Pupuseria y Restaurante Platano — Restaurant in Berkeley

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hands-down one of the best Salvadoran food spots we’ve ever been to—seriously! I came here with my whole family, and we all left full and happy. The food was incredibly tasty, and the entire experience from start to finish was smooth and enjoyable.

We were seated right away, and our waiter was very nice and super fast. The place wasn’t crowded, which surprised us because the food was top-tier. It’s a great spot for large groups—plenty of seating, very comfortable, and we were never rushed.

We loved that the drinks were refillable (huge win when you’ve got kids), and the prices were very reasonable for how much food you get. The variety of pupusas blew me away—so many options and all made fresh. My wife was especially happy with the pastelitos—they reminded her of the ones she used to get during recess back in Nicaragua. I tried one too, and yep, they were delicious.

We were also given two complimentary containers of curtido and two bottles of red sauce, which we really appreciated. They didn’t charge us for either, and both were flavorful and authentic.

I ordered the lemonade—lightly sweetened, super refreshing, and perfect with the meal. If you’re anywhere near here, don’t skip this place. You...

One of my go to's in Berkeley! I've celebrated everything from bombed midterms to birthdays to breakups here and it never fails to disappoint!

Start off with a carafe of their sangria!! It's not too sweet but isn't to full bodied. Just right! They put a good amount of apples and oranges in there but I like to ask for extra and they never charge me.

FOOD: I've tried all of the different flavored pupusas, but my favorites are the revueltas! Pork and cheesy goodness and only for $2.50 each! I usually get 2 or 3 depending how hungry I am. Don't worry, they're pretty filling, so 2 or 3 is enough. Eat it with their curtido slaw and salsa it's the best! Other sides I like to get are the platanos which are just fried plantains, refried beans and sour cream.

I have a couple friends who aren't big fans of their service, but I've honestly never had that problem. They're really quick to fill water (a plus in my book) and aren't bugaboo's. I've never had to wait more than 5min for a table even on their busiest weekend. You can bring your kids too, they have a small play area for them. Great for groups, dates, or even a midday drank sesh. Enjoy!

Til next time,...

When I first came in, no one seated my sister and I and we stood there for 5 minutes before I finally asked if we could just sit wherever. The place was pretty empty so I didn't think anything of it. After we seated ourselves we sat at the table for more than 10 minutes and no one brought us water, asked if we wanted something to drink, or took our order. Again, the place was almost empty so it wasn't because they were busy. When three other groups walked in after us, they were seated immediately and had their orders taken and water brought to them right away. All three parties got food and water before us despite coming more than 10 minutes after us. When we got our orders I had to ask for water twice before my cup was refilled as well. Other tables had their drinks refilled frequently. I've had issues with the way Platano treats their black customers in the past, but gave them the benefit of the doubt. Other times I've come here I've experienced the same thing, but made excuses because i didn’t want to believe the implicit bias they were showing. Today I had to finally decide not to come here at...