Eat Up Havana: Pupusa Pride Prevails at This Shrine to El Salvador

Over a decade ago, former Westword food editor Mark Antonation began his food-writing career by eating his way up Federal Boulevard. Now, we’re turning our attention to another vibrant culinary corridor.

The four-plus-mile stretch of Havana Street between Dartmouth and Sixth Avenue in Aurora is home to the most diverse array of international cuisine available in the metro area. From restaurants and markets to take-and-go shops and stands, food lovers of nearly any ethnicity or interest can find a place that will remind them of home or open new culinary doors. In Eat Up Havana, Antony Bruno will visit them all, one by one, week by week. Check out his previous stops.

This week, Bruno visits Pupusas La Salvadoreña.

Among the handful of Central American dishes that have managed to break through the cultural barrier and achieve relatively widespread recognition and appreciation in the U.S. is the humble pupusa. 

Unlike tacos and burritos, which use tortillas as a wrap or shell to hold all manner of fillings, pupusas are more like a stuffed pancake made of masa dough. The thick tortilla is rolled out into a circle, the filling is placed on top, around which the dough is wrapped and pressed into a circle again to be cooked on a griddle.

This mix of crunchy exterior, savory gooey interior, and vast spectrum of potential fillings — nearly all of which include cheese — make pupusas a satisfying, cheap, and popular street food. And while enjoyed throughout Latin America as the ultimate comfort food, it is celebrated with pride as the national dish of El Salvador.

That pride is on full display at Pupusas La Salvadoreña on Havana Street in Aurora, one of the many pupusa establishments scattered throughout the Denver metro area. Upon entering, the space feels one part restaurant, one part shrine, with pictures, posters and other memorabilia from El Salvador plastered all over the walls. There’s a detailed map of the country, breaking down each region by major city and cultural attractions. There’s a massive photo of the capital San Salvador, jerseys and scarves from the national sports teams, and even a grab-and-go rack featuring Salvadorian snacks and baked goods. 

Although the restaurant is squeezed between an Enterprise car rental and an auto service shop, it’s just down the street from the El Salvador Consulate. That proximity may or may not have anything to do with the crowd that gathered in the restaurant on a recent snowy Sunday. More likely is the draw of the pupusas, as well as the massive breakfast menu that’s served all day. 

But first, let’s talk about these pupusas. There are over a dozen options on the menu. At about $4 each, there’s not much stopping you from sampling as many as you like (they’re pretty good as leftovers the next day, too). 

Among the favorites is the revuleta frijol queso chicharron, an enticing combination of fried pork belly, cheese, and refried beans that’s about as decadent and delicious as it sounds. Another popular item is the standard pollo con queso (chicken and cheese), which packs a bigger punch than its simplicity suggests. There’s also steak, al pastor pork, and a range of vegetarian options.

One interesting option that deserves highlighting is the loroco con queso, which features the loroco flower, a native species to El Salvador. It’s more like an unopened flower bud than one blooming with petals, and it has a wonderfully earthy, vegetal flavor that works wonders with the creamy cheese surrounding it. Definitely worth considering as an addition to the other meaty, cheese options on your pupusa plate. 

If you’re lucky, some of your pupusas will break while on the griddle, allowing a little of the cheesy filling to escape and burn to a satisfying dark brown crisp. If you’re with friends, you may find yourself fighting over that bite, not unlike angling for the burnt edge bits of lasagna. 

All are served with a pickled cabbage and chile slaw called curtido, a welcome acidic heat you’ll soon want with every pupusa bite. Along with it is the simple “salsa rojo” or “red sauce” served in a syrup dispenser. It’s just tomato juice, which you can either pour over your pancake-like pupusas like syrup or (as recommended by the server) pour it over the curtido and mop the whole mess up with a torn-off half of a pupusa. 

“There’s no wrong way,” the server said, and that’s easy to believe. This isn’t fussy or fancy. Just fantastic, no matter how you choose to enjoy it. 

But for all the focus on pupusas, that’s hardly all you’ll find here. Breakfast is a big draw, with a list of about a dozen breakfast platters served all day. Maybe you’re in the mood for “Desayuno #5” which is eggs and chorizo. Or “Desayuno #11,” which is basically chilaquiles with eggs that put the “easy” in over easy, along with refried beans and more chorizo. 

While you’re making up your mind on the desayuno options, the server may pass by with a whole fried fish on a platter. Or fried chicken on french fries. There’s also Honduran baledas, tamales, platters featuring cassava and/or plantains, and a range of what look to be very satisfying soups. 

Whatever you choose, wash it all down with a satisfyingly sweet horchata, a creamy spiced rice water made with evaporated milk that works wonders with the savory and spice of the dishes here.

What you won’t find, though, are tacos or burritos. Because with pupusas like this, why bother? After munching through a plate of the many stuffed masa cakes available and perhaps even taking a few home for the next day, you may find yourself asking, “Tacos, who?”

Pupusas La Salvadoreña is located at 304 Havana Street in Aurora and is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday. For more information, visit pupusaslasalvadorenaco.com. 

All the previous Eat Up Havana stops:

• Old Town Hot Pot
• Leezakaya
• Chutney Indian Cuisine
• El Tequileno
• Milkroll
• Shin Myung Gwan Korean BBQ
• Watan Restaurant & Bakery
• Las Fajitas
• Mr. Tang
• Nana’s Dim Sum & Dumplings
• Yemen Grill
• Tofu House
• Sushi Katsu
• Coco Loco
• Ali Restaurant & Bakery
• Thank Sool Pocha
• Taqueria Corona
• Hanyang Wang Jokbal
• Coffee Story
• Tofu Story
• Havana Street Night Markets
• Seoul BBQ & Hot Pot (the Hot Pot)
• Seoul BBQ & Hot Pot (the BBQ)
• Pho 75
• Yong Gung
• Chopsticks A GoGo
• Angry Chicken
• L Cafe & Food Court
• Gangnam GT Lounge & Karaoke
• Katsu Ramen
• Dae Gee
• Snowl
• Chef Liu’s Kitchen
• Piramides Mexican Restaurant
• Nile Ethiopian
• +57 Bar & Restaurante
• Il Forno di Tutti
• Ifka Cafe
• Maandeeq Restaurant & Cafe
• La Sazon de Irene
• U&I BBQ & Karaoke Bar
• Pho 99
• Mariscos Los 3 Rios
• Orejano Casual Latin Cuisine
• Golf Ethiopian