We went to La Cuscatleca over the weekend after trying Salvadoran food from a place in Ann Arbor…read morethe previous day. I didn't really like the food there so I was a bit confused whether it was that place in particular, or if I didn't like Salvadoran tamales and pupusas in general. I figured going to La Cuscatleca would help settle the question.
La Cuscatleca is one of those marketplace/restaurant combos so common around SW Detroit and Dearborn. In the front is the register where you can pick up prepared drinks and tamales. The left half of the store is dedicated to selling Salvadoran sundries and food items. A bunch of ingredients and spices I have never seen before are stuffed into hand labeled bags and adorn the multiple shelves. The grocery area is quite crowded, with only maybe 2.5 feet in between each aisle. The restaurant order window and kitchen is in the rear, and the right half of the store is the eating area with a couple of tables.
Ordering is pretty easy but requires you to know at least a little bit of Spanish - you place the order at the window, then find a seat and they'll bring the food out for you. After you finish, you'll get a handwritten bill, which you take up to the front register to pay. Again, just be aware that the people here speak little to no English.
Pupusas ($3.50 each) - We tried three on the menu: revueltas, loroco, and chipilin. I think we screwed up the order with our one month Duolingo level Spanish because we weren't brought any salsa or curtido on the side. Still, these pupusas were super rich, completely stuffed to the brim with cheese and the other ingredients, with the cheese actually spilling out the sides and caramelizing a bit on the griddle. The salsa and curtido could have helped a bit to cut through some of the richness, but I think the pupusas in general are top quality.
The revueltas is the most familiar with some nice refried beans spread on the interior. I wonder what the difference between the revueltas and the frijol queso is? (5/5)
The loroco adds a very nice mild vegetal quality - the are very generous with the filling of cheese and whole loroco buds so you can taste and appreciate the flavor. This was my favorite of the three. (5/5)
The chipilin is really, really pungent. It's kind of like spinach with the mouthfeel, but way more pungent in flavor. It's tender and not stringy or tough at all, but it's just a little too pungent for me. (4/5)
Tamales ($3.33 each) - We got one puerco, one pollo, one pisque. These are wrapped in foil, then a layer of banana leaf, and finally the filling. As with a typical Salvadoran tamale, these are soft and tender masa, almost like a custard texture. The masa is an absolute flavor bomb - it's meaty, savory, full of umami. For the pisque, there's refried beans added only in the center. The beans are pretty dark looking for refried beans and has a bit of bitterness/acridity to it like it has burned bits mixed in. I'm not sure if it really was burned or it should taste like this. If it didn't have the burned taste, this would be more of a 4/5, but as it stands, it's a (1/5). The pollo has some tender potato and green pepper mixed in and the chicken maintains moisture well (4/5). The puerco has pressure cooked pork mixed in. They include the rib bones and cartilage, giving an unpleasing texture on the interior, but overall the meat portion is pretty tender and juicy (3/5).
Atol de Elote ($4.50) - Woah, this is one seriously thick and rich drink. It's like drinking condensed milk mixed with corn and cinnamon. Or like a drinkable pudding or custard. Super sweet and super filling. It's served warm, so it seems great for a cold day (4/5).
Bathrooms: One single room behind the eating area.
La Cuscatleca is very popular with the local Salvadoran community for good reason. The pupusas in particular are hand made fresh and are absolutely delicious. While we were there, we saw several other parties all enjoying large bowls of soups and stews. We'll definitely have to come back to try those dishes and some of the other authentic specialties.