La Usuluteca — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Dulce Pan Order: Alemana, Brazo Gitano, Guisano, Oreja, Quesadilla

La Usuluteca is an authentic Central American Deli, located near Arlington Heights, off Washington Blvd. & 10th Ave.; you can't miss the bright red name banner & awning. Upon entering, your senses are hit with baking & cooking scents: pan dulces & pupusas?

After selecting my Yelp freebie: Alemana (vanilla muffin pound cake), I asked what's their best seller & got the Quesadilla. It's a sweet, dense cheese bread with a texture that mimics a pound cake. It was really tasty if a tad on the dry side.

My son picked the Oreja, literally translates as "ear" because it looks like one. This puff pastry is also called a palmier. It's sweet, light, crisp, & flaky. M says they're way better than Costco's.

I also added a Brazo Gitano (strawberry & coconut Swiss/jelly roll), & Guisano (pineapple-filled roll). Although I might have mixed up Alemana & Guisano. I figured this is a mom & pop, so a menu is not probable, & requested the server's help; she was kind enough to take the extra time to provide the names of dulce pans.

There's no dulce pan menu, but there is an electronic hot foods menu behind the counter. Not sure of price points, but I got 4 items, excluding my Yelp freebie, for $11.00+. There's a 50¢ surcharge with a cc payment. It would be nice to have placards labeling & pricing the items (sometimes pricing dictates my choices & the quantity). Friendly, knowledgeable, & helpful customer service... my server took extra time to provide the names of the dulce pans & describe what's in them.

While I'm not likely in this part of town, I'm definitely a fan of this Central American bakery & will stop by if I'm in this neighborhood.

Mi pan dulce son muy...

i’ve been to this place many times throughout the years and it has consistently gotten worse. the pupusas used to be some of the best around, so i would tolerate the burnt styrofoam on the bottom layer caused from improper packaging and lack of care. one time it was really really bad, and the owner still refused me a refund. i threw out the bottom pupusas (it was covered in burned plastic styrofoam) and ate top ones.

now they’ve actually CHANGED the recipe for the pupusas. so bad i threw them away. if the owner is reading this - GO BACK to the old recipe. it was the one thing you had going for you in my eyes - i overlooked a lot for those great pupusas you had!...

If you were looking for some genuine delicious Pupusas then look no further. I came across as Salvadorian bakery on door dash and I’m so glad I tried them because this just became my favorite place for pupusas! The portions are fantastic and you really get your money’s worth. Plus, all their pupusas are freshly made and taste like they were just given to you when they arrive. They give you plenty of side and they even threw in a complimentary baked good in my order with a note. It was overall one of my best ordering experiences and best pupusa experience. I would DEFINITELY RECOMMEND to anyone who is looking for some delicious authentic...