Metapan Restaurant

I came here on May 15 to visit my mom’s cousin for a while and she introduce us to this restaurant because they have good food. I had horchata and didn’t know they make have their version of it which is a color of brown gray. It was amazing especially eating platanos fritos con frijoles fritos. I try other foods that I haven’t eat in a long time. People are nice there and is great to know this restaurant. A++++

Been dining here for years and I’ve never been disappointed! The pupusas are a good size (not too small), the fried tamales de élote with beans are amazing, and their ensalada is so good!!!

Never fails to amaze me. Excellent, excellent royal service. Best Salvadorian place in Van Nuys. Iza and his team are super friendly. Today I had a Yuca frita con chicharron. It was super super delish.

pupusas were good, alittle overrated. but holy hell the chicken tamales were fire! delicious

Good service and good to go along with it. The Popusas de Chicharon y queso are great!!!

Llme para saber a que horas abrian el dia 31 de diciembre y me dijo que todo el dia iva a estar cerrado y luego pase por alli y estaba abierto es un mal servio la chica super ruda me colgo antes que yo terminara de preguntar algo
Muy mal Servicio son las mejores pupusas que eh probado pero el servio es espantoso

I would love to give this place 5 stars but they messed up my to-​go order
Got home and did not get what I was expecting. They still get 4 stars though — because the food is still awesome no matter what you order lol

I remember getting to go food here a while back, maybe a year ago or so. I thought it would be a fantastic place to get dinner but to my disappointment it wasn’t. The empanadas were not that great nor were the pupusa. It was decent but I had higher expectation. I am willing to try this place again since it’s walking distance from where I live.

Can’t complain about the food, the food is great, the waiter forgets to bring me my complete meal, and having some chicks waiting tables wouldn’t hurt…

Que se puede ser?
Que lugar mas horrible! Fuimos a comer viernes n la noche ordinamos quatro pupusas por k la gente dice que son Los mejores! Jaja despues de comer casi la mitadad de una encontrabamos un pedacito de esponje andentro el mesero llego 10 minutos despues cuando explicamos a la vieja manager k estaba in frente nos dijo… Que se puede ser!!!
Never again will we eat here because we found sponge in our pupusas let management know that my pregnant wife was eating sponge and she said your not gonna die what do you want me to do?
Stay away!!!

Two words. Worst. Service. I ordered my food and half an hour before I got there. Waited a bit longer for them to tell me that they haven’t cooked my food yet. The cashier (or owner) told me with a snarky comment «Sunday’s take longer». Not only did I waste gas driving 20 min to get there but my time too. So for that they just lost a customer.

Good food. Great black beans. Free appetizer of fruit with my breakfast order. I’m really impressed.

Love this place. Great food great service. Love the pupusas and chicharron con yuca. The horchata takes me back to el salvador!

Once again another great day for a beef soup and the Metapan Restaurant they are the best no other place like this I will never get tired of keep comming thanks again.

The food takes a while to prepare so expect a wait. Ive gone to this location several times. The customer service is mediocre. Recently, a couple different items had hair intertwined in the food. I took it to go so i would of had to return to get a refund or new food. Im not ok with that. If you make a mistake you should go out of your way to rectify it. I can say this by working in the restaurant business for many years. Mistakes happen but the lack of customer service couldn’t make up for it.

I went to try the plantains that we’re so praised on Unilocal but was so disappointed by the whole experience. First, I was assured the quantity was more than adequate for a good meal. It wasn’t as you see in the pic… Second and most important, the taste was very ordinary… Nothing unusual in fact some pieces of plantains we’re sub par… Third but not least, the price compared to the quantity didn’t feel right and I left feeling ripped-​off. I was charged $ 8.95 for an order of plantains!!! The staff we’re nice tho hence the 1 star review.
To summarize, don’t go there (just like I won’t ever again) if you value quantity compared to price.

Not terrible overall.
Pupusas was what I was there for. They were a little light on flavor and heavy on the bread. Thankfully they weren’t soaked in grease like most of the places. I will probably come back to try a couple other flavors at some point but that is it.
The buffet was nothing to write home about either. But that is how most buffets go.
The décor and environment was not very inviting. It doesn’t look like there is much for parking from the front. The approach is a little sketchy.

IF I HAD THE OPTION OF RATING THEM WITH «NO STARS» I WOULD!!!
My family and I have been going to this place for years and service has always been okay BUT this time they went over board. Management was very rude! My experience was terrible! Expired Chilate and Atole de elote. Management did not address issue in a appropriate manner. I asked kindly for a discount for the inconvenience but instead I was told that if I didn’t like it to go somewhere else. These were direct words from the manager! Besides the bad customer service, in my opinion this restaurant is not safe! Someone can become very ill if they continue to serve expired food!

The Pupusas are delicious. They are freshly made and my favorites are the revuelta and the queso y chicharon. Yum. Ordered yuca Frita and chicharon… It was so good. The chicharon was fried perfectly and it was still juicy. The Ensalada was refreshing. I went with my friend who is salvadorean and she approves, so this place is legit. Must try!!!

Ive been coming here since a kid, place is great. always take it to go can’t stand the workers, rude as fuck! but the food is bomb!

Don’t let external appearances fool you. This is a great place for $ 2.50 papusas! The accompanying salsa is muy bueno, too.

From the moment I walked in, this gringo felt very welcomed. What super kind and lovely service! Painted in red, turquoise, and green — it’s kept very clean. This is also great place for local Salvadorean’s to hang out. Young and old alike, the customers were eating, lounging, sipping drinks and relaxing, watching Telenovela — just casual and friendly dining. The space is large, with a great sounding jukebox playing Spanish music. Today at lunch, everyone sat in the front third of the dining area. It’s not fancy, but it’s just… right.
FREE — nice way to start. A fruit plate, sliced red & green apples, and fresh oranges. Clear the pallette? Done.
TO DRINK — Horchata, a cinnamon rice milk. Peeps, I know you’ve had this before, and this one — was one of the best I’ve ever had.
THE BIG DECISION — Having some experience in Salvadorean cuisine, I wanted to try so many things on their menu — they had it all: Salpicon (Beef chopped with lemon, mint, onion), Carne Asada (grilled steak), Lomo Asado (grilled rib eye), Carne Guisada (beef with potatoes and carrots), Pastelitos de Carne (empanadas), Pechuga de Pollo Asada (grilled boneless chicken with onions), tamales, camarones (shrimp) and all kinds of mariscos (seafood), salads, soups, and fresh juices. I ventured deep, then deeper into the center of El Salvador (okay, aka just «the menu» of Metapan)…and…and…found them… PUPUSAS. Yes!
I was very excited. I had to breathe. Relax Randy! I wanted, actually NEEDED to get, a few of my favorite mainstays today: pupusas, fried sweet plantains, and the refried beans.
MY MEAL — prepared fresh: pupusas: they have four (4) kinds, I chose two (2) of them. Pupusas must be made-​to-​order, so within 12 – 15 minutes, several plates and bowls were brought to my table: 1) The two Pupusas ($ 2.25 each,
), and they were muy bonita; 2) The fried bananas (sweet ones, my fav,
) with frioles and the Salvadorean crema «ohhh it’s not really sour cream, but instead a bit of white creamy heaven» ($ 7.50, expensive but a full plate of them… more appropriate for a small family to share… but I loved it, craved it, and finished it); and lastly, 3) a bowl of shredded cabbage salad (customary to eat with the pupusas, and it was excellent).
WOW — Really and truly excellent! Everything was extremely fresh (you can taste it in everything). The pupusas, were perhaps, the best I’ve ever had — perfectly soft yet crisp, filled with a) «Queso y Chicharonnes», and the other b) Revuelta (combo) — the latter was slightly more amazing than the first.
BUFFET — They do have a one-​trip only, one-​plate only lunch special for $ 5.95. Today’s feature was pollo encebararo, arroz and frijoles. Great price. Not today, but tomorrow… maybe!
BREAKFAST ALL DAY — Yes! I like this option for another time!
PARKING — Easy parking with about 15 spaces in the back of the restaurant, with ample street non-​metered parking, as needed.
CONCLUSION — A real nice surprise in an area of Van Nuys that I rarely frequent, but I can see that changing really quick from now on. Truly, a delightful surprise to find an authentic Salvadorean food restaurant, and they nailed it for both quality and quantity. With already great reviews and ratings on Unilocal,I’m so glad I came to enjoy Metapan. MUY BUENO AND MUCHOS GRACIAS!