On Game Day…or Any Day
Pupuseria Doña Azucena, 71 N. Glebe Road, Arlington, 703-248-0332
Pupusas from Doña Azucena. Photo by Liam Sullivan
Tired of Taco Tuesday? Craving something other than chips and salsa during Sunday football? Try pupusas instead.It may take time to score a parking space in the small strip mall that houses Pupuseria Doña Azucena, but the payoff is worth it. Inside, you’ll find two women stuffing soft corn tortilla dough with cheese, meat, refried beans and other fillings, flattening them into disks, slapping them back and forth between their hands and then flipping them onto a griddle.
The pupusas—the national dish of El Salvador—are served with a peppery, vinegary slaw called curtido and a very simple tomato sauce (salsa roja).
Doña Azucena is always busy and the pupusas are made to order, so it’s best to call ahead to avoid a long wait. Filling options include melty, gooey queso blanco; chicharrón (pork spread) with cheese; refried beans with cheese; and cheese with crunchy loroco (squash buds).
Pupusas are best served piping hot, so heat up a griddle or cast iron skillet at home and reheat them on both sides for a couple of minutes. Top each with curtido and serve the salsa roja on the side.
David Hagedorn is Arlington Magazine’s restaurant critic, a cookbook author and an all-around overeater.