Monse's Pupuseria — Restaurant in Colorado Springs

TLDR; great food, good service, HUGE portions, and homemade horchata - what more could you want? Easily earned a returning customer!

Before we go further in, I need to tell you a story. I'm small, but I can put away food. I saw a generic picture online of this thing called a "pupusa" and noticed how small they were and figured "oh, well I could eat 3 of those easily". So I ordered 3. They were not small little things that fit in your hand, they were pancakes. Big, BIG pancakes. The kind that IHOP sells you for $3 that you could land a 737 on. Needless to say, I had dinner and leftovers for the next day. Buyer beware.

Besides portions, the taste is definitely there. Super homemade through and through and the flavors are strong and well-balanced. Now, the horchata. If you've ever had the generic, super sweet horchata from the big generic brands, you're in for a surprise. This is completely homemade. It starts of nice and silky smooth to make you drop your guard, then bites you with some strong cinnamon and bitterness when you're least expecting it. Highly recommend checking it out (Salvadorian style, not the strawberry one, although I'm sure the strawberry one is just as great).

Vibes are great and the flow is unique. You order at the front when you walk in, grab a number, and your order is brought out when it's ready. What's interesting is you grab any to-go boxes you need and you bring your plates and utensils to a dirty plate section after you're done. Some of this is usually done by your server, but it's up to you at this place. To be clear, this format isn't bad in the slightest, just something to keep in mind for when you're thinking of starting your 3rd pupusa when you can barely stand.

Also as of the time of this review, it says they have birria tacos on their site. That's a lie, but it doesn't matter, because you're getting the pupusas at the...

so let me just say the owner and her husband are fantastic people with a fantastic story. Tim was so understanding and accommodating and it was a great time socially. I have allergy to dairy, egg, beans, and beef in addition to gluten. i state this very clearly always and have never had an issue at restaurants even chains. i always make it a point to order something that would never contain beans or beef to begin with so that it’s not too much of a hassle to make. Monse’s kitchen staff are NOT very diligent. my first time going my order came out wrong and there was also beans hidden in it. the second time i came, my order also came out wrong the first time and then the second time it came out with beef hidden in it. i am now paying the consequences of that as we speak. their kitchen is not very organized or separate so if you only have a gluten allergy, this is a great place but if you have anything else, i would err on the side of caution. the kitchen staff are very nice but do not speak any english so when trying to figure out if food is yours or if it’s safe there’s some difficultly and they will just have to remake it. i know with kitchens there’s “no guarantee” but generally as a rule of thumb, even for people without allergies, if there is something not supposed to be in a dish, you should not end up seeing it in your dish. things should be made properly. i rarely take risks and i’m not sure if this once in a blue moon risk was worth it. i haven’t gotten sick from food in a long time. food is good but not good enough to feel sick over. they do have a great selection of...

If you have food allergies, DO NOT EAT HERE I was on vacation & picked dining in this restaurant because of their “claim” to have allergy protocols in place. We placed our order with the owner & Monse herself assured us I would be safe, she assured us that she would make sure personally.

Our vegan queso & chips were great, and then came our entrees. They served me my husband’s dish (dairy & real meat) & vice versa, the hubs got the vegan option. Because they were pupusas the entrees looked identical. We confirmed with the server that my food was dairy free, explained my life threatening allergies again, and he confirmed that the food was safe. After a few bites I immediately felt my throat close, my chest seize. Monse came over and literally scolded me for eating “the wrong food”. The food her restaurant not only served me, but they confirmed more than once, was safe.

I was rushed to the hospital, nearly died from the most serious anaphylactic reaction I’ve had in my life. I was given countless life saving medications & almost had a tracheotomy. I was served pure dairy cheese & told it was vegan. Monse has accepted absolutely NO responsibility, and will not return emails or phone calls. I nearly died. My husband & I have followed up with her extensively & she has ghosted us. You would expect a restaurant that prides itself in allergy friendly food would care about nearly killing a customer. But she absolutely didn’t. If you don’t have food allergies enjoy. If you do, I would never eat here. It nearly...