La Cuscatleca

We went to La Cuscatleca over the weekend after trying Salvadoran food from a place in Ann Arbor the 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.

I'm OUTDONE. I don't know what the ambiance is like but, I'm guessing the service is pure BASURA FROM A PLACE that calls this a tamale. It's grease and slop in a banana leaf. I almost puked looking at it alone. Idk if it's because we're Afro Latina or what but, it's disrespectful to serve this to ANYONE. I HAVEN'T ever in my life felt this bad about food. STEER Clear. I want to call the health department.

Not a fan of the pupusas. Mostly dough and very little filling. When ordering, if you don't speak Spanish it's really difficult to order as the workers speak very little to no English. I ordered a plátano empanada and it was coated in salt instead of sugar!!!! It was so gross!

Delicious spot for authentic El Salvadoran food. One of the few restaurants to get papusas in Detroit. Dining is located inside a small market, and you'll be greeted by very welcoming staff. Be prepared to speak Spanish if you're able to! We ordered the mixed, moro and cheese, chicken and cheese, and loroco and cheese papusas. We also ordered the fried plantain dish which was cooked excellent! Highly recommend :)

My favorite Hidden Gem in all of Michigan a Salvadorian Market n Restaurant has 2 dishes youwon't find anywhere in the state. Famous drink El Atol de Elote" is a dessert/drink made ofground corn, cinnamon and milk. It's thick, sweet, and it has cinnamon so it has to be good ,folks stopping inside just for the delicious drink. Yuca con Chicharron with Salted Dried FishImagine fried pork served along with delicately fried cassava roots (yuca), seasoned withlemons and served with the sour salad, curtido. Really adventurous Foodies will enjoy a triphere, everything imported directly from Salvador including the dried Fish. Imagine a deliciousdish filled with da Yuca chunks of Pork n Salty Fish smother with red sauce n curtio a favoritestreet food in El Salvador.Salvadorian Grandma's in the kitchen dressing in colorful garb fromthe homeland. Great location on Michigan Avenue at Livernois couple hundred feet from corner.A place not to judge the book from the cover looking so drab. Small eating area back of store 8tables filled with Salvadorian folks eating the Authentic food of home. They sell at counter infront of store the most unique fluffy we say Tamal wrapped in Banana Leaf stuffed with Perco/Pork or Pollo/Chicken had one of each outstanding OMG a must try. Order a dish of Yuca Fritawith Chicharon along with a marvelous stuffed Pepper rolled in Egg stuffed with Chicken HOLYWOWED with Rice and Refried Black Beans a real winner. We had a platter of Pupusa with Curtio and Red Sauce totally Wonderful delicious.That's 6 Authentic Salvadorian restaurants around Detroit we visited and they keep gettingbetter. Eating in Grandma's kitchen never gets old. Note no English spoken here, just point atphotos on menu or anything else you see in store. You gotta Love Southwest Detroit where Iwas Born n Raised, we visit many times per month it's always exciting. #lacuscatleca #salvadorianfood #elatoldeelote #yucaconchicharron #driedsaltyfish #chicharron #yucafrita #pupusas

Shh don't tell anyone about this place. It's authentic. It's delicious. They can barely speak English and I can barely speak Spanish, but we figured it out and the experience was great.

When you enter you might be tempted to walk out,but their papusa,and tamales are amazing they also have a variety of snacks to choose from but the best part of it all is that it isn't expensive.

Yo. The ATOL! So creamy, warm & cozy. Only go here if you're into A+ everything. Family-owned, warm & genuine staff. Everything's fantastic. No notes. xo.

Salvadorian and fellow pupusa critic of 24 years here! If you're craving them authentic pupusas, perfect place to come to in Detroit