La Costa Azul

You'll find this little gem tucked away in the far back parking lot off of 86th and Ditch Road, back by the old Cinema Grill. You can't see it from the road, and it's slightly hard to find even when you're driving back there, but I promise it's there!We walked in right as they opened at 11am on a weekday and I don't think they expected anyone to be there right then. There was one lady in the restaurant, but the other owner walked in after me and then it took awhile to get our food since I'm guessing they hadn't fired up the grills yet. We were sat at the bar to wait for our food. It was very dark inside and there was no music playing yet. It felt slightly strange to be in the dark at a bar at 11am for over a half hour chilling alone, but we love pupusas and Salvadoran food in general, so we waited it out. I ordered chicken pupusas and guacamole and they were pretty delicious. I'd recommend stopping in a little later in the day for the full experience. It looks like you can also order takeout or delivery on their Yelp page too which I'd recommend doing in advance if you're in a hurry! (Or calling in!) The lady seemed sweet!

I was torn between 3 and 4 stars here. I went with 4 because the food was good- I would say the pupusas were the best I have ever had. We started with Nachos and those were tasty but different from normal nachos. Ambiance is downmarket though, and service was really slow- there was hardly anyone in there, but the guy couldn't be bothered to check if we wanted something else to drink, or bring the check, or anything like that.

When pupusas are involved, I'm always down. Niki B and I were looking for a new-to-both-of-us spot near our coworking spot for the morning and La Costa Azul hit the spot for carryout. We were the first ones in the door and ordered our carryout from the bar counter. Both of us snagged chicken pupusas accompanied by curtido, rice, beans and plantains. All of the flavors hit the spot. If you're in a rush, I'd suggest calling in your order since it took a little longer than expected with no one in the restaurant. Note that the restaurant is tucked by invoke Yoga studio and some strip malls do it can be hard to find at first. Overall, it was a tasty lunch experience.

We had a nice early dinner here with great food. The service could use a bit of help. This wasn't related to COVID understaffing, there were only two tables seated and the other table was checked on much more frequently that we were. I was midway through my meal before our server came to see if we needed anything.Nevertheless, the food was great. I had the carne asada and enjoyed the seasoning on it and the thick homemade tortillas. The house made salsa was also very good. I also loved the Salvadorian style horchata, which has more spices than their Mexican version.

I was excited to order atole de elote off of La Costa Azul's menu, since I've always wanted to try it. Atole de elote is a warm corn-based beverage, a comforting slightly chunky, creamy blend of corn, cinnamon, sugar, and milk. We always enjoy seeking out new flavors and international cuisines, so were drawn to La Costa Azul's Salvadoran offerings and wanted to try as many new dishes as we could. My partner ordered two (2) different pupusas, the Loca Lover (cheese, chicken, steak & shrimp) and Loca (beans, zucchini, mushroom, spinach & pork). He loved the griddled corn taste of the pupusa dough and I loved the slightly spicy curtido slaw that came with the pupusas. For his entrée, he ordered the Tipico, which consisted of a bunch of different items; another pupusa, tamale, meaty fried chicharron, fried cassava root, more curtido and pickled veggies, and a fried plantain filled with sweet plantain cream I ordered the Mar y Tierra, the less unique option of carne asada and grilled shrimp with rice, refried beans, and plain pupusas; the spices and meat tasted fine, but didn't blow me away as much as my partner's order did. We especially liked the sweet plantain cream from the Tipico, which felt appropriately dessert-like after a spicy, heavy meal. Imagine a warm, squishy fried dough filled with a lovely plantain pudding...yum! The restaurant was pretty empty when we visited, but it was early on a weekday night. You definitely notice the décor of the previous Italian restaurant, although posters of El Salvador and other tropical areas have been added. The service was friendly and not intrusive. I recommend visiting La Costa Azul and trying something new; grab a warm mug of sweet creamed corn, check out the pupusas, and douse everything with lots of curtido.

Stopped in based on Yelp reviews. Just got the nachos and a large Mexican beer. Bill for 2: $30! Nachos were basic but really good because of the homemade refried beans. Really wanted the chicken soup, but nachos were very filling. Putting it on the bucket list. Wasn't clear that even though they bring bill to table, you need to go to front to check out. We sat awhile before we figured that out. Definitely will return when craving Mexican.

What are you doing right now? Drop your phone, RUN, don't walk to try this amazing Salvadoran holeIn the wall. Best puposa I have ever had hands down. Also really enjoyed the homemade salsa and burrito but the puposa..10/10. I will dream of it for days to come. Also, cheap prices and full bar. What are you doing still reading this review? Head to la costa azul before the secret gets out!

Went out with friends on a Friday night. They have a mix of Mexican and Salvadoran food.We ordered pupusas, carne asada, plantains and the special. Guacamole and queso for appetizers.Everything was delicious especially the guacamole and plantains. Husband thinks the beans and guacamole were best he has had. The rice was not Mexican style and I liked it better than most Mexican style rices. The tortillas were also different, smaller but thicker. Fresh they were wonderful but reheated the next day not as good.Well priced. Friendly staff and not over crowded for a Friday.Will go again.

Best pupusa we have ever had! Can't wait to come back. Wish we had taken pictures before we ate, but it was so good we couldn't stop until we were done. So good we ordered more to go.

Amazing pupusas! Best I've had in the tri-state area. If you've never had one, this is the place to go. A bit hard to find (located behind a strip mall) but food is amazing and all homemade.