Chalateco

Pin It Now!

Pupusas!  Love the handmade meat and bean filled tortilla pockets.  Right when you walk into Chalateco, you can hear the slapping from the shaping of the tortillas and the grease sizzling on the grill. 

The side of curtido (slaw) was a little thin and limpy and didn't provide enough crunch.  The pupusas was a little on the greasy side, but still had a small amount of crispy bits.

The papas con chorizo (potato with chorizo) had a mushy potato filling, but very tasty.

The standard revueltas (pork fried beans and cheese) was just so so.  It ended up being more bean than cheese.

The chicharron con fruol (pork with beans) was the favorite of the three.  A strong fatty pork flavor from the first bite.

     

Address:                 Chalateco
                                823 E El Camino Rd.
                                Sunnyvale, CA
 

Type:                       pupusas

Popular chomps:    revueltas pupusas (pork fried beans and cheese)
                               chicharron con frijol (pork with beans) 
                                papas con chorizo (potatoes with chorizo)
 

Chomp worthy:       chicharron con frijol (pork with beans)   

Panchita's Restaurant No 2

Pin It Now!

I was strolling down in the Mission running some errands and then I got swayed for a bit by the sound of a sizzling grill.  Yes, pupusas grilling on the sidewalk in front of Panchita's Restaurant.  It's just something you can't ignore.  It must be a relatively new thing because this is the first I've seen of it, but it's almost like the daytime bacon wrapped hot dog in the Mission.  The smell of the greasy griddle wafting in the air to me is like a moth to a flame.


Two pupusas for $5 with a good number of choices.  They are griddled fresh and then stuffed into a bag so you can eat on the go.

Curtido (Salvadorean slaw) is one of my favorite things about eating a pupusas.  The sidewalk pupusas give you a choice of stuffing your pupusa or grabbing a bag of it to go.  I love the crunchy, pickley vegetables almost more than I love the actual pupusas. 

My two choices were the bean and cheese and the pork and cheese.  The griddling gave the pupusas a crispy exterior, which was slightly greasy, but its to be expected.  Only gripe is there wasn't enough cheese.

Address:                Panchita's Restaurant No 2
                               3091 16th St.
                               San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                      Salvadorean

Popular chomps:    pupusas

Chomp worthy:       pupusas        

El Guanaco Restaurant

Pin It Now!

In the middle of taquerias and taco trucks there are a couple Salvadorian restaurants on Middlefield.  El Guanaco serves both Salvadoran and Mexican dishes. 

 Bean/cheese and pork/cheese pupusa combo.  Pupusas are a traditional Salvadoran dish made up of a thick hand made corn tortilla (masa) and usually filled with cheese, pork, and/or refried beans.  The pupusas here are grilled nicely with a light crunchy crust.  Also, they aren't as greasy as prior ones I've had, which is nice.  The beans are a little salty, but if you mix the beans and rice together it works.

Pupusas are usually served with a slaw called a curtido.  It made up of a pickled cabbage, some chilis and vinegar.  The curtido was pretty good here.  It still retained a slight crunch with a slight spiciness.  Think Japanese pickled vegetables with a small kick.

Address:                          El Guanaco Mexican & Salvadorean Restaurant

                                                2950 Middlefield Rd.

                                                Redwood City, CA

Type:                                  Mexican/Salvadorean/casual

Popular chomps:     pupusas

Chomp worthy:           pupusas

CuCo's Mex Salvadorian Restaurant

Pin It Now!

 

I heard about these plantain burritos this week and thought plantains plus burrito..how genius!  I must get one!  Its nestled in the lower Haight area of San Francisco (where there is NO parking).  I'm not sure how I never heard about it since I love Rosamunde across the street.  This small family owned restaurant serves both Mexican and Salvadorian dishes.



inside

  

Steak Salvadoreno platter with tomatoes, onions, peppers



I figured since I was here I might as well try something other than the burrito.  There were a small number of dishes written on a board located by the door.  Majority of the items were Mexican items - enchiladas, tacos, etc.  I chose the Steak Salvadoreno.  Choice of beans (refried, black beans, pinto) and spicy or mild sauces.  I chose spicy sauce and refried beans.  This dish took some time since it was made to order.  The rice was so fluffy and flavorful, probably some of the best rice I've had in a while.  The steak itself had a lot of sauce.  It was a little tougher than I prefer, but it was flavorful.  Comes with a side of flour tortillas. 



Plantain burrito



At first bite the sweet/spicy/salty mixture was strange for me.  You don't expect to bite into a burrito and think its going to be sweet.  It feels like I'm eating a dessert burrito, almost as if I should be eating this after a carne asada burrito.  One of the few gripes I have about this burrito is that it isn't rolled tight enough.  Also, I'm not sure if the sauce in the burrito is the same as the spicy sauce on the side, but it wasn't spicy enough for me. Nevertheless, I love fried plantains and these were delicious - fried lightly on the outside and sweet and gooey in the middle.  Definitely an interesting take on the burritos that I'm used to eating.  Also, its a solid option for vegetarians.

Verdict:                      The plantain burrito is definitely the most popular item on the menu.  Everyone inside 

                                          was happily chomping away on a burrito of some sorts.  A definite must try if you love

                                          plantains and have never tried a plantain burrito.  The burritos are definitely one of the

                                          cheaper burritos I've seen in San Francisco.  Both items together cost about 16 

                                          dollars. 

    

Address:                   Cuco's
                                         488 Haight St.
                                         San Francisco, CA
       

Type:                            Salvadorian/Mexican
                                           casual
         

Chomp worthy:   plantain burrito