D.C. is a city known for its pupusas, a Salvadoran masa pocket with fillings like cheese, beans, or meat, traditionally served with a pickled cabbage salad called curtido.
Salvadorans make up the largest immigrant group in D.C. so we’ve got some great pupuserias to choose from, but which is the best? This Hispanic Heritage Month our team taste-tested a bunch to get to the bottom of this important question.
The ‘Scientific’ Method
We asked for your favorites and narrowed them down to the top six recommended spots. Then, we hopped in my 2010 Prius on a mission to try them all before the lactose and grease inevitably made our stomachs a war zone.
To keep things “scientific,” we ordered a revueltas pupusa (cheese and pork) with curtido at each spot. Each member of our team gave it a score which we then averaged.
What Makes a ‘Good’ Pupusa?
Before our quest, Ana Reyes from El Tamarindo told us to watch for a good filling-to-masa ratio (ideally one-to-one), a vinegary yet crunchy curtido, and a side of tomato sauce that wasn’t watery. With our method and our criteria, we set out on the road with empty stomachs.
Gloria’s pupusa plate. I’ll take 10, thanks. (Mr.TinMD/Flickr)
The Rankings
El Tamarindo: 4/5
Price: $3.99 each
This Adams Morgan institution started us off strong with a a crispy cheese exterior and refreshing curtido. However, we wished there had been more meat filling and that the curtido was more pickled.
El Rinconcito: 3.5/6
Price: $4.75 each
We bused it up to this mom-and-pop shop in Columbia Heights, which couldn’t quite stand up to its predecessor. The pupusas were stuffed to the brim with flavorful meat and cheese, but the pay-off was that the outside was mushy and lacking texture. Onwards!
Gloria’s Restaurant: 4.5/5
Price: $3 each
Best bang for your buck of any we tried. Crispy, oily cheese on the outside, and tender, salty meat on the inside, the pupusas themselves might be the best we tried. However, we had to take a half point off because the curtido and salsa were both a bit flavorless.
Mary Bar & Grill: 3.5/5
Price: $3.25 each
This was the point in the afternoon when I realized I forgot the Lactaid, but we persevered. Mary’s had solid pupusas, but it was nothing to write home about. Flavorful masa but almost no meat and a lack of crispy cheese brought the rating down.
Judy Restaurant: 4.5/5
Price: $3.50 each
After four pupusas each we needed something to bring us back to life and Judy’s did just that. The chunky pupusas are served with a spicy salsa verde which was perfection. However, the pupusas were the greasiest of any we tried which was a drawback for some.
La Casita Pupuseria: 4/5
Price: $4.95 each
At this point, our stomachs were holding on for dear life. This pupusa felt the “healthiest” with mostly meat and less cheese which was divisive. I loved it though. Only complaint? Not enough food for the price.
The TLDR
Gloria’s and Judy’s came out on top. Gloria’s impressed us with the crispy fresh exterior while Judy’s side salsa makes it perfect for the spice fiends. But La Casita was a close contender if you don’t mind spending more. But the real lesson here? Maybe don’t eat six pupusas in one sitting.
