Stopped by here with my dad for a quick bite. Cozy little place with a nice homey atmosphere. My dad enjoyed how tender and juicy the Carne Asada was. We both agree the biggest winner was the Saltado de Pollo. Great flavors and good portions for the price! Will definitely drive the 30 mins again for that saltado read more

Melina's Restaurant - Saltado de Pollo - Salvadoran Near Me - East Hartford, Connecticut

Outstanding food, and the service was fast. Great indoor seating environment. Prices are decent and it's worth every penny.

I learned about Melina's when I was in East Hartford and Yelp-searched for nearby lunch spots. With its emphasis on Salvadorian cuisine and a 4.5 Star rating, Melina's stood out. Melina's had a relatively large seating area for Burnside Avenue restaurants and it was cute inside. Service was helpful, friendly and efficient. I learned that Melina's has both Salvadorian and Mexican food. I tried to stear towards Salvadorian food and I ended up ordering a pupusa and a grilled chicken plate, with rice, pinto type beans and a salad. This was only my second time eating pupusas from a restaurant. I much preferred Melina's pupusas over my earlier experience. They looked great and had good mouth feel. The filling was tasty. The accoutrements (a mildly acidic slaw and and a mild hot sauce) were really good too. This is my new bar for area pupusas, but keep in mind that I'm a pupusa tourist. The grilled chicken plate was huge. My leftover portion would have been a reasonable original portion. The pinto type beans were very flavorful. Like two steps up from what you'd expect from a side of beans. The rice was a step or two up as well. Flavorful. Had some vegetables mixed in. The chicken was good. It could have been a bit juicier, but I liked it. The salad with lettuce, tomato, onion and ranch was fairly basic, but it was great to eat with the chicken. I'll definitely look for reasons to return to Melina's and explore more of the menu, which included burritos, fajitas, etc. 4.5 Stars read more

Very good tacos, tried 4, one of each for lunch & the Chicken was the best followed by shaved beef. The diced beef & pork were a bit dry. The version of Corona was something I've not seen before, I really liked it, better than the normal lighter version. read more

Melina's Restaurant - 4x variety tacos - Salvadoran Near Me - East Hartford, Connecticut

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I live around the corner, so I order their takeout frequently. I highly recommend 3/$10 soft tacos. Packed with fresh flavor!. I love their grilled chicken salad and their taco salad also. The music videos are nice to watch while I wait for my order. read more

Melina's Restaurant - Windsor Broad Street 1/6/24 Signs of spring or late fall? Chilly WINTER morning no snow! - Salvadoran Near Me - East Hartford, Connecticut

So glad I came here! Never would have knew it existed without looking on Yelp. Everything was amazing about this visit. From the start, I was impressed with the house made tortilla chips. The pupusas were delicious and super cheesy. And the carne asada tacos were some of the best I've had. SO much meat and it had a really great flavor. Service was a little slow, but one person was waiting on tables, answering the phones, and cashing people out. They are definitely understaffed. There was a bit of a language barrier but she was very nice and helpful! Prices were also extremely reasonable - $29 for 3 tacos, 3 pupusas, and a margarita (plus chips and salsa of course). Although it may not sound like a lot, everything was packed with meat and was more than enough food for two people. In the future I would definitely come get it to go, but I WILL be back. My stomach is growling just thinking about those tacos!! read more

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Great food nice atmosphere good natural juices and good prices. large menu of Salvadorian and Mexican food. Best of both worlds.

Authentic Mexican fare. Filling, affordable and enjoyable. A very clean place, Family run and their pride shines. A must stop. This is NOT tex mex with cheddar cheese nachos. Thisnis authentic real Mexican food the way it is supposed to be represnted. I love this place. I grew up in acolorado so having something so good and so close is a prize for me. I eat here 3-4 times per month. Great service, clean establishment. Very good prices. Getbthe chiccharons. Mmmmm read more

Llamé para un delivery y casi me pega la muchacha por el teléfono !! Muy mala atención al cliente demasiado grosera esa muchacha

I got a chicken quesadilla for my son. He just took a bite and returned it back to me, worst quesadilla ever.

Food was delicious & authentic. Place felt very homey & the service was fast & friendly. Ordered 3 tacos, pupusas, and chimichanga. The cheese and bean pupusa was definitely my favorite. Would definitely recommend read more

Melina's Restaurant - Tacos, chimichanga, pupusas, chícharones - Salvadoran Near Me - East Hartford, Connecticut

I took out lunch from here. Salvadorian horchetta was my absolute favorite here. It is one of the best in Hartford. Actually they have Mexican and Salvadorian variants of Horchetta. I didn't try the Mexican version. Quantity was also really good. Papusas revueltas was really good as well. Beef gorditas, carne asada and pechuga de pollo a la parilla were my other items. All were flavorful. Carne asada was slightly harder than i would love though. read more

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The food was TOP NOTCH! Never have had a bad experience in this restaurant since I started going here 3 years ago. The pupusas are to die for, and the tacos are amazing!!!! There's chips and salsa when you go in and it's all fresh. The one thing I would suggest is the atmosphere. Maybe better lights, or updated decor, but regardless the service and food is 100/10! Thank youuuu! read more

Melina's Restaurant - Tacos al pastor - Salvadoran Near Me - East Hartford, Connecticut

From here I ordered loaded nachos without meat along with veggie quesadillas. The food was okay If you're lactose I wouldn't recommend!!! Everything else was fine, specifically the nachos. The quesadilla in my opinion had far too much cheese for my liking. In terms of the service, the people were really friendly and easy to talk to. They were personable yet to the point which was great! read more

This spot is casual and cozy with many windows, colorful fairy lights all around and bright lights hanging from the ceiling. There is a green, cream white, and wood color scheme. My friends and I ordered at the counter, found booth seating and the food was served to us when it was ready. Once seated, we were given complimentary chips and salsa, which was tasty! The chips were incredibly crispy, which is how I like it. I went for the steak burrito, which was HUGE and stuffed with rice, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, cheese, with sour cream on the side. The steak was so yummy - Extremely tender, well seasoned and bursting with flavor. There was plenty of cheese, as well as the other ingredients which all came together wonderfully. I also had to get the horchata because it's one of my favorite drinks and scarce in NYC. The server asked if I wanted the regular horchata or Salvadoran horchata, which is made with chocolate rice milk. This was a game-changer and absolutely delectable. The chocolate flavor was very strong and the cinnamon went with it perfectly. It was delightfully sweet and refreshing. Also tried some of my friend's cheesy papusa, which was amazing! Warm, soft, melt in your mouth delicious. My other friend had the pork quesadilla, which was just okay. I wasn't a fan of the meat for some reason - perhaps it was the way it was marinated. Overall, had a great time with a small group of friends, enjoying Salvadoran cuisine! The prices were reasonable and portions are large - I took half of my burrito to go. The service was also on point - Friendly, knowledgeable about the menu and patient. We were there close to closing, and never felt rushed to leave. If I am in the area again, I would definitely come back. read more

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Really kind of loved everything about this place. Different menu items that you run in to at the usual gringo establishments. Flavors rich and complex. Strongly recommend giving this a try! read more

We were in the area for an event and while searching for casual take out to bring back to the hotel, I noticed Melina's had pupusas and great reviews! I feel like many are familiar with arepas (especially thanks to encanto) but not so much pupusas. If you like arepas, chances are you will enjoy pupusas which was also made with cornmeal and stuffed with cheese and all sorts of fillings. Unlike arepas, these are sealed into a very portable, easy to eat delicious little pocket! They are usually accompanied by pickly crunchy cabbage. We tried to call to place an order but I don't know if we were having phone issues or there was a bit of a language barrier so we decided to eat in since we were on the way already. So glad we did, we got one of every pupusa (cheese, cheese and bean, two meat ones and one with Salvadoran veggies which were like peppers with a pickled flavor?). They came with dipping sauce and delicious cabbage slaw and only 2.50 for each. A steal. The trio salad was huge and had nice amount of protein and creamy ripe avocados. Couldn't believe it was only $13. The guacamole and chips were a generous portion and Really good as well. The lovely lady asked if we wanted it spicy and since my son did not but the rest of us did, she brought us chilies on the side which had a nice kick! The chicken quesadillas had shredded chicken instead of like chopped grilled which you sometimes see and it was stuffed. Really good. Oh we also ended with a flan. Everything was like $60 and delicious and fresh. Love when we find a hidden gem like this! Super clean and inviting inside as well. Try it! If we lived nearby it would definitely be on heavy rotation. read more

Melina's Restaurant - Trio salad (chicken, steak, shrimp) and this was after my kids stole a lot of chicken and steak off my plate to stuff their pupusas! - Salvadoran Near Me - East Hartford, Connecticut

My latest find and this place is a gem and I am glad I found Melina's. Very traditional to the Mexican and Salvadoran cuisine as they are, tasty flavors, humble and friendly staff and traditional ambience. The tamales, papusas, and chicken burrito are definitely my favorites. I also ordered another steak burrito and to my surprise it was deep fried and I did no cherish that much when compared to the other dishes. The salsas are definitely spicy as we were told by the staff. I absolutely love the tamales, so much of flavor and tastes very authentic. I am so glad I found Melina's and I am most certainly coming back. The menu is got a good variety of food and I think they do serve margaritas. I recommend Melina's for those who like Latin cuisine. read more

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Horrible experience and the food was terrible, expensive and the salad with tomatoes sauce together was put in a zip lock bag wow!!! Scammers read more

I have visited Melina's twice for takeout. Both times it is about a 20 minute to 30 minute wait on average. (I did not call ahead.) And, I was there at 1:25 pm which is peak lunch time. The food was well worth the wait. I ordered beans and white cheese purposa. It was delicious with just the right a.ount of crunch. Also, I ordered a Chicken Burrito with red beans and seasoned just right rice. It was enough for two meals. Of course I will be going back even though it's a bit of a drive. read more

The service and cleanliness were outstanding. The papusa was flavorful, fresh, and hot. I will be coming back for more of these! The tacos were bland and boring. I tried carnitas, asada, and barbacoa. They were underseasoned, almost no salt, and the steak wasn't seared. But the service, prices, and papusas made me a very happy customer despite my disappointment with the tacos. I will be back! read more

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Shocked at finding such an authentic restaurant that has such a fun atmosphere. Their little bar is so cute I want one just like it! Felt like we were eating a home cooked meal with friends. Great options. Huge portions. Friendly bilingual staff. Def rec you give it a try! read more

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While the service is excellent, and the decor is absolutely gorgeous, the food was bad. At the end of the day, the main thing you want from a restaurant is good food, and between some awful street corn I sent back (tasted like something had spoiled), and the uncle bens rice, this has been one of the most inauthentic Mexican restaurants I've visited in Connecticut. They really need to change some of these recipes... read more

We LOVED Melina's! Parking can be a bit of a challenge (it looked like there's a small lot behind the restaurant maybe for 3 cars?) but mostly it's on street. We did not have any trouble finding close parking though - only walked about a block. The prices are amazing - and the food is absolutely wonderful. We have been looking for Mexican food that resembles what we used to get when we lived in CA and welp this is the closest! We headed here before Saturday's UCONN game to do some "restaurant tailgating" and boy are we glad we did! I ordered the Carne Asada Burrito ($8) and hubby got a Chicken Chimichanga ($10) - both were SO yummy. I ended up getting no beans in my burrito and instead on the side (to dip chips in!) and that was no issue; hubby's came with rice and beans on the side. We have NO complaints. Of course, you also get free chips and salsa. DRINKS! So since we were tailgating, I needed to get a Michelada - they are only $5 with your CHOICE of beer - of course Modelo Negra is the way to go. I ended up drinking 2 - the spices are perfect! Hubby had 1 Modelo and it was only $3.50. We also ordered 1 Chicarrones Pupusa to go however didn't eat it until after the game - SO DELICOUS EVEN COLD! Next time we will order more and eat them HOT. Cannot wait to go back! YUM! *They do take credit cared - Discover for the win. read more

Melina's Restaurant - Salvadoran Near Me - East Hartford, Connecticut

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A small, cozy Mexican restaurant featuring much more than just tacos. However, try their chicken soft tacos. Homemade flavor and detaiI. Love the sliced cukes that come with it. The stuffed sandwiches called pupusas come in many different varieties. SO TASTY! I AM A NEIGHBOR. LUCKY ME read more

The papusas are delicious so I had 2 (they're medium sized). The al pastor tacos were serviceable but the chicken was dry. Cozy interior and full bar. read more

food is very tasty and my favorite is a Gorditas andpupusas Atmospheres, traditional and the service was very good. The girl at the front was very sweet and attentive. Will be going back again. read more

delicious salsa, huge portions, great price! A huge spanish speaking community. I loved it there and will come again!

This was purely a find during my random browsing of Yelp and I am so glad that I found it. I love simple softshell tacos and was surprised that there is is a place in East Hartford that has them! We came in for take out and the restaurant definitely looks like it's still following restrictions. They have limited parking, which I imagine could be annoying in non-covid times. We decided to try 1 each of the tacos and that included barbacoa, carne asada, al pastor, chicken, and beef tongue. All of them were delicious and the salsas that came with them were also delicious. I saved the left over salsa for other use because it was so good! The only thing that I wasn't impressed by was the texture of chicken and carne asada, which were really dry. My favorite is the tongue one, but that seems to be a consistency across all taco places. I hope to be back again soon! read more

food was amazing service was on point nice employees. y que viva todos los hispanos plebada

I came here a couple of months ago because I was craving pupusas and waited around 15 minutes without being acknowledged. The waitress was chatting away with some people at one of the tables. I even called the restaurant while I was there so that she could come to the front desk. She walked up to the front desk and answered the phone but still did not acknowledge me at all. It's so crazy to me, lmao. This has never happened to me in my life. I just left and will never return. read more

We happened upon this gem by chance. The meal was amazing. My beef chimichanga was gigantic - shredded beef was tender and slightly smokey. Sides of beans and rice were tasty. Companion had one of each kind of taco - so delicious. Complimentary tortilla chips and pico de gallo was fresh and flavorful. We didn't want cocktails so had Mexican sparkling water - Mineragua - like Topo Chico. I highly recommend Melina's! read more

Good food and service. Will be returning on my trips to Connecticut/UConn. Right by the UConn football field.

Had a great authentic lunch at this place, I was looking for Pupusas and they didn't disappoint. Also ordered a corn tamale, chicken tamale, chicharrones and my daughter ordered a freshly made tamarind juice. Going back soon to try the tacos! read more

Melina's Restaurant - Pupusas, tamale de elote, chicharrones - Salvadoran Near Me - East Hartford, Connecticut

We found Melina's on Door Dash. This is located a few minutes from me and I never would have known it was there without finding it on the app! We ordered takeout through Melina's after seeing some positive reviews on Yelp. The portions were HUGE- I ordered two tacos, thinking they would be small "street taco" style, only to find them stuffed to the brim, and a quesadilla that was overflowing as well. All of the food (chicken tacos, carne asada tacos, chicken quesadilla, and queso and refried bean papusas) Everything was tasty and delicious! The food was not too spicy or overseasoned, and everything was very affordable (most menu items were $2-$3) Definitely happy we found this place, and will be back to try more! read more

DoorDash just started in my area and I decided to try Melina's for the first time. I'd never heard of them prior to doordash. I can't wait to order again! The food was amaze balls!!!! The carne asada was bomb. I recommend trying a little bit of everything. We did and everything was tasty . We will be ordering again soon. read more

Fantastic !!!! Tried this place with my wife for the first time and I was very impressed. We sat down and were greeted with complimentary chips and salsa which were home made and very tasty. My wife had a cheese pupusa and I had a chicharron pupusa to start . They were crisp , hot , and delicious . Best pupusa I've ever had. We then had our tacos , El pastor , and barbacoa . They were loaded with meat and served with fresh lime. I can't wait to go back and try more menu items . read more

Melina's Restaurant - Barbacoa tacos , amazing ! - Salvadoran Near Me - East Hartford, Connecticut

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The Yuca con Chicharron and the Pupusa con Chicharron are delicious! Love the fresh ingredients.

Horrible! Order food for the first time to pick up. I arrive to only wait for my food on the counter getting cold, while the lady behind the counter is chit chatting with a customer. Unfortunately, this discouraged me from ever returning and suggesting this place to any of my friends and family. read more

Interesting and varied menu, cozy clean environment. Large portions and very fresh. The Chicharroncs are crisp and bathed in sautéed onions, fresh peppers and lime. Sopa De Mariscos Seafood soup is deliciously spicey and holds the heat well. Tacos are not the American version and are fresh and tasty not dripping in cheddar or salsa. Tortas are a light option to share. Will certainly return to take out or dine in. read more