Open 7 Days: 10AM - 9:00 PM
(609) 393-8410 Google Maps
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(Updated December 2021) Guaterico Deli has a new sign and isn’t nearly as tough to find as it used to be. We’ll be updating this more thoroughly soon, but it has survived COVID and remains the ultimate Guatemalan dive take-out joint in Trenton.
Also, if you want to eat in, be prepared to share a table with one of many, mostly working-men who treat this place like its their home kitchen. This place is always mobbed during peak meal times. There is no better guarantee of authenticity, quality, and value than Guaterico’s customer base.
When I first reviewed this joint in 2009, there was no formal menu, just a whiteboard, sans prices. I never felt I was being over-charged; but it’s a little intimidating, and how would I know? Returning in 2016, the white board was still there, but the woman behind the counter handed me a printed take out menu.
No problem. The folks who take your order generally speak good English. Read the board and ask questions if you need to. I’ve never been overcharged, and I doubt you will be either.
The food is all home made, absolutely fresh, and expertly prepared. Compared to other Guatemalan restaurants in town, the cooking uses fat and salt with a lighter touch, making it a place where you can eat often.
For example, check out these Al Pastor tostadas. Most items (tacos, pupusas, tostadas) can be ordered individually, so you can make up your own combination plate, if you’re so inclined. Prices are extremely reasonable: a plate of 3 tostadas is $7.00; three tacos or pupusas are $6.50 (prices unchanged in November, 2018).
The Al Pastor (marinated pork meat) was incredible…. it had a smoky barbecue flavor in addition to the tang of the marinade. The crispy tortilla had a smear of spicy black bean paste under the toppings, and the lettuce and onions had a sprinkling of fresh cilantro. Wow! This is a level of care in preparation that you don’t expect in any take-out joint, much less one this cheap. Personally, I’d probably ask them to hold back a little of the crema, but that’s a matter of taste. The food is really, really good. Service is fast and friendly.
The pupusas are great. The cheese and loroco (an edible flower that tastes something like broccoli) is incredibly flavorful, and comes with a wonderful homemade sauce.
With a convenient location near the corner of Hamilton Ave and South Clinton, Guaterico Deli is a place you may find yourself visiting again and again. I know I have.
While this is generally a take out joint, there is a row of tables with waitress service. If you sit down, you should order from the waitress and leave a tip. Seating is “family style”…. if there’s no open table, new patrons tend to seat themselves wherever there’s room, which might be the empty chairs at your table.
My experience was NOT good today. It was about 4:25pm. A young man by the name of Juan( the name he gave me) EVERYTIME this young man takes my ORDER he give me what he wants. NOT what I ask for. Both my Daughter & I eat from here @ least 4 times a week. And NEVER have any ISSUES until he takes OUR ORDER. Then when I say something to him he laughs. I hope something is done bc WE do Enjoy eatting here. And My name is Joyce.
Joyce, note we’re an independent web site and have no relationship with Guaterico Deli, other than it’s a place we like. I’ve never had a problem like you describe, and apparently neither have you, until now. If you’re been eating there 4x/week, no doubt a bunch of people behind the counter recognize you. My suggestion would be to complain to someone you know, next time you’re there.
I had bad experience there. I think they need to where gloves, and more careful when they serve the food. I never comeback to that place. And If you want to eat health and clean food. That’s not the place.
Kindof moot right now, but the kitchen is mostly out front behind the counter and you can see everything that goes on. The food is fabulous and I’ve never seen anything going on that alarmed me personally.
THE best pupusas and really good chicken tacos. Outrageously cheap!
I’ve told a few folks about this great spot in our ‘hood.
Wow! Went here for lunch and had the tacos al pastor and cheese pupusa…declicious! A little bit of a wait for my takeout order, but well worth it, especially considering how inexpensive it was.