A little piece of heaven

THE PLACE

El Chinaco

THE JUDGE

Paul Clinton, Daily Pilot politics reporter

THE MEAL

Two Pupusas, Chicharon (pork) and Revuelta (pork and cheese), and

a large pink lemonade.

THE SPEED

The beauty of El Chinaco is that it isn’t so crowded around noon

that you’ll wait for 20 minutes to get your food. Lunch is prepared

quickly, giving you enough time to savor it.

THE SERVICE

Friendly faces greet you at El Chinaco. You’ll always have your

order taken accurately; no need to worry about getting the soft-taco

combo plate if you ordered enchiladas.

THE VERDICT

El Chinaco offers a unique blending of Mexican and Salvadoran

food. The Pupusas, the staple food in El Salvador, explode with

flavor in your mouth. The pork and cheese are packed in a flour

tortilla, which makes it similar to eating an enchilada. But the

tortilla is thick, like a pita-bread sandwich. If heaven exists, this

dish is on the menu. The pupusas are $1.75 a piece.

You also have a multitude of traditional Mexican dishes to choose

from; the combo platters are a good choice because they offer a lot

of bang for the buck. A plate with two chicken or beef enchiladas,

beans, rice, lettuce and tomato runs for $5.50.

I rounded the meal off with a pink lemonade, which is a winner.

The beverage bar offers a bottomless drink for lemonade and a variety

of sodas. El Chinaco also offers the traditional horchata (rice

water), batidos (milk shakes) and a range of other homemade drinks.