Very nice and clean. Plenty of tables and seating available. Super nice staff. Service was a bit slow. We asked for a little time to review the menu then the guy never came back. After about 30 minutes asked the other server if she could take our order. She gladly did and the food came out piping hot and super tasty. I failed to take a picture. I got the chimichanga with chicken filling and ate between one-third and half before getting full. Guacamole was fresh and had just the right creamy texture. Black beans were also a nice smooth creamy texture and with a good depth of flavor. The rice was the typical red-orange rice. I would definitely return. If you are downtown Salem looking for Mexican and have time this is a good contender. read more

New menu new prices about $2 increase on everything. Mostly the same if not 100% the same menu. Looks like a few items were taken off. We enjoy coming here for lunch always have great service and friendly staff especially love when it's nice outside and they have outside seating. read more

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They are really friendly here and the food is delicious. They use a cream sauce for their standard enchiladas but easily swapped it out for the red sauce when I asked. Cute decor for Christmas. Great chips. Service was really slow this time around. They were short staffed and said they were trying to confirm an order from another patron of 50 papusas to go. Reasonable prices! There were three of us and it was about $50 with tip. This place also serves warm chips with the salsa. read more

Went here for lunch for the first time today as my brother and sister in law like it. We really enjoyed our food. It was a nice day so we sat outside and they were attentive to us which was nice. Inside the restaurant is very quiet and would be a good place on a rainy day. read more

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Hand down best chips and salsa in Salem. Sometimes we'll come just cause of that.. My family loves coming here, consistently good food. Amazing pupusas read more

No no and just yuck. Stopped in this place on a Thursday for a quick dinner. There were quite a few people sitting outside so it seemed a safe choice. The husband and I both got the Flautas plate to keep it simple. Food took forever to come out and when it did not only was it cold but it was obvious everything had been prepared much earlier in the day and kept in warmers. The flautas came in three. One pork, beef and chicken. The pork one had so much blubber it was inedible. The chicken and beef flautas were flavorless and dry. Also flautas are supposed to be deep fried and crispy. These were like pan fried maybe and weirdly soft. Meal came with black beans and rice. Also served cold and flavorless with a small amount of the cheapest waxiest Mexican cheese blend I've ever tasted scattered across the top. Food took forever to come out and when we were done we preemptively went in to pay after watching several other diners sitting around waiting forever for their bills. I would not recommend. read more

Great pupusas and other Salvadoran food favorites... including the drink called Ensalada (my favorite!) One of our go-to places in Salem when wanting comfort food. Highly recommended. read more

I came with one couple. The menu looked good. The drinks were very average. Not like the ones at the real La Margarita from which this one springs. The food was merely all right. Very average. Service was acceptable. Not a long wait. Nothing remarkable one way or the other. It had a pleasant atmosphere. It wasn't crowded. There just wasn't anything that would make me want to return. However my dinner guests were definitely the best part that made the experience acceptable.There just are better choices with infinitely better food. read more

The food is delicious, servings are generous, and the service is the best! I highly recommend La Margarita Express.

Wowza. Best Mexican food I think I've ever had. This place was amazing, service and food was top notch. This spinach and cheese Papusa is living in my head rent free to this day. Probably the best bite of food I've ever had. The man serving us did his job with pride, answered every question of ours with a smile. He was absolutely amazing. I believe this is his family's establishment and you could see the pride he has for the food they serve. It really impressed me to see this. I will most definitely go back and I will send all of my friends here. The environment was so clean, so comfy, and the prices were insanely cheap. Margaritas less than $10, papusas less than $4 (and huge!). I also got an order of flautas, and each flauta had a different protein in it! Their menu is so well thought out and I cannnnnnot say enough good things!!!!!!!!!!! read more

La Margarita Express - a half eaten pizza on a plate - Mexican Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Dining here is like that Seinfeld episode, "The Strike", where the woman he is dating is beautiful one moment, then scary the next. The first time here, everything was so great, we were like YES! We've found our favorite Mexican restaurant in Salem! The food (see photos) was delicious, the Margaritas were perfect, and our waiter was so amazing, we left a HUGE tip (we often do but this even more extra) and left there feeling like we'd return again and again. This guy went above and beyond to be helpful in making menu suggestions, was warm and kind and efficient...just really great. The next time, it was like we were in some bad parallel universe. I hesitate to write a bad review, and if you've read any of my other reviews, you know I nearly always say positive things, love to support local businesses, and am pretty easy to please. I'll never pompously call myself that dreaded term so overused (..."foodie"...eyeroll...). First off, we did get a table quickly after entering, but the person who seated us literally threw menus on the table without a word and was gone. Then began a half-hour wait while NO ONE brought any water or acknowledged our existence, maybe just to say "Hey sorry, we're really busy tonight and will be with you soon", or even take a drink order which would have held us over for the long remainder of our wait. What made this exasperating was that a waitress was waiting on the table directly opposite us, and we're literally sitting two feet away being ignored. No eye contact or acknowledgement whatsoever. It began to get so ridiculous, we both wanted to leave, but being polite dummies, we tried to wait "a little longer". To make things even more annoying, that table was occupied by a large older couple, staring at their cell phones and not speaking to each other the entire time, and continuously eavesdropping on our conversation (by staring at us every time we quietly made a joke about being hungry, thirsty, trying to talk about other things to pass the time, etc.). Finally after half an hour, my son got up and went to the reception counter to ask if we could get some service or if they were just too busy to wait on us, we were leaving. As my son calmly walked from our table to say all this, the male of this charming couple said loudly to his equally charming female companion, "Where's HE going!", so loudly of course I could not help but hear him as I sat there alone. The entire situation was fubared. A server then finally appeared and took a drink order. We both ordered a Margarita, and I don't know if it was out of trying to make up for the long wait, or something less positive, but those drinks were the strongest either one of us had ever had--and not in a tasty, pleasant way. On a long-empty stomach, it was not a great situation. We ordered food which was no longer enjoyable by the time we finally ate (one hour after entering the restaurant). The server was not great and the entire experience left me with one thought: never going back as there are so many other dining establishments in downtown Salem to spend our hard-earned money at instead. (The attached photos were from our FIRST and much more pleasant visit.) read more

La Margarita Express - Mexican Near Me - Salem, Oregon

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Allison (I hope I have her name right) went above and beyond!!! I had a large order and she was very thorough throughout the whole process. I also wanted extra condiments for everything and she made sure it was all there and all correct. While I waited for my order, which was to go, she checked on me and asked me if I wanted any extra utensils, etc. She put everything in a box for me to make it easier to carry. She even wrapped the top of the box with foil to keep my food warm and it was. Allison was very attentive, patient, and extremely accommodating. Now the food. The food was amazing. I really did not expect the portions to be so big. It was a great surprise and why I needed a box to carry it all lol. The carne asada was cooked to perfection. In my experience a lot of places over cook it. There was so much carne asada in my two tacos I was only able to eat one. Pupusa's had an even amount of meat and cheese. The steak enchiladas were beyond delicious. I wish I could say more but I'm still savoring the taste of them. All in all the service, atmosphere, and food was 10/10! Thank you everyone who works there. You guys are amazing. read more

Food was delicious. We went on an evening where the food wait time was way longer than expected but service was enjoyable.

The workers are super nice. The food is excellent. I love the molcajete with flour tortillas... it's a must!!!! It comes with shrimp cheese beef fajitas chicken fajitas cactus jalapeño and a special sauce that melts the cheese .. food come out fast and the restaurant is always clean. Love this place! Highly recommended read more

La Margarita Express - two bowls of food on a table - Mexican Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Food was fresh and amazing. The fact that they have Salvadorian food which tastes great.

Not very clean. Flies around as well. Tables wobbly and really annoying. The music is way too loud and overwhelming. Waitress didn't check on us at all until the end. Waited over an hour for food. Not many people. The pollo en crema was waaaaay over salted. The carne asada was dry and not tasty. The lettuce was wilted. The rice was very plain. We enjoy spicy foods but the papusa with jalapeño and cheese was so spicy, it was inedible. I won't be coming back. read more

Best Salvadorian food ever. They make spinach and zucchini PAPUSAS. Fresh spicy pickled slaw and salsa. I always order 3, but it may take me 3 days to eat. They are not small. It's worth every penny to go here. Great service. The place is always clean. read more

Their Cadillac margaritas are amazing, and their pupusas are incredible and affordable. We love them!

My family walked in, got seated and waited over 20 minutes and nobody came by our table for service. We saw people behind us get dinks, chips, order placed and still nobody showed up. We all ended up walking out. This wasn't our first time here, but one of the worst experiences as far as services goes. Last few times have been okay... seems like they are understaffed. read more

This is a hidden gem... staff are friendly and attentive and the place is clean with a good vibe for authentic Mexican. I was beginning to think downtown was lacking good eateries. I moved away from my normal food choice and had Huarache and was pleasantly surprised. I would definitely recommend!!! read more

Love love love this place. It's quaint and delightful. Fantastic margaritas and service. Never have had a bad meal here. Highly recommended. read more

La Margarita Express - I call it a beerita but that's not the name. but it's very good. - Mexican Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Best food in the Valley, best carne asada, best pupusas, best chicken dish, best service. I travel from my home town just to enjoy this food! read more

This place has absolutely horrible customer service, and the food isn't nearly good enough to force myself to ignore it. My visit last week was my last. Where are the waiters, because they sure as heck are not checking on their customers. I waited over 20 minutes for my soda and for a refill on the chips and salsa. Finally had to get up to ask my waiter, who was standing around fiddling with napkins or something. This was not the first time that I've had to track this guy down for a refill in the 6 or 7 times we've eaten here. And then a waitress brings us our plates, and when my husband tells her he ordered beef taquitos, not a beef burrito, she has the gall to question him, "Are you sure? I'm going to check". Yeah, my grown ass husband knows what he ordered, no need to question him. What's with your consistently crappy table tending skills? It sure isn't because you're too busy or understaffed. read more

I used to go here often, but it has been a while. Service was awful. Food was lacking. Could barely order a drink-forget about a refill or a second margarita. We had to ask for salsa 3 times, before giving up. I ordered the fajitas and it came with one shell. After 20 minutes, no one check up and the food was cold. We never received a check, had to wait at the check stand. I will not be going back. read more

We love the pupusas here. They also have a heavenly beverage called an ensalada (no, it's not a salad) with fresh fruit that's to die for. Not fancy, just tasty. read more

Margarita flights were really syrup-y but I still got drunk so it's good enough for me.

This review is specifically for the Salvadoran component of this restaurant that also serves Mexican food. Any number of people can talk about the more common cuisine from our friends immediately south of the border, but I want people to know about the tasty pupusas they serve at this place. A pupusa is a Salvadoran staple that's basically a thick corn "tortilla" that's about 1/4- 1/2" thick, heated on a flat pan and stuffed with different items of your choosing. I highly recommend the loroco (the edible flower of a vine that grows in El Salvador & Guatemala) and cheese and the pork and cheese pupusas. But really they're all good! They come served with a spicy cabbage side salad called curtido. The fried yuca (root vegetable- similar in texture to a potato) here was delicious and shouldn't be missed! The service here was personable and efficient. They have a nice selection of alcohol for their mixed drinks- margaritas, tequila sunrises (1977 called and wanted their experience back, haha) and you should check out their drink specials. But I tried the Salvadoran beer, which is a very light and easy to drink lager. The chips they serve are delicious and crisp but the highlight is really the tasty and nicely spiced salsa (yum!) and the refried bean dip. Step away from your comfort zone and try the Salvadoran cuisine here... you won't be disappointed! read more

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My favorite place to eat at! Since I was 15 yrs old. Working next door at the mall. I would come here to eat. My favorite is las enchiladas verdes!!! The staff are so friendly. I love to bring my family & friends here. The chips and salsa and beans are so yummy! read more

I love this place! Good food, lots of choices, great drinks, friendly service and reasonable prices. It s also good for small parties. They have special dishes not available elsewhere in Salem. During warm weather they have nice outdoor sidewalk seating with umbrellas for shade. You can watch the world go by while enjoying your meal. Here's a picture of me on a pre-covid birthday with one of their gracious servers. The hat is a birthday photo prop they provided. read more

Here I go again, getting ethnic food in like, the whitest parts of America. But what can I say?? I get homesick and want my foods. I was drawn in by the sign advertising pupusas, so I got two pupusas with cheese and loroco a la carte. They were good and the curtido was tasty too, though my critique is that the cabbage was too roughly chopped. I could only get through one (too rich) and had the other for breakfast the next morning. I would probably have given this a three, but for Salem, OR, I'd say they're pretty good. read more

I've been here before and really enjoy the food. It's worth giving a shot however customer service does lack. Just went with my family and got seated and forgotten about for over 15 minutes. They attended to people they sat after us and got them water, chips and salsa, and even alcoholic beverages as opposed to us, we hadn't even gotten water or checked in on. We decided to leave. read more

I was really excited to try this place when the regular la margarita closed because of COVID. Sadly it was tasteless. No salt. No pepper. No seasoning of any kind. The pinto beans tasted like nothing and (according to my parents) the meat was also tasteless. I really wish I could recommend this place. The rice was okay. read more

Rolando and family will treat you with wonderful service and a delicious meal. I highly recommen!

Talk about accommodating. Walked in with a group of 14 for a board meeting for my Rotary group and they gave us the entire back room for two hours. While we should probably have asked them to come and take the orders a few minutes before we planned to start the meeting (she came in to take orders, just as we started so we had to take an immediate pause), the wait staff was on top of it with fourteen separate tickets and a to go meal. With four tables worth of people, it would have been nice to have had more than two baskets of chips, but the portions of the entrees are more quite generous, so on second thought, maybe good that we weren't all loaded up on chips and salsa. I'm certain that had we asked for additional baskets of chips they would have brought them too. I always get the same thing when I eat here. The enchilada suizas a la carte. Muy bien! read more

I love this place. The service is personal and always good. We love the food so much. The mocajete is absolutely delicious. Margaritas are really good. Also the fajitas trio is yummy. Tacos yummmmmmy. I love this place for lunch too. I haven't tried anything I didn't like after a few years. read more

This is one of our go to spots. They have red bean and cheese pupusas that are great for a toddler (and an adult). We usually do get the El Salvadorian food off the menu and it is always good. When you eat there they are very kid friendly and, now that we are in a pandemic, they are doing easy deliveries. read more

Pros Was greeted at door by a very kinda lady and brought to a seat that I preferred without even asking.also salsa is pretty good, cheap food aswell. Cons -Red sauce was coagulated and tasted like plain tomato paste -All the food was microwaved before serving. -Steak was prebought in a chared form but the meat was tan and flavorless. - NO HOT SAUCES! I'm looking for homemade tortilla and sauces. Seems like if it isn't a hole in the wall it isn't worth it all all. read more

I hate giving one star but i would not go back here nor would i recommend it. I got a chicken wet burrito and my chicken was bad. Not "bad" as in it just didn't taste good but bad as in it was past it's expiration date. It was tough/chewy and tasted spoiled. I have never experienced that in a restaurant before. My husband got a steak burrito that he said was just ok. The sides (beans and rice) were great and the service was amazing. Everyone was super friendly. The restaurant itself was pretty cute too. Very quaint and cozy. read more

Food was ok Atmosphere was authentic Fajitas sauce tasted like tomato juice with paprika . Best item was salsa read more

I've eaten here probably once a month since moving here a year ago. Papusas are consistently good. The plantains are delicious. Service is always good and the food is always ready quick, prices are reasonable. read more