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| Tamales Mi Lupita, the taco truck |
Tamales Lupitas is
the name, but they’re known more for their pupusas.
The menu is Salvadorean but the owner is Mexican. She goes by “Lupita” but her name is Angela. These are the mysteries
of Lupitas, well loved in the Fruitvale, so much so in fact that when Anthony
Bourdain visited San Francisco, he made a trip to Oakland to taste Fruitvale’s
taco trucks and the only one he featured was Lupitas. His guide was Shelly
Garza, local food activist of La Placita, a Fruitvale community kitchen for mobile
food vendors.
I am lucky to work two blocks from Lupitas, so I’ve eaten
their pupusas countless times for
lunch and dinner. When I visited today I asked innocently of the friendly man
who took my order what the most popular menu item is and he confirmed with a conspiratorial
smile, “pupusas.” No question, the pupusas keep the people coming back, for
breakfast, lunch and dinner. With any order you will be asked if you want it, “¿para aquí o para llevar?” This always
makes me laugh because “for here” means sitting in the parking lot next to a
row of cars at a plastic table next to the taco truck. I giggle, but without
fail I see a group of people, usually a family, sitting at that table.
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| Murals on the side of Pupusería mi Lupita, the restaurant also owned by Angela Alcocer |
Pupusas are a
Central American specialty, a corn meal (masa)
patty filled with meat, beans, cheese, vegetables, or a combination. The
cooks at Lupitas start with soft masa which
they scoop up, fill with appropriate filling and pat into a patty about 6
inches wide, which they grill until each side is golden. Word to the wise, if
you order a pupusa without asking if
they have your flavor already made, it could take up to 15 minutes for your
order! I’ve made the mistake of ordering zucchini pupusas and locoron (a
tangy Central American herb), which are not their most popular flavors, and
waited at least 15 minutes for my food. If you are in a hurry it is best to ask
them which flavors of pupusas they
have already prepared.
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| Pupusa |
Today I ordered a taco al
pastor, a carnitas taco, a pupusa revuelta, and a pineapple agua fresca. The agua fresca was too sweet for me, but tasty and had fresh pineapple
in it. Lupitas changes their agua fresca flavors
daily, plus they offer fresh squeezed orange and carrot juices right from the
truck. Today’s tacos arrived with cilantro and onions on top and fresh lime and
pickled jalapeños on the side. The meat sat on two stacked tiny tortillas. Al pastor was delicious - juicy little
pieces of meat glistening red, chili flakes and a charred flavor. Carnitas was tasty, but not nearly as
good as the al pastor. The meat was
tough, but chewable, glistening with oil, again with a charred flavor.
The pupusa revuelta was
filled with beans, cheese, and chicharrón,
a tasty combination. I made chicharrón’s acquaintance
for the first time in Guatemala, where chicharrón
means fried pork skin, at a roadside pupusa
stand. In El Salvador, where Lupita’s food customs originate, chicharrón is simply shredded seasoned
pork. The pupusa had a smoky flavor,
with a soft flavorful center and a crispy outside. All pupusas are served with a cabbage slaw and salsa, making for a
totally awkward yet delicious eating experience. Pupusas are especially good for
vegetarians because they come in so many veggie-friendly flavors.
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| Two Tacos |
I don’t know how to eat pupusas
without making a huge mess. They arrive wrapped in tin foil with cabbage
slaw and salsa in double-knotted plastic folding sandwich bags and a plastic
fork. Miraculously my salsa arrived today in a hard plastic container with a
lid, a major improvement. For years my co-workers and I have laughed side by
side as we each stab our cumbersome plastic bags of salsa and attempt to
squeeze it in a controlled manner out of the hole we stabbed with a plastic
fork. Without fail, the salsa squirts
out the wrong side and lands on our clothes. Despite the mess, the taste is
worth it. Pupusas are a real delight
and highly recommended. Lupitas staff is friendly and helpful and their food is
consistently top notch.
Tamales mi Lupita is located in the parking lot of 3340 Foothill Boulevard, at 34th Avenue, Oakland - a ten minute walk up 34th avenue straight from Fruitvale BART.
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