Pupusas City opens in Middle Island
An assortment of pupusas at Pupusas City in Middle Island. Credit: Newsday/Marie Elena Martinez
Pupusas, like tacos, are one of the more beloved handheld snacks of Latin America, originating in El Salvador and Honduras. Made of cornmeal — or rice flour — and griddled, they share a likeness to Colombian and Venezuelan arepas. And man, are they delicious — especially the Salvadorean version that Iris Viera, of Pupusas City’s new brick and mortar in Middle Island, makes.
Viera’s Salvadorean-style pupusas are the real deal, crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. Viera prefers rice flour, which delivers a softer pupusa than their cornmeal (masa) counterparts. The recipe comes from her maternal grandmother and is “made with passion and love,” she said.
Viera, one of 12 siblings, dreamed of coming to the United States and sharing her native cuisine with an American audience. She got that chance eight years ago and worked in restaurants before launching her own food business in 2019 with the Salvadorean “Los Viera” truck. As the community response to her pupusas grew, Viera rebranded to focus solely on the popular handheld. In 2021 the big, red food truck of her future was born: Pupusas City. Now, her first brick and mortar has opened in Middle Island.
Pupusas range from classic beans and cheese (frijoles con queso) and zucchini to the loaded revuelta (steak, chicharrón, beans, cheese), chicken, and even a bírria pupusa complete with consommé for dipping. The menu is enhanced by a selection of aguas frescas ($5), fresh juices, in flavors like watermelon, cucumber and horchata. If you’re hungry, the “big yammys” are two bean and cheese pupusas stuffed like a sandwich with a protein of your choice ($15.50). Pupusas can be purchased in twos ($8) or threes ($10), and all are served with a side of “magical curtido” or a spicy Salvadorean slaw.
“Family being the most important,” Viera’s kids arrive after school to help out. Her nephew takes orders while everyone casually flips between Spanish and English. For the Vieras, the plan has always been growth. With six pupusas currently on the menu, Viera “hopes to grow the menu to 24 pupusas, with franchises in every state, giving jobs and inspiration,” to people just like her.
Pupusas City, 833 Middle Country Rd., Middle Island, 631-448-8907, pupusascity.com. Open Tuesday-Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. Closed Monday. Cash only.
A global freelancer who has checked her suitcase to raise her young daughter on her native Long Island, Marie Elena will always make time for good mezcal, even better tacos and killer conversation. Preferably, in a corner bar seat. She can be found on Instagram at @mariesworldeats.
