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    La Champita

    3.8 (161 reviews)
    InexpensiveLatin American, Seafood
    Closed • 8:00 am - 1:00 AM (Next day)

    La Champita Photos

    Business Info

    LA CHAMPITA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Consumer Alert: Low Food Safety Score!

    Consumer Alert: Poor Food Safety Score!

    Did you know health officials inspect food service facilities to improve food safety?

    This facility may have received a health score that is lower than others in its area. You can check out its health score details on its Yelp page.

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    Reviews With Photos

    Jordan G.

    La Champita 9524 Rayo Avenue South Gate, CA 90280 (323) 357-3757 Location. Location. Location. This diner sits smack in the middle of my stomping grounds. I drive by this location several times a day. Decided to give this pupusa restaurant a try. Guess what folks? Food was amazing, the pupusas were delicious, loved everything about the food served. Before I share my critique, I want Yelpers to know that I will continue dining here with the intent of deleting this critique. Ordered food. Ordered drinks. I always ask for water with some lemon in it. If the restaurant offers me a bottle of water, I then gladly accept and pay whatever they charge for a bottle of water. Some folks like me simply do not drink soda or whatever sweet drinks restaurants typically sell. I religiously drink black unsweetened tea, no instant powered stuff, fresh brewed, that's just me. Everyone else please order whatever drinks you would like, don't mind me. So we ordered drinks, I ordered water with lemon, moments later the waiter brings us out sink water. I tried the water and asked him if it was sink water. He smiled, giggled, and walked away. This was the perfect moment to upswell us bottles of water. Not serve us sink water. During our meal, I asked the waiter for water four times, all four times the waiter ignored me. I also for water every time he asked us if everything was alright and if we needed anything. Ask for water, nada, zilch, zero. While the sink water was still on the table waiting for me. Question I have for all the Yelpers is the following. Can we have an expectation of free filtered water at a restaurant, or not? When was this changed? In the last 50 years I remember getting free filtered water when we dine in at a restaurant. If you Yelpers think I am wrong then I will simply delete this. No hard feelings folks, but the way we were ignored and disregarded while dining was like a swift kick in the groin after a hard day at work. For all the naysayers, I speak perfect Spanish, lived in LATAM for 15 years as an adult. Have visited Comalapa a dozen times, love visiting Comalapa around August 6th. Follow me on Yelp for more reviews. Jordan

    Yee-Sa P.

    Came in on a casual Monday. Service was friendly and fast we even got to choose where to sit. The food was prepared once we ordered. Fresh aguas were available as well. Business has been like this since they opened up. Been coming here for 11 years and amazing staff.

    Desauno #4
    Rodrigo C.

    I was craving a Salvadorian Breakfast this morning. I haven't eaten one like this for many many years. On this special occassion- we had a morning breakfast celebration for my mothers 69th birthday! She was so joyful and full with happiness. If you want to eat Salvadorian food with a flavor and feel of home cooking- then this is the place to be. The morning breakfast menu is in Spanish- but there are small translation under the description for the breakfast. We all ate (Desayuno #3- vegetariano, #4 y Typico)- Breakfast #3 (Veggie), Breakfast #4 and the Traditional Breakfast. Drinks were coffee, hot chocolate, atol de elote, and horchata. (No complaints- refills kept coming) When we arrived in the morning- at around 9:30 am, there weren't alot of people. By the time 10 am rolled around- it started getting busy- so if you plan to get breakfast- make it early. But not to worry- the ladies are quick and fast. Perhaps because they are working at the fast pace and beat of the "Cumbias", Merenge, Salsa music in the background. I must say that the dishes were filling- prepared well and authenitc. These plates were trully made by Salvadorian hands!

    Laura G.

    I tried Champitas thanks to my bf for taking me, todo estuvo rico y el servicio estuvo bueno. Usually, when I go to a pupuseria, they take 30 minutes to serve me, but Champitas was quick to get my order in and handed to me. I believe it was because it was during the week and it was only one other group of men waiting to be served. Prices are reasonable, pupusas are $3, which isn't bad. The size of them are regular size, not small not big. While eating. I did notice they had a 'B' inspection grade. I didn't figure out the reason for it, but yeah. Everything from the Horchata, to the fresco was great. I think I will return.

    Serve burn all the Pork, Cheese, all out. Really messy sticking together..all the pupusas were order to go
    Griselda V.

    My al servicio para aser pupusas para llevar... todas pegadas y con todo el queso y lo revuelto afuera de la pupusas... asta se pegaron todas juntas..ordene 10 para llevar. Y una pegada con la otra y unas quemadas el queso de afuera... 3 pupusas en un plato y se pegaron con todo el queso por fuera. I order ten pupusas to go. They for serve in 3 separate plates with they all stick to each other with the cheese out side .. some parts were burn. Dark burn cheese.. serve really bad

    Free chips as appetizer.
    Zoe L.

    It's rare for me to find a place where I really love Salvadorian food La champita has good costumer service and the food is so delicious !!! Authentic Salvadorian food We tried pupusas and panes rellenos excellent everything perfecto

    Pupusas.  Yumm!
    Manny G.

    Great food. Great service. Nice little spot. I will be coming more often. the special for 10.00 can't be beat. 3 pupusas and a tamal! Delish!

    Tamal, pupusa, and plátanos. Great service and great authentic food. Will definitely return.
    Liliana P.

    Tamal, pupusa, and plátanos. Great service and great authentic food. Will definitely return.

    Dining at La Champita

    We decided to have dinner at La Champita the restaurant was clean Service was great, And food was Amazing we are definitely returning When we are around the area 10/10

    Health inspection report
    Mario G.

    Health inspectors gave this restaurant a B at time of inspection Observed a food employee not washing their hands after sneezing, coughing, eating, drinking, or using tobacco products and either put on gloves for working with food or resumed preparing food. Mold in the ice machine, an employee eating in the food preparation area. Eww

    two plates of food on a table
    Roberto E.

    The service was excellent and the food was excellent it was really good and the ambience is nice everything is really good nice place to dine out I recommend it

    Waste of $
    Sandy N.

    Idk how this place has good reviews.. idk if it was a different cook or what happened today but the pupusas were TRASH! I love pupusas and had them from different restaurants and these are the worst I've EVER had! I ordered different types and all were bland and felt like I was just eating maza by itself with the salsa and curtido.. never again from this spot!

    Desayonu Tipico con  Pork & Cheese Pupusas.  Terrific
    Brian D.

    VERY friendly and helpful service. Fantastic food. Their outdoor seating is covered and seems private, although it's right on the road.

    The receipt shows I ordered the small pupusas, but the total shows that I was charged for the larger ones

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    4 years ago

    I like the Pupusas and Sopa de Gallina the Sopa comes with delicious thick handmade tortillas.

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    Great food and service is good, support local places. Pupusas here are good, I like breakfast there.

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    Mandala Cantina

    Mandala Cantina

    4.2(304 reviews)
    2.8 mi
    Speaks Spanish
    Locally owned & operated

    In order to honor Cinco De Mayo, with festivities that were okay for me, I went to Mandala Cantina…read morefor Latino beats and Loteria--- otherwise known as Mexican Bingo, which kind of takes the red, white and green flavor of the game. But quick understanding the term suffices. As I entered Mandala Cantina, I knew that I had stepped inside a vibe of Latin frenzy and buck--- it was replete with a sophisticated backyard boggie energy. Or in other words, the carne asada barbecue had adopted an elegant, glamorous and modern Talum motif that hit with bright mellow lights, beige beauty all around and a good time fueled by tequila shots and cocktails. I was sat at the bar, but I was warned that my sit would be bellow the regular bar line. So I sat alone, and I could look up at everyone else sat from by de-elevated sit. I was ok, I had arrived late, I was by myself with no reservation and on a whim, so I took my corner seat and did my best to forget that I sat below everyone's eye level. The party vibe was strong and palpable all across the bar. In fact, I have been to very few bars where the move was to sit, yet, the music and crowd almost demanded that we acted like we were on a club, but sitting down. More clearly, I wanted to move and dance but since there was no space, and we were playing Mexican bingo, we were implicitly required to sit and dance. For those who did not, the party still pulsed. There was this huge Cantaro (Mexican clay cup or vase) with six straws. So like a fishbowl drink that is commong in Tiki or Island theme bars, but in a large Mexican mug. This guy was moving it around while he was filmed in a way where he showed the drink for six like Mufasa showed Simba to the residents of Pride rock. So I am basically saying that all the people in the bar and crowd found a way to honor the old school hits of Reggaton and Banda that dominated the airwaves of the spot. I could not help but beat my head back and forth when Oye Mi Canto played and the lasers of the spot moved around wildly. In short, it was an experience that can be described as lit. The experience of game play was also electric. As soon as you entered, you were asked to pick a card from a large stack. You were also required to get some frijolitos-- small beans, that did not jump. I put all my beans into my card and removed them as my cards were called. I came close to winning, and maybe I did, but it was hard to focus amidst the noise and bop, so maybe I did win and did not register that one of my cards had been called so its frijolito remain on top of that square. Regardless, of the lack of victory I expeirenced I was still very happen I went here to celebrate Cinco De Mayo with appropriate festivities. After I soon sat, some tacos were placed in front of me. They were for my neigbor. I was honest and made them aware that they were not for me. After all a Mexico Hero-- Benito Juariez reminds us that respeto a lo ajeno es la paz. Or in other ways, respecting what is not yours equals peace.

    If I could give 0 stars, I would. I'm honestly disappointed with how disorganized Mandala was…read moreduring the Mexico game on July 5, 2026. I've tried multiple times to call and speak to a manager about what happened, but after receiving no response, here I am leaving a Yelp review. This wasn't my first time at Mandala, but it will very likely be my last. I made my reservation the same day Mexico won and reservations opened. I reserved a table for 8 people at 3:45 PM, which was the maximum party size available. I arrived around my reservation time, definitely before 4:00 PM, and security directed me to wait in the line designated for guests with reservations. By around 4:30 PM, the reservation line had barely moved, yet I watched other people walk up, give their names, and be let inside. At the same time, I could clearly see two reserved tables for eight sitting completely empty.I finally asked one of the waitresses, "I reserved for 8 people, and I see those two tables are empty. May I ask what the hold up is?" She asked for my name, looked up my reservation, confirmed it was there, and then told me, "It was canceled." I asked, "What was the reason? I've been here." She replied, "You never checked in before 4:00 PM." Which in fact I did, and security even confirmed that I had arrived before 4:00 PM. Despite that, no one was willing to honor my reservation. At that point I told her, "Only three people from my party of eight are here. Can we just get a table for the three of us?" She spoke with another waitress, and they came back saying it would be standing room only. I asked, "Why?" Again, they referred me back to my supposedly canceled reservation. By now I was beyond frustrated. While they spent another five minutes trying to "figure something out," I continued watching people walk up, give their names, and immediately be seated. Meanwhile, the two reserved tables for eight were still sitting empty. Then I was told, "The best we can do is standing room at the bar, or you can stand anywhere in the restaurant with one of the cocktail tables, but there's a $100 minimum per person." That requirement was never advertised or mentioned when I made my reservation. I reminded her, "This isn't my first time here." She simply replied, "Or you can stand at the bar. No minimum." At that point, it was so close to game time that I just wanted to get inside. We were never greeted--menus were simply placed in front of us. And throughout all of this, those two reserved tables for eight remained empty. The biggest lie I heard all afternoon was, "We're at capacity." I must have heard that at least 10 times. If Mandala was truly at capacity, how were people continuously walking in without reservations and being seated? Why were guests with confirmed reservations turned away while empty reserved tables sat untouched? Thankfully, the game was delayed until 6:00 PM, which gave us enough time to leave and take our business elsewhere. This was poor planning, poor communication, misleading reservation practices, and some of the worst customer service I've experienced. I wasted my time, my gas, and what should have been an exciting afternoon watching the Mexico game with family and friends. I expected much better from a place I'd enjoyed before. Instead, I left feeling ignored, frustrated, and completely disappointed. I rest my case.

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    Mandala Cantina - Sin City refreshing

    Sin City refreshing

    Mandala Cantina - Mandala cantina

    Mandala cantina

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    El Torogoz - Cheese Pupusas

    El Torogoz

    3.9(133 reviews)
    2.0 mi
    •$

    Nice restaurant. Very helpful servers. Beans are to die for! The cheese is awesome and stretchy! I…read moregot some tamales but took them to go and haven't tried yet. The pupusa de arroz also delicious. Totally recommend!!! I appreciate that the pupusas are not "restaurant" expensive and they will always bring me back! I will be trying all the other dishes when I don't go just for my lunch hour!

    5/5 : Torogoz has been my family's favorite pupusa spot for years. Unlike them, I don't eat pupusas…read morevery often, perhaps once or twice a year. This spot is a lowkey mom-and-pop shop, nothing fancy. It's my go-to when introducing people to my culture. The pupusas are pretty big, and they have a meal with 3 pupusas with a drink for about $10-13. When we sat down it was an hour before closing, but the waitress was very kind, attentive, and showed no sign of annoyance. She started us off with some complimentary chips and refried beans. My party of two ordered 6 pupusas, a coffee, horchata, and a chicken tamale. The chicken tamale was well-seasoned and large in size, and they didn't skimp on the chicken or masa. The best parts of the pupusas is that they have a lot of filling and they don't have excess corn flour (masa) around the edges. That takes A LOT of skill! They're also good as leftovers if you pop them in an air fryer on a low setting ;). Overall, I'd 100% recommend this restaurant to people.

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    El Torogoz - Inside

    Inside

    El Torogoz - Especial Tipico Desayuno

    Especial Tipico Desayuno

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    La Champita - latin - Updated October 2026

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