This pupuseria food truck has remained in the parking lot on this corner for quite a while, so I…read morethink it's more of a permanent fixture. It serves Salvadorian pupusas and aqua frescas. The ones i ordered were a buck or two so it's a great value. If i had known they were so cheap when I ordered I would have gotten 2 or 3 other flavors to bring home for later. A pupusa is sort of like a Southern corn johnny cake that has filling stuffed inside then grilled. (Well that's how I how i had to sell it to my Mom anyways) It had great corn flavor and was fried nice and crispy on the outside and served piping hot. The order came with a side of Salvadoran-style pickled slaw made from cabbage and carrots. It was fairly spicy and still had good crunch. It goes really well with the sweetness of the corn. These make a nice little snack to munch on while out running errands and are much lighter and healthier than grabbing a burger and fries.

Delicious papusas! We got a variety of papusas and some tacos for only $1.25 each and they also…read moregave us some pickled cabbage to go along with them. Don't be thrown off by the location because the food is just too good!

Best Mexican I've had in a very long time. When we pulled up we were the only ones in the place but…read moreit started to fill pretty quick. The staff weee awesome and even brought us the homemade hot sauce (delicious by the way). Their chips for the chips and salsa are obviously homemade. Had to resist not gorging on those. I got a pork chop with rice and beans and fried plantains. The pork chop was fine but it was completely overshadowed by the rice and beans which were overstuffed by the plantains. This was just a delicious meal. The place has a wide variety of seating options for almost any size group. We also noticed they seem to do a brisk takeout business as well. If you're around or even passing through this is a must try.

Lo que pasa es que este restaurante es auténtico, de verdad. La cocina es Salvadoreña con algunos…read moreplatos típicos Mexicanos. Ten en cuenta que solo aceptan efectivo, pero estás aquí para disfrutar de la comida, no de sus métodos de pago :) / The Coal Miner, Carbonero ;) is the real-deal for Salvadoran cuisine. I love places that let one channel their inner Anthony Bourdain right here close to home. The cuisine is primarily Salvadoran with some Mexican-influenced dishes as well. No disputing the authenticity of the food; this is not a chain. The service was fast and friendly, although it did take a short while for the meal to be delivered. El Carbonero is quite casual, this is not a fancy spot. There were families and workers enjoying their freshly made pupusas. They only take cash, so be prepared. Get outside your comfort zone (perhaps) and definitely give this spot a try. Estarás gratamente sorprendido :)

Never had Salvadoran before but now I like it! Staff was friendly! I walked in and placed a to go…read moreorder and it was ready promptly!

Central American food at its finest, very exquisite and authentic and it's friendly doors are open…read moreto everyone

First time visiting here. When we first saw it we were a bit surprised at how small it is. Typical…read morehole in the wall place with only a few tables but the food and service didn't disappoint. We ordered several things to try and enjoyed everything.

Let's talk about pricing and overall value…read more Our total bill came to approximately $120 with tip. For context, we ordered six pupusas, two tacos, one quesadilla, fried yuca, papas salvadoreñas, fried plantains, a carne asada plate, and 1 agua Fresca. Now, that's a decent amount of food, and I don't mind spending money on a good meal. In fact, most of what we ordered was genuinely enjoyable. But at these prices, I think it's fair to have higher expectations, especially when a single entrée costs $25. The carne asada plate was easily the biggest disappointment of the evening. The meat was sliced incredibly thin, almost like cheesesteak meat, and several pieces were so charred they were practically inedible. For $25, I expected a much better cut and preparation of steak. What makes this frustrating is that the restaurant clearly knows how to make some really good food. Their chicken tinga tacos were excellent, the handmade tortillas were a highlight, and the pupusas and appetizers were all enjoyable. Unfortunately, the carne asada left a bad impression, particularly considering what we spent overall. My recommendation? If you come here Skip the carne asada and put that money toward their tacos, pupusas, and appetizers instead. That's where I felt the restaurant really delivered.

Great little Salvadoran and Mexican food restaurant. Very clean and nicely decorated place near…read moredowntown Siler City. The service was very friendly and the food came out quickly. I've been wanting to try this place for a while and finally got around to it. I went in expecting to order something else, but then I saw their burrito bar menu behind the counter, which the friendly lady told me about. So I ordered a burrito bowl with chicken, Tinga and the other fixings I checked off on the order form. Then I added a couple of salsas and radishes, and a carrot and jalapeño mixture from the salsa/condiment bar. The bowl comes with a few chips, and when I mixed everything together, it was absolutely delicious. A good value too. I told the lady at the counter. I really enjoyed my meal and that I would be back.

What's not to love? Fresh, delicious, affordable food served in a clean environment by kind people…read more Yum!

This little place has been open for awhile now, and today seemed like a good time to give the food…read morea try. The menu is fairly broad, and they offer both Salvadoran and Mexican choices. We opted some of both with a little more emphasis on the Salvadoran. Our choices were: Platillo Tipico (a Salvadoran Plate with a Chicken Tamal, a Pork & Cheese Pupusa, Tuca, Fried Plantain, Pastelito, & Sour Cream - $10.99), Carne Asada (with Rice & Beans - $11.99), Caldo de Mariscos (Seafood Soup - $12.90), One Beef Burrito, One Taco & One Enchilada Combo ($6.99), One Enchilada, One Beef Burrito & Chile Relleno Combo ($ 6.99). There was a lot of items to sample, and it was really a mixed bag, but more negative than positive. The Bad - the Chicken Tamal was awful, and the Pastelito was not much better - both were dry and bland. The Seafood Soup lacks freshness, smelled and tasted old! The OK, just OK - the Pupusa, Plantains, Carne Asada, Beef Burrito, Chicken Enchilada, Fried Yucca, Rice & Beans. The Good (not Great) - Chicken Taco, and the Chile Relleno. Not even close to enough to bring me back here - too much excellent food of this style is available.

Being a Salvadorian myself , I'm disappointed in the taste of the food at this location. The…read morelocation itself was shady to begin with. There's a pool table right in the middle of the floor. To be honest this place looks more like a bar/lounge. The only good thing that tasted good was the Salvadorian horchata.

"Excellent Salvadorean pupuseria and more in Braggtown area of Durham!"…read more We came to try this at around 6pm on a Friday evening. The restaurant is unassuming and sits near the end of a long strip mall. A few other families were eating. One goes to the counter to order (dine-in or carry-out), and the food is then brought to you. The menu is not long-- pupusas (similar to "small but fat quesadillas", if you haven't had one), a few appetizers, and a couple of dishes. They also had three kinds of drinks-- horchata, a tasty mango drink, and a third I don't recall. My wife and I split 4 dishes: a pair of chicken tamales, an order of 3 pupusas with cheese and "loroco" (edible buds from a flower), chicken & potato empanadas, and plantain empanadas. We also got the horchata and the mango drink. Food came out maybe 10 minutes after we ordered, and it was HOT-- clearly just out of the frier for some of them. The masa in the chicken tamales was smooth and SUPER yummy-- I think there could have been a bit more filling, but the taste was still excellent. The chicken and potato empanadas were also really good. I liked the pupusas, but they were a bit mild in taste for me-- I might go for chicken next time, but it was good with the cabbage slaw (see below). And the plantain empanadas were VERY good and super sweet. It's almost like a fried stuffed plantain (also coated with some sugar)-- we couldn't quite tell what the white stuff in the middle was-- my wife thought maybe actual banana, but I wondered if it was some sort of sweet cream filling. Both the savory empanadas and the pupusas came with a side of the cabbage slaw that was quite good-- definitely had some heat to it but not overwhelming. And the drinks were delicious, though the horchata seemed to have an almost chocolate-milk like flavor which was unexpected. The price was SUPER cheap-- pupusas were under $3 each, tamales under $2, etc. We spent $36 including tax and tip and still brought a good bit of food home with us. Service was fine. Neither of us was fluent in Spanish, and the host's English was moderate, so we had a bit of difficulty asking questions (e.g., whether the drinks had dairy/ milk), but it worked out, and he was friendly enough. Overall, we VERY much enjoyed the quality and value of the food we got. High probability we'll return.

I decided to visit this place for lunch on a Sunday, i was craving some pupusas, this place was…read morepacked so i was expecting a good food. I had the 3 pupusas meal (10 dollar value and they are good size) and chose to do three different ones, zucchini with cheese was pretty good, you can't go wrong with the cheese one, the chicharron (pork skin) one wasn't that good, i think overall all of them needed a little bit of more seasoning. The mango agua fresca tasted more like water than mango, but the orchata was very good. I would have given them a 4 star but because of the agua and the seasoning I'm doing 3 stars, I do recommend the place and I would come back for sure. As always this is my honest and personal opinion.

Quaint little truck with a menu to blow your taste buds!!! Fresh, made to order, with love from the…read moreowner and her son. Authentic tacos, hand made pupusas, and delicious cheesy quesadillas. We have this truck come out to the bar in Knightdale almost every Thursday. The friendliest staff and mouth watering Salvadoran food. It's a must try!

Awesome! We just ordered some pork pupusas and a few lengua tacos and brought them home for lunch…read more I regret not ordering more than we did. The pupusas were fresh and hot and the sauce was flavorful. I love the sour shredded cabbage topping as well. The lengua tacos are the best I've ever had. The portion was very generous too! The hot sauce that came with the tacos was VERY hot and I loved it. I will be a regular at this food truck. The owner was very nice too!

I haven't eaten here in years, but the last time I did, and every other time that I have, it has…read morebeen absolutely positively scrumptious! From the delightful and freshly prepared Pastelitos to the pupusas, this place has it going on! The flavors are so fuera de serie! The service is so friendly and fast as well. The prices are also very good. It's a cute little plain-ish spot without a lot of decorations, but there's always nice music playing in the background. I also love the fact that the place is owned by a Pastor and his family! They are always so kind and helpful. They have authentic Salvadoran food, which is very difficult to find here.

This small place is known for the Pupusas they serve, and the fact that they only accept cash! The…read morerestaurant is located in a very shabby, aged strip center well off of N. Point, providing no street visibility, and a rough parking lot! The inside mirrors the outside, worn but clean and with a decent amount of seating - booths and tables, functional if not comfortable! Bibical verses adorn the wall, obviously no fear here of standing up for what you believe in an increasingly secular society - courage should always be acknowledged, IMHO! I ordered the aforementioned Pupusas - 4 Cheese and Pork for $11.50 with Crudito included! These were good, not great, Pupusa - under-seasoned for my tastes (added a Rick Bayless (you must know who he is) measure of salt) and it was were I needed it to be - but still weak! Unfortunately the Crudito was very weak, barely fermented - a great side when done right, not the case here! This was not bad food, but there is better available, even as close as Los Primos, only several miles away! The combination of under-seasoning, lack of pork, and uneven grilling makes this more than a bit off the charts for best of show!