Dona Azucena Pupuseria

So it was Friday night, 8 pm, and we were looking for some quick takeout that would go with a vinho verde. We called Pupatella 3 times before anyone decided to pick up, at which point we were informed it would take over an hour and a half to get a pizza. Not happening.

We had been wanting forever to try this sketchy little pupuseria for forever (since everyone knows the best ethnic food is usually in the most unassuming places!), and the folks on Yelp indicated that it was fast and delicious, so we decided to take a chance. Dona Azucena is at the end of a strip mall that also happens to include: a pawn shop, a counter take-out Chinese restaurant, two family-owned Latin American restaurants (one of which doubles as a "sports bar"), and a Latin American mini-mart. So obviously, our expectations were high. :)

The staff was very friendly and took our orders right away. Although everything I read said they were fast, I think we came in right after the rush--every table was full and no one had any food yet. So we ended up waiting ~30 min for our order. The menu is tiny, and heaven help you if you want a vegetable. We decided to pass on the Nuegados con Chilate (deep fried ground cassava bites served with sugar cane syrup on top and a bowl of corn flour porridge) because neither of us was in the mood for a diabetic coma. Instead, we went with 4 pupusas (one cheese; one combination pork, cheese, and beans; one loroco con queso (edible flower); and one cheese with zucchini and squash) and a chicken tamale. These came with a pickled cabbage salad and red sauce, both packed in knotted plastic baggies.

By the time we got home I probably would have eaten just about anything, but I'm happy to report that the pupusas were, for the most part, delish! My favorites were the combo and the loroco; Pat preferred the cheese. The squash one was not so great...way too much butter used to cook the squash. And the tamale was uninspired...it was moist, but perhaps a little too much so, and seemed to be to be their way to use up left overs--I found a random smattering of: chicken, potato, green olive, and chickpea, but only a small bit of each. Considering that pretty much everything from the restaurant is fried, the pupusas were surprisingly un-greasy...I dabbed them with a paper towel first and it came up dry.

Two pupusas and a half a tamale each later, we were finally fed and surprisingly full. And less than $8 poorer! This is a great place for a quick and cheap pupusa fix. Although I would recommend supplementing with some veggies from home.
(portions x-posted to Yelp)