El Chalate

At El Chalate, a stripped-down Mexican and Salvadorean pit stop on East Colfax, you'll often be welcomed by a young girl who likes to practice her English. She flits around the dining room, stopping to chat with patrons, while the attentive waitstaff hustles from table to table dropping off heaping plates of pupusas, stuffed with queso, chicharron or both, and served with both a mellow tomato sauce and curtido, a tart slaw of carrots, cabbage and oregano. The joint does a steady takeout trade, especially on weekends, when you'll often see a line stretching out the door with people jonesing for the tamales de pollo.