La Esperanza Restaurant

I realized I’ve never written a review for this place, which is terrible because they’re one of the best places to eat around me. Their food definitely deserves 5 stars. It’s always yummy and consistently yummy which we appreciate. Their menu has a little bit of everything. I’ve had their tacos, ceviche and pupusas. For some reason I love their rice and beans… Check it out for yourself! Located in an unassuming and might I say rundown plaza, this restaurant is truly a hidden gem. And it makes it so much better that the owner is a young polite man that is seriously super kind and helpful!!! Please never change!

I would like everyone to know this is a real review. No one payed me to do this. Me as a regular person in this world would like to inform you about the worst person working or owner of this restaurant was far the worst person i have known. He was Rude and was not apologetic what so ever.
I had posted a review about my bad experience on their customer service. He message me back going on and on about shame on me about how i’m being a Dick in writing a bad review on their restaurant. I was so shock with this person, i think he was management not sure his whats his title is. Anyways, he kept blah blah blah about i don’t know anything about running a business and that i should try on his shoes and blah blah blah. I might not know how to run a restaurant but i sure know one top goal for a Resto is your customers should be happy. Treat the customer welcome and do not be an asshole. Be apologetic for their bad experience and ask for a second chance. that’s how you keep your business running successfully.
I’m only posting this because i don’t want anyone to have the same experience and waste of their money to go thru the same. If you are a person that likes to go to restaurants with Great customer service and great food this La Esperanza will probably disappoint you. Let me rephrase that… LA ESPERANZA IS GOING TO DISAPPOINT YOU!
Not so much of a good luck for this business. Hope my review will help anyone.

Pupysas that can’t be beat. had the very traditional Hilachas today. Always a taste delight!

First off the chicharron/​cheese pupusa is off the chain… Yes I did just say that. I have had others which are yummy, but that is my favorite. Along with all pupusas comes a jar of all you can eat pickled cabbage. Just tong it out. Their plantains are so yummy and perfectly cooked. Their chicken salad with lemony dressing is a healthy alternative that is huge and leaves you with leftovers. They also have an Ensalada drink that is super yummy and is generous with fruit. Food is fresh and flavorful. Service is excellent. Bakery next door, but interconnected with the resteraunt allows you to take home fresh yummy treats. A hidden gem located in a strip mall, this is the one and only go to spots for authentic Salvadorian food in the South Bay.

I placed my order for pick-​up. I ordered the pupusa plate which included 2 pupusas of my choice, rice and beans for $ 10. I got the bean and cheese pupusas.
When I picked up my order I was greeted by a nice young lady that offered me a glass of water because of the heat wave. I thought that was extra nice. My food was hot even after a 10 min drive home. Everything was great and tasted very fresh. The pupusas are large and filling.
I will definitely return. Great little place for dining in too.

This review is for La Esperanza’s delivery service. My coworkers and I order from this establishment once or twice a week and have so for about two years, now. Danny and Arturo always make sure our orders are correct and arrive in a timely manner.
Their food? BOMB. They have typical Mexican fare that tastes amazing (try their wet burritos and tacos. Fire.), but you have to try their Salvadorian specialties. The restaurant itself hasn’t been open that long, but Danny explained that the bakery next door (where the tamales are made. Crucial) was originally founded by his mother, and has been open for 20 years. They know their stuff, and it shows.

06/​11/​16 – Update!!!
This place is still so amazing with the flavored and the service. I will eating here more often!
The Pupusas with the chicharron are amazing.

The wet burrito was the bomb. The size is good for 3 people. Tons of steak, creamy and delicious sauce. Faster delivery, they deliver within 20 mins upon ordering.

I must say that eating at El Esperanza restaurant tasted like homemade Guatemalan food too me. I’ve tried the food in Guatamala during our vacation in Belize and let me tell you that you will not be disappointed. Their presentation was a 10 for originality. The GM Daniel made us feel right at home and also gave us the history of the restaurant. The Hilachas and the sauce was the best Hilachas that I’ve ever tasted. The reason why i started eating central American food was because i wanted to try something different and my Girl is from there.
We are going to return with her family & friends so they could experience the great food and service that we’ve experience…
I can’t leave out the Bakery. We had ordered pan dulce A.K.A. Mexican sweet bread and also some Guatemalan sweet bread to go so we could have dessert at home…
Please go with an open mind and an empty stomach
Thank you

I came here for the first time as I was on my lunch break from school and noticed on Unilocal that this place was really close by. I also remember seeing their advertisement at AMC theaters. I was craving pupusas so I decided to come. Upon arriving, I noticed that the parking sucked. There’s several other places there so it is crowded. We went in through he bakery side, and it smelled really good. I knew I would get some bread on the way out. We were seated quickly and everything on the menu looked good. Me and my friend ordered the same thing. The 2 pupusas plate with rice and beans, for $ 8.99!
Great prices for a big plate and great food. I would just say that the service wasn’t excellent. The server brought us our food but I had to get someone’s attention, to have them bring us the curtido and salsa for the pupusas. The décor is very over powering. Too much in a small spot. The food was warm, tasty and well priced. I’ll definitely be back and will definitely recommend this place to friends and family.

Pupusas are very tasty and FILLING!!! Service overall is good, since they’re usually busy the times I’ve gone it hasn’t been great. But there was a time when I picked up a TOGO order and they forgot half my order. I then called and the guy was very nice about it and even delivered it to my home !!! That was great customer service to me (and it was like a weekend or Friday night so they were swamped) !!! One more thing their tamales of cheese are yummy too but Spicey !!!

I came here with my mother and she has visited Guatemala, and she mentioned that it brought back many wonderful memories.
this place is amazing inside and the cool part is that they have a bakery as well. Their bread is awesome. I personally do not like bread but their’s were good.
While you are waiting for your order, they bring out some beans and cheese with hand made tortillas which is really good.
Do not underestimate the size of the Pupusas, they are huge. I am not exaggerating folks. with half of one, i was full. the Pupusas are really flavorful.
an order of Pastelitos de carne are big too, they come in an order of two since they are big. they are really good and freshly made.
don’t get me started with the Horchata, this fresh drink is yummy for the tummy.

Let me start off by saying that this is no Salvadorian Restaurant. It advertises that it is but it missed the mark tremendously.
The pupusas are huge but what’s the point if you can’t taste it?
The Curtido and that Salsa — Atrocious!
Oh and what Central American restaurant doesn’t give you repollo when you get pastelitos de res? Oh yes, this one doesn’t
Something was very off with their food and I won’t be coming back. For the people raving about the pupusas and how good they are must have never been to any other Salvadorian restaurant cause y’all got it really fucked up.
The shape of the tamale was funny looking as if they cut a piece of Lisa Simpsons hair and threw it on the plate. I’m telling you there’s something off about this place. A Lot more Guatemalan dishes and perhaps everything is made wrapped around their dishes for its taste.
Now the customer service was great. The ladies were really nice and I’m sorry I had to write a negative review about the food but it is what it is.

Three stars for the prices. Carne asada quesadillas ten bucks each and medium horchata 5 bucks each. Pupusas were delicious and only three twenty five. Prices are high. Called in and I didn’t ask for pricing prior to ordering which is my fault. Total bill 114.31.

I am rating the BAKERY only-​for some reason, you can’t get the bakery to come up seperately from the restaurant and I like the bakery WAY more than the restaurant
they have the very best freshest pan dulce and empanadas, also flan and tres leches cake slices, napoleons, and other pastry items.
The Guatamalen tamales are unbeatable, totally the very best and freshest I have ever eaten-​if you go late in the evening, you can see the grandma making them by hand
the counter people are friendly and the prices, though a little higher than some panaderias are fair
DON’T GO IN HERE IF YOU ARE HUNGRY! it is all so good, you will walk out with a little of everything

Love this place! I ordered Tamales for work here. Just picked up 37! Co– Workers rave about all of them. They have Pork, Queso and Chicken. Chicken is my fav!!!
If I order a good amount, I call in the order a day before and its ready when I pick it up.
I’m MEXICAN and have had tons of tamales in my day, so I know a good place when I go.
To the review back in January, I feel sorry for you.

Generally I love this bakery, but lately they seem unable to keep up with demand. Very disappointed that last weekend they didn’t have telera rolls despite my going two days in a row early in the day. This Sunday they didn’t even have conchas despite it not being late in the day. Perhaps it is time to look for a new favorite bakery

Can’t believe they don’t have all the typical mexican sweet bread… On a Sunday evening Not coming back.

My first time buying a Rosca de Reyes. The staff is very friendly and speaks English and Spanish. There was a line so that was a good sign. It was steaming hot just out of the oven and smells so good. I hope I can control myself to wait until the party tonight to sink my teeth into it.

First time here… the food was amazing.
Ordered so much and was not disappointed. So you enter through the wooden doors and if you are dining in you can just sit anywhere. If ordering take out head over to register in the back.
So went all out nd ordered a bit of everything. Appitizer french bread with black beans. Yum! Soft and oh so yummy!
For dinner i ordered pannes con pollo. Theres is so much of every ingredient. Side of potatoe salad and the sauce for the chicken.
My boyfriend ordered the revuelta pupusa. The curtido is amazing with.
I had nothing wrong with my first time. Cant wait to come back.

Lived in Torrance all my life and this was my first time here. We bought some mini sweet breads that were soft and fresh. Perfect snack size. The cheese and jalapeño tamale with white corn masa is really tasty too! I’m looking forward to going back to try their other items.

Got the Garnachas and the mixed pupusas — bean & pork. Have ordered pupusas to go. Best pupusas I’ve ever had. Almost forgot to even try the pickled cabbage & sauce with them they were so flavorful. The Garnachas were a work of art and as an appetizer are perfect but would make a fantastic meal. Can’t wait to try everything on the menu. Reccomend dining in at least once to experience the ambience makes food taste even better but pupusas are just as delicious to go.

Finally found an amazing restaurant in the South Bay that sells Pupusas!!!
Thank God for Unilocal!Found this gem due to searching on Unilocal and seeing wonderful reviews!
Brought my mom here for Sunday lunch! We were so impressed!
The restaurant is super cute and clean inside! I loved all the Central American decorations.
The service is great! Our waiter was so attentive and friendly!
The appetizer they bring you is so yummy!!! The beans are seriously the Best I’ve ever had! And I’m a huge bean lover! Comes with mini regular pupusas !
We ordered Pupusas Revueltas they are a great size and absolutely delicious!!!
I loved that they were not to greasy! They were just perfect!
Best Pupusas I’ve ever had.
I cant wait to go back!
This place is super authentic and a must try!

This place has good tamales and great pan. But isnt always open as advertised. I came at 430am and sat in the parking lot for 5 minutes waiting for the lights to come on and the doors to open, but nothing. Now I am at work with no breakfast or lunch.

LOVE!
The pupusas are amazing! The food here tastes fresh and is fairly priced. The staff is sweet and very attentive. This restaurant located near Walgreens is amazing! The bakery next door with the same owner is just as delicious!
Highly recommended!

Bomb !! I went later in the evening and all the breads were still fresh. I bought about $ 10 worth of pan. Will definitely be going back every week lol

This place is Awesome! $ 30 bucks for a delicious Tres Leches Cake to feed 20 people! Really great Tamales for less than 2 bucks each. Fantastic Spanish pastries in mini and regular sized. I think I bought 20 minis for $ 10. The service is excellent and friendly too. Favorite neighborhood bakery for sure!

I went there for the first time and bought tamales. I got Pork, chicken, and cheese with jalapeño. They pork tamales were too dry and the cheese tamales were even drier. I didn’t bother with the chicken tamales after that. They use the cheddar cheese so it’s not as good as the white mozzarella cheese. The cheese wasn’t even melted so the texture was not right. The tamales had too much masa. The price is $ 24 a dozen which is way too much for the quality they served.

Yummy Yum Yum! We happened to be at Walgreens a few doors down and decided to get a sweet treat. The Conchas and orejas were super delicious! Crunchy orejas and soft Conchas. The taste was perfect, the price was right, and the employees were super sweet. Love this place! Will be coming back for more soon!
Highly recommend!

Went here for lunch with two of my co-​workers last Tuesday. I had been here once before an neither of my co-​workers had been here before. The waitress was very patient since everyone took a while to make a decision.
I absolutely love this place. The food is made fresh so don’t expect this to be a quick in and out experience. I had stuffed pepper with rice and beans. All I can say is that the flavors were outstanding. My co-​workers also really enjoyed their meals.

I bought some tamales they r the greezy and bland won’t buy these again, I also bought some cup cakes and the are not soft and they taste so plain. The only thing I will coming back is for the bollios that bread is good taste like its suppose to. The place looks a little clean however wasn’t this place closed down for pests

All I can say is that this is a great bakery, and a great value.
Was in heaven yesterday eating vanilla custard empanadas at 55 cents each. (She said that they make their own custard too – it was incredible.)
Cinnamon roll: $ 1.25
Lot’s more stuff.
A true mom and pop bakery.
Stop here before a party, or bring some to the office and impress everyone.
Much better idea than Crispy Crème, Ralph’s, or King’s Hawaiian (it’s a commercial bakery at this point.)

Just got two chicken tamales with green sauce they were pretty good. Nice portion of meat & not too much masa. I didn’t think a bakery store would have them. So much bakery goods on display. Gotta come back for there cakes & other goodies.
Parking lot is small & tight at times because of other restaurant & business on the same lot.

I was super excited after reading the reviews that I finally found somewhere that understands what the ratio of meat to masa should be. I get it that they are much more expensive than most places but I figured they would be worth it. Great customer service. Took home some chicken and pork tamales. We started with a chicken tamale… perfect! Great amount of sauce and chicken and not too much masa. This morning I decided to test a pork tamale before our guests arrive. FAIL…85% masa and 15% pork. So frustrated I opened another and it was more like 90% masa and 10% pork. So irritated when paying this much money for a bunch of masa. Whoever made the chicken tamales needs to teach whoever made the pork tamales how to do their job. Three stars were given for chicken tamales and the nice girl behind the counter. Still on the search for someone who knows how to make real Mexican tamales.

I approve of these tamales.
What makes me a tamale expert? My Mexican friends have asked to order the tamales I make. I was guilted to make 5 dozen for a special celebration because the tamale lady that they normally use couldn’t accommodate all of their large order. Yup, the Mexicans ordered tamales from an Asian.
I like the tamales here because they are similar to the ones that I would make for myself. They aren’t stingy on the fillings and the flavors of each different type of tamale are distinct and stand on their own. The pork is smothered in a fiery red sauce, the chicken is encased in a milder green tomatillo salsa, and the cheese one is generously cheesy, albeit a bit rubbery but forgivable.
For $ 1.90 a tamale, I’d say pick up a half dozen or so for easy snacks or meals for the rest of the week. They stick to your ribs and are filling.
The shop also carries sweet breads, pastries and juices, but the tamales are what really stand out.

I like tamales year round but lately I have had this hankering for tamales that I can’t shake. I don’t want tamales that I have to buy and eat at a restaurant, I want to buy them by the dozen and take them home to eat watching TV, for breakfast, or to take to work for lunch. I decided to look for the best place for this in So Bay, so the first shop I went to was Panaderia La Esperanza. The first time I went, the chicken ones were not ready so I got me some smarts and this time I called. I bought 4 each of the chicken, pork and cheese with jalapenos. They were about $ 2.50 each. Wow, I thought, they are on the high side… that is until I saw that these were humongo size tamales! The masa was soft and flavorful and the chicken and pork were both tender and moist but my favorite was the cheese with jalapenos. The flavor of the masa and spices were well infused into the cheese, with the jalapenos give just the right amount of kick.
Next Time? This is a bakery so I will pick up some pastries with my tamales.

I came here on the recommendation of a coworker so I had high hopes. I was really craving cheese tamales and didn’t want to drive to King Taco so I came here.
I eat cheese tamales regularly and always pull out the little slice of jalapeño since I don’t like food too spicy. I did that for these and could barely finish one. It was really good from what I can tell but it was the hottest cheese tamale I had in my life! My lips were burning and I got some ice cubes to finish it off. I got through half of the second one and gave up. I was mad because it was good and I wanted to finish my food! I bought a chicken one but I got mad so I threw it all away. I hate to waste food but I couldn’t even pass it on because it was too hot!
Fortunately I got some pastries as well. I got a cookie, a cheese horn and the free pastry you get when you orders higher than $ 5. All 3 pastries were bad. The cookie tasted old and was bad. The cheese horn was okay but the bread itself I didn’t like. I gave the free pastry to my mom because I had had enough bad food for the night. I didn’t tell her about the tamale disaster or the bad pastries, I just set it on her desk to eat. The next day she woke up and asked me where I got that terrible bread from. I thought I was being picky but it wasn’t just me.
I wanted to like this place, especially since they serve Mexican and Guatemalan tamales. But this is the only place I’ve been to where tamales were too hot for me to enjoy. I gave one extra star because they seemed good if you like spicy food. That extra star is also for the lady who was so nice and explained the pastries to me. All that being said, I will not be returning. My hunt for good cheese tamales near Pedro continues!

Finally decided to give this bakery in a non descript shady looking strip mall a try. On Sunday morning around 11 a.m. the small parking lot outside was almost full but the bakery itself was completely empty, I mean no customers no one at the counter nothing. I could hear some voices form behind so I made myself visible but was ignored so I continued to browse till the lady behind the counter bothered to show up.
The next part of communicating with her was a nightmare. I asked for a slice of tres leches cake, but was offered a full cake. Finally with a lot of difficulty I was able to convey that I only wanted a slice which was not available so I settled on a piece of flan and tres leches cake combo ($ 3.50). Next I asked for a chicken tamale ($ 1.90) and ask for other options. Again after a lot of back and forth I was able to get a cheese and jalapeño tamale ($ 1.90). To my surprise they accepted cards for payment without minimum’s.
Taste wise the flan and tres leches cake combo was bad, like really bad. The dipping sauce at the bottom had begun to turn sour signifying that it had been sitting for a very long time, the flan was hard and the cake was crumbly. When compared to Panaderia Mi Lupita my regular go to place for tres leches cake the price here was 40% more while the quality was nowhere near what I have become used to. The tamale’s were intricately packed and steamed in what I think are banana leaves but I’m not sure. The chicken tamale was nice and soft with a lot of chicken filling so was fine (it did have a lot of moisture collected in the banana leaf packing so it ends up making a puddle in the serving plate) whereas you would need a hammer and chisel to make any headway with the cheese and jalapeño tamale.
I can overlook negatives like location and customer service if the product is good but my experience with Panaderia La Esperanza was a disappointment on all fronts so I’m pretty sure that I wont be back as my Panaderia needs are sufficiently met at Panaderia Mi Lupita.

Oh how I love the smell of baked goodies early in the morning! They’re open from 0430! It’s situated in a beat up looking plaza with limited parking that doesn’t seem to fill up. This is where I go to pick up some Mexican concha bread. They have great tasting tamales too. It is a hit and miss though.
One of my coworkers introduced me to this hole-​in-​the-​wall establishment. I have to admit I wasn’t impressed with the tamales my first visit here. I must’ve had a bad batch because it’s been good ever since. The white masa tastes like they added milk… it’s thick and comes wrapped up and tighten in a leaf (banana leaf?). I’ve tried chicken, pork, and jalapeño with cheese. Pork is my favorite here! They provide a couple outdoor bistro seating for those of us who can’t wait to chow down. One of these days, I want to check out their restaurant next door.