I typically walk in to restaurants with no expectations - allowing me to avoid leaving disappointed. Folks, this place is a gem. Chips and salsa before my entree was served. The salsa had a hint of spice, the well rounded and richness of tomato with the appropriate zing. Entrees: I had the al pastor and carne asada tacos for dine in - the meat was well seasoned, and the tortillas fresh and phenomenal! Served with radicchio and grilled onions+peppers. Plus an avocado crema sauce (delicious) and a red sauce was a bit on the bitter side for me. To go: I had the pupusas (OMG!) a must order! The cheese+pepper and the pork+cheese were both something! 100% recommend this restaurant for delicious and authentic Latin food. read more

See all

The food we enjoyed today was by far one of the most authentic Mexican meals we have experienced. From the hand made corn tortillas, guacamole, and chicken enchiladas, it was delicious from beginning to end. My only regret: I didn't leave room for dessert. We will absolutely be back. read more

See all

Pupusas are so delicious, highly recommend. Service was fast and friendly. Great food

From a Gringo' standpoint. Wife and I had been talking about this place for a while. Was never high on our list but decided to give it a try. Had the pleasure of coming here for the first and our servicer was also brand new, 1st day. We are an easy couple to learn off of so that was nice. We ordered The Barbacoa taco, Barbacoa Sope, Pupusas with pork and cheese along with the steamed and fried versions of their Tamales. The food was ok over all. The weak side of a 3. When I think of this type of food, I think of strong bold flavors. This did not hit the mark at all. I was also expecting everyrhing to be fresh and can't say that my Sope was that. The Sope itself was impossible to cut through. The Tamales was more of a corn bread since they are not made with any meat options.. Again, missed the mark and can't say that we will be back but thanks for having us. read more

Lupita's was just what I needed - super casual, easy, friendly, authentic food with options from Mexican to Salvadoran. Service was sweet and caring and quick. My food was fresh and delish - I had the grilled chicken and shrimp, rice, beans and salad with fresh delicious tortillas on the side. Portions are just right - not overwhelming. I felt wrapped in some much needed care after a hard weekend of cleaning out my late father's life from his apartment. Sometimes strangers can be all the uncomplicated comfort you need and I found it at Lupita's. read more

Lupita’s Kitchen - Flat grilled chicken, shrimp, rice, beans with a shot of hot sauce and salad. Perfect portions - Mexican Near Me - New Bern, North Carolina

Great Central American spot. We're from west coast and happened to find this little gem as we are exploring NC. Unassuming building. Very lovely hostess / waitress, very helpful and kind. Delicious tacos/ enchiladas and salsas. I'd go back again if in the area. The agua de Jamaica was a great surprise, so delicious. read more

Lupita’s Kitchen - Chicken enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - New Bern, North Carolina

See all

Great food! I had the carne asada tacos and pupusas--both were delicious. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for authentic, flavorful food. read more

Good homemade food Needs more selections Tomateo sauce was fantastic Great service and Great store too! read more

I am trying to give this restaurant a break on their food food but I am stymied because they keep messing things up. The owner is a nice guy and tried to placate me over a terrible burrito I ordered and left most of it uneaten. I know Mexican food pretty well and have been to Mexico several times too. The burrito I ordered was filled with tough as nails meat and dried up rice. The outside wrap was stiff as a board. There were no beans or cheese inside nor anything juicy. I complained to the owner and he said there should have been beans in it and would speak to the cook. One burrito and some lettuce and slice of tomato on the side came to ten bucks. They only serve unsweetened tea in a bottle and it costs 3 bucks I think. The first waitress was very pleasant but the other woman that brought my order was curt and not very attentive at all. Which is one of the reasons I don't go there. My experience with their servers has largely been very unsatisfactory. They do offer a fish soup that I had once that's delicious. But they charge $19 for a bowl. Not worth the money. read more

So Lupita's is a family-run Latino grocery store with a restaurant as well. The dishes are Mexican and Salvadoreño. I've been to the 2 other taquerias in the area and of the 3, I think they have the best tacos in New Bern. People just don't know about this place because it's somewhat nondescript and they don't really promote the restaurant like they should. The Tacos al Pastor are my favorite. The pork is marinated with pineapple and perfectly seasoned. They're not over-salted and the hint of fruit comes through with pieces of it interspersed amongst the delicious filling. I have seen a number of other nice looking dishes and tortas come out of the kitchen as well. Just be aware that the hours vary and they are not always open for early dinner but always open for lunch or a late Salvadoreño breakfast. read more

This is a no frills diner style cafe, collocated with a Mexican grocery / convenience store. When we entered the restaurant the first good clue that we were going to get some traditional cooking, was that we were the only customers speaking English. We weren't disappointed. The menu is not huge but we were impressed that everything appeared to be made per the order. There are Mexican, Honduran and El Salvadorian entrees. We had carne asada fajitas and the portions were substantial, coming with rice beans and salad, and decent amounts of tortillas. The prep time as a bit long, but it seemed all the dishes were prepared per the order and was not "American Mexican". The dishes here seem to be more like those I have inside Mexico and central America. This little cafe is definitely worth a visit i read more

My husband and I ate here on Tuesday evening, and were both blown away by the food and service. You could taste the difference in how fresh and well prepared everything was. My husband got a Pupusa and taco. I had the Desayuno Tipico Hondureno y Salvadoreno. It was out of this world - perfect eggs, carmelized plantain, fresh tortillas, everything on the plate was perfection. read more

Server was unhappy looking until we gave her a nice tip then we got a smile! Food was good and handmade flour tortillas were delicious! Not a five star eatery but still okay for a quick bite! read more

The variety of food options are great. The service is friendly and the prices are good. I have tried a little of a lot of things and everything tasted good and was fresh. read more

We went to Lupita's for the first time this week. It was lunchtime and we thought it would be good to patronize a different Central American cuisine. We ordered two meals from the menu each costing $13.99 and one coffee. I had water. Neither were refilled but that was okay though they weren't busy. The food and service was good. The meal was prepared well and there was plenty to eat. After our meal we went to the cashier and waited for our check that I assumed would be under $30.00. Then came the surprise. Our bill was $49.00. I guess there was a sign somewhere that stated price increases but I never saw one and the menu didn't indicate a price change. The bottom line is the place is too rich for my blood. I'm not going back until or unless the prices go back to reasonable. I support businesses going through Covid but the customer has expenses too. Sorry to give a local business a three star rating because of the failure to update their menu. read more

If you're tired of the typical Mexican restaurants in town, this is where you need to go. The food here is very fresh, tasty, and a refreshing change from the other places. Excellent chips and salsa and lots of interesting options from Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras. Huge portions. The plates were big enough to share. My only complaint is that the prices have changed on the menu but you wouldn't know until you get to the register to pay at the END of your meal-there's a sign by the register and taped to the counter saying that the prices have gone up. Our bill was about $20 more than anticipated. Also, gratuity was already included (we didn't know) and were given an option to add a tip to our card so we ended up tipping twice. Honestly, we probably wouldn't have ordered any differently even if we had known about the price increase, but it was an unpleasant surprise at the end of an extraordinary meal. We'll definitely go back but will be a little wiser (and more prepared) about the prices. This would have been a 5 star review had we known ahead of time about the price increases and gratuity. read more

One of the two great Latin holes in the wall here in New Bern and the only place to get a papusa. Service is always prompt and the dining area was recently renovated to separate it from the adjoining grocery shop. read more

Very basic, tables and chairs with no decor. The food was very good. Barbacoa was tender. Sopes were tasty but a bit hard and messy to eat. They only gave us forks and we had to request knives. Pupusa was like a quesadilla only way better, definitely going back for more. Service could have been a little better. Good food but nit much atmosphere. read more

I was looking for a longtime for a perfect ceviche, it was a perfect ceviche with shrimps an outstanding tast well balanced just perfect, thank you. Michael read more

Six of us went to Lupitas kitchen not knowing if it was any good. It was actually great. We all had something different and everyone enjoyed their meal. The service was excellent the owner came in talk to us about each of theDishes, and we had a very good time. The prices were reasonable and the atmosphere was was good. We went to the little Store inside where there were hundreds of spices and goodies. I highly recommend this restaurant read more

Can't wait to come back! Hubby ordered the enchiladas de pollo and tamales. I had a bite of the fried tamale - so good! I ordered frijoles y queso pupusas and a side of fried plantains. Everything was excellent!! read more

This was our first visit to Lupita's after I'd pestered my boyfriend to try it. On the way in, I noticed a couple of signs warning of price increases. We each ordered the carne asada plate at 13.99 each and I ordered a coffee. The food was tasty and plentiful, and the hostess was pleasant. The decor is very, very basic, but when the food is good, who cares. Our only problem came when it was time to pay the bill. A check that we expected to total to a bit over $30 ended up being $49! There only appeared to be 3 or 4 menus in the place, so it would only take a short time to change the prices on them, but that didn't happen. We settled up without argument, but feel like other diners might want to be prepared to bring some extra cash with them if they plan to eat at Lupita's. Again, the food was tasty, but it was well more than we expected to spend for lunch. read more

Food was just okay. Service was good but we were the only patrons at the restaurant. Location isn't great.

Delicious and authentic-- no frills but inexpensive authentic try lamb Barbados taco undeniably good especially with hot sauce