el viroleño restaurant

cruising past the bus station i began scanning the right side of the road for el viroleño.  i spotted the squat blue and white building between a tattoo parlor and a homeless shelter.  a hand painted sign declared the restaurant served “pupusas, tacos y mas.” i pulled in behind the building, parked, and walked in the backdoor through a weed choked courtyard. tables filled the center of the white and blue painted restaurant and were surrounded by mismatched chairs.  a large colorful map of el savador hung near a wall mounted air conditioning unit.  the televisions in the restaurant were off, and a lone man sat at the bar nursing a beer. for more on el viroleño read the full review on tallahassee.com sweet tea & bourbon’s rating atmosphere: b taste: a presentation: c service: a cleanliness: b price: $

this place has outstanding food and is extremely reasonably priced! mama’s papusas are heavenly and don’t miss the yummy pickled cabbage and hot sauce on top! everything we’ve had here has been totally delicious!

el viroleño gets one of my highest five star reviews.

service is fine and the place is just so but the pupusas are absolutely brilliant. just brilliant!!!

if you didn't know, you might think they're just some fried dough...but no, you'd be wrong and wronged for not trying them. they're so much more i can't even begin to explain the perfection they are. top them up with the fermented slaw they do and especial salsas and thank you dear god, i've been blessed. seriously, this is a religious experience for me. lol

sure, chips and salsa's not free and i'd normally gripe, but at $1.50 it's well worth it. chips aren't too thick or too thin, perfectly crispy and loved both salsas; you'll have to ask for the green but it's super nice if you like heat.

went for the no. 13: one chicken enchilada, one chicken tamale and one cheese and jalapeno pupusa my first time in and oh so good. mnm mmmm

also grabbed a veggie taco, which was equally capable of being the highlight all by itself. so many nicely chopped healthy ingredients. lovely.

wonderful hospitality in a comfortable space. please, please come to orlando. please? lol

love, love, love them. pupusa.

only authentic salvadorian restaurant in tallahassee. might be the only authentic latin restaurant period. pretty good mexican as well. price is affordable. menudo is fabulous as is everything i have tried. dishes might be different here...for instance their guacamole is cubed rather than mashed, more like a salad. best to ask or be adventurous and try something different. #14 salvadorean platter is a winner. i like the mexican tostadas with steak. they will change out the whatever meat they have that day on request. btw they actually make their rice and beans. excellent!!

this place was a great find for me. hands down the best tamales in the tallahassee area. everything that i have tried has been top notch. the prices are very affordable and the staff is always very friendly. no complaints at all.

chicken tamale. quite good

our family went here based on the previous reviews, we were not disappointed. fantabulous food. friendly and quick service. tried new things and my kids loved it. the building is nothing to look at but the food is wonderful. we ordered a variety of foods and the waitress brought us extra plates so we could share. the pupusas, pastelitos, and fajitas were to die for. give this place a try.

everything about el viroleno (with the exclusion of the building itself) was welcoming. luvy, our waitress, was very helpful and patient. she also brought our table the extra pupusas from the kitchen (which is always appreciated!)

we tried all kinds of the different drinks offered. i got the orange-flavored jarritos, which essentially tasted like an orange popsicle. a bit too sweet for me, but still yummy. we also tried orchata, a sweet and creamy rice drink, that was the tables favorite. we tried the michelada (essentially a beer bloody mary) and while i'm sure they made it perfectly we were not fans at all. tomatoes in beer didn't bode well.

as others have said the pupusas are wonderful and a must-try option. for anyone who doesn't know, a pupusa is a cornmeal pocket with cheese and additional fillings can be added. the cabbage and salsa add an extra layer of flavor that is both crisp and flavorful.

for the entree i had pollo guisada, which was flavored with typical salvadoran seasonings (according to the menu - not my knowledge). the stewed chicken was delicious and practically fell off the bone. the rice and beans were a perfect temperature and some of the best seasoned i have ever had. homemade tortillas with some shredded lettuce and dices tomatoes were given to everyone as an additional serving option as well.

for dessert i ordered flan and was not disappointed. while there was nothing particularly special about this flan it was prepared quickly and the chill was just right.

parking is out back and right off tennessee st. there is also an entrance in the back. i definitely suggest anyone who enjoys good food and service to give el viroleno a try!

do not miss this hidden gem!!!. went there for lunch one day based on the high reviews on here. the food and the prices completely blew me away!!! i got a meat papusa for only like $2 and the burritos for $8. they give you two burritos for that price and while they aren't moe's homewrecker's size, they are definitely nice portions for the price.....and you can get steak without any extra charge so i got one chicken and one steak. excellent flavor! even the rice and beans that came with them were seasoned well and didn't taste like something most restaurants put on your plate just to fill space. thinking bout going there again today. if you love latin cuisine or just want to try it, this is a great place to start, bay-bey!

first off, i came here with a buddy of mine at 8pm after seeing online that they closed at 9. they had summer hours posted on their doors that said they closed at 8, we started to leave, but the woman seating customers repeatedly insisted that we come sit down, despite the fact that they were slammed. she apologized that we would have to wait and made sure that we never ran out of our drinks, chips, and salsa. the food was incredible, definitely going back. tally gem

best in town. el viroleno is the best spanish restaurant in town, i love.their pupusas.... amazing cooks

best restaurant hands down!! the food is delicious, the service is outstanding and place is very clean inside!! they do have some very busy lunches during the weekend but is totally worth the wait!! the soups and pupusas are my favorite!!!! the servers on sunday are the best!!

amazing, authentic food. fantastic and authentic food! great prices, wonderful family service. a hidden gem in town, but worth seeking out.

don't judge a book by its cover. my 14-year-old daughter about had a panic attack when we parked in front of el viroleno but her mind was quickly changed with the fresh chips and salsa and shortly thereafter, with the pupusas. although everything we had was authentic and really delicious, the pupusas are extraordinary - something so simple yet so scrumptious! i can't stop thinking about them!

my husband and i were visiting the city and i looked up this place on urban spoon like i usually do when we travel. it had great reviews but it is kinda hard to find bc it's not well marked and is so small. the food however was incredible. authentic and delicious. the atmosphere is perfect. the service while a little slow due to how busy they were, was impeccable. she was kind, prompt, and considerate. i wish we lived here bc we don't have restaurants this awesome where we live. about the food- we had empanadas which were amazing and undersold. chimichanga and papusas that were also great and a papaya milkshake also very good. would definitely come again.