Los Angeles Pupusa House honors Salvadoran heritage with recipes passed down over generations

EAST HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Taste the flavors of El Salvador without leaving Los Angeles when you visit the Los Angeles Pupusa House, in the city’s East Hollywood community.

“We wanted to bring a little piece of our vibrant country to Los Angeles, and that’s how the menu and Los Angeles Pupusa House were born,” restaurant co-founder Josh Henriquez said.

Henriquez and his mother Dina opened L.A. Pupusa House in 2022 and were recognized last year during Hispanic Heritage Month for their work in honoring their Salvadoran heritage.

Their family recipes have been passed down over generations.

The national dish of El Salvador is the pupusa: a thick corn tortilla, traditionally stuffed with cheese, beans and pork.

Here, they offer 20 different flavors.

Pupusas are served with salsa and curtido, which is a Salvadoran pickled cabbage, and they say the proper way to eat one is with your hands.

When visiting, save room for some delicious plantains.

People in the Central American country eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner with sour cream and beans.

L.A. Pupusa House customers can share a platter of yucca frittas – fried yucca – with deep-fried pork belly, and try out the plantain empanadas and enchiladas.

Differing from Mexican cuisine, in El Salvador, an enchilada is a fried tortilla topped with beans, a protein, a hard-boiled egg and cheese.

“I love sharing my culture,” Henriquez said. “I’m very proud of being Salvadoran.”

Expect to leave this East Hollywood hotspot with an added appreciation for Salvadoran cuisine, its savory flavors enhancing the diverse Los Angeles culinary landscape.

“Our whole mission is to have something for everyone, create a safe space for everyone, especially with everything that’s going on,” Henriquez said. “We want to make sure that everyone can come in here, share a great meal, have a great conversation and we feel like a family.”

Los Angeles Pupusa House is open six days a week and is closed Mondays.

The restaurant is located at 4814 Melrose Ave., in Los Angeles.

They’ve partnered with Los Angeles City College for a monthly pupusa making class.

Reach out to them by email at lapupusahouse@gmail.com, or send them a message on Instagram.

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