Once in awhile I get cravings for my food… by that I mean Salvadoran food. Rinconcito was the first Salvadoran restaurant I tried out in Vancouver.

Rinconcito has been part of the Commercial Drive restaurant scene for years. I’ve known Omar, the owner, for years and even though I haven’t been back since I moved to Surrey, he still remembers me and always asks about my family.

The menu has Salvadoran and Mexican dishes available, but the pupusas are what they’re famous for.

Pupusas are corn patties filled with cheese, beans and pork in various combinations. Sometimes, the cheese is mixed with a fragrant herb called “Loroco”, which makes a world of difference. The availability of loroco in Vancouver is limited, but if you can get it is totally worth it.

Pupusas come pipping hot and served with tomato sauce and “curtido” – a cabbage, oregano and vinegar salad. Best way to eat pupusas is by opening them from the middle to let them cool and taking pieces of it with your hands to dip in the sauce. To get the authentic Salvadoran experience, eat them with your hands.

Another Salvadoran dish that El Riconcito does well is the “Yuca Frita” or  deep fried cassava. The cassava is deep fried to perfection – crunchy on the outside and soft and mushy on the inside.

You can add pork to the dish, but I rather have it plain with curtido, red sauce, salt and lemon. Yum.

El Riconcito is licensed and it also serves a variety of “aguas frescas” such as horchata and tamarind water.