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    La Libertad

    4.3 (62 reviews)
    ModerateSalvadoran
    Open 7:00 am - 9:00 pm

    La Libertad Photos

    Business Info

    LA LIBERTAD ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Divey
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - La Libertad

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    Sopa de Pollo
    Luis D.

    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!

    Pupusas revueltas
    Delia S.

    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.

    Urinate happy, urinate content, but urinate (in the toilet)
    Brooks B.

    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.

    John M.

    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.

    Not good.
    Ana M.

    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.

    Biggest tamale I have ever had!
    Dee W.

    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!

    Pastelitos and cabbage salad
    Paul C.

    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.

    David L.

    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.

    Scott M.

    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.

    Pastellitas de Pollo, delicious

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    6 months ago

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    25 days ago

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    2 months ago

    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!

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    6 months ago

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

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    1 year ago

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    3 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    2 years ago

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

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    4 years ago

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

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    3 years ago

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

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    4 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    7 years ago

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

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    10 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    5 years ago

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

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