Dear readers – I’m back after a few weeks of R&R after a knee surgery where I had friends delivering *gasp* healthy non-grub food for my bed-ridden self. I’ve now received clearance from my physical therapist to venture back out into the world, though checking out Mariposa Cafeteria may not have been her first suggestion.
Mariposa Cafeteria
1599 Tennessee Street
Corner of 26th St. & Tennessee St.
San Francisco, CA 94107
415-285-5105
Hours: M-F 8:00 am – 3:00 pm, Sat. 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Balompie Cafe
3349 18th Street
(between Capp St & Van Ness Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 648-9199
We talked about the ultimate pupusa stop, El Zocalo, in an earlier post. Now you soccer fans get a restaurant where you can watch the soccer games while eating some tasty morsels.
Wikipedia defines Balompie as the literal Spanish word for football as opposed to the anglicized version, futbol.
At Balompie Cafe, you get to order the traditional Salvadorean combo plate with pupusa, yuca, and pastel for $8.50. You also get the vinegary coleslaw, and chips and mild salsa on the side. We went there for Sunday night dinner and were surrounded by families.
Los Jarritos
901 South Van Ness
San Francisco, CA 94110
Open Daily, 9am-10pm
(415) 648-8383
We ducked in here for a late Sunday lunch while I waited for my stubborn 12-year old car to get detailed. Even at about 3pm, this family-run place was still packed.
Though the breakfasts (served any time of day) looked enticing, Francisco had told me to get the combo lunch plate. Kiko’s Combination allows 2 house specialties, plus rice, beans, a green salad, and their yummy freshly-made corn tortillas. The business lunch plate is slightly cheaper ($6.95) than the dinner plate ($10.95). However, we had special instructions to order off the menu.
El Zocalo
3230 Mission St
(between 29th St & Valencia St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 282-2572
This place is on the border of the Mission and Bernal Heights, and it’s open pretty darn late. If you’ve got a hankering for some El Salvadorean pupusas, this is the place that locals know about.
What are pupusas? Wikipedia says:
The Salvadoran pupusa (from Pipil pupusawa) is a thick, hand-made corn tortilla (made using masa de maÃz, a maize flour dough used in Latin American cuisine) that is stuffed with one or more of the following: cheese (queso) (usually a soft Salvadoran cheese called Quesillo), fried pork rind (chicharrón), chicken (pollo), refried beans (frijoles refritos), or queso con loroco (loroco is a vine flower bud from Central America).
