Pupuseria El Excelente

Great taste! I fell in love with Pupusa, the traditional Salvadoran dish!:-)

delicious pupusas, usually give you coleslaw and chicken soup when you wait, really great deal for the money

For us, this homey restaurant was supposed to be but one of a few stops on a self-​directed Pilsen taco/​pupusa tour, but I mostly scotched that plan through my idiotic antics a few blocks down the street at Birrieria Reyes de Ocotlan. (Read my review and weep.)
Bottom line is that I walked into Pupuseria El Excelente with hardly any appetite left. Still managed to order and dispatch one of their pupusas, which are larger than most I’ve seen elsewhere (maybe six or seven inches in diameter), plus a pastele de carne, a meat pie that looks a bit like an empanada. Pupusa was top-​notch – filled with pork, beans, and cheese, and perfectly griddled to a gentle crispness on the exterior – and a steal at $ 2.50 for an item that was about the size of a small pizza. (It was served with the nice tangy slaw and a red salsa.) Had never had the pastele before, but it was tasty, too, and also a good deal at $ 2.50.
In short, the name of this restaurant might sound like bragging, but its proprietors back up the bluster.

So far I did not get my chicken soup
The lady cook is on her cell while making the
Pupusas I understand they are fresh but working with one hand and using the cell it’s a no no
I had better service was not Excelente I will go back to Izalco on 26^th

My last write-​up for our tour of the Pilsen centers on these fine delicacies known as pupusas. Our trip to Pupuseria El Excelente came only recently, but I can safely recommend these bad boys as a nice change of pace from the standard taco fare.
Pupusas aren’t too far removed from their Mexican cousin. It’s still masa with meat and/​or cheese and/​or beans. The difference is that pupusas utilize a thicker dough, more akin to a South American arepa or Asian scallion pancake than a standard taco.
Pupuseria El Excelente’s pupusas are indeed excellent and worth the wait. The free chicken soup, made with ramen, natch, is a nice holdover while you wait for your made-​to-​order pupusas to come to the table, piping hot. We totally overordered, adding a pollo guisada plate which was tender, tasty, and saucy goodness.
Located right off the pink line close to Carnitas Uruapan, a personal favorite, Pupseria El Excelente is actually easier to access than the other stuff off 18^th, so now you really have no excuse not to try it.

Really, extremely delicious Pupusas … Made by a 100% Salvadorian lady! A must in Chicago!

Great hidden gem! They are better than the popusas I tried in San Salvador. The popusas are pretty big. Great place for lunch or quick dinner.

I don’t even know if there’s another pupeseria in Chicago but I don’t care because these ones are soo good. Eat in and get free chicken noodle soup while you wait!

Man oh man, I’m so glad I found this place. Reading all the reviews really made me want to try pupusas here, and these were my first pupusas ever and the bar has been set very very high!
As already pointed out — cash only, which is not an issue thanks to the ATM available inside. The gentleman who served was very welcoming and patient, explained all the varieties of pupusas to me. The meal itself was DELICIOUS and to be honest I expected to wait longer than I actually waited. Nevertheless, still received a soup for the wait! Red salsa was fantastic, slaw was slaw, but a well matching addition to the meal. All in all, next time I’m in Chicago, I’m definitely going there again!

I came here for dinner one night last week with my husband and highly enjoyed it. Cash only, with an ATM available inside. The décor is entertaining: very beachy, with nets, fake lobsters, the flag of El Salvador, and other summery items adorning the walls. It was nice to pretend, anyhow, while the Chicago February cold swirled outside.
We ordered a chicharron and cheese pupusa to start; fresh, delicious, and homemade for sure, not greasy or fatty at all. Yes, it takes a little while to prepare from scratch, but you get a complimentary small bowl of chicken soup with cilantro while you wait.
For the main course I had the pollo guisado, three pieces of chicken in sauce with salad and rice with veggies. It tasted exactly like I was back home in my husband’s Dominican grandmother’s kitchen, very flavorful yet simple. My husband had the carne asada with refried beans and tortillas. The meat was tender, flavor was good, and everything was piping hot like it had been cooked in the fires of Hades. We had plenty for leftovers to make lunch the next day. Cokes are the Mexican kind with real cane sugar, no alcohol served here. Most expensive thing on the menu was about $ 11. I’d definitely eat here again, and absolutely get a pupusa ($ 2.75 each) as a heavy snack!

Pupusas are worth the wait at this El Salvadorian haunt on 18^th street. Service is friendly and welcoming. While you wait, you are treated to a complimentary bowl of chicken soup. Huevos rancheros were a bit underwhelming. Side beans were kinda cold. Liked the sugarcane soda in bottles.

Flew in from Oahu for the holidays and found the best rated pupuseria on Unilocal.Décor and atmosphere is pretty Salvi which I missed very much. The food was incredible and authentic. We had each kind of pupusa, yuca frita, plátanos fritos, pasteles de carne, and empanadas de leche. All delicious.
Minus one star for lack of: Salvadoran Horchata, Salvadoran Crema, Kolashampan, and pan con pavo.
*And they’re CASH ONLY (atm inside)
Other than that they were very friendly and I will definitely be returning.

Absolutely delicious!
If you have never gone to eat pupusas I suggest you be prepared that it may take a little while. To calm your hunger they give you a small bowl of chicken soup! Something simple. I had 2 pupusas de loroco con queso y un tamalito de elote. My friend had 2 pupusas, one revuelta y one of frijoles con queso. We both agree that everything was great!
Service was also great. Our waiter was very attentive! My favorite place for pupusas in Chicago is Izalco on 26^th st. But this has definitely become my new favorite!

The gem of this place are its namesake, the tiny little masa pockets of delight… The Pupusa!
We went on a Sunday afternoon, it wasnt too busy. But even if it’s completely dead, you have to wait a little bit for a Pupusa. They’re individually hand made (listen for the smacking sound behind the kitchen wall) and patience is a virtue because it is soooooooo worth the wait. They even give you a complimentary little bowl of chicken Noodle soup to hold you over. We ordered the meat pies, as well. Its like the Salvadoran cousin of the empanada, but the crust has a different color to it. Delicious.
I had a Pork, Bean, and Cheese filled pupusa which was so massive I probably should’ve stopped after that… but I’m glad I marched on bc I was dedicated to trying the other flavors.
The Queso y Loroco was my absolute favorite. I’ve never seen a loroco flower, but my mouth loves them.
The menu is very small and I believe the only pupusas listed are Bean and Cheese or Loroco and Cheese, don’t be afraid to ask questions… The very friendly and informative server told us you can get pork and cheese or the pork/​beans/​cheese fillings.
These pupusas are so much bigger than the ones I’ve had in California, but hey… I’m not complaining!
For the Pupusa Virgins: put some of the cabbage slaw (curtido) and the fresh red salsa on top. It just works together so well. The vinegary slaw/​salsa compliments the crispy masa and melted cheese.
Enjoy the cheery Island Beach wall paper as you wait for your delicious golden pockets of goodness.
Bring Cash!

Ricas popusas y precios razonables. Lo malo, llame y me piden llamar un número diferente. Llamo el número y es el celular de una mujer informándome que no ha llegado al restaurante para abrir. Ya dos horas tarde de el horario cual promueven. No es la primera ves que ocurre esto. Llame al número una ves más después de la ora que sugerio la mujer y me mandan a Voice Mail. Muy mal servicio de su parte.

So a black guy and a blonde girl walk into Pupusaria El Exelente…
We were greeted by «Are you guys eating here or do you want it to go… do you know what kind of food this is (insert skeptical look)?»
No, this is not a joke, it actually happened.
Ok, all funny business aside, this place rocks. Great food, amazing prices, friendly (albeit a bit judgmental) staff and killer salsa. The waiter picked up on the fact that neither of us ordered meat and asked before bringing out a chicken-​based, complementary soup, which I found very thoughtful. The plantains, cream and beans are a must and enough for several people to share. The cabbage slaw is great, the pupusas were great, the empanadas were great. Icing on the cake for me was the passion fruit juice — divine! I’ll be back and hopefully won’t get the «are you lost, rubia?» stare any more ;)

Cual es el número de telefono? Para ordenar

Excelente, indeed. They are huge!