El Pulgarcito III

This is my go to place now for a good burrito! I absolutely love the steak burrito. It’s definitely a hole in the wall but totally worth the stop!

The food was amazing the service was too. I love the rice it was really good. I tried this place after reading the reviews

We are seriously so lucky to have this place in our city. The pupusas are great — the pork is perfectly seasoned, the veggie options are fresh and bright, and the prices are great for how much food you get. Tried just a few of the other dishes, due to my deep and abiding love for the pupusa, but everything else has been great as well. Love the fried plantains served with cream. I would eat here every day if I could.

Wow! I simply LOVE this place! Would it be too premature to say that this is my favorite Mexican or Salvadoran restaurant in Tacoma after just one visit? Nope, not premature at all.
When we walked in the place was pretty busy but there was no wait to be seated. It was not long before we decided what we wanted. Steve got a Steak Burrito and I got the Chorizo Burrito. We wanted an appetizer so we got chips and salsa.
The chips that went with the salsa was anything but run of the mill! They seemed homemade and baked to perfection and the salsa was bright, spicy and vibrant to the taste buds!
The burritos were simply marvelous and to die for! They were huge and we had to take about half of it home AND it was still delicious the next day! They have wonderful sauces to go with the burritos. As we were eating our meal all of the other menu items that were ordered looked extremely enticing also! I dare say that this may be the best Mexican restaurant in Tacoma
I look forward to making this place a watering hole! God knows I need some more watering holes in Tacoma!

I love this restaurant. I’ve been a fan since their inception. Really wonderful and fresh food. You don’t automatically get the hand made tortillas anymore though, you need to ask for them, which I recommend. I have a few favorites but everything I have tried has been flavorful and never a disappointment. The atmosphere is better than the last place they were in but still not a posh spot. When the food is this good, who cares?

Such a nice surprise! Excellent freshly made food. We had to wait a bit but well worth it! The flavors of all the food surpassed our expectations. The service was pleasant and friendly. We had various dinners. Beef soup chicken & shrimp fajitas and beef burritos and varied shrimp dinners. All delicious! Black beans and rice with all dinners and fresh tortillas!

The pupusas here are delicious! My favorite was the spinach and cheese, it’s a must have! So thankful that I found this little gem, if you’re in the Lakewood/​Tacoma definitely like stop by. The employees were very friendly and greeted me as soon as I opened the door. The restaurant has a very «homey» type of feel and the food is affordable. I will definitely be going back!

I was really looking forward to eating here because of all the great reviews. My husband is Honduran, and we just moved to WA from Texas, so we were excited to find a salvadorian restaurant. Unfortunately, it was hardly salvadorian. The tortillas are store bought, the papusas were greasy, the rice was dry and lukewarm. If you’ve ever had authentic salvadorian food, you’d know this is not it at all. Most of the menu items are more Mexican if anything. Won’t ever come back, I’ll drive 30 minutes away if it means I can get good papusas.

Never a bad meal! The papusas are definitely worth trying and take some home to warm up in the morning and throw a nice fried egg over the top. The steak ranchero has become my favorite and tonight tried the pollo ranchero wich was also delicious and juicy and tender. The shrimp, carne asada and grilled chicken otherwise known as tres compadres is also so good juicy and tender. If there’s one negative it’s a little inconsistent, well sometimes my steak ranchero has jalapeño and sometimes not, that’s the extent of the negative. You won’t be disappointed and the customer service is always on point!!!

We were there on Martin Luther King’s Day eve, and there was only one other family in the whole place at 5:30. We were rather in a rush, and we told the server so, so she suggested that we try the Pupusas. Fantastic Salvadoran food (a first) at truly great price. Don’t hesitate to try the sauces, either, because they’re really not all that spicy and instead, have a great flavors. If you’re looking for a real pepper spice, there’s a different kind of bottle on the table all the time that will probably serve that need. Don’t confuse this with Mexican food! Sure glad they were open, and I hope they are again the next time we’re in the neighborhood!

Last night we ate Salvadorian food and wanted more! We were in Tacoma so we found this restaurant for lunch. I’ve never eaten pupusas and heard they are very tasty. So I ordered combo dish D. 2 pupusas with rice and black beans. I opted for 1 pork cheese and bean and the other just pork and cheese. The pupusas were very good. Something like Chinese onion pancakes but with a filling. There were several different fillings to choose from. As. Side dish I ordered a fried sweet plaintains. It came with refried black beans that were delicious. My hunby ordered the chorizo and egg black bean and rice with cheese burrito. It was huge and flavorful. He could only eat half so we took the other half home The restaurant was kind of small and there were only two waitresses. The restaurant had many patrons. Service was good and the servers came by many times to see if we needed anything. I would go back again when we are in Lakewood, Wa

This is the third time I have eaten here and this place never disappoints. The food is prepared as ordered and beyond delicious. The portions are ridiculously huge I could never finish my plate (believe me I tried) everything is perfectly seasoned. They offer take out and accept phone orders if you don’t like to wait for your food. The place is very easy to find with plenty of parking. I will definately be a frequent visitor especially when I need my Salvadorean food fix!

The beans were amazing! It might sound weird, but the beans were the best thing I ate there, and that’s saying a lot because everything on my plate was genuinely delicious. I damn near licked my plate clean!
Aside from the rice and beans, I ordered the pupusas, solely because of all the raving Unilocal reviews and I was not disappointed! I got the spinach and cheese pupusa and the pork and cheese one, both were great but I personally liked the pork better.
The only negative was it was a bit more expensive then I thought it would be, but I can’t complain too much because it taste so damn good. I can’t wait to come back here!

I liked this restaurant for pupusa, rice and beans. However not a fan of their chicken. It was cheap one with lots of fat, which was not browned, rather simmered, so the fat texture was gross. If I could go back just for rice and beans, I would! The service was nice and friendly.

Slow service good food. Cozy feel Lots of El Salvadorian flags. I ordered a carne Assad burrito which was delicious. My friend ordered popusas a classic Salvadorian dish which my friend said was
Spot on.

I hate to be the only review that doesn’t have five stars but I have good reasoning behind it.
Once we entered the restaurant we were welcomed in by the only waitress telling us it’s open seating and to seat ourselves. We sat closet to the TV to watch the Seahawks playing. Our table was dirty and not wiped down with no silverware, and the surrounding floors were also littered with food. (I think we came just as a bunch of people left, so no biggie) Going through the menu it seemed pretty pricey but we decided to go with two combo plates the pollo ranchero & pollo a la cream w/​a Papusa to start ($ 2.50 each).
The food was delicious! And huge portions as well! The ONLY complaint I had while eating was the lack of attentiveness from our waitress. I had to ask for a refill for our soft drinks while I was paying.
For a total of $ 36.00 for two plates, one Papusa, & two drinks I would expect a little more but overall it is a good place.

I *really* like this restaurant! I was in the area on business and it is very convenient (within ~1 mile) to the hotel strip near the Tacoma Mall.
The combo platter is just plain huge. The thin-​sliced chicken and the shrimp were standouts. The seasoning was terrific and the preparation was spot-​on. The beef was also thin-​sliced, but a teenie bit tough; nonetheless, good flavors.
The waitress was attentive and knowledgeable. I never «wanted» anything. She was always there for me with a few extra tortillas, water … whatever.
In the event that I travel to Tacoma again, I will definitely return!

Check out my review on the Pacific Hwy. location. This one — yeah… no different. Though lol… this one is closer to me – I go to the other one just for kicks & giggles ere’ once in a while… you know… cuz —I feel like I’m cheatin’ on my main squeeze.
Seriously – u can’t lose.

Fabulous authentic food!!!
The pupusas are a wonderful way to start your meal. We selected a spinach &cheese and a pork Pupusas. The waitress was such a sweet woman who helped us make our choices for appetizers. She aimed to please.
My husband enjoyed a HUGE chicken burrito. It was was full of quality ingredients and the sauces that complimented the dish were outstanding.
I dined on the chicken quesadilla and had to take the left overs home because of the generous portions.

If your looking for a different spin on Quesadilla’s check out this place. Salvadorian food is a cuisine that I consider a hidden gem. The food here will leave you feeling full and wanting more. Pupusas are considered a staple in Salvadorian Cuisine, I think of them like corn quesadillas but taken to a different level. They are made with Corn Masa, filled with cheese, chicharron (pork), refried beans, or a combination of all of them. They are then cooked on each side with light oil to give them a crispy taste. I top them with there cabbage slaw (please try first before adding) and their spicy red salsa. I have ordered these a la carte or as a plate meal with Rice and Beans. A must try if you are looking for something different.