to really strange renditions of vaguely familiar American songs, complete with a thick accent and synthesizer. read more

They have decent tacos, enchiladas, tamales, burritos, etc, but the best items on the menu are their pupusas. If you've never had pupusas before, they're basically thick, soft, corn tortillas stuffed with fillings like meats, beans, and cheese. My favorite variety is revueltas, which has pork, cheese, and beans in it. It's got a touch of the "hole in the wall" vibe that seems to always produce the best Mexican food. It's very casual. They have these funny "fake window" decorations. The TVs in there are always playing Spanish soaps or soccer games. There's an array of Mexican candies and snacks up by the register. Sometimes on weekend evenings, there's a guy singing music in the corner. No complaints with service. They always start you off with free chips and their fantastic homemade salsa. The waitstaff is friendly and the food comes out fairly quickly. 2 pupusas at $2 each is more than enough for me, so my meal, including chips and salsa, ends up being around $5! Their combo plates range from $5-10. read more

Not a restaurant in Utah that does pupusas as well as Mexsal. This food is actually authentic and tastes amazing, the people are warm and the only problem is that we don't live close enough to go as often as we would like. The price is quite reasonable, and the serving sizes are excellent. Impossible to leave dissatisfied. I recommend this place to everyone. read more

El Mexsal - Pupusas de loroco. Simplemente increíble. - Mexican Near Me - Provo, Utah

IF you've never had their PUPUSAS, you've NEVER LIVED! I live in south ogden and everytime I am south of the point of the mountain I have to drive all the way down to this place just to get some! I plan whole trips around this place and go way far out of my way to make it as often as possible! I always order some to go because I can never get enough, and they reheat remarkably well I have found out :) I have tried other pupusas in other restaurants... No comparison! My only complaint is that they don't have another location up by me :) Rave RAVE Rave!!! Truly I drag everyone I know to this place if we're are within 30 min and I have never met a person yet who didn't like the pupusas... read more

Pupusas Revueltas were legit. Ordered two, piles on the cabbage and red sauce and BOOM! So good.

What a treat to live in the midst of the vast array of food selections in Provo. This place gets me going every single time. Love the papusas read more

El Mexsal - Pals - Mexican Near Me - Provo, Utah

El Mexsal is a fusion of Mexican and El Salvadorian cuisine. It's on an old corner of Provo in a small old business park that's been around forever, surrounded by pawn shops and a laundromat. It's one of those places that you might look at and think to avoid, but don't. The food there is cheap, and it doesn't taste cheap, and you definitely get your money's worth. You must try the pupusas and the tamales at least once, but everything on the menu is fantastic. And it's got personality that definitely makes it an icon in Provo. read more

As the food goes, I'd say it was pretty good. The pupusas were hit and miss. We ordered 3 different kinds, and while 2 of them seemed kinda bland, 1 was rather tasty. I bet if I had figured out the curtido sooner (jar of cabbage, carrots, etc that goes with the pupusas) the pupusas would have been the highlight of the meal. The taquitos were standard. The beans and rice were standard. I was, however, impressed with the tostada, especially since I was quite full by the time I got around to trying it. The (h)orchata . . . I'm not usually a fan, but I would definitely order another glass if I go back. It was quite good. read more

See all

I have to say first, that this is one of my first reviews for a restaurant ever...but this needed to be said... What can I say?! I picked up lunch for 7 people at work today and the restaurant was very busy...I see why now. I personally had been wanting to try them for a while, so ordered the yucca and chicharrone, the revueltas and loroco papusa, a tamal salvadoreno, and the platanos. I also tried a few other items, and I can say nothing was bad. I enjoyed everything. I just wish I could have finished it all. Oh well, there's always later. Service was amazing and even with 7 orders being taken care of and labeled separately (and accurately I might add), everyone got sides and sauce with each dish, their plastic cutlery, salad-anything and everything that should have gone with each item. Not one person out of 7 had a single complaint, except for a couple wishing they had ordered more for later. Trust me, it wasn't that they didn't get enough to eat (the meals and sides are very good size and value for the money), it was just that it was so good, they wanted to at least try to keep eating. So for me, first time there today, and I am absolutely sure I will now be a regular. Thank you El Mexsal! read more

Great Sopa De Pollo, they give you fried chicken and home made soup, fresh tortillas, mmm delicious, I like it, very good, it comes with the fried chicken, salad and fresh home made tortillas, central American authentic. Guatemala, El Salvador, the same flavor, I don't know about the rest of the food, not much fond of it, but the chicken soup, delicious, good meal for about $8.99 The waitress service very nice ladies. The bell on the main door when you walk in really annoying, they should remove it ! read more

Love this place. I'm not from Utah but when I come see my kids, this is a must place to eat. The food is authentic, takes me back to my native country. read more

We moved from SoCal not so long ago so we were craving authentic Mexican food. I wanted taquitos and let me tell you those were the driest taquitos that I ever ate. The chicken was old and dried. The rice and beans were OK. Not a big fan of this place. read more