Salvadoran restaurants in El Salvador
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A
La Ventana
Located in the heart of the bohemian bar-lounge scene, La Ventana is a smart, laid-back place that's popular day or night. Tables line the long windows - perfect for people watching - and the menu offers an excellent variety of international meals. Clients can choose from any number of creative sandwiches, big salads, pasta dishes and quiche…plenty of vegetarian options! Food is prepared fresh and portions are decent.
Belgian and German ales are also served, as are tasty coffee drinks. A lively bar scene at night makes it a particularly cool place to have a bite. Buy postcards and La Ventana will mail them for free.
reviewed
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B
La Fonda del Mirador
This Suchitoto institution has spectacular views of Lago de Suchitlán far below. The open air-dining room has exposed beams and a low-slung clay tile roof, with ferns hanging here and there. The food is great - gallo en chicha (chicken marinated in homemade moonshine) is a weekend favorite, and the boca colorada filete (fillet of smapper) is prepared with a homemade salsa of arrayan, mamey and tamarindo - all local fruits. The ensalada marinera (seafood salad) is a meal in itself.
reviewed
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Paso de Alaska
This good, friendly restaurant is located in Los Naranjos, El Salvador's highest town, in the shadow of Volcán Santa Ana and at the top of a scenic mountain pass between Santa Ana and Sonsonate (Hwy CA-12). The climate is cool, and you can see all the way to the ocean from the upper-level dining area. Hamburgers and sandwiches leave something to be desired - better to go with a typical lunch plate, like a quarter chicken with rice and garlic bread. Follow signs from the highway.
reviewed
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C
Típicos Margoth
A popular cafeteria-style restaurant serving, as the name suggests, típico. Food is fresh and served in good-sized portions. There's occasional live music on Saturday night.
reviewed
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D
Las Vacas Gordas
There should be no mistaking that beef is the specialty at 'The Fat Cows' restaurant in the Zona Rosa. But just in case - or else to really freak out the vegetarians - black and white cow skins are used for the chair backs and as wall hangings. Choose from a dozen cuts of meat, from medallions to rib-eye, most of which can be ordered in various portions depending on your appetite and the thickness of your wallet.
If your wallet is more carpaccio than filet mignon, check the menu for frequent two-for-one specials. Outdoor tables are especially pleasant, occupying a semi-shaded courtyard with plants hanging from a thick wooden trellis.
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E
Sidewalk Comedores
You'll find Sidewalk Comedores lining the streets surrounding Plaza Hula Hula, a block west of Plaza Barrios. They're all essentially the same, but everyone you ask has a personal favorite. We liked the ones on the east side of 1a Av Sur across from the park, mainly for the clean vinyl tablecloths, friendly service and mid-afternoon sun, but maybe you'll see others that call to you.
Expect typical Salvadoran fare, including panes de pollo (chicken sandwiches), bistec encebollada (onion grilled beef), sopa de res (beef stew) and more.
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La Cocina de Ma'Anita
Perquín's best hotel also has its most formal restaurant, though the huge A-frame dining area is more ski-lodge than mountain bistro. Tables along the front windows get nice morning light and have overhead lamps on henequen cords for nighttime. The owner may install booths, which would class it up a bit.
The food is reliable and good, but not spectacular, ranging from taco salad to chicken with mango chutney to a four-person parrillada (platter of grilled meat, sausage and chicken). Afterward, head up to the much cozier bar for drinks.
reviewed
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F
Restaurante Vista Conga
The owner, a young English-speaking San Salvador transplant, sure knows how to pick a spot: down a sometimes muddy road, a heavy wooden door opens onto a lush garden, giving way to fantastic views of the surrounding hillsides. Tables are set up in an open corridor; favorite dishes include a chorizo platter, lomo de aguja (filet mignon) and, of course, sopa de gallina india. Dinner service is by appointment. It's just off the road to the lake, near where Av 15 de Septiembre and 3a Av Norte merge.
reviewed
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Antojitos Marisol
On the south side of the parque central, this is a classic greasy spoon. Handwritten menus and a few printed addendums are taped to the wall at the head of each of the long wooden tables, which have benches and tablecloths.
The walls are aqua-green and the florescent lights are about as unflattering as light can be, yet it's somehow appealing - anyway, it's one of only two places in town open late. Beers come with small glasses and simple botanas (appetizers).
reviewed
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G
La Villa Balanza
War relics transformed into art pieces are the main draw to this pleasant open-eatery. The típico (regional specialities) is good, the service is excellent, but the biggest reason people come here is to be surrounded by the historical art and artifacts from the war, including the shell of a 340kg bomb found in Cinquera. At the entrance is a sculpture of a giant scale (la balanza) weighing a stack of tortillas against a bomb.
reviewed
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Cocina de Mama Toya y Mama Juana
Nothing fancy here, just good fresh típica (regional specialities) served in a clean comfortable setting at decent prices. It's part of the Hotel Perquín Real - or rather the hotel is part of the restaurant, as the latter was open first - and its rooms open onto a dining room with rows of wood tables and benches. It's an open-air setting, so be sure to bundle up in the winter months. It's at the south entrance to town.
reviewed
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H
Restaurante Pollo Rico
What started as a simple chicken stand in 1990, has over the years become a Juayúa institution. Chicken is still the specialty, but the menu has grown to include cabrito adobado (chili-marinated goat), tenquiques (wild mushrooms, served grilled, in soup or ceviche), and even grilled frog's legs - they taste like chicken, right? Upstairs is a patio and great view of Volcán Santa Ana.
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I
La Herradura
Specializing in high-quality imported meat and seafood, this is a favorite of wealthy San Migueleños and considered by many to be the best restaurant in town. The rib eye, surf and turf, and parrillada are classics; the punta jalapeña is a spicy alternative, served with chorizo, potatos and veggies. Service is excellent. It's located off-street in a small commercial center.
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Dulce y Salado
Don't let the girlie ambiance - hanging plants, doilies galore, opera classics - stop you from sampling the excellent menu at this cozy restaurant. Light meals, including lots of vegetarian options, make up its core - salads, quiche, empanadas, and even spinach lasagna are all offered. Mains include a choice of two salads and a fruit shake. There is also a full coffee and tea bar.
reviewed
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K
El Sopón Típico
A pleasant open-air restaurant in the middle of mall-land where you can get such típica treats as conejo (rabbit), garrobo (spiny tailed iguana), gallo (rooster) and cabrito (baby goat). The super sopón (super giant soup) lives up to its name, full of the meats of your choice and veggies. It's popular with families.
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L
El Tejado
Travelers with kids may appreciate the large enclosed grounds here, with hammocks and a clean swimming pool within view of the main dining area. Service is excellent, and meals, mostly large meat and chicken plates, are perfectly fine. The dining area boasts yet another stunning view, this one over the valley to the south, with the end of the reservoir way off in the distance.
reviewed
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M
La Bella Esquina
A 'beautiful corner' indeed, which you can enjoy from a window table at this friendly eatery. Fresh comida a la vista (meal-served buffet) includes beef soup, baked chicken and other Salvadoran fare. For breakfast, look for eggs, beans or tamales; the weekend speciality, as at most restaurants, is sopa de gallina india (wild hen soup).
reviewed
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N
El Establo
This newcomer is a meat lovers' heaven. And, apparently, half of San Salvador thinks so too - the driveway is packed most nights. Portions are hefty: the plato típico includes a steak, Argentinean-style sausage, chicken-broth soup, refried beans, tostones (fried plantains), cheese, cream and garlic bread. Bring your appetite.
reviewed
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O
Pan y Cakes Liz
Not much to look at, but an oasis of friendly service in the hectic streets just west of the market. Fill your tray with good comida a la vista, including eggs, tamales, plantains, beans and coffee - as with most buffet-style places, it's best to come during (or slightly before) the morning and noon rush, when the food is freshest.
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P
Restaurante Los 44
Smaller and somewhat less charming than Lover's, Los 44 is still a reliable place for a steak, and is closer to the town center. The front room and a little nook left of the door have a nicer ambiance than the long sterile back room. There's live music - well, a guy with a mic and keyboard - on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
reviewed
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Q
No Name Comedor
This tiny place, next to an upscale Japanese restaurant (Kamakura), is popular with drivers waiting for their bosses to finish their California rolls, and one of the few budget eateries in this part of Escalón. Serving mostly típica, the occasional stir-fried noodles or rice-and-veggie dish does appear.
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Comedor y Pupusería Chilita
One of the most popular restaurants in San Miguel, this open-air place offers a good variety of meals - from a steamed vegetable and beet salad to a hefty grilled steak dish. Repeat diners are the main clientele, but everyone leaves full and happy. After 16:00, steaming pupusas are served up from the side entrance.
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S
Laura's Comida a la Vista
This long narrow restaurant is especially popular for breakfast, but is busy most mealtimes. As the name implies, it's all comida a la vista, all the time - choose from various dishes displayed in steam trays. It's nothing fancy, but the food is homemade and consistently good.
reviewed
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T
Bati-jugos Carlitos
Crowded and friendly, this tiny restaurant is known for its huge variety of batidos (shakes) and jugos (juices) - 45 in all. In addition to being a great place to get a drink, it's also good for tasty and cheap sandwiches, burgers and chicken plates. Two thumbs up.
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La Pema
This San Miguel institution is famous for its mariscada - creamy seafood soup, served with a mallet to crack shellfish and two thick cheese tortillas. It's not cheap and it's a trek to get there - 5km along the road to Playa El Cuco - but it's worth the effort and expense.
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