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    La Playa Restaurant

    3.2 (39 reviews)
    InexpensiveMexican, Salvadoran
    Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    La Playa Restaurant Photos

    Business Info

    LA PLAYA RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Very loud
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - La Playa Restaurant

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    Reviews With Photos

    Large shrimp cocktail
    Eloy C.

    Seafood and more served hot and fresh. Unlike other restaurants the shrimp cocktail is served with fresh shrimp not frozen. It was great. I also ordered the fried shrimp plate which comes with fries. It seemed like the fries were also battered a little. It was different but in a good way. Sweet tea was also good. Service was great. We will be back.

    Stuffed crab
    Dolores T.

    Not the best but not the worst seafood in San Antonio but that is not the reason for the two star review. The one thing this place lacks is customer service. The waitstaff is friendly when they come to your table eventually. The wait was long to be acknowledged when you enter. No refills on drinks because staff will forget you're there. My husband ordered a fish and shrimp place with fries but plate came with rice instead. When they drop off your food the bill is automatically placed on your table which makes you feel rushed out. The stuff crab was definitely store bought and lacked any real crab flavor. It was like eating a wet hush puppy in a crab shell. Very disappointed but maybe they had an off day.

    Ana M.

    I have not been here in a while but wanted to see if anything new. It was pretty much the same. Place is not to big but way to noisy between the people who are present and the little trio musicians it just echos throughout the restaurant. We were seated and brought menus, after we received our drink order she took our lunch order and brought our chips and salsa. It was pretty quick considering it was packed. We order a plate and decided to divide it between both of us. The food was delicious and their stuffed crab was so good with chunks of crab in it not like other businesses I have been too. Only issue we had was the waitress never came back to our table after we were served. So never received refills on our drinks and we had a shrimp cocktail that we didn't touch so needed a to go container and we had to flag someone down to get it for us. Price was very reasonable. I just forgot to take enough pictures but will next time.

    Grilled fish and shrimp plate

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    3 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    5 months ago

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    1 year ago

    I hadn't been to this place in years. Got the urge for some fish. It was as good as the first time.

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    3 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Best frog legs and seafood soup around. Been eating here for years and it never disappoints

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    9 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Excellent food and good drinks! But the staff are super busy that they take a little longer to come back. But I loved the food...

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    13 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    7 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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    6 years ago

    It was awesome food . The service was good and was the atmosphere. The COVID safety was clear and enforced .

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    9 years ago

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    17 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    14 years ago

    The food is good, I recommend the mariscos soup & the pupusas . The only downfall is that the service is some what crappy :-/ and slow.

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    7 years ago

    The pupusas are good didn't care for the cóctel de camarón but the customer service is the worst.

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    8 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Super good food !! Ugh love it . But the place does need to be upgraded n updated , other then that dont change the food.

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    12 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    Tienda Centro America - Baleada was stuffed and extremely good the tortilla thick and very tasty. Maybe one of the best I've had so far in San Antonio.

    Tienda Centro America

    3.4(80 reviews)
    3.2 mi
    $

    My wife is Salvadorean and absolutely loves and craves pupusas from time to time. When it is that…read moretime, this is the place to go. Their pupusas are cheap and delicious and usually keep good if you don't finish them in one sitting. The reason for the loss of a star is the service. The lady handling to go orders has no customer service skills. She stands there, and stares at you while you make your order. She doesn't try to engage and seems like she hates being there. The phones take a while to answer or they don't answer at all. The hours are also very short, with days closing at 7pm. The interior could be clean, but overall is decent enough and doesn't instill any ideas of being dirty. Some restaurants around this area are much less well kept than here! The little mini-market has plenty of little Salvadorean and Honduran treats! They have services to send money back home, a staple you'd see in any Central American store. Overall a great little restaurant, but it could be a little nicer and more welcoming, but delicious food makes up for it.

    I cannot say that I am not disappointed. I was excited to visit this restaurant with the…read moreexpectation to have some flavorful food that I am familiar with. Unfortunately the food fell short and the service didn't meet the mark. The most surprising thing was how unseasoned the food was. The pork chop was basically the only item that popped with some flavor from seasoning. Everything tastes as if it was just cooked or boiled with in plain water with no seasoning or spices added. The pupusas were extremely bland. The service missed the mark as well. Staff seemed as if they really didn't want you to be there. And there was absolutely no urgency for anything. Dishes came out periodically with having to ask for an update on them. It seems like it could be a lively place but as I looked around most of the patrons were just waiting around the same for their food. Maybe the kitchen staff was having a bad day. Either way I was disappointed because I really had been looking forward to coming to this place but not sure if I'd be back anytime soon. Also the parking situation was a bit hectic.

    Photos
    Tienda Centro America - Different angle of the dining room to take orders. No flies no bugs clean floor clean table. Overall cleanliness was decent and acceptable.

    Different angle of the dining room to take orders. No flies no bugs clean floor clean table. Overall cleanliness was decent and acceptable.

    Tienda Centro America
    Tienda Centro America - Menu

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    Menu

    Ro-Ho Pork and Bread Tortas Ahogadas - Pastor

    Ro-Ho Pork and Bread Tortas Ahogadas

    4.6(437 reviews)
    7.3 mi
    $$

    Tortas Ahogadas were what the stomach was thinking recently and man did it satisfy. It was the…read moreperfect choice for a rare cold weather day on my way to take family to the airport. Pure comfort food like your abuela would make and man it had been awhile, but it sure was delicious. It has that wholesome feeling that has you wanting more. Also, I had had it to-go, but this is really best experienced in person...and less messy. The juices that the torta sits in is out of this world good. Messy for the untrained hand though! I found the torta bread hefty and able to hold all those wonderful carnitas tightly together. It is all so perfect...from the crunchy torta bun, the fresh cabbage, the mouth-watering custom picked carnitas, all the way to the salted lime. I want one now and can't wait to bring friends and family early to the airport so I can make a quick stop here again!

    I had this joint bookmarked before I saw it on Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives"; I just…read morehaven't had the opportunity to go until last Wednesday evening. My overall experiences with "triple D" locations is negative. They RARELY blow me away. As a matter of fact, I can probably count on one hand the times I've been impressed. Having said that: This. Place. Is. LEGIT. I'm telling you now - you will not be disappointed if you go a little bit out of your way to try it. This was soooo close to 5-stars, and those reviews don't come easy from me. We had nachos and Al pastor tacos. Everything was fantastic! Neat little joint. Neat little outdoor area. I felt the price was right. My only "negative": location. This place is right by the airport...so although my wife and I had beautiful weather and temperatures to sit outside, airliners made for seriously loud distractions. I kinda felt service was a tad "chilly", but giving the benefit of the doubt here because we walked in at 8:20p when they close at 9p. She was not rude; she was just not overly nice or chatty, which we definitely are. I'm a big fan. Will definitely go back.

    Photos
    Ro-Ho Pork and Bread Tortas Ahogadas - Neat interior and serving area.

    Neat interior and serving area.

    Ro-Ho Pork and Bread Tortas Ahogadas - Pork Butt Carnitas Torta Ahogada

    Pork Butt Carnitas Torta Ahogada

    Ro-Ho Pork and Bread Tortas Ahogadas

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    El Tamarindo - Huevos rancheros

    El Tamarindo

    3.7(23 reviews)
    29.6 mi
    $

    The food was good. I was happy to get pupusas in New Braunfels. The horchata was not my favorite…read morebut I know horchata can be made differently by many so I don't fault that. However- the service. Dear God. I don't know if she was having a bad day or what, because I really do give people the benefit of the doubt, but it took a few tries to get our order down right, and a few reminders for other things. Never got more water so just had to deal with thirst and things, but luckily the food was good enough I'll give it another try. Covid has strained small business and maybe this was not a regular server. Either way the food was good, I'll be back!

    I came here with friends and ordered the 3 beef chalupas which comes with guacamole, rice, and…read morebeans. I also ordered 1 queso papusa because they were out of loroco. This comes with pickled veggies and a red tomato salsa. They also bring out chips and salsa in the beginning for free. The food was okay, it needs more flavor. The papusa was bland but the texture was nice. The beef in the chalupa was good, the rest of it was okay. The salsa that came with chips and salsa was the best thing there. I would however, warn you that they overcharge you and they don't speak English. The papusa is 2.59 and they charged me 2.99. Also they charged me 6.99 for the chalupas when they only gave me two and it should have been 5.29. Very unfortunate that they do this to customers. Cheating is not nice.

    Photos
    El Tamarindo
    El Tamarindo - Store front

    Store front

    El Tamarindo - Machacado with egg plate

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    Machacado with egg plate

    La Playa Restaurant - mexican - Updated May 2026

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