La Santaneca Pupuseria

Reviews

• Jean B.

  star star star star star 8 June 2026

  What a hidden gem!!!  
  Today was my first time here, though I've had pupusas a couple times before.  The place is located next to Little Caesar's in the shopping center at Oakdale and Floyd.  The location map was a little confusing.  The establishment was very clean and tidy.  The waitress was very friendly and helpful.  I asked her to choose as my first experience here, so she found out the size of order I wanted. I felt very welcomed just after the lunch crowd.  I ordered food to go and, even though running a long errand before I could attack it, it was still edibly warm.
  
  The food is freshly prepared so I had a short and reasonable wait.  This was my only meal to this point and I was famished.  I found both pupusas very tasty with one having pork and the other being spinach, chicken and cheese.  There was also a pork tamale and a side of a moderately spicy red sauce and another of sour cream along with the salad mix for the pupusas.
  
  To top things off, there were fried plantains that I will have later.  All that food for a moderate price of about $13!!!  I will go again for sure...there are a lot more Salvadorean/Mexican examples to taste-test.

• Jessica G.

  star star star star star_border 5 June 2026

  Hidden gem! (Literally)
  This place is so easy to miss! It's nestled right next to a Little Caesar's and semi-blocked by a Dairy Queen.
  There are very few places in Modesto that make popusas especially this good! Not greasy compared to other places. Good amount of curtido and sauce to go alongside. They are a little pricey $3.20 each but they do have a pretty good amount of fillings you can choose from. The revueltas and steak & cheese are always on the top of my list.
  
  Takes a bit of time to get your order; however, they are always made to order making it worth the wait.

• Jamie H.

  star star star star star 3 June 2026

  The food here is fantastic! Their pupusas are delicious, love the banana leaf wrapped tamales and the plantains are amazing! The beans have so much flavor. All the food is made when you order so it takes a little bit for it to be ready, but worth the wait. We loved it so much that we went back two days in a row. Brought the in laws the second day and they loved it as much as we did. The chicken and potato pastales were fantastic too!
  The service was great, everyone's friendly and helpful when you're new on what to try.
  Go eat here! You're belly will thank you

• Audrey H.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 29 May 2026

  I came here to try the $1 pupusas. They no longer run that special so my to go order was more expensive than I anticipated. My mistake for not checking so that's fine. The pupusas weren't terrible, but for the price I paid, they weren't that good. I also found a hair in my cabbage so that really turned me off. I won't be back.

• Joe G.

  star star star star star_border 26 May 2026

  La Santaneca May offer the best pupusas I've had in the area thus far. That said, I also haven't extensively explored local Salvadorian cuisine. Atmosphere is very casual, relaxed, and hole-in-the-wall-esque. I almost always order pupusas when I go to Salvadorian restaurants so that is typically my main criteria in assessing their food.
  
  My favorite pupusa is the revuelta, which consists of beans, chicharrón, and cheese. You can't ever go wrong with good old cheese pupusas, which are also quite yummy here. They have many different variations for just about anyone ranging from vegetarian to meat-centric. My only complaints are that the pupusas vary from slightly crispy to soft and airy. I'm big on consistency and there have been times where the pupusas are also more doughy than usual which takes away from the flavor and integrity of the pupusa. These are small things and don't happen often so don't be deterred to coming by. Please, do not forget to order a large Salvadorian style horchata as well!
  
  All considered, I look forward to trying other items on their menu to familiarize myself with Salvadorian cuisine. Cheers and happy eating!