EL ARCO PUPUSAS Restaurant — Restaurant in San Marcos

I used to be a loyal customer of Arco Pupusa, but after my recent experience with the owner, Mario, I can no longer recommend this restaurant. We placed a large order, and the pupusas were badly cooked. When we politely returned them and asked for the order to be corrected, we were met with defensiveness from the staff.

The next time we visited, the owner, Mario, confronted us, raising his voice and arguing that his employees had done the order correctly. He even stated outright that he DOES NOT believe in the principle that “the customer is always right.” Instead, he made it clear that he believes the business is always right and showed no concern for losing loyal customers.

Mario’s attitude and lack of respect for customers are unacceptable. Poor customer service, especially from the owner, reflects badly on the entire establishment. I strongly discourage anyone from visiting this place if they value being treated with basic courtesy...

We searched for high rated food along our route and El Arco pulled up as a 4.7. I love trying different foods and was excited to check them out. My husband got the plate with 1 papusa, 1 Gordita and 1 baleada. I got the breakfast plate with plantains, fried eggs, pork chop and casamiendo. The papusa was by far our favorite, we had the pork and cheese, but everything was delicious! We really enjoyed the flavoring on the pork chop, and my fried eggs were cooked perfectly. Everything went really well together. The staff was nice and food was cooked to order, so it came out hot. I know some have complained about grease, but it wasn’t overly greasy, just what you would expect from braised meat. Be patient, it will...

I really wanted to like this place, especially being a fan of Salvadoran food, but this was one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had. The food was disappointing—poorly prepared, greasy, and lacked authentic flavor. The restaurant itself was not clean at all: tables were sticky, utensils looked reused, and the restroom was filthy.

The biggest issue, however, was the attitude of the owner. They were extremely rude and dismissive, as if customers were a burden instead of being welcomed. Asking a simple question felt like I was bothering them.

It’s a shame because this place could have potential, but with the current level of service, food quality, and cleanliness, I wouldn’t recommend...