NYC hidden dining gems: Ricas Pupusas & Mas showcases a Salvadoran staple

Empanadas look to reign ultimate among Latin American pastry, but if you’re sleeping connected Salvadorian pupusas, fto this service arsenic your wakeup call. Skip the Avianca formation to San Salvador, and get your hole astatine Ricas Pupusas & Mas successful Sunnyside, Queens.

Opened successful September 2019 by Irma Vargas and her daughters, Abby and Amy Vargas, Ricas Pupusas & Mas is astir arsenic authentic arsenic it gets. The recipes are passed down done the household of Irma’s mother, who hails from Cojutepeque, El Salvador, with a fewer tweaks from ma on the way.

Pupusas day backmost implicit 2,000 years, with origins tied to the Pipil tribe. While they are a staple successful Salvadoran cuisine, they inactive alert acold nether the radar successful the U.S. market.

Because of this, the Vargas ladies — who started their cooking biz selling tamales for a religion fundraiser successful Jackson Heights connected Roosevelt Ave — realized they wanted to item Salvadoran food.

Chicarron taco astatine Ricas Pupusas & Mas successful Sunnyside, Queens. (Kaitlyn Rosati for New York Daily News)

Pupusas are flat, astir similar a stuffed pancake, and astatine Ricas Pupusas & Mas, you person the enactment of maiz (corn flour) oregon arroz (rice flour), Either way, the dough is freshly made each day. From there, you tin take from fillings including beans, cheese, chorizo and panes con pollo, a accepted Salvadoran crockery made with bread, a full chickenhearted leg, and herb sauce.

I ordered 4 pupusas: 2 made with maize and 2 made with atom flour. I got the maize pupusas filled with simply cheese, and pollo and queso, and the flour pupusas filled with chorizo and food and beans.

It wasn’t conscionable pupusas, though. I was with a person who got a hibiscus agua fresca, and I opted for the maracuya, oregon passionfruit. There’s besides a enactment of Mexican offerings connected the menu, arsenic a motion to the Vargas’ father, who hails from Guadalajara. You tin take from tamales, taco and burritos. The chicharron taco was powerfully suggested so, twist my arm, I threw 1 of those successful determination for bully measure.

Hibiscus and maracuya agua frescaat astatine Ricas Pupusas & Mas successful Sunnyside, Queens. (Kaitlyn Rosati for New York Daily News)

The pupusas came retired soon aft I placed my order, and it was evident earlier I adjacent dug successful that they bash not skimp connected the food . Some had a crusted cheesy edge, signaling that I was astir to beryllium successful for the cheese-pull of my dreams. There was a pickled cabbage slaw served connected the side, which helped brighten the thick, dense treat.

The food and chickenhearted operation was my favorite, and was elevated adjacent further erstwhile accompanied by a bully slathering of some the reddish and greenish salsa picantes offered connected the side. The nicely spiced wound of the chorizo was up determination successful my rankings, arsenic well.

Ricas Pupusas & Mas successful Sunnyside, Queens. (Kaitlyn Rosati for New York Daily News)

While I was determination strictly for pupusas, the chicharron taco connected its ain is capable crushed to travel back. The nutrient takes 8 hours to navigator and it shows; it’s melt-in-your-mouth. Definitely propulsion immoderate of the greenish condiment connected determination portion you’re astatine it. What tin I say, I’m a instrumentality of the greenish sauce.

The Vargas ladies enactment the beardown value of assemblage erstwhile moving a biz successful the dog-eat-dog satellite that is New York City. They inactive tin beryllium recovered connected Roosevelt Ave each Saturday selling tamales and pupusas, and they recognition Queens Together for helping them enactment afloat during the pandemic.

And convey deity they did. Ricas Pupusas & Mas continues to beryllium my mentation that you tin question anyplace successful the satellite without ever leaving New York City — but really, without ever leaving Queens.

You don’t request a 17-course, $500 Michelin-star repast to person a premier eating acquisition successful New York. You conscionable request 4 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 transportation available; nary reservations.

Have a proposition for a large hidden eating gem successful your neighborhood? Reach retired to america with your recommendations