My mom and I stopped by here for lunch one Saturday afternoon. La Libertad is the epitome of a family-run restaurant for families. I wasn't super familiar with Salvadoran food, but the menu was very easy to navigate. The star of our lunch were the chicken pastelitos. Similar to the concept of an empanada, but fried and scrumptious. Perfect appetizer. The fried platanos (plantains) were also perfect. They got the crust outside just to my liking. The tamales were also outstanding. It's hard to find restaurants that do very freshly steamed, tender tamales like this. It was served in the husk. We got the one with the pork filling which hit the spot and complimented the sauces they provided. I would totally stop by here to pick up a large order of tamales, I'll have to look into if they can do that. All in all, this place is incredible and worth the drive if you've never tried pupusas or anything of the sort. Very casual, but sit-down and order at the table. read more

See all

Wonderful food and very nice people. I am gluten free and always get the Pupusas and plantains and it has never made me sick. My husband and I have to go there at least 2-3 times a month. read more

Food was amazing. The pupusas are a must try !! The server was nice and helped us out. If you're ever in the area, give it a try!

The food at la Libertad was amazing, the service was great too. The environment makes you feel like you are in a foreign country in a good way, very beautiful decorations In the walls and overall experience was great eating here. I got the chicken soup (sopa de pollo) It was very delicious. I will be coming back for more for sure! read more

La Libertad - Sopa de Pollo - Salvadoran Near Me - Pelham, Alabama

3.5 stars. I was really excited to try this restaurant because I love pupusas. As the other reviews have stated, it is definitely authentic and I love that. However the food missed the mark. My pupusa was so charred that it overpowered the flavor. The beans were actually luke warm. The chicharrones were okay but the canned rotel really didn't help. The rice and cheese was good. For 20$ I expected more. read more

See all

I've been three times and the food, service, and atmosphere is consistently great. I highly recommend trying this place.

Decent. Not remarkable but not bad. Friendly enough. Store was a bit ambient and crowded, not in the way of people, but just things around. Pupusas were good. read more

When I entered, two kind servers greeted me and told me I could sit wherever. Always good to have a nice greeting when you walk into a place. Nice atmosphere with lots of really cool Salvadoran paintings and pictures, and a few TVs showing spanish language programming. My server was nice and when she realized I spoke Spanish, she told me about the four available "Aguas Frescas" at a speed of about 200 words per second! So needless to say, after I had her repeat them, I ordered agua de melon. It was really delicious. I like horchata too but today I had to try something different. For my food, I ordered 3 papusas, which is the most popular Salvadoran food. One "revueltas," which has pork, beans and cheese inside. One with pork and cheese, and one with just cheese. All three were delicious but pork with cheese edged it's way to the number 1 favorite of the three. The only disappointment during the entire experience was that I thought papusas always came with a little slaw "curtido" on the side but these did not. This was not enough of a disappointment to doc em a star. Next time I'll ask for it. Overall, GREAT restaurant and I highly recommend it when in Pelham. read more

See all

This is by no means a fancy place, but with that being said, cuisine like this shines best when it is in a humble setting. I walked into this place on a Sunday night and noticed the cheap wall decorations, cheap tables and chairs, and a smiling server who despite an obvious language barrier was able to get me pointed in the right direction on selecting a dish. A somewhat bland salsa and chips were brought to my table, but from that somewhat disappointing start, my meal turned out pretty spectacular. I started with a Papua (a dish closely associated with El Salvador) and it was truly sublime. The pork and cheese within gave it an indulgent creamy filling and a true joy. For my mine course, I had one of the steak dishes. It was very good and accompanied by two thick tortillas. Truly a fantastic meal at a fair price. read more

See all

La Libertad is my favorite comfort food! The service is always great and the staff is friendly. Today I ordered a chicken tamale and a Asada Taco with a jalapeño and cheese pupusa. The tamale has chicken, potatoes, and vegetables inside. They are known for the pupusas, and I will drive across town for them! The jalapeño in the pupusa is not too spicy, and is perfect with the cheese. I love to top the pupusas with curtido (spicy, pickled cabbage and carrots). They offer chips and salsa if you ask. If you want to try Salvadorian food, you need to try La Libertad. read more

Outstanding... empanadas were terrific... the service was quick and friendly. Very affordable also.

Staff is very friendly and the food was good. I've never had this type of food before. I had one of their breakfast plates they serve all day. My main suggestion is they need more seasoning. I will definitely be back though to try something different! read more

Amazing food and fast service. You can taste the authenticity. I don't like writing reviews but this place deserves it

Full disclaimer I am a native of El Salvador so I grew up eating the real salvadorean food. In my opinion it's always a hit or miss with the pupusas. Most of the time you'll get a mediocre made pupusa. The taste is good, but y'all, real pupusas aren't supposed to have that extra meatless dough. Also pupusas are not super thin, sometimes you'll get them and they're made so thin, it annoys me. (Pic attached) Also, the chicharron (pork) it's only okay, I've tasted better pupusas de chicharrón. Y'all I found out Mi pueblo serves pupusas and they are so much better.! I was craving panes con pollo (traditional smothered chicken sandwich), so I decided to try theirs. Nope, what they gave me was not it! They gave me a hoagie roll stuffed with stewed chicken but it was mostly potatoes. WTH! Anyway, if you've had panes con pollo before you know that the chicken it's supposed to be oven roasted and smothered in a special yummy sauce goodness. What they served me is the lazy version. So disappointed. It was so dry! They didn't put lettuce, no watercress, no beets. Let's talk about the service: horrible. I probably ate here 3 times before I decided I wouldn't put up with such horrible service, all the waitresses are rude! So rude! Anyway, I ordered to go a few times after that but again the service is bad and I'm not in love with their food. Cleanliness: You guessed it! Not clean! The bathrooms aren't clean. The building is old, poorly decorated and do they even know that things can be dusted? Sadly, there are no other salvadorean restaurants in the area. read more

See all

I second the statement that a personal fan should be brought! You get major old-school, back to homeland vibes from this place, but it is very poorly ventilated. I went with my Salvadoran friends, but I was the only non-Latin individual in the establishment. The service was very friendly and thorough, but the food preparation was a little lengthy. They might have been a little understaffed for the dinnertime on a Saturday. We got the bean and pork pupusas. They were average. According to my friends, they were too mushy and difficult to eat with the appropriate sides. On the bright side, they were large portions and very inexpensive. While I have no other basis of comparison, I look forward to trying outside pupusas and coming back to give them a second chance. I also am excited to try their typical dinner, such as the plantains and steak. read more

While this place has been open for years, we had never stopped by, until last week. It is definitely a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, and the food is great. It is billed as serving food from El Salvador. There were a few families dining, socially distanced, so we figured the food must be good. We got an order to plantains to start. These are fried, sweet plantains and were excellent. Fried plantains are one of the food I greatly regret never having got to try as a kid, and La Libertad does a great job with them. For the main course I got the Bistec Encebollado and my wife got Camarones Entomatados. These dishes are completely different from anything I've before, and both were excellent. This is a great little restaurant and I look forward to returning and trying other dishes. read more

Took a few work people with me and was concerned because it isn't ever day food. Everyone loved it. Fajitas, tacos, and pupusa. I had the pupusa, tamale, guacamole and casomiento. I loved it! The pupusa was different because they served the chicken from their tacos on top. The curtido was red colored which I have never seen but it was fabulous and not spicy. Loved the red sauce that came with the pupusa. Loved the salsa with chips and a little spice. The guacamole was better than I have ever had! Tamale had a huge chunk of chicken and was soft/moist but yet stayed together. Also, the tamale was HUGE! read more

See all

Authentic to a fault. I have never been to El Salvador, but now I know what it feels like. El Salvador is a small country in Central America. It is located on the Pacific Ocean side of Honduras. I had lunch with my peeps (David, Matthew, and Rachel) on Friday, and it felt like we had been teleported to the coastal town of La Libertad. The restaurant was busy and I'm certain we were the only non-Salvadorians there. Our waitress spoke little English, and my 10 hours of college Spanish were way too long ago. We were seated at a four-top table in a dimly lit dining room. A fluorescent light fixture flickered on and off. The place was uncomfortably hot, and a large industrial fan was moving the humid air around. To complete the picture, a fly or two would occasionally buzz our table. We ordered two appetizers. I was looking forward to the Pupusas because it is a popular dish in El Salvador. Pupusas are handmade corn tortillas that are stuffed with cheese, meat, and/or refried beans and then pan fried. We ordered one pupusas with beans and cheese fillings and one with just pork. They tasted about the same and were just okay. The second appetizer was Pastelitos De Pollo. These fried meat pies are filled with chicken and vegetables. The filling was a little light on the amount of chicken, but still delicious. The appetizers are accompanied by a unique salad mixture. It is primarily cabbage, and I would describe as somewhere between a vinegary coleslaw and fermented Kim Chee. Sounds odd, but I really liked the salad. I ordered the Tradicional Salvadoreno as my entree because "when in Rome do as the Salvadorians do". This dish includes steak, rice, beans, and plantains. The thin steak was flavorful but the meat was very tough. The rice and black beans were okay. The plantains were soft and sweet. My wife would like the plantains. Overall this was a good experience. I appreciate restaurants that showcase their culture and offer something unique. The restaurant is popular with the local community who have ties to the Central American region. read more

See all

If I had known they were trying to save on their electric bill, I would've brought my little mini fan with me :) La Libertad is your typical "hole in the wall run mom pop" stops that have a fiercely loyal following... mostly Salvadorians of course. The restaurant is dimly lit and honestly looks pretty worn and dated. There was one of those large industrial sized fans towards the back of the dining room keeping the place cool. There were small flags of the world (mainly southern hemisphere) strung across the ceiling with a rack of what looked like soccer/football tshirts also for sale. I really did feel like I could've been in a local watering hole in El Salvador. Fellow Yelper Paul, my son, daughter and I were the only non Hispanics there for lunch today. We were greeted warmly and seated. Our drink orders were brought promptly with some chips and salsa. The salsa was ok. We tried 2 appetizers: the Pupusas and Pastelitos. I really liked the pastelitos which were corn pie filled with chicken and vegetables. The fry on it was very good. The outer shell was warm from just coming out of the fryer, tasted good, but the chicken inside was sparing. The Pupusas round patties of corn flour that were stuffed with beans and cheese. They were also pretty good. For me it was like a quesadilla but softer. Both were served with a tub of what we could surmise as the Salvadorian version of "kimchi". We were given a pair of tongs to get the stuff out of the tub. It looked like it was made of lots of cabbage with vinegar and other spices with jalapenos. It was like eating coleslaw and tasted pretty good as a garnish. Paul and I both ordered the same meal: Tradicional Salvadoreno which came with rice, beans, steak and plaintains. The flank steak had a good marinade on it, but it was cooked really well done making it a chewy and dry. After I added a pinch of salt to the rice, it tasted pretty good. My beans were so so, but the plaintains which could've been fried a little more, was top notch! My daughter ordered their Burrito de Carne Asada which was steak, rice, beans, onion and cilantro. She reported that the her steak was also dry but she enjoyed her burrito. It was served with a small bed of lettuce, slice of tomato and cucumbers. My son ordered the whole fried tilapia. It was fried nicely and tasted like other Mojarra fritas I've had at other mexican restaurants. I am not an expert on Central American food. I have not had eaten at a traditional Guatemalan or Honduran restaurant lately but to me, this Salvadorian food was very reminiscent of "mexican" food. The atmosphere was stifling albeit friendly. I would return to sample their other menu items, but only when the weather is cooler or in the evenings. read more

See all

In a word...authentic. I've had the opportunity over the years to visit a fair number of places south of the U.S., and I've eaten plenty just about everywhere I've been. La Libertad serves food that is closer to what I've seen in other countries than anything else you're going to find. This stuff is, without a doubt, authentic. My friend and I tried a variety of things from across the menu yesterday and all of it was up to par. This is not a Mexican restaurant, it's Salvadorian, so expect there to be some unique offerings that you may not see if you're expecting Mexican. The empanadas were freshly fried and outstanding. The horchata was a truly great example of the beverage that everyone should try. The fried chicken didn't blow my mind, but it was definitely good and well worth the price. The papusas of which we sampled a variety were as fresh as could be and really flavorful. The fried plantains were just like the ones you'd get if you were in El Salvador. Not too sweet, but browned just right. A few things to note. This is not a fancy schmancy place....its a small, somewhat hole in the wall spot that you might miss if you're not looking for it. There's a strong possibility that you may be the only fluent English speaker in the building, but the menus have pictures so that helps, and the server that we had was extraordinarily patient in making sure we got what we wanted, substitutions and all. The prices are very low. You can go here and go nuts ordering everything you want, without compromise and take a to go bag home without breaking the bank. Definitely an experience. Definitely worth a try. Remember, this isn't some place with a fancy chef who's got a PhD in gastronomy, it's an legit, authentic spot serving food the way it's served in El Salvador. Prices are right and the people are friendly. 5 stars. read more

See all

"El Salvadorian food in Alabama?", you might ask. "Is that what the world came to?" Frankly, I don't believe that anybody in El Salvador nor Alabama thought their places of origin could be used in one sentence. But, I couldn't be happier that this is what the world came to. Of course, the obvious thing to try when introducing taste buds to El Salvadorian food is the country's staple, pupusas. The pupusas were simply phenomenal. I will admit though, I don't have any pupusas to judge them against from prior experience. As far as the rest of the menu...The skirt steak was very oversalted and the beef quality wasn't great. Pastelitos de pollo were my favorite! Flavor filled little pockets with chicken and vegetable. So ridiculously good. Because of the steak being "meh", I would have normally given three stars, but they surely made up in other areas. It's a hole in the wall, but priced accordingly. Just don't go planning a first date here, unless you are both into this kind of thing... read more

La Libertad - Pastellitas de Pollo, delicious - Salvadoran Near Me - Pelham, Alabama

See all

Fantastic food! People are friendly. Food is fresh and authentic. I absolutely love the breakfast plates that you can get any time of day!

OMG! Love the pupusas...breakfast...caldo de res! I have been going for 20 years...La Libertad is one of Birmingham's best!

This place is awesome! Authentic and delicious. Team members are friendly and service is great. Reall nice and clean.

We had a great dinner to celebrate the start of a new school year! Our waitress recommended both of our dinners and they were amazing! So excited to go back and have some more pupusas! Thank you for the wonderful food! read more

I ordered the puposas to start, one with pork and cheese and the other with zucchini and cheese. They were pretty good. For my entree, I ordered the Tradicional Salvadoreno which has steak, rice, beans, and plantains. It had good flavor but was a little tough. The rice and beans were good, but didnt have alot of flavor. I really enjoyed the plantains. My spouse ordered the bisteca, which was steak, onions and peppers with rice, beans and salad. He said it had great flavor and he enjoyed it. It's definitely a hole in the wall restaurant but staff was friendly and food seemed to appeal to the locals! What a treat to find this in such a small town in Alabama! read more

La Libertad - Salvadoran Near Me - Pelham, Alabama

See all

So here's the thing: 10/10 for the most awesome pupusas outside of those made by a Salvadorean grandma. So soft and tender with the creamiest buttery cheese; the pupusas, not the grandmas. The red pasty beans in the middle gave the final touch. The place itself is ... well... simple and a little odd but not unlike what you might find outside of the US. Let's call it authentic. If you're looking for warm and fuzzy servers, this isn't the place. They did answer all our questions and the order was perfectly executed and delivered. There are many other delicious items on the menu but if you're just dipping your toe in the water, or so-to-speak, then go with pupusa de frijol y queso and the taco pupusa. You won't regret it. If you want an appetizer, try the plátanos con frijol y crema. Wish I lived in Birmingham. I'd be eating here a lot. For now I'll have to settle for the occasional detour off of I-65 . read more

La Libertad - Pupusas - Salvadoran Near Me - Pelham, Alabama

See all

We ate here while traveling through. This was a few years ago They have pupusas. My husband says, "As a Salvadoran, that's all I needed to know. Instant 5-stars." The pupusas we're very good. read more

Authentic and reminds me of my aunt's pupusas from back home. The food is amazing and I don't know where else you can get a lengua burrito here in Birmingham. Definitely will be returning. read more

La Libertad - Salvadoran Near Me - Pelham, Alabama

See all

I can't believe I stumbled upon Salvadorian food in Bham! And absolutely loved it. This looks like your regular Mexican restaurant, but I was amazed by their food. They serve you chips and salsa, the chips were fresh and warm, the salsa was as good as it gets. We started off with some Pastelitos de Pollos. These are fried appetizers with chicken and vegetables, and followed this up with beef and chicken Pupusas, which are fried corn tortillas that are stuffed with cheese and beans. These were absolutely delicious! We followed this up with their steak, rice and beans and cheese plate. This tasted pretty good, except a little salty for my taste. However, I will be back soon to try more items on their menu. Their servers are friendly and welcoming, and the ambience is simple. This restaurant is a great addition to Birmingham's culinary scene. read more

See all

Love coming here , pupusas, yuca , plátanos, and empanadas are mainly what I really come for. They have so many more dishes that are amazing but you can't go wrong with pupusas. Everything was on time and hot! I will be back , thank you !!! read more

La Libertad - Empanadas de plátano salvadoreño - Salvadoran Near Me - Pelham, Alabama

See all

Hole in the wall restaurant. Don't expect anything fancy at all other than a great meal. I would come here again and again if I lived in the area. Chips and salsa were good. They serve coke the old style bottles which I loved. Plantains and Pupusas were out of this world. read more

Amazing food! We needed lunch and so the spouse and I stopped in. Having eaten at a Salvadoran restaurant before and been to the country itself we were excited. However, we did not know we were in for such a special treat. I would definitely recommend. We are coming back! read more

Absolutely delicious. Had the steak taco. Cheap and good. Definitely stopping here next time I'm in town.

My boyfriend is from El Salvador and he introduced me to this place. He loves it and so do I ! I've only had the different pupusas and the tacos. Freshly made in the back kitchen. The salsa and chips is nice to munch on while you wait for your food. I highly recommend this place if you are open to try food from a new cultural. It's nothing fancy but the food is good. It's located in a little shopping center. read more

I just found this place to be ehh! My family liked it but I don't think we will return. There was plenty of food and the waitress seemed nice.... I don't speak Spanish but my husband interpreted for us. Atmosphere was plain nothing to speak of.... read more

I looooovveee the food and the promptness. The only thing I would say the could work on is if you only speak English then you will have a hard time ordering take out. They've gotten our order wrong a couple times due to language barrier but even then I give 4/5 stars cause their food is fantastic! The papusas and the empanadas are amazing!! The price is awesome as well read more

The food here is amazing! Had the papusas. The bean and cheese were my favorite. The Horchata is great too. Just wish the waitresses were a little more welcoming to "non hispanic" customers. Even with that, I'll be back! read more

I've had a few different pupusa offerings, including the taco pupusa, and their platanos, pastelitos, and chips/salsa. You can communicate simply to some of the servers in english, but I always feel more comfortable having my sister translate. However if you don't speak spanish at all, you'll definitely be able to get by. These are the BEST pupusas I've had - better than Mi Pueblo or Recinos. They're fantastic and affordable El Salvadorian food and you should definitely try this place out! Be prepared to tip your waitress in cash because they do NOT let you put the tip on the card! read more

Really good food, dog sh*t service. Food took an hour... and we called 30 mins ahead. Not THAT busy.