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    La Cuscatleco South

    4.7 (27 reviews)
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    LA CUSCATLECO SOUTH ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - La Cuscatleco South

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    Menu as of 01/24/2024.
    Dan T.

    My daughter is an avid reader and I had to run to the South side tonight to pick up some books for her... I'd noticed La Cuscatleca on the map as close to our meet up spot. A little research showed this was an El Salvadoran papusa spot. A papusa is kind of a thick tortilla made of masa and then stuffed with other components. I asked Jess and she raved about them and let me know they were just around the corner from where we were. Unsolicited shout out to Jessie's Books! You can find her on Facebook or at the Iowa State Fairgrounds flea market. Lol Jess gave me a couple pro tips. 1. Mix the sauces. 2. And they have an "Everything" papusa (con todo). Her favorite and it's easy to miss on the menu. The mild and hot sauces are the same color (both red) so be careful if you get both! I ordered two con todos (everything), one pollo (chicken), and one camaron (shrimp). It came with both sauces and curtido (El Salvadoran slaw). All the papusas come with cheese. The total before tip... $13.87 Talk about bang for your buck! I had a bit of a drive home. About 20 min. The papusas were still piping hot when I got them home, unpacked, and plated. I should have listened on the sauces... I didn't on the first plate. The hot sauce is HOT! Everything was fresh and flavorful. It was all good. The con todo was my favorite too! La Cuscatleca is a little hard to spot. I've included pics, but it's kind of placed under another more prominent business. There is parking available. The interior looks more like a 50s diner than what I expected. The seating is mostly tables and chairs with a few booths. They have an outdoor patio area. Weather permitting! The gentleman working the counter greeted me right away as I walked up. He was personable and wonderful to work with. Order at the front. They take cash or cards. My food was ready after about a 10 min wait. I'll definitely be back when I'm in the area! Such an affordable and delicious meal! https://pupusasiowa.com/ https://www.facebook.com/pupusas515?mibextid=LQQJ4d

    Beans and Cheese Pupusas
    Emily B.

    Friendly staff. Attentive. We took this to go. Very spacious inside. Plenty of seating. The papusas were AMAZING. Highly recommend!! We can't wait to go back & dine in. We tried the tamales as well. Everything was super fresh & delicious.

    Vivian T.

    La Cuscatleca South is one of my favorite places to get Pupusas. I used to frequent their original location on the East Side to get some, but now they have their "South" location in the old AIB building off of Fleur Dr. I got their Pork & Cheese, Shrimp & Cheese, and their Chicken & Cheese Pupusas with extra Curtido (slaw) and extra mild and hot sauces. I also ordered their Pastelitos for the Hubby. He hasn't tried any yet but I'm sure he will love them. Their "Cuscatlan" entree comes with: Carne Asada, Plantains, Fried Egg, Rice & Beans, Pico and Tortillas. The Plantains were sweet and delicious! Reminds me of the Lao-style baked bananas. This dish as a whole was really good. I couldn't even get through half of it. Will definitely have plenty for dinner later. I hope to make it back again soon to try their other dishes!

    Diner with beautiful view
    Karen W.

    Absolutely delicious food. The papusas are top-notch. I'd ordered food for delivery before, but never been in the restaurant until recently. It's a spacious dining room with a 50s diner vibe, which feels a little cheesy, but it's clean and well-kept. It's not in an area with a lot of foot traffic, and it was pretty dead for dine-in on a Tuesday night. Kinda sad, because the food was delicious and the view was amazing. We enjoyed the antojitos platter, and several varieties of papusas. They bring curtido and another spicy pickled onion slaw, plus a couple sauces to the table to accessorize your papusas. I loved being able to load up on the delicious slaw! Highly recommend this place. Not only is the food and view great, it's also a bargain.

    Inside of banana empanada with a sweet and creamy filling
    Christina F.

    One of the spots in my regular rotation of restaurants when I want high quality food at reasonable prices. Yes I can still get a good sized pupusa for $3/4 each and they have a good variety of fillings. I usually get one chicken and one garlic. Each are delicious on their own, but even more so when combined. I also love their chicken tamales because the masa is always moist and smooth. They don't usually have a lot of chicken, but there's enough flavor in the tamal that I don't miss it. The restaurant itself is huge and has a 50's diner aesthetic complete with checkerboard floors, vintage Coca-Cola signs, round red stools and windows that offer a beautiful view of Gray's Lake, Waterworks Park, and downtown Des Moines. They usually play music videos on the television, and every time it has been a different genre. The staff has always been friendly, helpful in answering questions, and the food comes out quickly and piping hot. Two people can explore the menu and come away full for less than $25. On a clear night when it's warm out, their patio is a great place to eat your meal. While looking out and enjoying the view. I highly recommend this spot.

    Pork and Cheese Pupusas, Cuscatlan, Empanacadas De Planto
    Drew W.

    Food is fantastic and lots of it. It looks like a diner but the food will not let you down

    Diner

    Unfortunately I'm in no rush to get to this place again after seeing some great reviews. They close at 9 we got there at 815- 830 and they almost insisted we got the order to go that's Not good service to me. You want to feel welcome while they are open. Didn't love the food the empanadas had sweet inside where we were thinking was going to be meat or cheese. My boyfriend hated the pescado frita he got. It literally looks like a full fish still. He didn't like the seasoning and was hard to cut. Pollo ala crema The chicken and sauce I got was good and flavorful but didn't love the shell thing you put it In. It's a cute diner place and a beautiful view of sun and skyline if you can stay and enjoy.

    Fried Plaintains

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    10 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    10 months ago

    I really enjoyed the food, I had chicken and pork pupusas. Nice folks working here.......

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

    Best pupusa in Iowa. Family-run, authentic food vibe. Set in a former diner or something. Great value and service.

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    11 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Great papuces I love the bean and cheese and spinach with cheese. Fresh food and friendly staff

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    5 years ago

    My favorite papusas but everything else is delicious. The fried plantains, Antojito Sampler, and Carne Asada are great.

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