Great pupusas, not as good as the ones at the farmers market but still very good and cheap. Love their chicken tamales but they are always out of them. Had some of their other dishes but always come back for the pupusas.
(5)
RJ P.
Simply awesome. Started with pastelitos, papusa with loroco and finished with huevos rancheros. I am not sure how these couldn't be the 3 best things on the menu. The salsa with cream sauce over the huevos is amazing... Must visit on your next trip to Des Moines!
(5)
Marisa R.
I had been to El Salvador Del Mundo several times and taken friends with me to introduce this to this little gem. Once again this past week I took a friend to introduce a friend to the restaurant.....this time, I was EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED. The service was very poor, the food adequate and the owner was as so rude I was shocked. Case in point, my friend found a piece of thin wire in her food about 3 inches long and when she called the waitress over she took it to show the chef. We though the chef might come over and apologize but nothing. We sat at the table at least a half hour before the waitress came over to take our plates or ask us if we wanted more water. I had to call her over and ask her to clear the table and fill our glasses. When we were done and went to pay the check I shared with the owner the incident with the wire and asked him to comp her meal....we told him that we had given the wire to the waitress and she confirmed our 'story.' The owner went to the kitchen to confirm our story with the chef and came back with a foul expression on his face and threw my friend's credit card at her and kept checking me out. At the conclusion of my paying she told him how offended she was by his attitude and by the fact that he threw her card at her and didn't apologize for the wire in the food. She went on to say that it was her first time there and would be the last......he merely laughed in her face. I told him I was disappointed as well as I had bragged about his restaurant to my friends. This is a place I will never go to again nor will I recommend to my friends. So disappointing as there are so few Latino places (that are not Mexican) in the DSM area. DO NOT GO HERE!!!!! I have been to El Salvador Del Mundo several times and am never disappointed by the quality of the food. The service is a little slow but the people who work there are friendly and chatty. I ordered several appetizers and a meal and spent less than $20. Wonderful....I am going back in a few weeks to introduce a friend to the great food.
(1)
Bill C.
The food is excellent. The flavors are complex and authentic. They have a good selection of foods, mainly beef related. I'm far, far from a fan of steak, and ordered one accidentally (I read the wrong menu item) and was pleasantly surprised! The service is good. The ambiance is nice. I actually learned a thing or two about El Salvador while I was waiting on lunch one day.
(5)
I l.
First Visit and it was very good. The tamales were good, and the cream sauce they are served with is awesome. I also enjoyed the ripe fried plantains which were good as well. The prices are very good. Most of it served ala carte so you can pick and choose. I am definitely going back.
(4)
Roz S.
If you are looking for authentic, tasty Central American cuisine, check out this place! Papusas are the Salvadoran signature dish, and El Salvador del Mundo offers many different fillings. We had the cheese and loroco filled papusas, which were excellent, and come with a vinegary cabbage slaw and a sweet chili sauce to top them. El Salvador del Mundo also offers a wide variety of tamales and soups as well as fried chicken and fish, fried yucca, and fried plantain. The atmosphere is casual and colorful, with a big deer head on one wall, religious materials everywhere, and a TV blaring Spanish-language programming. Table service is available, but informal, and delivery and take-out are both available as well.
(5)
David A.
Better eat a good meal before you come here, because you won't be getting your food anytime soon! I had been craving authentic El Salvadorean food as it's hard to find in Kansas City. This restaurant had so many great reviews and the menu looked amazing. With high anticipation, I wanted to go here. It didn't start off well. We tried to enter the front entrance, but the door was locked (yet had hours on it). We had to go through the parking lot and walk past the GROSS ROTTING TRASH (nasty odors). The restaurant is not that large. It was about 3/4 full when we arrived, but emptied out shortly afterward. We placed our orders for the sampler dish appetizers and then the stuffed placaya. 50 minutes later, still NO FOOD! I asked the waitress how long before our meal arrives and she stated 10 minutes and quite abruptly went back to ignoring us. My wife was getting incensed and wanted to leave as we watched other tables that came in long after us get food and get lots of attention. One hour and 15 minutes after we ordered our food, it arrived. The only thing that tasted really good was the sweet plantains (maduros). How can you screw up maduros anyhow, right? Everything else was super bland or gross. I put hot sauces and salsa on to no avail. We ended up leaving two thirds of the food on the table. The cashier (probably the owner's son) asked me what I thought of the experience. I said it was "OK" as I hate to be super critical. He pushed me more and I told him what I really thought: Sir, I had been lusting for this food and the menu and reviews looked amazing. However, 1 hour and 15 minutes for any food (including appetizers) is ridiculous! He asked me if I ended up enjoying the food that finally came out and I said no. He said he was aware of a problem and would work to rectify this and hoped we'd come back. I told him that was quite unlikely (we don't live in the area and it was such a bad experience). I appreciated this, but it seemed hollow as he proceeded to ignore me and not allow me to pay my bill by chatting on the phone for almost ten minutes with his sister about what they do have and don't have today. All we wanted to do was pay for our food (which he didn't offer to comp) and go find somewhere else which would fill our bellies with pleasant memories and wash these sad ones away. GRRR! My wife was mad at me for a while after that for choosing that place :(
(1)
Erin O.
I had the pupusa revuelta (pork, cheese & beans) it was very good. The place itself if a bit of a dump, as other people have noted, but the food was great. I went with 3 others and everyone liked their food. All 4 of us together came to $19.51! Can't beat that. Also.. FYI... they no longer take the restaurant.com gift certificates. He honored it anyways, but they don't take them anymore. I will definetly be back.
(4)
Brooke P.
Great food and really nice service. The spices and flavors were spot on, I really enjoyed this place. It is kind of hard to find but once you are in and you have a plate full of food you will be happy. Great prices and left with a few bags of Takis :-)
(4)
Shannan S.
Although it looks super shady from the outside, the food is authentic and cheap. My boyfriend & I stuffed ourselves with plaintains, pupusas, and their spicy cabbage topping and spent $12! Give it a chance and you will be impressed.
(5)
Hannah H.
I'm certainly not an expert on Salvadoran food, but I do really love El Salvador Del Mundo. I love the fact that the restaurant feels small and home-y. I really love the fact that you can load up on papusas, with slaw and sauce, natch, that are less than $2 a pop! I recommend the papusas with everything and the fried plantains. I've had the carne asada, which was fine. Nothing is fancy, but that is part of the charm. The people there are nice, though service can be slow.
(4)
Frank V.
Best popusas in The Des Moines área. Everything from the salad to the spicy sauce was delicious. The building doesn't look that inviting but don't let that discourage you from trying this place out.
(4)
Charles T.
Every time I eat here I order the cheese pupusas, and they are magnificent. Truly authentic Salvadorian food. I can't fully judge their service since I always take my food to go, but the small amount of service that I receive when I pick up my order is always great, always giving me extra salsa or making sure I have enough curtido and napkins. The location of the restaurant is not very ideal. The actual establishment isn't that fancy but it gets the job done. I have questioned the cleanliness of the place. The prices aren't too bad. So if you want some good authentic Salvadorian food then look no further.
(4)
Carolyn J.
Plantains were delightful but out of horchata. Pupusas - for which we were seeking were super fresh...which might account for the incredibly long (52 min) wait. But they rocked out about 7 to go orders that looked like each would feed a family of 6. We definitely recommend but we will order carry out next time.
(3)
Jessa M.
This place is absolutely delicious. If you're looking for the next best thing to home made pupusas, this is your best bet! Everything I've ever had has been wonderful. It is a family owned restaurant and is very small. Don't expect any commercial style service or decor because that is not what you will get. The prices are VERY cheap!! But you will make up for what you don't pay in time, once you place your order don't be surprised if it takes 30-45 minutes to get your food. Not sure why it takes so long to make pupusas, maybe they have to kill the pig first?
(4)
James W.
I was very disappointed with the food and service. Originally, I was excited to find an authentic place like this and the long wait only made me believe that the food would be much better. Unfortunately it was not very good. Stay away from the tamales. Pupusas were great but the rest was all a little off.
(3)
Christina W.
Delicious! I'm glad we finally decided to try this place out! Quite a wait, but the food was great and we will definitely be going back! Heads up, the entrance is in the back and you seat yourself!
(4)
Terri M.
I liked the food here ok. The pupusas were fantastic as was the slaw and sauce. The service was just ok. Our server seemed less than enthusiastic, but the food was good. I don't have a complain about the food, I have had better Salvadorean food in Los Angeles, but this is not bad for Iowa. Now, to get in there, apparently you have to go to the back, the front door was locked when we got there. The place is very small and way too many old nic nacs for my taste. It made the place look a bit, well, dirty, cluttered and tacky. I could have done without all the religious mumbo jumbo all over the walls too. I go to a restaurant to eat, not to feel like I've walked into a church. This is the kind of place I will go back to only if I strictly feel like eating pupusas, and I think next time, I will definitely get them to go.
(3)
Jeff M.
This place is the real deal. I've been looking for something like this since moving to DSM. Authentic food and authentic flavor - absolutely great food! From the outside it looks a bit dodgy - I drove around it twice without knowing - but when I got inside it become more inviting. I forget the name of the dish I tried, but it came with sweet plantains and the slaw mentioned in another review, with a chicken-stuffed bread and a couple of salsas that completed the dish. The horcheta that came with it was fantastic as well. El Salvador del Mundo te amo!
(5)
Janet E.
I was craving El Salvadoran food after watching an episode of the Food Network. So I looked up El Salvadoran food in Des Moines on Yelp and El Salvador del Mundo popped up. We thought we'd check things out.... The restaurant does not look very fancy on the outside, but inside looks really nice and cozy. They have a front entrance from the sidewalk and a back entrance (for those that park in their private parking lot). The patrons inside the restaurant all seemed to be natives of El Salvador or the surrounding countries. Always a good sign that the food is authentic if the natives are coming here. I spoke with one of the servers at the restaurant. He spoke both English and Spanish, which I was extremely grateful for because I don't know any Spanish. I ordered the carne asada entree (which came with a side salad, beans, rice and two handmade tortillas). Unfortunately, they had forgotten to add the tortillas to my order so I didnt get a chance to try the handmade tortillas. The menu also says the salad comes with avocado but I didn't get any avocados either. I also ordered a chipilin tamale. The tamale was only okay. It was wrapped in banana leaf (not like corn husk like Mexican tamales are wrapped in) which made the outside of the tamale taste a little bitter. The chipilin was good though (it tasted like spinach). The tamale only had a little chipilin and cheese and was mostly masa (dough). Continuing on my recent pupusa kick, I ordered a pupusa with everything in it. I'm not quite sure what the "everything" was in the pupusa, but that thing was packed with ingredients! If I could guess I would say there was some beans, meat, veggies, and cheese. It was super good. Like with other pupusas I've had, this pupusa also came with homemade salsa and cabbage slaw. It was all delicious! To finish off the meal, I ordered empanadas as well. One order came with three empanadas. At first I thought they had given me plantains by mistake, until I continued eating and found stuffing (the menu says milk jelly but the stuffing had the texture of beans) inside the plantains. AWESOME! They make their empanadas with plantains instead of dough. They fried the stuffed plantains and sprinkled a little sugar on top for extra sweetness. IT WAS DELICIOUS!! There was no information on Yelp regarding their menu so I had to order my food for carry out at the restaurant. (I was able to get a copy and uploaded it onto yelp). I was quoted a 20 minute wait but the wait was actually about 40 minutes (because they were extremely busy with the lunch crowd). It looked like they served the eat-in patrons first before getting my order done. If you order carry out, I suggest phoning your order ahead of time. The food here is definitely worth it! Oh by the way, my carne asada entree, pupusa, tamale, and empanada came out to about $15. Total deal! The restaurant is closed Tuesday but open at 9:30am on all other days until 9:30pm or 10pm (Fri-Sun)
(5)
Christian G.
Real salvadorian food. The place is a little small and hard to find without yelp. However, the service was good and the food was excellent.
(4)
Susan L.
Great plantains, steak, and Pupusas. All freshly made, hot and tasty. Great value for money and the de Leon family are very welcoming. Note that the front door may be locked even though they are open til 9:30 pm. Succulent cream sauce and Mexican coke in the half liter bottle.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : No Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Nathan D.
Great pupusas, not as good as the ones at the farmers market but still very good and cheap. Love their chicken tamales but they are always out of them. Had some of their other dishes but always come back for the pupusas.
(5)RJ P.
Simply awesome. Started with pastelitos, papusa with loroco and finished with huevos rancheros. I am not sure how these couldn't be the 3 best things on the menu. The salsa with cream sauce over the huevos is amazing... Must visit on your next trip to Des Moines!
(5)Marisa R.
I had been to El Salvador Del Mundo several times and taken friends with me to introduce this to this little gem. Once again this past week I took a friend to introduce a friend to the restaurant.....this time, I was EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED. The service was very poor, the food adequate and the owner was as so rude I was shocked. Case in point, my friend found a piece of thin wire in her food about 3 inches long and when she called the waitress over she took it to show the chef. We though the chef might come over and apologize but nothing. We sat at the table at least a half hour before the waitress came over to take our plates or ask us if we wanted more water. I had to call her over and ask her to clear the table and fill our glasses. When we were done and went to pay the check I shared with the owner the incident with the wire and asked him to comp her meal....we told him that we had given the wire to the waitress and she confirmed our 'story.' The owner went to the kitchen to confirm our story with the chef and came back with a foul expression on his face and threw my friend's credit card at her and kept checking me out. At the conclusion of my paying she told him how offended she was by his attitude and by the fact that he threw her card at her and didn't apologize for the wire in the food. She went on to say that it was her first time there and would be the last......he merely laughed in her face. I told him I was disappointed as well as I had bragged about his restaurant to my friends. This is a place I will never go to again nor will I recommend to my friends. So disappointing as there are so few Latino places (that are not Mexican) in the DSM area. DO NOT GO HERE!!!!! I have been to El Salvador Del Mundo several times and am never disappointed by the quality of the food. The service is a little slow but the people who work there are friendly and chatty. I ordered several appetizers and a meal and spent less than $20. Wonderful....I am going back in a few weeks to introduce a friend to the great food.
(1)Bill C.
The food is excellent. The flavors are complex and authentic. They have a good selection of foods, mainly beef related. I'm far, far from a fan of steak, and ordered one accidentally (I read the wrong menu item) and was pleasantly surprised! The service is good. The ambiance is nice. I actually learned a thing or two about El Salvador while I was waiting on lunch one day.
(5)I l.
First Visit and it was very good. The tamales were good, and the cream sauce they are served with is awesome. I also enjoyed the ripe fried plantains which were good as well. The prices are very good. Most of it served ala carte so you can pick and choose. I am definitely going back.
(4)Roz S.
If you are looking for authentic, tasty Central American cuisine, check out this place! Papusas are the Salvadoran signature dish, and El Salvador del Mundo offers many different fillings. We had the cheese and loroco filled papusas, which were excellent, and come with a vinegary cabbage slaw and a sweet chili sauce to top them. El Salvador del Mundo also offers a wide variety of tamales and soups as well as fried chicken and fish, fried yucca, and fried plantain. The atmosphere is casual and colorful, with a big deer head on one wall, religious materials everywhere, and a TV blaring Spanish-language programming. Table service is available, but informal, and delivery and take-out are both available as well.
(5)David A.
Better eat a good meal before you come here, because you won't be getting your food anytime soon! I had been craving authentic El Salvadorean food as it's hard to find in Kansas City. This restaurant had so many great reviews and the menu looked amazing. With high anticipation, I wanted to go here. It didn't start off well. We tried to enter the front entrance, but the door was locked (yet had hours on it). We had to go through the parking lot and walk past the GROSS ROTTING TRASH (nasty odors). The restaurant is not that large. It was about 3/4 full when we arrived, but emptied out shortly afterward. We placed our orders for the sampler dish appetizers and then the stuffed placaya. 50 minutes later, still NO FOOD! I asked the waitress how long before our meal arrives and she stated 10 minutes and quite abruptly went back to ignoring us. My wife was getting incensed and wanted to leave as we watched other tables that came in long after us get food and get lots of attention. One hour and 15 minutes after we ordered our food, it arrived. The only thing that tasted really good was the sweet plantains (maduros). How can you screw up maduros anyhow, right? Everything else was super bland or gross. I put hot sauces and salsa on to no avail. We ended up leaving two thirds of the food on the table. The cashier (probably the owner's son) asked me what I thought of the experience. I said it was "OK" as I hate to be super critical. He pushed me more and I told him what I really thought: Sir, I had been lusting for this food and the menu and reviews looked amazing. However, 1 hour and 15 minutes for any food (including appetizers) is ridiculous! He asked me if I ended up enjoying the food that finally came out and I said no. He said he was aware of a problem and would work to rectify this and hoped we'd come back. I told him that was quite unlikely (we don't live in the area and it was such a bad experience). I appreciated this, but it seemed hollow as he proceeded to ignore me and not allow me to pay my bill by chatting on the phone for almost ten minutes with his sister about what they do have and don't have today. All we wanted to do was pay for our food (which he didn't offer to comp) and go find somewhere else which would fill our bellies with pleasant memories and wash these sad ones away. GRRR! My wife was mad at me for a while after that for choosing that place :(
(1)Erin O.
I had the pupusa revuelta (pork, cheese & beans) it was very good. The place itself if a bit of a dump, as other people have noted, but the food was great. I went with 3 others and everyone liked their food. All 4 of us together came to $19.51! Can't beat that. Also.. FYI... they no longer take the restaurant.com gift certificates. He honored it anyways, but they don't take them anymore. I will definetly be back.
(4)Brooke P.
Great food and really nice service. The spices and flavors were spot on, I really enjoyed this place. It is kind of hard to find but once you are in and you have a plate full of food you will be happy. Great prices and left with a few bags of Takis :-)
(4)Shannan S.
Although it looks super shady from the outside, the food is authentic and cheap. My boyfriend & I stuffed ourselves with plaintains, pupusas, and their spicy cabbage topping and spent $12! Give it a chance and you will be impressed.
(5)Hannah H.
I'm certainly not an expert on Salvadoran food, but I do really love El Salvador Del Mundo. I love the fact that the restaurant feels small and home-y. I really love the fact that you can load up on papusas, with slaw and sauce, natch, that are less than $2 a pop! I recommend the papusas with everything and the fried plantains. I've had the carne asada, which was fine. Nothing is fancy, but that is part of the charm. The people there are nice, though service can be slow.
(4)Frank V.
Best popusas in The Des Moines área. Everything from the salad to the spicy sauce was delicious. The building doesn't look that inviting but don't let that discourage you from trying this place out.
(4)Charles T.
Every time I eat here I order the cheese pupusas, and they are magnificent. Truly authentic Salvadorian food. I can't fully judge their service since I always take my food to go, but the small amount of service that I receive when I pick up my order is always great, always giving me extra salsa or making sure I have enough curtido and napkins. The location of the restaurant is not very ideal. The actual establishment isn't that fancy but it gets the job done. I have questioned the cleanliness of the place. The prices aren't too bad. So if you want some good authentic Salvadorian food then look no further.
(4)Carolyn J.
Plantains were delightful but out of horchata. Pupusas - for which we were seeking were super fresh...which might account for the incredibly long (52 min) wait. But they rocked out about 7 to go orders that looked like each would feed a family of 6. We definitely recommend but we will order carry out next time.
(3)Jessa M.
This place is absolutely delicious. If you're looking for the next best thing to home made pupusas, this is your best bet! Everything I've ever had has been wonderful. It is a family owned restaurant and is very small. Don't expect any commercial style service or decor because that is not what you will get. The prices are VERY cheap!! But you will make up for what you don't pay in time, once you place your order don't be surprised if it takes 30-45 minutes to get your food. Not sure why it takes so long to make pupusas, maybe they have to kill the pig first?
(4)James W.
I was very disappointed with the food and service. Originally, I was excited to find an authentic place like this and the long wait only made me believe that the food would be much better. Unfortunately it was not very good. Stay away from the tamales. Pupusas were great but the rest was all a little off.
(3)Christina W.
Delicious! I'm glad we finally decided to try this place out! Quite a wait, but the food was great and we will definitely be going back! Heads up, the entrance is in the back and you seat yourself!
(4)Terri M.
I liked the food here ok. The pupusas were fantastic as was the slaw and sauce. The service was just ok. Our server seemed less than enthusiastic, but the food was good. I don't have a complain about the food, I have had better Salvadorean food in Los Angeles, but this is not bad for Iowa. Now, to get in there, apparently you have to go to the back, the front door was locked when we got there. The place is very small and way too many old nic nacs for my taste. It made the place look a bit, well, dirty, cluttered and tacky. I could have done without all the religious mumbo jumbo all over the walls too. I go to a restaurant to eat, not to feel like I've walked into a church. This is the kind of place I will go back to only if I strictly feel like eating pupusas, and I think next time, I will definitely get them to go.
(3)Jeff M.
This place is the real deal. I've been looking for something like this since moving to DSM. Authentic food and authentic flavor - absolutely great food! From the outside it looks a bit dodgy - I drove around it twice without knowing - but when I got inside it become more inviting. I forget the name of the dish I tried, but it came with sweet plantains and the slaw mentioned in another review, with a chicken-stuffed bread and a couple of salsas that completed the dish. The horcheta that came with it was fantastic as well. El Salvador del Mundo te amo!
(5)Janet E.
I was craving El Salvadoran food after watching an episode of the Food Network. So I looked up El Salvadoran food in Des Moines on Yelp and El Salvador del Mundo popped up. We thought we'd check things out.... The restaurant does not look very fancy on the outside, but inside looks really nice and cozy. They have a front entrance from the sidewalk and a back entrance (for those that park in their private parking lot). The patrons inside the restaurant all seemed to be natives of El Salvador or the surrounding countries. Always a good sign that the food is authentic if the natives are coming here. I spoke with one of the servers at the restaurant. He spoke both English and Spanish, which I was extremely grateful for because I don't know any Spanish. I ordered the carne asada entree (which came with a side salad, beans, rice and two handmade tortillas). Unfortunately, they had forgotten to add the tortillas to my order so I didnt get a chance to try the handmade tortillas. The menu also says the salad comes with avocado but I didn't get any avocados either. I also ordered a chipilin tamale. The tamale was only okay. It was wrapped in banana leaf (not like corn husk like Mexican tamales are wrapped in) which made the outside of the tamale taste a little bitter. The chipilin was good though (it tasted like spinach). The tamale only had a little chipilin and cheese and was mostly masa (dough). Continuing on my recent pupusa kick, I ordered a pupusa with everything in it. I'm not quite sure what the "everything" was in the pupusa, but that thing was packed with ingredients! If I could guess I would say there was some beans, meat, veggies, and cheese. It was super good. Like with other pupusas I've had, this pupusa also came with homemade salsa and cabbage slaw. It was all delicious! To finish off the meal, I ordered empanadas as well. One order came with three empanadas. At first I thought they had given me plantains by mistake, until I continued eating and found stuffing (the menu says milk jelly but the stuffing had the texture of beans) inside the plantains. AWESOME! They make their empanadas with plantains instead of dough. They fried the stuffed plantains and sprinkled a little sugar on top for extra sweetness. IT WAS DELICIOUS!! There was no information on Yelp regarding their menu so I had to order my food for carry out at the restaurant. (I was able to get a copy and uploaded it onto yelp). I was quoted a 20 minute wait but the wait was actually about 40 minutes (because they were extremely busy with the lunch crowd). It looked like they served the eat-in patrons first before getting my order done. If you order carry out, I suggest phoning your order ahead of time. The food here is definitely worth it! Oh by the way, my carne asada entree, pupusa, tamale, and empanada came out to about $15. Total deal! The restaurant is closed Tuesday but open at 9:30am on all other days until 9:30pm or 10pm (Fri-Sun)
(5)Christian G.
Real salvadorian food. The place is a little small and hard to find without yelp. However, the service was good and the food was excellent.
(4)Susan L.
Great plantains, steak, and Pupusas. All freshly made, hot and tasty. Great value for money and the de Leon family are very welcoming. Note that the front door may be locked even though they are open til 9:30 pm. Succulent cream sauce and Mexican coke in the half liter bottle.
(4)