Panchita's Pupuseria Restaurant #2

Operating for over three decades at 16th and Valencia, Panchita’s is where to go to sample some of the city’s best pupusas. The menu has over twelve types, including non-meat options like loroco (a kind of flower bud), zucchini, and spinach. Each pupusa is $5 and packed with delicious stuffing and plenty of cheese that oozes out to form crispy edges around the griddled masa. Whenever we head to this counter-service Mission spot, we inevitably end up with one or two revuelta—a classic mix of chicharron, bean, and cheese—and then make sure to add an extra serving of Panchita’s fresh curtido on top. Consider the two-pupusas-for-$8 deal, or a combo that comes with fried plantains and beans if you’re looking for a meal that will keep you going well into the next day.

photo credit: Erin Ng