Juanita’s Restaurant

The pupusas suck in this place! They are greasy, the cheese is stale and lumpy and the ambience is deplorable! Kids run amoc

We went there based on the reviews, and to be truthful, were somewhat disappointed.
The first thing that put my wife off was several people drinking a lot of beer, and my wife refused to go in. Well, one cannot really fault people drinking beer in a restaurant that sells the stuff, but anyway, I digress.
So we ordered Pupusas, enchiladas, some steak stuff, all to go, and took a couple well-​laden bags home.
The good: the salsa was good, the limes were good, the chips were crisp, and the enchiladas were good. One sort of pupusa was good, but another kind that had some whitish filling was not so good, and had an unusual odor as well. The menu said it was to have an egg on top, over easy, but there was no egg, so that was a negative. The steak was ground beef in a red sauce, not much to write home about.
On the whole, went in with great hopes, but let down. Might go in one day at lunch to recheck, but the first impression, especially after all those 5 star reviews, was disappointing.

Fresh made to order pupusas, beans and steak tortas. Good stuff. Slight language barrier but they were super nice to me and my whitewashed family. And did I mention Pacifico and Corona beers in 24 oz bottles! Dont be intimidated by the small size and locals hanging out having beers. Give it a try. Start off with the pupusas and go from there. My favorite is the bean and cheese. Super simple but really good. If fact, I was able to see the women behind the counter blending cooked beans and shaping the masa. No cans or prepared mixes in sight.
(And one more thing… the actual name is now El Rinconsito)

Been coming here forever, but it has changed ownership and name. I can’t remember the name though! But for real, the chicken soup is best soup i’ve ever had. I used to get it made for me at home when I was sick but now I could eat it everyday here and never get sick of it. My bf gets the tortas and i’ve had it too and its bomb. Also, their chicken and rice and their tacos… oh man you just have to go! Warning though, even though I should know spanish, I don’t. The last time we came here without my lovely grandmother, the woman working did not speak english at all and had to call her friend and ask what we wanted. So really be prepared to order in spanish or speak the best broken-​white spanish ever.

Bestest papusas ever!!! This is not the bestest place for a formal meal if you know what i mean but the atmorsphere is for real.
Located on the west side of the railroad tracks, it sits adjacent to another restaurant. Don’t confuse the two. Juanitas is the one w/​the papusas.

My coworker introduced me to his diamond in the ruff and I am FOREVER greatful. The place isn’t anything special so don’t turn and run away when you see it. This place produces one of the best pupusas. The people here make you feel like family and they make sure you don’t come out hungry. This place is a must try if you are looking for authentic Salvadorean cooking!

Man, I gotta say it in Spanish, DELICIOSO!!!
Now, my mom is a tough cookie and super picky on her food,
but I took her here yesterday and she absolutely LOVED IT!
We had sopa de res (short rib soup) and it was great!
Oh, and the Horchata is delicious as well!
It’s a very small place, and you might not even notice it
if you’re walking or driving by that street.
But you’ve gotta give it a try!
I gotta say, I like it better than La Piñata that’s right
across the street!

I have been coming to this place since I was a child. Her pupusas are made on the spot, and her tamales are also some of the best I have ever had. The horchata is a must have with any meal. Don’t be turned off by how small this place is. She has managed to stay in business for a long time and is a community favorite because she is always kind to her customers and they always return for home style, authentic Salvadorean cooking.

After trolling around this interesting strip of San Mateo, my co-​worker and I decided to drop into this tiny little restaurant. No one spoke English except for one, who asked us if we were looking for burritos, and if so go next door. Huh? We looked at the menu and said we were looking to stay and eat there. Kind of a strange interaction to start with. Maybe there were tons of people who walked into this place thinking it was the taqueria next door and we just happened to look like the next couple of jackasses to do the same thing.
As we were seated we were presented with some tasty chips and salsa. Turns out the menu was both Salvadorean and Mexican, but mostly the former. The owner then came out to greet us again asking what we’d like to drink. Since I saw some freshly made Horchata, we were sold on that. being in a Salvadorean place I had to try at least one pupusa revuelta and then decided on the chuleta (pork chops) while my co-​worker went for the pollo encebollado (fried chicken with onions). Seeming like we were embracing her food, the owner soon came to embrace us with her hospitality.
As we sat and waited for our food it was almost like being in someones house. We were near the door and a lot of the owner’s friends would pop on by and say hi. Every person that sat down and ate seemed like regulars and in examining the art and other things around the room, then the kitchen, it might as well have been someones house!
Then we got our food. Hot damn! This was some definite home cooking. Our entrees were delicious. My pork chops came with a tomato based sauce with onions, bell peppers, and was cooked just right. My co-​worker literally got half a fried chicken with ribboned onions a plenty covering his dish. Both came with delicious beans and rice, and homemade tortillas to boot. The pupusa was also delicious and as we were gorging ourselves, we were given more homemade tortillas. Talk about ridiculous amounts of food!
The place might not be much to look at and some people might think the the area is sketchy. I’d however overlook all that because you’re getting a real home cooked meal here and you’ll also feel like you were a local. Juanita, you kick ass!