Taqueria La Bamba

I love this place. The people are nice. The food is great. I would call ahead if you’re ordering food for several people because it can be busy.

Come here just for the Chalateco plate (two pupusas, fried plantain, beans and sour cream) which is the best ever, just wish the wait wasnt so long :(

Great too but they take too long! They are lowering the quality of the meat. I’ve been recently biting into fat instead of Carne Asada.

The burritos are amazing! I’ve never had a burrito this good. NO JOKING! The first bite of the Carne Asada SUPER Burrito to the last bite was perfection. My boyfriend and I both got one and we were pleased. We wanted to try the pupusas that everyone raved about but the wait for one pupusa was 30 – 40 minutes because they had so many orders. Next time we will defeinitely have to try them. The place is authentic and the feel is just like mamá’s kitchen. The ladies and gents make everything from scratch and you can see it. Will definitely be coming here again!

The food is excellent! I would recommend them to anyone who likes authentic popusas. Also, the quesadillas there are my favorite.

The best pupusas in the bay! All day!
They should get four stars due to the wait, but the taste of the pupusas make up for it. I appreciate the customer service too. I’ve been coming here since I was a little boy and it amazes me how now I’m a man that continues to bring his family here. #tradition
One thing is for sure. If you want some good local pupusas that are reasonably priced, then this is the spot. If your looking for a five star bouchan looking joint, then you probably shouldn’t even be in The Rich and found this gem right off the freeway.

After being vegan for several years, I still LOVE this place!
I order differently now than I did while I was still consuming dairy products, so I’d like to tell you about it. It’s easy!
Veggie Burrito: Order it with no cheese & no sour cream. I like extra guacamole & hot sauce.
Curtido: Order a side of this magical pickled cabbage deliciousness!!! It’s great with the burrito.
There you have it. They don’t use lard in their beans, as so many of their customers don’t want to eat it. The food is great. The people are friendly. I think I’ll go there later today.

loooove their pupusas! kids go crazy over the queso ones. i always order the beef tacos — simple, tasty, perfectly spicy, and decent $. 4 stars only bec they are always busy wait is pretty long. i always call in my take-​out order at least half-​hr before and i still wait. no biggie.

The best pupusas The Bay Area has to offer. I’ve came here plenty of times & just ordered pupusas when I wasn’t hungry, but I wanted them so bad. They’re right off the freeway which is very convenient! I love this place. As long as «mama» continue to make them; I’ll continue to come.

Although I had no table service and had to stand and wait for my order since I wanted to eat in the quiet patio, it was worth it. My carne asada quesadilla is bomb. Cheap too… Only $ 6 and some change. Mmmmm! And they have their own parking lot cuz I hate street parking. Unilocal did right by me!

Excellent fresh, authentic Salvadorian food! No heavy sauces or lard! No frills atmosphere. Proportion vs $$
Excellent! Go try! These women know how to cook. I had garlic shrimp and my date had grilled onions with beef!

Having a nice dinner just the way I like it. Chicken salad and 2 pupusas. The food is is always good at la Bamba. Especially today. Not a big wait. Salad excellent. Red salsa a bit on the hot side use caution.

Had a taste for Pupusas and was headed in that direction so I decided to give them a try. I called in my order and was told the wait time was 25 minutes which I didn’t mind…
It was going to take me that long to get there anyway. The Pupusas were delicious!!! Generous sizes and freshly made to order. They were hot off the grill and ready to go when I arrived. Best $ 5 lunch I’ve had in a long time. Space was clean and it is clear they make everything to order. Can’t wait to go back!

Richie Valens’ best kept secret in Rosie town! Don’t let the digs keep you from digging in. Best tongue tacos in our hood.

I’ve been coming here for years and the food is great the service is a bit slow and the waiters could at least pretend they like their job but since I come for the food and not to make friends I look past it. The pupusas are great not very greasy their steak nachos are AH-​May-​zeeeing. The horchata is alright, too milky but their Tamarind drink is delish especially on hot days. We ordered shrimp soup this time around and it was REALLY good, they’re not cheap on the shrimp either (between 6 or 8) the add a dash of cream to the soup and an egg it’s a must try. I’ve added a pic. I highly recommend this soup the next time you have a soup craving. Enjoy!

I’m such a fatty. I eat here once every other week. I always get the super chicken burrito with grilled chicken. It’s just so darn delicious.
My only tip if you’re ordering to go… call about 30 minutes before you are ready to eat. They can be slow… but I don’t fault them. The food is made to order.

I found myself in Richmond working at a customer site.
I saw La Bamba out the corner of my eye. I’ve eaten at the original La Bamba location on Old Middlefield Ave in Mountain View since the early 90’s — so I’m quite familiar with La Bamba.
Like others have mentioned, the service was a little slow. But I was not in a rush, and I like what I was seeing. The lady working the front was old school — making sure everything was running okay and getting customer orders out. She was moving at her own pace.
There was a guy in the back dicing tomatoes and onions and another person tending to the meats and pots on the grill top.
I would rather wait a few extra minutes at a restaurant that authentically prepares food, then be served something from a steam table or heat lamp.
I ordered a regular carnitas burrito, no rice and a pork tamale. What I received in return was a trip to pork heaven. Both items were awesome. This location did not disappoint and brought my taste buds all the way back to the original La Bamba location in Mountain view. The carnitas in my burrito was pleasantly crunch and tasty.
I was so happy to find La Bamba in Richmond. If I ever go to that customer site again, you can bet I will be stopping here for lunch again.

I had found this place on Unilocal.Did not trust a Richmond eatery that looked shady in the pics, but couldn’t ignore the reviews! So off we went!
As soon as we walked in, i knew we’d made the right decision. No, it’s not all fancy looking, in fact just the opposite. But the smell of the food cooking in the open kitchen was incredible!
We ordered a Pupusa, a tamale, and 2 plates of Chicken enchiladas! Every single thing was amazing. I loved the Tamale and the Enchiladas especially! The sauce that covered the tortillas filled with yummy chicken was soooo different from every other Mexican restaurant I’d eaten at. And it was delicious! The fried plantains, the beans, every single thing was good.
I’ll be back!

Disclaimer: When I review restaurants I only review the taste of the food. Good/​bad service, décor, or ambiance may be referenced but do not factor into the review unless it effects the experience of the food itself.
I tend to be a wordy guy but if I could describe Taqueria La Bamba quickly to anyone who asked it would be — Cheap, good, worth it.
If someone is saying «I’m in the mood for Mexican food!»
My response is «Have you ever tried El Salvadorian food?»
If there response is «No» I tend to put the kibosh on any other options as I’m so excited to have them try this place. If the response is «Yes» then we will still go here to try out the papusas compared to the others they have eaten. While all their food is good what keeps me coming back are two things.
1. The BBQ pork super burrito. Smokey not sweet, and really goes well with the rest of the ingredients. Expect to generally eat the whole thing even if you are not hungry. It is just amazing for the price.
2. The papusas (duh.) They make them there to order so if you get them expect a good wait that can also tie up the rest of your food, but then expect them to be well worth the wait. Simple but tasty and such a wonderful treat when I get to see the happy faces of my friends who have never had it before. Simply fantastic.
Ambiance/​décor — It’s a hole in the wall. ‘Nuff said. Service is fine.

It’s been awhile since I ate at La Bamba (pre-​remodel in 2009) and remembered it to be one of the better pupusa places in the area.
All pupusas are currently $ 2.40. They have a Revuelta (pork & cheese) and a Revuelta con Frijoles on the menu and I got one of the basic Revuelta and a Loroco y Queso pupusa (
).
The pupusas were not greasy, but the masa tasted a little undercooked. The Revuelta was disappointingly bland. It was light on the fillings with not much cheese and the pork didn’t seem seasoned. The Loroco one was much better, though light on the Loroco so it didn’t come through in some bites.
I liked the sides. The curtido was tangy from fermentation and had lots of oregano flavor (
). The salsa is the same that they give with their Mexican food items and was much spicier than the standard thin red salsa most places provide (
).