Empanadas seem to reign supreme among Latin American pastry, but if you’re sleeping on Salvadorian pupusas, let this serve as your wakeup call. Skip the Avianca flight to San Salvador, and get your fix at Ricas Pupusas & Mas in Sunnyside, Queens.
Opened in September 2019 by Irma Vargas and her daughters, Abby and Amy Vargas, Ricas Pupusas & Mas is about as authentic as it gets. The recipes are passed down through the family of Irma’s mother, who hails from Cojutepeque, El Salvador, with a few tweaks from mom along the way.
Pupusas date back over 2,000 years, with origins tied to the Pipil tribe. While they are a staple in Salvadoran cuisine, they still fly far under the radar in the U.S. market.
Because of this, the Vargas ladies — who started their cooking biz selling tamales for a church fundraiser in Jackson Heights on Roosevelt Ave — realized they wanted to highlight Salvadoran food.
Pupusas are flat, almost like a stuffed pancake, and at Ricas Pupusas & Mas, you have the option of maiz (corn flour) or arroz (rice flour), Either way, the dough is freshly made each day. From there, you can choose from fillings including beans, cheese, chorizo and panes con pollo, a traditional Salvadoran dish made with bread, a whole chicken leg, and tomato sauce.
I ordered four pupusas: two made with corn and two made with rice flour. I got the corn pupusas filled with simply cheese, and pollo and queso, and the flour pupusas filled with chorizo and cheese and beans.
It wasn’t just pupusas, though. I was with a friend who got a hibiscus agua fresca, and I opted for the maracuya, or passionfruit. There’s also a selection of Mexican offerings on the menu, as a nod to the Vargas’ father, who hails from Guadalajara. You can choose from tamales, taco and burritos. The chicharron taco was strongly suggested so, twist my arm, I threw one of those in there for good measure.
The pupusas came out shortly after I placed my order, and it was evident before I even dug in that they do not skimp on the cheese . Some had a crusted cheesy edge, signaling that I was about to be in for the cheese-pull of my dreams. There was a pickled cabbage slaw served on the side, which helped brighten the thick, dense treat.
The cheese and chicken combination was my favorite, and was elevated even further when accompanied by a nice slathering of both the red and green salsa picantes offered on the side. The nicely spiced bite of the chorizo was up there in my rankings, as well.
While I was there strictly for pupusas, the chicharron taco on its own is enough reason to come back. The meat takes eight hours to cook and it shows; it’s melt-in-your-mouth. Definitely throw some of the green sauce on there while you’re at it. What can I say, I’m a fan of the green sauce.
The Vargas ladies note the strong importance of community when running a biz in the dog-eat-dog world that is New York City. They still can be found on Roosevelt Ave every Saturday selling tamales and pupusas, and they credit Queens Together for helping them stay afloat during the pandemic.
And thank god they did. Ricas Pupusas & Mas continues to prove my theory that you can travel anywhere in the world without ever leaving New York City — but really, without ever leaving Queens.
You don’t need a 17-course, $500 Michelin-star meal to have a prime dining experience in New York. You just need four bucks and a MetroCard swipe.
- Address: 47-55 47th St, Woodside, NY 11377, United States
- Phone: 929-296-0069
- Hours: Wednesday–Monday 12 p.m.-9 p.m.; Closed Tuesdays
- Prices: Pupusas y mas: $3.99–$13.99 Desserts $4.25-$5.50; Beverages 4.50-$8.75
- Takeout and delivery available; no reservations.
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