Thirty years of El Salvador in Newark
Food, folklore and culture — since 1993.
How it started
The Canizales family opened Las Canastillas in 1993, back when Newark's Salvadoran community was still small. The idea was simple: a place where the food tasted exactly like home — no shortcuts, nothing toned down.
A new chapter
The restaurant has had new owners since 2019, but the recipes, the griddles and much of the staff stayed. The only things that changed were the size of the dining room and how many people show up on a weekend.
Made by hand, every day
Pupusas are pressed one at a time. The curtido ferments in house. Sweet bread comes out of the oven every morning. Nothing gets frozen if it can be made fresh.
A table for everyone
We're Salvadoran, but we don't only cook for Salvadorans. The menu has Honduran and Guatemalan breakfasts, Salvi-Méx plates, seafood and steaks. Families come from all over North Jersey, and for a lot of them we're serving their first pupusa.
More than a restaurant
Thursdays there's mariachi. Fridays there's live music and karaoke. The walls are covered in murals telling the story of El Salvador. Coming here is spending the evening, not just eating.
Mission
To offer an authentic Salvadoran dining experience to our compatriots and to anyone who wants to taste, in every dish, the flavor, the tradition and the love for our homeland — creating a meeting place for the Salvadoran community and for everyone ready to try new flavors.
Vision
To be a benchmark for authentic Salvadoran cooking, honoring our roots and traditions. What began as a hard-to-reach dream has become a vibrant, thriving reality.
“El Salvador is my greatest muse; its colors, its people and its traditions are the soul of my art.”
El Salvador: a place of many colors, of rich nature and warm people. Las Canastillas sets out to pass on that same feeling — the warmth and closeness of its people — and to be a point of reference for fellow Salvadorans and new guests alike.
What we don't compromise on
- 1
Original recipes
The same since 1993 — never adjusted to 'soften' the flavor.
- 2
Made by hand
Pupusas, curtido, soups and sweet bread, prepared here daily.
- 3
Honest portions
Plates that fill you up, at neighborhood prices.
- 4
Open doors
Families, first dates, birthdays and community celebrations.
We'll save you a seat at the table
Open every day from 8 AM. Come with family, come with friends, or come just for the pupusas. Here, you're one of ours.
