El Sunzal Restaurant

You could stuff just about anything with beans and cheese, fry it, toss it on a menu, and we’d probably order it. Now, fry it with cornmeal, serve it with a side of tangy curtido and some fresh salsa roja, and you’ll win our hearts faster than a basket full of kittens that have been trained to meow in harmony to a Taylor Swift ballad. The pupusas at El Sunzal are some of the best in town, and if you’re able to resist making an entire meal of them, you can also order off the full menu of Mexican and Salvadoran specialties. That includes chicken tamales steamed in banana leaves, boiled pork with cassava, and fried plantains with sweet cream and salty refried beans. This isn’t really a place to hang out—it’s a little too bare-bones for that—but you can certainly grab a few beers with your meal. This is where you go when you want some of the best pupusas in town, with friendly, family-run service. 

photo credit: Nicolai McCrary