El Salvador Restaurante Y Pupuseria
by Andrew | October 11, 2007 | 16 Comments
(votes: 11, average: 4.09) 
Loading ...El Salvador Restaurante Y Pupuseria is located at 501 N Rockwell Ave. and is closed on Mondays (map).
Have you ever had the chance to visit El Salvador? My guess is no. With that more than likely being the case you have missed out on some very good and unique cuisine. Lucky for you good El Salvadorean food is here in town, very affordable, and very tasty.
If you are one of our loyal readers you have noticed by now that I like to try unique, cultural restaurants that the average Oklahoma City restaurant fan would probably never dare enter. Get over your fear and act on my recommendations. You won’t be disappointed. When you first approach El Salvador Restaurante Y Pupuseria you would first think it should be a candidate for the prestigious Shady Restaurant of the Month award. Sure, its in the same building as a gas station / food mart that is obviously a front for shady activity, the sign is painted with the use of stencils, and it has no real curb appeal at all, but it is not a shady restaurant. Shady Restaurant of the Month award recipients must attract truckers and ladies of the night, and must be unsafe after dark. These are characteristics that El Salvador Restaurante Y Pupuseria (which will hereafter be referred to as ESRYP) would need to acquire before ever going before the Shady Restaurant of the Month awards committee.
As soon as I walked in, I was surprised at how friendly the staff was and how they did not have heavy accents. In fact, they probably spoke more proper English than I did. I have to admit I was a little nervous that I would go in here and be unable to communicate or decipher the menu but that was not the case at all. The menu is pretty straight forward: Pupusas, Egg dishes, Meat dishes, and specialties. The pupusa is often called the National dish of El Salvador. It is a thick tortilla made of either flour or rice. They roll it into a ball-type shape, poke a big hole in it, fill the newly formed orifice with some sort of filling, then flatten it out and fry it up on a griddle until golden brown and delicious. These pupusas are filled with cheese, beans, pork, etc, or a combination. They are served with a tomato based sauce and shredded cabbage. These pupusas are around $1.50 a piece and it only takes a couple to really fill you up. I usually get two of these and one of their amazing homemade tamales. An El Salvadorean tamale is different than your average Mexican tamale you have grown up with. It has a very smooth creamy texture, is cooked in a moist banana leaf rather than a corn husk, has an olive hidden in it like a little surprise, a couple potato chunks, and topped with shredded chicken. It’s the best tamale you will ever eat. You cannot go into this thinking Mexican tamale because it is absolutely nothing like what you have ever had. It should be called something else.
I have also had the egg and sausage dishes which are very good, and the carne asada. There are several pork and chicken dishes you can experience, but that I haven’t had time to eat, mainly because I don’t want to try anything else. I really like the pupusas and tamales. They do serve chips, cheese, and salsa like every self-respecting Latin restaurant in the state, but they have a special twist. Their cheese sauce is cold. Like, right out of the refrigerator cold. Caught me off guard the first time, but I have grown to like it. It tastes like liquid Easy Cheese which brings back fond childhood memories. I’m willing to guess that it is not, in fact, liquid Easy Cheese. I was a little disappointed that guinea pig was not on the menu, and neither were coconut grubs, which would make an interesting pupusa filling, but there are plenty of extraordinary items to keep even the most adventurous taste buds entertained.
ESRYP is a family friendly restaurant. They are particularly busy after church on a Sunday afternoon and it may be hard to find a seat. Take the family, give the kids a pupusa, and enjoy a cultural experience that you will not soon forget.
(4.75 out of 5)
We want to hear from you!
So far, 16 people have responded to this article. Won't you join in?October 12th, 2007 at 8:49 am
Thanks for this! We love finding new cuisines, too, so I definitely want to check this out. The pupusa sounds delicious - I assume they can be prepared without any meat. And for me the mark of any great Latin restaurant (to use your phrasing) would be the salsa… what’s the salsa like?
October 12th, 2007 at 10:05 am
I want the American Public to understand that Andrew’s childhood memories of liquid Easy Cheese were NEVER from meals he received at home!!!
Andrew’s Mom
October 12th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
Absolutely you can get them without meat. In fact, I prefer just cheese in mine and I usually decorate mine with their delicious salsa rather than the tomato sauce. Salsa has a little heat, but is quite flavorful.
October 13th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
We need to eat there again after church one day soon!
October 27th, 2007 at 11:04 am
Thanks for posting this review. I have driven by here many times and must admit I have been scared away by the outside appearance of the place. I will have to try it out.
October 29th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
I have found it true that the cliche regarding not being able to judge a book by its cover can often hold true to a restaurant. Not always, but its worth finding out.
November 13th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Andrew, I just ate lunch at this place today. What a great find! I spent $3.42 and was completely satisfied. It’s nothing fancy, just simple home cooking El Salvadoran style, but it’s quality and I’ve never had anything like it.
Everyone should check this place out.
November 22nd, 2007 at 10:30 pm
we love this place great food,
great prices.I highly recomend it.
March 29th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
I have never had their Horchata before and decided to try it the other day. They roast theirs and add roasted Almonds and Peanuts. you can really taste it. It has a smoky aftertaste that lingers with notes of almond and peanut. Wow. I sound like a wine taster.
April 14th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
A friend and I tried this place this weekend! What a find! We had dinner for $15, total, and left absolutely stuffed (and with a box of leftovers). Awesome tamales.
May 23rd, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Where else can you find a surprise olive inside your tamale? No place I’ve seen!
July 10th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
well to start with im salvi and live in oklahoma and there is NO restaurants near where i live they need to make one in tulsa so i can EAT my kind of food, PLS PLS PLS i am in need of a good salvi reastaurant near tulsa PLS I MISS IT VERY MUCH me need some salvi food.
July 25th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Thank you for helping my husband and myself find another ethnic gem! We live in SE OKC, but found it was worth the drive. We especially enjoyed the cheese pupusas and tamales. It rivals the Salvadoran restaurants in Dallas and will visit it often.
September 7th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
HA! This is hilarious. I grew up just blocks from where this restaurant is. I was prohibited from riding my bicycle at the intersection of Melrose Lane and Rockwell because of the drug traffic.
September 21st, 2008 at 12:01 am
I love running across your site. I’m Colombian and new in OKC and it’s nice to have found this! “BRAVO”
September 30th, 2008 at 9:17 am
My husband I were papusa-virgins and are happy to report that El Salvador has changed that for the better. We got the pork, bean and cheese papusas and loved them. The kind staff even showed us the proper way to eat them with the cabbage and salsa. We too enjoyed the hot salsa…although we must make a note here…if you don’t like spicy food, definitely go easy on the hot salsa. For us, it was yummy!
Please tell us what you think.