Seattlest Bites #1: Pupusas at Guanaco's Tacos Pupuseria
Pupusa platter at Guanaco's. Photo by Tamiko Nimura.
Seattlest Bites is an occasional series, where we feature our favorite snacks or small plates from around the Sound. Have a bite you can't keep to yourself? Send us your suggestions and pictures at tips@seattlest.com.
The Bite: Pupusas from Guanaco’s Tacos Pupuseria
Whenever we’re in the U-District, one of our favorite bites is at Guanaco’s Tacos Pupuseria, located just two blocks from campus. Guanaco’s serves Salvadoran/Mexican food, but go for the pupusas: crispy-on-the-outside, lusciously-soft-on-the-inside tortilla sandwiches, otherwise known as the Salvadoran cousins to other filled Latin American flatbreads: gorditas, quesadillas, arepas, empanadas. Traditionally, Salvadoran tortillas are made thicker than Mexican ones. And Guanaco’s makes their own.
You can get one pupusa for $2.79, made with corn or rice flour tortillas. Under $3 is generous for one pupusa, considering that you can have your choice of any 9 fillings in each pupusa, including seasoned chicken, cheese, zucchini, nopal (cactus), and loroco (a tropical herb). Two pupusas can satisfy our typical lunch appetites; these are substantial snacks.
Other recommended bites here: the baby corn tamal, moist and sweet, especially with a side of refried beans and sour cream for dipping. (Pictured here: the sampler platter, which includes your choice of two pupusas with black or refried beans, plus rice and curtido (spicy pickled cabbage).
The U-District Guanaco’s will close briefly in early September for remodeling, but you can satisfy your pupusa fix at their Capitol Hill location. Check their website for details.
