El Salvador Bakery Y Pupuseria — Restaurant in Gainesville

Top notch experience at El Salvador Bakery and Pupuseria! The food/drink was fantastic and service was great. My girlfriend and I tried a variety of things and each one was better than the last. We ate the corn tamale, chicken tamale, Columbian empanada, loroco pupusa, mixta pupusa, and the chicken/chorizo tacos...and drank marañon (cashew juice) and maracuya (passionfruit juice). We're familiar with passionfruit, but the cashew juice was totally new and strangely addictive. We were also really glad to meet one of the owners (super nice guy) while we were there because we'd been talking about taking some tamales home with us (we live in St. Thomas, USVI), but they need to be frozen to fly safely, and he informed us that they actually have frozen tamales readily available!! Needless to say, we'll be back again for another meal before we fly home next week AND taking some...

I have never had food from El Salvador but the owners and staff were extremely helpful and friendly. There wasn't a dish I tried that I did not love and I tried a few. Every dish was delicious. The pupula was warm and tasty. Steak tacos perfectly seasoned. The chicken soup was perfect for a cold winter day. They even gave me a sample of the tripe soup. I had never had tripe before and I enjoyed it. My favorite try of the night was the empanadas. The crispy, buttery home made shell alone was heaven. I could eat a bowl full of those alone. I love plantains so the plantains with cream were the perfect touch. Before we left they brought us a warm corn drink to try. It was def perfect for the cold temps outside. I already crave it for the cold days ahead. This place was def an unexpected gem. Extremely affordable and home made deliciousness that makes me want to...

If you are local and have not yet tried this restaurant, you will thank me by going immediately! If you are from out of town and want a selection of authentic dishes that you won't find elsewhere, this nice little family run eatery is for you. I went with 3 friends yesterday around lunch time. We were warmly greeted by Ronald who took the time to explain the entrées to us. Our food was brought out to us. Almost in unison, the four of us gasped at how delicious the food was! I had the grilled shrimp entrée which was one of Ronald's recommendations. Put simply, I have not had a meal I've enjoyed this much in a long time! My friends all agreed and a couple of us made bakery purchases as we left. The also sell some of the ingredients that are used in the dishes. Do yourself a favor...