- Valley View News
Salvadoran Restaurant with a “Twist”
LOS ANGELES, CA. You hear “Salvadoran food” and the first thing that comes to mind are pupusas, you know right? A piece of heaven in the shape of a tortilla stuffed with beans, cheese or pork. Well, this and much more is what you can find at La Pupusa Urban Eatery. The modern Salvadoran restaurant located in Los Angeles brings waves of local and international customers each year to try its traditional and street style dishes.
La Pupusa was founded in 2017 by husband and wife, Juan and Stephanie Saravia. They wanted to come up with a place where everyone could feel like they are eating home-made traditional Salvadoran food. However, since they grew up in LA, they also felt the need to make their restaurant and food unique, so they decided to give it an “LA twist.”
The restaurant prides itself for being different from any traditional Salvadoran restaurant. This is no doubt since you can see the differences in every corner and wall of it.
“We’re not a typical Salvadoran restaurant, our style is more urban” said Juan Saravia, owner of the restaurant. “Everything is more like street style, even the name of the restaurant you see on the wall resembles graffiti.”
If you walk through the streets of LA, you will see graffiti or “art.” According to USA Today, the Arts District in downtown LA is known for having about 100 murals, if not more, and there’s also always that illegal writing on the walls on any street you walk by. So, with this whole street style vibe also comes the LA twisted food. A customers’ favorite is the famous “Mañanera.”
“It’s a typical pupusa with two eggs on top, salsa, casamiento (rice and beans), and Salvadoran cream,” said Saravia.
They also have “La Pupusa Mexicana.” A pupusa topped with your favorite taco meat, guacamole, Salvadoran cream, cheese, and pico de gallo. But if you decide to share with your table, then “La Mamasota” is the best way to go. It’s one giant pupusa made with the ingredients of 20 pupusas.
Foods like these ones are what are driving people crazy and wanting to visit the urban spot. But aside from that social media is helping them reach curious and hungry customers from other countries, as it is the case of Alfredo Guevara, a Salvadoran living in Australia.
“This is my first time here,” said Guevara. “I came from Australia to try this food.”
And as for Saravia, he shared how their food ideas come to life. It’s simple, since they grew up in a super multicultural city as is LA. According to World Cities Culture Forum, LA is the second most populated city in the United States, of course this include a variety of different races and cultures.
“Our food ideas come from all the cultures here, the cultures we are surrounded with,” Saravia said.
And as surprisingly as it gets, people from many different cultures also love to give the food from La Pupusa a try, because of course, the LA twist, the smell, and the taste makes anyone fall in love.
By Ana Ramos
With contributions from La Pupusa Urban Eatery, USA Today, World Cities Culture Forum.
Video, Ana Ramos
EDUCATE YOURSELF
Traditional Food and Drink in El Salvador
Facts on Hispanics of Salvadoran Origin in The United States, 2017