La Usuluteca

I love this place. Went here the other day and I really enjoyed the food. The prices are affordable and it really fills you up. The cheese and pork pupusas (I hope that’s how you spell it) are great. They also offer authentic Mexican tacos if the mood strikes you. Definitely worth stopping in for lunch.

The delicious, filling cuisine of El Salvador can be had at this humble restaurant next to the Sonic in Antioch. The service was friendly as we arrived just before the dinner rush. The homemade tortilla chips were crunchy and tasty. The food was a bit starchy, as I looked at the rice, tortillas and potatoes on my plate, but the sauces were savory and acted as the gravy we would pour on our mashed potatoes at home.
I should have known better and not ordered two pupusas, stuffed tortillas that were very filling. They made it very hard to finish my entrée. The menu also included a variety of tortas, main dishes with chicken, beef and seafood, soups, and weekend specials.
After numerous visits to Mexico and living for years in San Diego, I have a very good grasp of Mexican cuisine, and it was good to try food that was familar yet different. I’m looking forward to visiting La Usuluteca again and trying other dishes to taste the differences and similarities.

Got one of each papusa. All good. Didn’t think that plantains would go with sour cream and beans, but it oddly worked out. Hit em up and support your local businesses!

Wonderful food! Cheap, very large, and authentic meals. Everything I’ve had there is amazing! Bring cash to tip!
Try the bean and plantain appetizer. It is like nothing you’ve ever had before. Salty, sweet, and the sour cream sets it off perfectly.
The fried chicken breast plate is an enormous amount of food for under 10 $.
The soups are fabulous. You can tell it is made from scratch the right way.
The rice is also one of a kind. I always order some.
Enjoy! You won’t be disappointed!

Went here for lunch with a friend after hearing many, many great reviews about it. I absolutely cannot explain how good the Papusa with beans and cheese is. I hadn’t had them before, so I only got one, but I can tell you I will not make that rookie mistake next time I go. I also got the corn tamale, which honestly I wasn’t crazy about. But the slaw and sauce to put on top of the papusa… that alone will make me return there for sure.

I love when you sit down and get the fresh salsa and handmade chips. Love that. Then, the most epic ginormous water glass arrives. Heaven.
We stopped here for lunch after a long hot morning run and open water swim so we were kind of starving and void of nutrition and dehydrated… and frankly probably smelled like Old Hickory Lake.
With no feeling at all like we were too grubby or awful to eat there, we were directed to seat immediately, got the heavenly epic waters (that tasted like good water, no odd tastes in their tap water) and the glorious chips and salsa.
Food came out and one bite in, my husband fell backward with «that happy look» and announced that it was like fried chicken back home — no crazy breading, all flavor. My salad was everything I wanted, super juicy cuts of chicken, seasoned well and grilled on top of a bed of veggies. It was so best of the mental battle of I should get some excellent veggies in me and I really want flavor and filling.
We had the pork Locarno pupusa also — oh that was fabulous. Like a porky super grilled cheese. Salty tomato soup that works brilliant as a flavor add to it.
And now we have leftovers for two more meals.
Super easy, love the menu options and food was delicious and gave me delicious for tomorrow also!

A typical gringo, I had no idea what a «pupusa» was. «Like a papoose?» «I don’t think so,» I was secured. Well, I learned quickly and am the better for it.
Despite sitting in a steamy strip mall with a vape shop and lingerie shop for neighbors, and a huge poster of scantily clad women reading «solomente para hombres» just outside, and a glaring warning printed on the door that this Salvadoran restaurant is under 24-​hour surveillance, the place is super clean, airy, and comfortable. There are lots of tables for bigger parties as well. On the tv was some dubbed sci-​fi show involving family members transmogrified into crocodiles. Hokey and hilarious.
The chips and salsa (I didn’t know that was common in El Salvador) are excellent. The salsa is fresh and appropriately spiced and neither hot nor mild. The fried chips are surprisingly airy.
But the pupusas are why you should go. Obviously. Their pupusas are airy and delicious. I had mine stuffed with queso y loroco, that strange Central American flower. I can’t rave enough about how simultaneously fluffy and satisfying these corn pupusas are, something between bread and pancake.
The curtido is a little vinegary, not necessarily in a bad way, since I like my slaw acidic as well. It was a tad watery though.
I also had an empanada de platano, which was sweet, not savory as expected. The empanada was delicious nonetheless, with sugar on top. The sweet platano inside was not runny and stood up well.
All said, I was quite satisfied with my first Salvadoran meal.

Today was my first visit. The prices are good, but the food is not. The complimentary ‘homemade’ tortillas were overdone and the sauces were nothing special. The pupusa that everyone raved about was awful! And yes, there is a language barrier. You must take someone that speaks fluent spanish with you. That which is in the pupusa is similar to potted meat. if I didn’t have a gift certificate to use there, I would not be returning.

Cheap and friendly staff! Came here on a Saturday night and the owner greeted us and took our order.
Had Papusa w cheese and chicken tamales! It was very good! You can really tell they make everything especially the tamales.
My boyfriend and I ate here and our bill was only $ 10! Now that’s a deal!

papusas papusas papusas. they are where it is at. i enjoyed trying the different ones. they have different things on the menu than the standard mexican fare. so its definately worth trying for something different.

Wow — what a great spot! If you’re looking for something that’s off the beaten path, something other than your standard fare, and all for a good price — look no further! Not to mention the food is very approachable, the staff is kind and the ingredients are FRESH!
I’ll try to take a picture of the menu next time I’m in so you can get an idea of the options. Pulpusa is their forte and you HAVE to try one. There’s nothing not to like here. Fried cheesy goodness.
Easy parking right out front and plenty of seats. They also have beer so you can have a drink with your meal.
If you haven’t branched out and tried something a little more ethnic before, this is a great place to start. Everything is very familiar and straightforward. And think how awesome it is to support a local business with your dollars all while having a great meal!

This place offers delicious food for a bargain. The staff is very warm and welcoming and I thought the restaurant was simple but clean. It’s nice to see a good meal available from a non-​chain restaurant in Antioch. The perfect combination would be lunch at La Usuluteca and then a cookie from Homestyle Bakery.

The place is not fancy and is a little dirty. Prices are decent and the chips and salsa are good. I ordered a yucca w/​pork entrée and a pork & cheese pulpusa. Oh, it was so good. I will have to come back to try their full entrees. Had a horchata & a coffee. Both were instant, so i wouldnt get that ;)

Food was great, this is really a hidden gem of a resturant! We drive by it nearly every day and after getting from a trip we went out there. The food was great and different and the service was great as well. The staff is very friendly and accomodating! We won’t drive by this place anymore we will be stopping in! They wanted to know how we heard of them and very proactive.

I was around the Anitoch area and pulled up on my phone the top rated restaurant at the interaction I was at – La Usuluteca came up. This is NOT mexican food. This is real deal rice, beans, palentas, and all sorts of El Salvadorian food. Very lost in translation place here … it was hard to even get an refill on a beverage. But If you want to try some latin american dishes for cheap this is the place to go. Not too fancy. it’s in a strip mall and be brave and order something you don’t know. BEST CHIPS AND SALSA IN NASHVILLE!

I just got back from a deployment in Afghanistan, and I have been craving homey food… specifically central american food. We decided to give this place a visit and I could have not been happier. The décor is absolutely beautiful and traditional; also, I love the open kitchen. The store attached to the resturant is convenient if you want to buy stuff like pakayas.
The chips and salsa were out of this world… granted the salsa is not spicy but the chips are made from hand made tortillas. I opted for the traditional pupusas con queso y loroco, and platanos fritos (maduros) con frijoles negros y crema… and I was completely SATISFIED.
My only complaint is that we were given a small portion of curtido (cabbage slaw). If you want some good pupusas and basic homey food… this is an outstanding place to eat!

In terms of a Pupuseria this place is good eating.
If you can imagine an amazing tasting thick corn tortilla with a thin filling of cheese and pork in the middle… you can imagine a pupusa. The flavor of the masa and savory filling was complemented well by the tomato sauce and cabbage slaw. I liked the optional red chile that could eaten with the slaw. Very nice.
The tamale was masa with pieces of corn and steamed in a corn shuck but was delightfully sweet without being dessert. There wasn’t a savory filling in mine… which was just fine with me! Very good.
My dining companions enjoyed a tamale that was also deep fried. A member of my party had the special of the day which included what appeared to be half a chicken that was baked to a crispy finish and had a nice flavor over some incredible rice dish that included veggies. The special also included a bowl of Chicken Soup that was filled with fresh cabbage, carrots, and other veggies in a nice broth.
Thanks to Ryan O. for suggesting this place… dadgum it was good.

This is an uncharacteristically short review for me – as it has been quite a while since my visit — but I thought I would weigh in.
The pupusas I tried were good, but I’m not an expert here by any means and don’t have much to compare them to.
I also tried the Sweet Deep Fried Corn Tamale w/​Cream as mentioned elsewhere here. It was very tasty, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about the cream that was served with it – it tasted sort of like butter mixed with cream cheese. I think I ate most of it sans cream, which was fine because the «fritter» itself I thought was good on its own.
The highlight of the meal for me was the ‘Pollo Con Pan’ (I believe that is what it was called.) It was a fried bone-​in chicken breast on a homemade roll topped with a salad of lettuce, tomato, a pickled slaw of some sort, and an chipotle-​y, mayonnaise-​y type thing. I wasn’t sure whether I was supposed to be using my hands or a knife and fork for it… but it was delicious. All of the flavors came together SO nicely, and the chicken looked and tasted like Grandma’s — skillet-​fried and piping hot.
Latin cuisine is a once-​in-​a-​while type thing for me, but I definitely plan to check it out again the next time I’m in the mood!

This place is an epic El Salvadoran pupuseria, I was taken there for my birthday and every single item we ordered was amazing from start to finish.
Surprisingly, the food is not spicy, I would take a person with a bland palette, or uneasy constitution here without a moments regret.
The meal:
Chips and Salsa — Fresh Fried Tortilla chips, flavorful salsa not spicy.
Chicken Torta –The chicken was spiced with an unfathomable unique and fresh blend of flavors; best torta in ages.
Pupusas — Pork and cheese, and bean and cheese flat fried dough served with a basic cabbage slaw, and mild flavorful tomato sauce on top.
Shredded Meat, eggs, bell peppers and onions, with rice beans and homemade tortillas. — I actually confused the beans for an adobo mole, they were sublime.
Sweet Deep Fried Corn Tamale w/​Cream — The rotation of the earth stops when you eat this.
Everyone was friendly, the customers were in hypnotic trances eating these large portions of fresh delicious food. I will return here again, and again, until the hipsters ruin it.
All in all, a transcendental wink into an amazing culture and cuisine.

Pupusa is a funny looking word but it sure is some serious food.
This is the only El Salvadorian food I’ve ever had but I really love this place. For around $ 10 you can get your fill of pupusas, a bowl of chips + salsa, and a beer (Modelo… duh). That isn’t even a lunch special, that is the regular dinner price. IT’S CRAZY, I KNOW.
I always get one cheese, one pork, and one loroco pupusa. Pile them high with curtido (cabbage relish) and tomato sauce and it is a chore to eat all three. I always feel bad when I am leaving because I feel like i just committed a robbery.
About the only thing I don’t like is that this place is located in the far southeastern clutches of Antioch. Don’t let the distance deter you though because I’ve been here over a half dozen times and the food is always worth it.
The bottom line is that you’ll have a hard time finding something so good for a cheaper price.