Savor the flavor of El Salvador at this new Tri-Cities restaurant
Iliana Amaya is serving up a taste of her native El Salvador in the Tri-Cities.
She moved to the U.S. when she was 5 and frequently made trips as a teen from Boardman, Ore., to Kennewick to visit the mall.
“Every time I came (to Tri-Cities) since high school, all the time I always wanted papusas,” she said.
But she couldn’t find any that compared to her family’s flavorful recipes.
Now, Amaya and her husband, Jimmy Coronel, have opened a new restaurant on Gage Boulevard in Richland that specializes in savory Central American cuisine.
Their Pupuseria Salvadorean Restaurant isn’t a fancy spot but after just its first week, word is spreading about its tasty dishes at inexpensive prices.
Amaya, 29, and her husband now live in Hermiston. She drives to Richland to cook seven days a week, but she says the trip is worth it.
Pupusas are thick, tortilla-like corn-based griddle cakes that are hand shaped with various fillings. They cost $3 each.
The revuelta is filled with beans, cheese and fried pork. The queso con calabaza is cheese and squash. Top them with salsa and a cabbage-onion slaw for some zest.
The Loroco con Queso Pupusa with gooey cheese and finely chopped loroco flower buds is only available on Sundays. Loroco is commonly used for seasoning in Central America.
Their specialty pupusas are $7, including La Mañanera, topped with eggs, cheese, salsa and sour cream.
The menu also includes birria tacos ($2.50), burritos, quesadillas, tortas and fried plantains.
Her birria recipe is slightly different than Mexican versions, giving them a Salvadoran spin.
Amaya’s handmade pupusas use the same recipes that her mother and grandparents used.
She learned to make them alongside her mom at the El Salvadorean — her mother’s food truck that opened in Boardman in 2009.
Like the casual atmosphere of a food truck, they take food orders at the restaurant counter, and you can eat at a few tables inside or take it to go.
“Many people are afraid to go in a restaurant ... but this is open for any type of person,” Amaya told the Herald.
The Pupuseria Salvadorean Restaurant, 127 Gage Blvd., is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday-Tuesday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday.
The restaurant is near Wingstop and the Bonefish Grill in the former home of Lepice Spice Kitchen that closed after a couple years.
Email Allison Stormo at astormo@tricityherald.com to share news about business openings, closings and other changes.
This story was originally published March 13, 2021 at 5:00 AM.