El Sabor de El Salvador
In Fullerton, great Salvadoran tamales and good pupusas, plus Mexican standbys
Just underneath a large, more-or-less permanent plaza sign for Healthy Helpings, a meal prep and food services business, a banner flapped in the wind indicating that “Restaurante El Sabor de El Salvador” was inside the small Fullerton shop – at first, no one was there, and a neon-ish “pupusa” light was in the window, powered off. This was our first visit to the restaurant, and although we’d waited 10 minutes past the opening time, the person who eventually showed up told us the chef hadn’t arrived yet and we’d need to wait a little longer for that to happen.
We were crunched for time, so begged off and tried again a few months later. This time, everything was running smoothly – and we were ready to have the Taste of El Salvador promised in the name. As the neon-ish sign suggested, El Sabor specializes in authentic Salvadoran pupusas, while also serving wet tamales, a collection of Salvadoran entrees, and Mexican favorites including tacos, tortas, and burritos.
The pupusas here are pretty good – large, freshly made, and hot – with numerous filling choices available for under $5: most have cheese, and you can add beans, chicken, pork, or vegetables, or go with the “pupusa loca” to try everything at once ($5.50). We actually preferred their tamal de gallina, a steamed chicken tamale that was moist, full of flavor, and filling. Less exciting was the $15 yuca with chicharon plate we ordered, which had no shortage of fried yuca and pork, but not a lot of flavor beyond the oily, crispy skin.
We haven’t returned for another round, but if we did, we’d likely go for the tamals first, then explore their meats, including beef, chicken, and chorizo plates.
Stats
Price: $$
Service: Counter
Open Since: 2023
Addresses
1334 E. Chapman Ave.
Fullerton, CA 92831
714.273.7248
Instagram: @el_sabor_de_el_salvador