El Tamarindo Cafe is a taste of home for anyone raised on Latin cuisine, but its roots are firmly planted in El Salvador. Owners/siblings Alex, Juan, Yecson, Antonio and Sonia Amaya grew up in the city of Sensuntepeque. The name of their restaurant refers to both a popular Salvadoran beach and the tamarind tree, which bears a sweet-sour fruit.

The Amayas bring to the table the simple, honest cooking of their homeland while pleasing their neighbors.

''Whatever we do, we do from the heart,'' says Alex.

You believe him when you sample the kitchen's wonderful homemade corn tortillas hot off the griddle or the soothing sweetness of melt-in-your-mouth tamales.

Then there's the place itself. Charming and cheerful, with white tablecloths and linens, a vase of freshly cut orchids proudly set at each table. You don't have to habla español to feel welcome here. The menu is both in English and Spanish and helpful servers will fill in any gaps.

The Amayas learned about the restaurant business working for relatives in South Florida. Alex was the first of his siblings to leave El Salvador as a teenager, learning to cook ''a little bit of everything,'' from spaghetti and meatballs to tacos and churrasco in restaurants his uncles owned in Miami and Broward, including Salvadoran La Molienda in Oakland Park. Nearly four years ago, the Amayas decided to branch out and open their own place on State Road 84.

Starting at breakfast, the place is packed, regulars knocking back espressos and huge portions of huevos rancheros with cheese, sour cream, refried beans, fried plantains and tortilla for $6.95, washed down with orange juice squeezed to order.

The star at El Tamarindo is El Salvador's signature street snack, pupusas. The griddle-cooked corn tortillas, just $2.50, are light and puffy, enveloping red beans, cheese and a mixture of ground pork, garlic, onions and green peppers -- other fillings are loroco (a native flower bud that tastes a little like asparagus) or just cheese or beans. Pupusas come with a perky, vinegary cabbage-and-carrot salad -- repollo curtido -- and mild tomato sauce. For more authenticity, add a cool glass of horchata, a cinnamony rice milk, or a bittersweet tamarindo.

The sweetness of fresh corn shines through in Tamarindo's terrific tamales. One is a simple version with corn off the cob; the other adds chopped onions, green beans, garbanzos, green peppers, potatoes and hen, wrapped in a steamed banana leaf. Prices are so low -- pork chops with a tortilla and two sides are $7.95, for instance -- you won't mind being a little adventurous. El Tamarindo serves a daily soup special, like Sunday's tripe or Tuesday's hen, but the queen is the mariscada. The gumbo-like seafood soup is made to order, so tip off your server ASAP. This seafood feast brings langostino, soft-shell crabs, scallops, New Zealand mussels, littleneck clams, calamari and tilapia. I got the soup sans cream and didn't miss it. Spiked with tomatoes and onions and garnished with fresh cilantro, it was big enough to share as an appetizer or main course.

Grilled churrasco is tender and flavorful. We had a basic but very good serving of shrimp in a fragrant sauce with garlic, white wine and tomatoes. Teens like the tacos, filled with well-seasoned chunks of carne asada.

The wine list features mostly Italian and Californian labels, but the refreshing sangria, boosted by fresh pears, is just right.

Desserts are housemade -- a lovely coconut flan, cheesecake made with Salvadoran cheese, and a delicate passionfruit mousse served elegantly in a wine glass.

Like everything else here, it comes from the heart.