I went to el carbonero last week and i didnt like it their pupusas were to oily and their salsa had no flavor.also the waitress was so rude and my husband order a fried yucca and they give you so little i just went to waste my money and time never gonna go back

I discovered this little gem about 2 months ago and I've been there 5 times already. For decades this building had a bbq joint inside, but you would Never recognize the place. New floors, ceilings walls and restrooms! Bright and inviting inside, but the Real star here is the authentic Salvadoran cuisine. The owners and staff speak little english but they try thier best to explain the menu. On my first visit i had the "El Carbonero" platter I believe. it's on the breakfast portion of the menu, and for $7 you get 2 kinds of tamales, 1 pupusa, 1 fried meat pie, fried pork bits, fried yuca, fried banana and chips and salsa (on request). Enough food for 2 people. it wasn't all delicious, but it was an adventure on a plate,a good way to sample the whole menu, I Reallly enjoyed it! On my later visits I've tried all the different pupusas. A pupusa is kind of like a tamale only its made like a pancake of masa with filling in the center. The salsa is made fresh daily and the chips are cooked to order. They have a pupusa thats filled with queso and loroco. I had to google the "loroco", I found out it's a green vine/vegetable that grows Only in El Salvador. And it's got an amazing flavor, very earthy, green flavor similar to asparagus but even more pungent. Also delicious is the pork and cheese, zucinni squash and cheese, or the bean and cheese pupusas. My only complaint is that they don't have a pupusa platter with beans and rice, they just come on thier own, with a spicey pickled cabbage. They also have fajita platter, fried fish, soups, chicken and a asada plate, that all come with beans, rice and handmade tortillas. I can't comment on those as I am hooked on the pupusas. If you are tired of the same old mexican places, try this South American jewel for a culinary adventure worth your time. PS. I don't work for them or anything, I just really enjoy unique ethnic dining experiences in our fine city.