Café Guanaco — Restaurant in Salt Lake City

First, let me say that the taste of every item on the menu is outstanding. I didn't know what to expect from some of the very foreign-sounding dishes (like mojarra, a deep fried fish with the head still on and loroco, the flower part of the squash plant mixed with cheese and nestled in a pupusa), but it was all delicious. The Pupusas are the largest you will find at any restaurant for the given price.

I think the main draw-back to this place is that there is a considerable wait for the food to arrive. There is a disclaimer on the menu explaining that you should expect this, because each meal is made from scratch with fresh ingredients. So don't go thinking that you'll be in-and-out in half an hour. Go there with company you enjoy and visit for awhile (or call ahead and order take-out).

Another tip: have some of their sweet cornbread, which they call a 'Salvadorean Quesadilla' -- it's incredibly tasty! Eat it with your soup, your beans, as a side to your meal or even as dessert. Better yet, buy a whole one and take it home with you, because it's very inexpensive for a whole 8 or 9 inch pie-plate size (only around $7.00, I think!). The service is friendly, they try to please and go out of their way to make you happy. I've been back...

While Café Guanaco’s food might be passable, the treatment we received and the shady practices we experienced were absolutely not. My family and I came for a meal but left feeling deceived and unwelcome, despite the restaurant eventually refunding us after a long and frustrating back-and-forth.

Here’s what happened: we decided to buy a toddler dress marked at $8. Before ringing it up, a staff member took it to the back, only to return with the price mysteriously raised to $10. They assumed, it seemed, that we wouldn’t notice or wouldn’t question it. We checked other dresses, all still priced at $8, and called them out on the switch.

After considerable discussion and with a lot of resistance on their part, they eventually refunded the entire charge on our card. However, the experience left us feeling targeted, both for our appearance and our lack of fluency in Spanish, as if they assumed we wouldn’t stand up for ourselves.

Despite their eventual attempt to make things right with the refund, I would never recommend Café Guanaco. The initial deception and the way we were treated aren’t things anyone should have to put up with. For a better experience with authentic food, I’d highly recommend Juanita’s on 271 W and...

Quirky little place next to a barber shop. The inside is very small, with a few tables outside. We went around 1:30, so we were one of the only few there. I imagine it would be very crowded during a lunch or dinner rush. We ordered pupusas and a tamale. Chicken/ cheese pupusa was probably the best! Bean/ cheese and just cheese were close seconds. The flavor of the pork was good, but it made the pupusa very greasy and I didn't end up finishing it. Not a fan of the "slaw" and red sauce served with the pupusas. Pork tamale was very good. Service was fine, a little slow as others have mentioned. I gave it 4 stars because the menu is very confusing. There are 3 different menu boards PLUS a paper menu. They all show different prices and one doesn't show any prices at all. It took us a few minutes to figure out what to get...