San Salvador Restaurants

Within the bustle of the city but you feel far from it in this restaurant. The restaurant is known for their mariscos. We had ceviche which was great. The menu also has dishes that are original yet traditional. The restaurant is open M-Sa 11 a.m. until 2 a.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. until midnite. They take credit cards. There is dining inside and out. Pretty good cocktails as well.

I read a few opinions on Thorn Tree Forum about this place but since it was in the heart of Zona Rosa, thought I'd ignore those opinions and try it out anyway. Service was great. The wait staff was great. The atmosphere was great. My Spanish.... not so great. But, hey, point and SMILE. I took 8 years of German... did not pay off in this country. Great wine list.

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Pasta Gourmet its a store and a little lunch and coffe restaurant.
They sell
Fresh Ravioli, Fresh Pasta,
Tomato-, Cream-,...Sauce
Pizza, Lasaña, Focaccia Bread
Tiramisu, Cake
and a lot more
ALL HOME MADE fresh, frozen or ready-cooked
WITH A BIG QUALITY for a good Price

They offer cookery course too realy cheap and helpfully

Favorite Dish: Ravioli de Queso, Focaccia Bread (ther realy tasty), and Tomato-Olive Sauce

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Meson de Goya is part of ITCA (Instituto Tecnologico de Centro America - http://www.itca.edu.sv), a technical institute. Future restaurateurs and hoteliers study here. My friend Hans Radlemaier (husband of my classmate Claudia Galvez) is now (year 2006) in charge of these carreers, and also of the Meson de Goya, which is good news! This restaurant is a bit off the beaten path or "in" places, as it is located inside the ITCA institute, but is on a mayor street entering Santa Tecla city, and has a fresh, verdant setting. If you have reached the mayor malls in Antiguo Cuscatlan (Multiplaza, Las Cascadas, La Gran Via), it is not that far from these... and it is virtually at the back of Merliot Mall. I like to come here when I have to lunch with someone working nearby, and we don't have time to go farther... and we have the added satisfaction of helping with the future of our people in the tourist trade. (Note: the photos are from year 2003)

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Hunan, owned by our friend Rollo Tsien, specializes (as the name says) in Hunan cuisine, which is spicy, but usually a bit watered down for salvadorean palates. The restaurant has a very nice ambiance, with its carved-wood tables and chairs. Hunan is at the Paseo Escalon, a mayor throughfare with many restaurants. Paseo Escalon is also the same street where the interesting Galerias Mall and the small but modern Paseo Mall are located, but Hunan is many blocks higher up... (sorry about the photographs, they are from year 2003). On special ocasions, female guests may receive a flower, and children might get a small toy...

Favorite Dish: I usually don't like vegetables, but I am partial to the egg-plant and pork dish here...

The restaurant is constructed to resemble a treehouse. There is an upstairs terrace that I recommend dining on instead of eating inside. Even during the rainy season, it is covered by large leaves, sort of like a thatched roof, and stays dry. (We visited July 31-Aug 5, 2003, and it rained! A lot!) Anyway, we are going back this July (2005) and all I have been talking about is going to La Ola. It is very near the Princess Hotel, within a few minutes walking distance, although we took a taxi since it was pouring and we had our 5 month old. The seafood is very fresh, which was one of my concerns before I went there. My husband is from ES and every time he goes back he gets sick, so I was worried my tender tummy might not take it. Not to worry, it was awesome, we visited La Ola 3 of the nights we were there. If you are ordering a chilled dish, the wait time may be longer than expected because the fish is not cooked until you order it, then it needs time to chill. They have a fantastic Coctel de Camaron con Aguacate (shrimp cocktail with avocado) that is SOOOOOOOO good. It is creamy, and probably really fattening, but to die for. I tried to reproduce it at home, with pretty good results... tastes like avocado, a little onion powder, a little cayenne pepper, a dollop of mayonaisse, and large shrimp, all mixed up into a chunky, creamy concoction. They also have a seafood cocktail with squid and other various seafood in a spicy red sauce. I didn't like it much, but it was a favorite of the others in my party. The ceviche is really good too.

Favorite Dish: The Coctel de Camaron con Aguacate I described above.

This is a nicely decorated restaurant with good food and good waiters.

Favorite Dish: I think I ate something like fettucine alfredo...not sure. But I remember that everything was good. All of my coworkers liked it too, so we went several times while we were there. They have seafood dishes as well.

Yes, I know that you don't come to El Salvador to eat American food. But sometimes you just feel homesick. It is right around the corner (walking distance) from Hotel Princess in Zona Rosa.

Favorite Dish: They have great frozen drinks.