When visiting El Salvador or a Salvadoran restaurant, ordering pupusas is a must!
Pupusas are a traditional Salvadoran dish made from a thick corn tortilla filled with various ingredients like cheese, beans, and meats.
To make your experience easier and more enjoyable, here’s a guide on how to order pupusas in Spanish.
Step 1: Greet the server
It’s always polite to start with a greeting. Here are some common ways to greet someone in Spanish:
- Buenos días (Good morning)
- Buenas tardes (Good afternoon)
- Buenas noches (Good evening)
You can follow this up with a polite request:
- ¿Me podría traer el menú, por favor? (Could you bring me the menu, please?)
Step 2: Ask for the types of pupusas
If the menu isn’t clear or you want to ask about the available options, try one of these phrases:
- ¿Cuáles pupusas tienen? (What types of pupusas do you have?)
- ¿Qué sabores de pupusas ofrecen? (What flavors of pupusas do you offer?)
Common Types of Pupusas:
- Pupusa de queso (Cheese pupusa)
- Pupusa de frijoles (Bean pupusa)
- Pupusa de chicharrón (Pork crackling pupusa)
- Pupusa revuelta (Mixed pupusa, often with beans, cheese, and pork)
- Pupusa de loroco (Loroco is a Salvadoran edible flower often mixed with cheese)
Step 3: Place your order
When you’re ready to order, you can use these phrases:
- Quisiera (I would like)
- Me trae, por favor (Please bring me)
Examples:
- Quisiera dos pupusas de queso y una de frijoles, por favor. (I would like two cheese pupusas and one bean pupusa, please.)
- Me trae tres pupusas revueltas, por favor. (Please bring me three mixed pupusas.)
Step 4: Add sides or drinks
Often, pupusas are served with sides like curtido (pickled cabbage slaw) and salsa roja (red tomato sauce). If you want to ask for these, you can say:
- ¿Me puede traer más curtido, por favor? (Could you bring me more curtido, please?)
- ¿Me trae salsa, por favor? (Please bring me tomatoe sauce.)
If you’d like to order a drink, you can ask:
- ¿Qué bebidas tiene? (What drinks do you have?)
- Quisiera una horchata, por favor. (I’d like a horchata, please.)
Step 5: Thank the server
Once your order is taken, it’s polite to thank the server. You can say:
- Gracias (Thank you)
- Muchas gracias (Thank you very much)
Step 6: Ask for the bill
When you’re ready to leave, you can ask for the bill with one of these phrases:
- ¿Me trae la cuenta, por favor? (Could you bring me the bill, please?)
- ¿Cuánto es? (How much is it?)
My personal favorites? Revueltas, all the way.