Supermercado Y Cafe La Palma

First of all — not Mexican food. Jeez — get it right. I mean it even says Salvadorean on the Unilocal page! Not every brown person from south of the United States is Mexican and not all food from Spanish speaking countries is Mexican food. If you don’t come with these assumptions you’ll save yourself a lot of trouble and have an unforgettable meal.
This is Salvadorean food — so for beginners get the Pan con Pollo. The top dog of all Central American sandwiches. Delicious moist chicken, toppings piled up so high that they practically dare you to smash the thing into a sandwich that can be consumed with two hands (it cannot — use a knife and fork) — salsa and oh that creamy mayo.
The market is awesome and a lifesaver in a metro area bereft of Latin groceries. Old school meat counter where you can get fresh or marinated cuts. Very fresh produce with a great variety of fruits and vegetables that can be hard to find elsewhere.

This place tends to get ignored when people rave about the gentrification and food establishments on Payne Ave. Unfair. It’s a unique, yummy restaurant. Best bets: The pupusas and their «buffet» sort of offerings right at the register. For around $ 8 you can choose several items including unique meats, stews and vegetables. There is a small bit of a language barrier, but not too bad. It’s in the back of a market, so space is limited, and it’s not fancy or anything. I’ve been here several times, though, and it’s always been yummy.

I am going to be honest, I got food poisoning from the food there a few days ago. Avoid this place! Cheap Mexican food that made me ill!

This quaint little market also has a small restaurant in the back of the market and they’re serving some of the most outstanding food around. I recommend, well, everything! I had their Pork taco’s, but everything I was looking at looked good, smelled good and I wanted all of it. Can’t wait to go back to try everything else on their menu.

Love this place! Food is all very authentic Salvadoran food! Love the pupusas are amazing! I’ve also had and enjoyed very much the beans and rice, tacos, and not sure what they do to their refried beans, but they are to die for!!!
Go check it out — LOVE IT!!!

Just Like a Café in Mexico and not the Tourist parts! great Authentic Mexican Food with the feel of being in a neighborhood café in Mexico a Must Try!

I’m really trying hard to write shorter reviews, but brevity just isn’t my long suit. Guess we’ll see how I do this time.
First point — this isn’t a Mexican place. The folks who run La Palma are primarily Salvadoran, and their menu offerings reflect this fact. Naturally, Salvadoran food does share a great deal in common with Mexican, but they have their own take on a number of dishes — and offer several things you’ll just not find in a typical (Tex) Mex or Mexi-​Cali eatery.
Like what, you ask? Like pupusas, I reply.
What’s a pupusa? It’s a somewhat thick, corn masa pancake that’s filled with any number of different meats and/​or cheeses, and frequently a combination of several. They are traditionally served with a two-​part condiment of mildly picked shredded cabbage (think Central American cole slaw) and a thin, runny tomato sauce. The idea is to use the sauce as a dressing for the cabbage — adding it just prior to eating. (If the two were mixed beforehand, the acids in the tomato sauce would soon wilt the cabbage into an unappetizing pulp).
So which kind should you order? I’d suggest the *ready* kind; just ask what’s in the pupusas-​of-​the-​moment and call a yea /​nay on it. The best I’ve had so far were filled with a mixture of veal, pork and cheese.
This advice holds for the place in general — in my experience, unless you have some time on your hands, you’re best off ordering right from the cafeteria line, on your way to the cash register. This isn’t to say that I haven’t enjoyed several wonderful meals prepared-​to-​order, just that you’re going to wait a while if that’s what you’d like to do. On the upside, when I have had to wait for my food, the food both appeared and tasted unhurried — and came out piping hot. Having said this, there are so many great, ready-​to-​consume options, that this isn’t much of an issue. But I do hope that they eventually find a way to streamline their kitchen operations, as the menu is quite large, and offers quite a few dishes that I’ve simply never encountered before — and they call to me, every time I visit.
Because the food, here at Café La Palma, is fabulous! Everything I’ve seen, smelled, tasted or touched has come across as highly authentic and very much home-​made-​y. My advice? If it looks good, it IS good — you’ll love it, and you’ll have plenty of it. If you’re unsure, don’t be shy — ask for a little sample, and they’ll come through for you. The portions are full-​days-​work generous, and only once have I been able to finish off everything put in front of me in a single sitting. Plain and simple, this place sets out some really serious grub.
Prices are quite reasonable, though a few of those mysterious menu offerings, some with lovely photos, do rise into the $ 10 – 15 range. My only potential gripe with this place is the language barrier issue — which is not so bad, really, but I do sense that it’s limiting my full enjoyment of everything they have to offer — and has resulted in a couple of screw-​ups that proved somewhat tedious to correct.
⁴⁄₅ stars for fab food served by friendly people, and a menu that has something for everyone.

Friendly, clean and nice. The music can be a bit much, even for the semi hispanic in me. I’ve yet to try the café but it is always packed. Got some decent meat here and stocked up on supplies. I find myself going to burrito mercado more often… if only for the aesthetic and better vegetable selection.