Excellent Breakfast here, great coffee, food and service. Cash only works for me. Love this place I hope to go again. read more

Best tamale I have ever had, hands down! We always want to be in the area at lunch or dinner time. Pupusas are also the best restaurant pupusas I have found. Cabbage is not as fermented as I have had in the past but is still wonderful. Red sauce is very spicy and I can rarely tell if something is spicy. Has the grilled chicken, beans and rice and loved the flavor of all. read more

See all

TLDR: No frills cash only delicious Salvadoran food. I'm not an expert on Salvadorean food so don't ask me about authenticity but I do like to eat and this place meets it in spades. If you're a fan of papusas this place does a great job. If you want a lower carb option the beef soup is a nice option. Remember it's cash only. read more

Excellent Salvadorian food in Iowa? Yes - it's true! We found Juanita's completely by accident after missing the turn to a Mexican restaurant we were going to try. As we recalculated our directions around the block and through the alley, we came upon the back door to Juanita's (with loads of parking). I Yelped the restaurant and discovered it is Salvadorian and features Paputas, which I had never experienced prior. We ordered the fried plantains with cream and beans, a corn tamale, and 2 pork & cheese paputas. Wonderful flavors. Three people were working in the restaurant and they were so helpful and friendly. We asked a lot of questions about El Salvadorian cuisine and they were happy to share with us. We shall return. read more

See all

Pupusas are always fantastic. Service is great and prompt! Only downside is that it is cash only, but as long as you're prepared that is fine read more

I met Sue T in Ottumwa to do some eagle watching. After sighting so many around Eldon, we lost count. We decided to try Juanita's. I am not an expert on El Salvadoran food, but always enjoyed it when Tres Banderas was open in the St Louis area and more recently had a good such meal in Santa Fe. I had driven by this place once before and must admit I went on to Los Cactus, which I always enjoy. Jaunita's is not inviting, but don't let that scare you away. It is fine inside and the people were friendly and helpful. It was clean and bright and we had a really good experience. In fact after our dinner, we were back for breakfast, the next morning. The pupusa's are a must to try, if you have not had them. Think of a thin, handmade, stuffed double tortilla with cheese and some other filling of your choice. We shared two, one with loroco blossoms and one revuelta. As always they are served with curtido (El Salvadoran coleslaw) and a thin red sauce that is sort of like tomato juice. This is not Mexican food. Don't expect it to be spicy. This traditional combination works well together. I love El Salvadoran tamales and these may be the best I have had. These were a little salty, but were delicious with chicken. The chicken was very moist and well seasoned. The whole thing was very flavorful. The masa is moist and there is an herb or seasoning that I cannot identify. I like Mexican tamales, but they are often dry and must have a sauce or beans to make them good. I generally like the El Salvadoran style better. For the next morning's breakfast, we each had the breakfast platter with eggs, fried plantains that are eaten with crema and absolutely delicious, smooth and flavorful black beans. This is El Salvadoran home cooking and is treasure in Ottumwa. I hope enough people appreciate it for its authenticity and hominess. They also serve Mexican food, which I'm sure is worth a try. read more

A pupusería in Ottumwa with good, authentic El Salvadorean food? Awesome! So glad we ventured into this tiny homely place with its nearly windowless orange facade. The interior has a single row of plain formica tables and walls covered with funny Spanish signs like "We offer credit--to people who are over 100 years old". It's cash only btw. The TV in the corner was tuned to a soccer match. Everything was cooked up fresh right after we ordered. We tried two pupusas - a meat and cheese and a loroco (edible El Salvadorean flower). They were tender and perfectly fried, oozing with melted cheese, and served with a side of spicy coleslaw. We also had fried yellow plantains (amarillos) with good refried beans and sour cream, and a tamale wrapped in banana leaves. The tamale filling was so moist it was like a corn pudding, and mixed with shredded chicken. I'd like to return to try other items on the menu. The staff are friendly, a little shy (not much English) and justly proud of their food. read more

Juanita's Restaurant - Juanita's Restaurant - Pupuseria, Ottumwa, Iowa, USA, February 3, 2013 - Latin American Near Me - Ottumwa, Iowa

Great Salvadorian restaurant. Cheese Pupusas and the meat/cheese pupusas were very authentic and tasted fantastic. Tacos were very flavorful. We tried the carve asada and chicken tacos. Tamales were different than what I've had before. They tasted more like meat and potatoes than the ones I'm used to. But they were good. The corn around it adopts the flavor of it so it was good, just different. The environment was loud with the kids in the background but the staff was very kind and generous. Would definitely recommend. read more

See all

Best food in the state of Iowa. Hands down. Cash only. Bring everyone you love in your life. read more

See all

This place is one of the few things I miss about my hometown food, if you haven't had a pupusa before please do yourself a favor and get some. I am a meat eater but still prefer the bean and cheese. The steak tacos are also super good. Ottumwa used to be a hidden hotspot for Hispanic food but this place kind of stands alone at this point. read more

Loved the food, small place with great people! Chicken was super good, should've ordered a soda as well. ‍

I will admit I have no idea what a good pupusa or a bad pupusa is, but these are cheap, tasty, and filling. Seems very authentic and are freshly made when you order them, they cater to the Hispanic community, although if they didn't close at 9 PM, they'd be a great late night place or a good place to deal with the munchies. Also tried the fried plantains with beans and cream (sour). Well worth trying, you aren't going to get it anywhere else. Overall, a worthwhile adventure, definitely drop in if you're looking for something different in central Iowa. read more

This is really great El Salvadorean food! Yay, Pupusas! I am vegetarian and had bean and cheese pupusas plus their fried plantain pupusas. The "ambience" of the restaurant might scare some off, but the family who owns/runs the place are very welcoming and the food is great! CASH ONLY! ; ) read more

Papusas on the table Real Madrid on tv. Best food in town! Only takes cash, but doesn't take much. $2 papusas.

The food will NOT disappoint! Pupusas, fried Plantains, chile rellenos to die for....and that's only after one visit! You can't miss this place, it's on the south side of Ottumwa and it has a bright orange fascade that is about 12 feet wide. Go in, sit down and enjoy the experience! The family that owns the place is very kind-you feel very welcome the second you walk in. It's a very unique taste, different from traditional Mexican food(see Los Cactus also in Ottumwa). Juanita's is awesome! El Salvadorean food in southeast iowa is a real treat! read more

Delicious food and home-made deserts. Very friendly and attentive service. Bring cash as they don't take credit card but the prices are very reasonable and the food is great. read more

Juanita's Restaurant - Pupusas, tacos, horchata #feast - Latin American Near Me - Ottumwa, Iowa

It's a hole in the wall you would never think was good! it's Amazing food!!! 10 stars.

We were recently in the area to watch our nephew's little league games. When traveling, we like to try local restaurants when possible and typically go to Yelp for opinions on the matter. This restaurant stood out immediately as I am a fan of papusas and it had great reviews. We could have easily walked there from the ball park if we knew where we were going. Less than a mile and most of it through the park. It's a small place (CASH ONLY), no air and on a pretty nice day, was very warm inside. The gentleman taking our order was very friendly (later realizing he upsold me on getting another papusa as I was under the impression they were silver dollar size). So I ordered 3 papusas and a side of rice and beans. My husband ordered the fried chicken as he was curious how El Salvadorians prepare/season it. The papusas were standard size 4-5 inches wide? The coleslaw/cabbage was kind of pickled, not enough to my liking and the hot sauce was definitely hot. This was a good thing as my husband's chicken just tasted greasy, no flavor, so he used my hot sauce to help his chicken out. The beans were refried and very salty. In general, I thought the flavors were disappointing. It wasn't awful, just not what I was anticipating due to my experiences around the Des Moines area. I wasn't sorry for giving them a shot, especially over a chain restaurant, but if I am in the area again, there looks to be more local options to try. read more

Great food from a friendly family owned business. Never disappointed. Pupusas rock!

Geez, wish I'd had dinner with Jill, Sue or Jon because our experience was not anything like theirs and the great reviews were the reason for our visit. We are adventurous diners and have discovered great food in the tiny, no frills, family run places and Juanita's definitely is no frills but more importantly appeared clean. There were 2 ladies dining together and one man dining alone. Two smiling gentlemen stood behind the counter welcoming us into a bright orange painted room papered with colorful posters in Spanish. The smells were pleasant. The younger of the 2 men brought us a menu. We asked for water and was given bottled filtered water and straws. I have had papusas and knew husband, J, would like them so he ordered 2 with meat and cheese. I'm not a big eater so I went for a plate of refried black beans, plaintains, and crema for us to share and the corn tamale for myself. The pupusas were served hot and J liked the thick tortilla like crust but the filling was mostly cheese, he didn't taste meat, and skimpy in proportion to the crust. The cabbage slaw, maybe a carrot shred was there, cried out for salt and had just a trace of tang. A watery tomato based and not too hot sauce is served in a decanter alongside. Shake well. The corn tamale I had was not like a typical tamale in that it didn't have any filling. I would best describe it as a steamed cornbread. It was moist and a good cornbread but very plain but not quite what I expected The plantain plate was a major disappointment because the plantains were overripe, mushy, too sweet, and lying in grease. The beans were soupy and I couldn't eat them with a fork as the thin puree dripped through the tines. I didn't ask for a spoon. I told the gentlemen working behind the counter when asked how was the food that the plaintains were too sweet and too oily and the younger fellow translated for the older. They smiled. J paid the full price, it's cash only, tipped 15% and we left. Overall, the food was bland, unremarkable and very casually served. We firmly believe in supporting our local businesses and will continue to do so. If you go to Juanita's I hope your visit is better than ours. read more

I usually get the pupusas when I come here or the corn tamale because I know they're going to be good, but this last time I tried the tacos de carne asada and have found a new favorite. The portion sizes are good for ordering a variety of things, and you can't go wrong finishing your meal with the fried plantains. A great alternative to Mexican food restaurants. read more

I read a previous review stating that this was alright pupusas compared to the ones in Des Moines, but let me just say that I set myself on a mission to find a pupuseria in Des Moines and went to two locations, and neither one had pupasas better than this restaurant! they are so goeey and cheesy, you'll love them! they are great for the kids as well. Authentic Salvadorian dishes, as well as breakfast dishes. If you would like to try something new. Try the fried plantains! But you can NOT go wrong with the pupusas, they're to die for. read more

Really tasty! Fish was both surprising (whole fish) and yummy. Papusa was really unique and great. All stuff we've not tried before. Staff was quick and friendly. Cash only, which we didn't know. Easily solved by visiting the ATM across the street. read more

An easy to miss business that is doing everything right. Excellent prices and hard to beat tastes will have me going back again! Munch ON!

My husband and I ate here this evening and it was delicious. I had never had authentic El Salvador food and expected it to be more like Mexican, but it was in a class all its own. The tamales were moist and flavorful. The fried plantain was creamy and just sweet enough. We will definitely be back to try more of the menu. Two thumbs up for the people working there as well. We told them it was it first time and they graciously explained everything to us. read more

Everything is amazing! The pupusas are my favorite. Very affordable and delicious. Staff very friendly too!