I enjoyed getting to try a new to me place. My husband and I shared an order of the empanadas to…read morestart with. The cheese ones with a sprinkle of sugar, as recommended, was definitely my favorite! I enjoyed the beef one and did not care as much for the chicken one. I asked the waiter what I should get as I was torn. Of course I don't recall what it was, but I enjoyed it. I'm not usually a plantains person, but I really enjoyed them with this dish. It was very filling and flavorful. My husband ordered a spicy dish and enjoyed it as well. Our waiter did a great job with our large group. He was friendly and provided a ton of recommendations we were all happy with. The bathrooms were clean, as was the rest of the restaurant. I will go back, especially for the cheese empanadas.

A friend suggested this place, and he was on target, as now I have eaten there twice!…read more Located in a West Des Moines strip mall, the storefront is without fanfare with a large parking lot. I wasn't wowed until I sat down, and then now...POW, some of the best food I have enjoyed here in DSM. First, great customer service throughout, as our server was impeccably good. My first visit was for lunch, and I thoroughly enjoyed empanadas, Papa Serrana, and other items. It was delicious, unique, and superb. That prompted a second visit, this time for dinner. I loved the Homado Con Mote, spectacular flavor with pork, white corn, rice, and potato. It was sensational. So much taste, such great options. The interior is not flashy, but it doesn't have to be, as the food quality, unique menu, and excellent customer service pushed the bar extremely high and maintained it.

This restaurant is now located in the old AIB College building so there's plenty of seating inside…read morewith window views of downtown DSM. Everything seems to be made fresh. They had constant DoorDash orders. The prices are so affordable and you don't need much to fill you up. I got the pork and cheese pupusa and my husband got the jalapeño one with fresh jalapeños and cheese. He loved it. We love the spicy slaw and pickled onions. The shrimp and cheese empanada is so filling and flavorful. Definitely give this place a try. We've never been disappointed and it's very authentic in flavor.

The food was cheap, authentic, and fantastic. Love little hole in the wall restaurants with great,…read moreauthentic ethnic food. This one is tucked away in a little strip mall.

a restaurant run by one guy who is the chef/server/cashier etc. The food is Very Good and the…read moreportion sizes are solid. When I walked in he said the soup they had today was lentil soup. Very flavorful with a good variety of vegetables in there. Guava juice was in a large cup, and this wasn't one of those situations where the cup is 80% ice. Chicken arepas are great. Keep in mind that all this is made by One Guy and food may take a bit to come out depending on how many people are in your group.

It is, for sure, just one dude holding down this whole joint all by himself: cook, waiter,…read morebartender, all. Very basic dining room for sure, but it's really all about the food. The food is good and authentic. Took a friend who knows Colombian food well and this guy is doing it just like they do down there. I've never had arepas so good. We had the reinas pepiadas: really really tasty. I could see how some people are a little alienated by him, but also remember that he's there alone. You can go a little off the rails at places that have more people on staff to manage those kinds of patrons. When you walk in, you know that you can't push beyond what's offered and make special requests. This place is one of the more interesting places to eat around here; let's appreciate his/its strengths and not dwell on what this place isn't.

I've been curious about this place for a long time so I finally tried it for dinner tonight with my…read morehusband. Like probably most Americans, I haven't tried a lot of South American cuisine so I didn't know what to expect. I guess I was expecting something like Mexican food. Well, it's definitely a lot different than Mexican food. Peruvian food isn't very spicy and the seasonings are different, yet still tasty. There a big Chinese influence on Peruvian food, too. I got the Lomo Saltado, a popular Peruvian dish with stir-fried beef, onions and tomatoes served with rice and French fries. My husband got the Chaufa al Wok, an oriental Peruvian fried rice with chicken. The fries kind of threw me at first. I wasn't expecting that. The dish was very good and had a nice flavor. My husband loved his dish and thought it was delicious. With both of our dishes it was interesting to see how much of a Chinese influence there is. What my husband absolutely loved the most is their homemade horchata. It tasted different than Mexican horchata so he asked what was in it. Our server said it was made was cacao beans instead of just rice and cinnamon. It had a pale brown color to it, too. I also liked the seasoned corn nuts that came with two different sauces--a sweet one and savory one. We both thought the prices were a little high but not so much that we wouldn't come back. The service was very good. Our server was friendly and helped us decide what to order. She was very knowledgeable about the menu items. At the end of our meal both she and the owner (I think) asked us how we liked everything and if there was anything they could have done to make things more enjoyable. I mentioned that my food came out much earlier than my husband's so I was almost done by the time his came out. The owner apologized for the wait and we really appreciated that. They also serve empanadas, pupusas and tamales. We're going to try these the next time we come back. Someone at the table next to us ordered the pupusas and they looked yummy. We were pleasantly pleased with how tasty the food was despite being a lot different than what we were expecting.

Every time we pass through Des Moines we have to stop here…read more A small family run restaurant that is excellent. Great food and great service. Don't miss it! The Arroz Con Mariscos is excellent and has a lot of seafood in it. Awesome flavor. My husband loves the Chaufa Al Wok too. The Strawberry pop is a don't miss.

My husband and I came into town to see our son at college and take him to dinner for his birthday…read more We made our reservation for 6:15 at about 4:30. The restaurant did not open until 5. We were pretty excited about it, because it was a birthday dinner, and our son had spent the last summer in Peru for an internship and was eager to try this out. We showed up at 6, and it was obvious we weren't going to be able to get in early, which was fine. My husband waited to check in, while my son and I waited in the car, since there is no waiting area and barely any room, especially since some other diners were waiting as well, presumably for their 6 pm reservation. It was clear it would be awhile, since the tables were all still full. Around 6:15, another group crammed their way into the small entryway. At 6:30, they had some empty tables, so they finally acknowledged everyone waiting. The 6:30 group asked for their table, and my husband interjected to say we had a 6:15 reservation. The host informed him that we were not on his list and did not have a reservation. My husband showed them our confirmation email and the OpenTable app we used. The host stated that he does not check for more reservations after 5 pm and we clearly had made the reservation too late. (Note: I said we did it at 4:30, so this was clearly not when he looked). The host informed my husband that there was no reservation, and we would not be seated, and he didn't care that we had a reservation since it clearly was made too late. My husband protested, and the host turned his back to him and walked off shaking his head. We were not seated, and he did not return. So we did not get dinner. My advice to you: Making a reservation here will not guarantee you will be seated or served. We had to find somewhere else to eat for my son's birthday, and all the other options we had turned down for this one were booked. Also, they are bad at estimating dining times. They will not acknowledge you until there are open tables, even to check you in, and you may wait for some time after your scheduled reservation.

Thankful for this dining experience, as it combined great food, a unique menu, and excellent…read morecustomer service. I suggest getting reservations, but we were able to get a table for four walking in early on a Saturday. Never felt rushed throughout. Unbelievably good Lomo Saltado, and sampled each of my family's dishes. Our server, Felipe, was outstanding, and we also appreciated the table visit from Mariella, the manager, who explained some of our dinner items. One of the better restaurants in the Metro!

Great customer service, great food. Hidden gem No pictures…read morebecause we devoured our food

Way overpriced. In addition to the menu already having amended prices they failed to mention that…read moreprices were even higher. A breakfast that had 2 eggs, 2 tortillas, some fried plantains, beans &rice mix(casamiento) and a small piece of cheese was like $15. Pupusas are like $3.50 to $4 each. A drink is like $6.50. We ordered like 8 pupusas, a breakfast, a soup and one drink and total was like $75. Demasiado caro todo. Un desayuno que ni tenia carne/pollo valía $14 o $15. Las pupusas cuestan como $3.50 o $4 lo cual es super alto comparado con todos los demás restaurantes locales. Una horchata cuesta $6.50. No vayan al menos que quieran sentirse estafado.

Pupusas here are absolutely delicious - I'd highly recommend this food truck! The atmosphere is…read morewarm and welcoming, and the staff are incredibly friendly. Definitely a spot worth checking out!

From the owner: En Restaurant y Pupuseria El Salvador del Mundo queremos ofrecerle la mejor comida salvadoreña del…read moreárea para que disfrute de una rica comida junto a sus amigos o familia. O también si quiere organizar una fiesta en casa, en su negocio, o para cualquier tipo de evento, cuente con nuestra deliciosa comida. En El Salvador del Mundo, sabremos cómo atender sus eventos. Contamos con pupusas, tacos al pastor, tacos de lengua, tacos de asada, caldos de res, caldos de gallina, caldo de mariscos y jugos de tamarindo, piña y horchata salvadoreña.

My husband and I went to have dinner and it was great. My…read morehusband had the fried whole fish and it came with about 5 jumbo shrimp, and french fries. I had the pork chop with rice. Both came with a salad on the platters and fresh, hot homemade tortillas. It was excellent service and food.

Yes the service takes some time most of the time, but when you get your food you can tell it was…read moremade to order and its super fresh

Cozy, unassuming, has an excellent homey feel and amazing food. Great service, generous portions…read morefor the prices. We had Ranchero Steak, chicken tamale, and tried each of the Pupusas. All delicious. Their coleslaw is fire. We always ask for extra so we can enjoy it on everything. If you get stressed about tight parking like I do, park on the street