Hand-patted thick corn cakes stuffed with cheese, beans or pork, griddled until golden and served with curtido pickle and tomato salsa, DC's defining street snack.
Where to eat it: 1 restaurant across 1 city.
Washington DC has the largest Salvadoran population in the United States. The community settled along Mount Pleasant Street, Columbia Heights and Wheaton MD through the 1980s civil-war refugee waves, and pupuserias spread from the corner of 16th and Mount Pleasant outward through the next decades. The pupusa, a thick hand-patted corn cake stuffed with cheese, refried beans, chicharron pork or loroco flower, is El Salvador's national dish and DC's defining street snack. It is griddled on a flattop until lightly golden, then served with curtido (a fermented cabbage relish) and a thin tomato salsa. Don Juan's on Mount Pleasant Street, Pupuseria San Miguel on 14th, El Sol de America in Wheaton and Los Hermanos in Wheaton run the canonical versions; expect to pay $4 per pupusa, $12 for a plate of three with rice and beans.
Common allergens: Dairy, Corn
Tip from the editors. Wet your hands with water as you shape each pupusa to prevent sticking; a dry hand cracks the dough at the seam.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Tortilla Cafe in Washington DC is the Capitol Hill 7th Street Salvadoran-Mexican counter across from Eastern Market, with pupusas, tacos and Salvadoran tamales served from a tight kitchen.
Try: Pupusas and tacos al pastor
Tip: Outdoor sidewalk seats are the move at lunch; the pupusas come three to a plate with curtido for $11.
More cities are in research. Want salvadoran pupusas covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.