Encuentro Latino Restaurant — Restaurant in Ypsilanti

My experience here was interesting. I simply Google pupusas and this place popped up with a decent rating. I'll be honest I came in with good intentions. I'm always excited to try food from a different location. We were greeted by the waiter who was also the ONLY one on the floor, which I can understand gets a bit hectic. So we sat and he suggested the atole de elote, which was AMAZING... a bit more corn to chew on while drinking it and it'd be perfect. Everything took a while and when we finally did get our food I was surprised my pupsas looked like they had been cut open, I ordered 2 bean and cheese and 1 loroco. The bean and cheese was not a pupusa, it was a tortilla that had bean and cheese in it. I have had pupusas in Oloquilta where they originate from and I've tried them from all over the world, plus I make them myself. The flavors food had were VERY unique and different that I WOULD NOT call them pupusas just because they're kind of built like one. They had an O.K. flavor, something made it too sweet, I couldn't figure out what but I ate it. I asked the waiter where the cook was from he stated Guatemala, which I had no idea they even made pupusas. I then asked what kind of cheese they used and he started throwing random cheese names including FETA cheese, I died a little on the inside. When I asked him to please ask the cook he came back to inform me its only mozzarella, I can tell you they will look ok with mozzarella but if ypu want it to taste better ADD another cheese, I won't tell you which one as that's going to be up to you guys but I do suggest you guys learning how to make another countries food the RIGHT way before you add it to your menu and call it something it's not. The cabbage was missing the acidity. The food was NOT BAD it just WAS NOT what we had in mind. I believe the waiter saw my dissatisfaction but NEVER once approached me to ask how our food was. I asked for more cabbage on the side and didn't get it until I had already finished eating. He was definitely more attentive to people he thought he was going to get a good tip from. I am a big tipper, the better the service the better the tip. I asked for a check and he forgot took other peoples checks and as he walked passed us he remembered. I asked him for change for a tip, I work retail you don't give someone all big bills when they ask ypu to break them, it's a manipulation tactic and frankly lost the tip I WAS going to give him. I would've left him more if he had taken care of us with the same energy as when we first walked in but it progressively got worse until the end I literally felt the catty attitude coming from the waiter. I will NEVER be coming back to this place and if you're looking for pupusas, go...

Wanting a chance to step outside of the United States using your taste buds? Encuentro Latino is a go to place! My husband and I frequent this establishment almost once a week to get our favorites with the kiddos.

He prefers the Mojarra Frita (Fried Fish) but he also likes the Sopa de mariscos (Seafood Soup). Recently my favorite has become the Empanadas de pollo (Chicken Empanadas) that are normally served as an appetizer but they fill me right up! I also like the Crispy Chicken Tacos (Taquitos) and the Tortilla de Harina (Flour Tortilla) but in a vegetarian style.

The kids will normally enjoy Nachos & Guacamole with the homemade tomato sauce that my kids lick off the plate! Then they also ask for Chicken Tenders & Fries.

This is a great place to go even if you don't like spicy food because the spicy salsa can be added in (not normally served as a part of the dish). I prefer the homemade salsa here because I am weak when it comes to spicy food but Encuentro Latino doesn't make it in a way that burns my tongue!

It is also great for a group of friends that have different tastes. For those of us that like to travel to Latin American countries, we will find a piece of our home again in enjoying the food and communicating with those who serve in the restaurant. For those of us who like our Burgers & Fries, we can also still appreciate learning a little more about a different country, taking a chance to get lost in the photos and articles placed in this small...

Had plans to have dinner with a old friend and we were undecided on where to eat. I normally scroll through google to find something new or unique. After being informed of a 1.5 hr wait at Bellflower, we decided to give Encuentro a try. I am so happy Bellflower had such a long wait as Encuentro was successful in providing a delightful meal. I have horrible taste in design and decorating so I will make no judgement on the physical appearance of the restaurant. Quite frankly I was here for dinner not an ambiance. I ordered the Chapin Combo, which consisted of three different items - one churrasquitos, one garnachas, and one pupusas. I would definitely order this again. We also tried the guacamole as an appetizer which came with chips and tomato sauce(I would compare this to a warm picante sauce/salsa of sorts). Whatever you want to call it, this stuff is good. Not sure exactly what makes it so good but I will say we took a 10 ounce container to go on our way out it was that good. The guacamole, although still enjoyable, was surprisingly not the star of the guacamole appetizer. My friend ordered the beef tortilla de Harina and ended up taking half home. From the silence while the first half was consumed, I will have to speculate it was also good(I later confirmed my suspicions). In summary, with full disclosure that I didn’t need to use the restroom , I will have to grant 5 stars and a guarantee to return when in the mood for some delicious...