Pupuseria Mama Blanca

I enjoyed coming to this little corner of East Boston but sadly they are closed onve again and it looks like another restaurant is going to open up here :(there pupusaz were so good! And their mango smothies were a creamy goodness!

Every once in a while, I get the Sunday afternoon blues. BB King used to sing about them I’m sure.
So a while back, on a sad little Sunday, I went here. The first few seconds when you approach this place is a bit uncomfortable. Is this really a restaurant? Am I about to walk into someone’s living room? Are they going to be nice to me?
But venture here, because you won’t feel bad about going to work the next day if you do. And if you’re a good climber, you can scale a wall and be at Terminal A of Logan. Weird.

I loved this place but it is now closed. I am not sure what happened, but it seemed like it was under new management for about a month or so, now it is completely closed. There is another Mama Blanca in Orient Heights but I have not been so I can’t say if the pupusas are as delicious as they used to be on Maverick Street. Sad loss for Jeffries Point :(

looks like they are closed

I don’t have a means of comparison as this is the only pupusa place that I’ve ever dined, however it is delicious. I am lucky enough to work in the neighborhood and have become a frequent diner. They recently introduced some American dishes to their menu (e.g. steak & cheese) and watered down the authentic feel a bit. On the other hand there were some capital improvements and you no longer feel like you’re in someone’s house.
My only complaint is that they’ve been closed for several weeks (as of 7÷20÷12) what gives?!

I rode my bicycle to the restaurant in East Boston and back again. The ride back was tougher since I had two pupusas in my stomach along witht the lightly picked cabbage and tangy light tomato sauce that complements the pupusas so well. The pupusas were light and flavorful. And the people are very nice.

This is the perfect example of «don’t judge a book by it’s cover.» Mama Blanca’s Papuseria looks fairly small, divey, and lonely located all by itself at the very end of Maverick Street in Eastie right before the airport entrance, but has quickly become a go-​to spot for me.
Like most of these small Colombian joints in East Boston, I’ve passed right by and never thought of trying it out. I moved to the area a few months ago and was looking for something quick and easy, and with Mama Blanca’s being the only restaurant within walking distance, I really didn’t have much choice. What I found was a TON of delicious and, most importantly, FRESH, food for a really good price. The papusas were hot and great with their crispy coleslaw and hot sauce. I branched out and tried their chicken burrito and was surprised to find it very different from your average Chipotle burrito; the chicken is prepared and seasoned different and there were even cucumbers in mine. It was a great detour from mexican food. What’s awesome is that everything is served with thick cut steak fries and fried plantains with dipping sauce! It’s impossible to everything all at once so with leftovers it’s like getting almost 2 meals for the cost of 1.
The –1 star is the language barrier. Unfortunately it’s hard to communicate over the phone (their menu is primarily in Spanish) and when you walk into the joint, it’s best to just point. Also, the last chicken burrito I got didn’t have cucumbers in it. I’ll continue to go here as long as I live nearby.

I love this restaurant so much that I bought it ‚.,

This place is good, really good. People are very friendly there. Inexpensive.

To call this place off the beaten path is an insult to beaten paths everywhere, and yes that does appear to be a 30 foot sinkhole in the middle of the street in front of this place (July 2010). Now enough with the humor, while this place is an El Salvadorian restaurant you can get your standard Latin American cuisine here. Don’t be put off by this places exterior, the food is delicious. I am going out on a limb and will say this is the most authentic latin american food since I moved back from San Francisco. Here is what I had:
Fried Plantains — They were some of the best I’ve ever had, sweet (almost had a brown sugar taste), and they came with a whipped cream dipping sauce. Gotta try it!
Pupusa — So the staff here doesn’t speak English very well so I just asked that they bring the best pupesa, I think it had cheese and beef in it. For those who have never tried one it is close to a thin corn based hot pocket/​pancake. Also very good. My buddy said we should order a stack of these (like pancakes) with the plantains next time
Chicken Burrito — The burrito was good but different, not your typical Mexican burrito. No sour cream or guacamole. It had chicken, beans, rice, and elements of a salad. It was very big and tasty, it also came with a side of steak fries

They have such good food but WHY can they never understand that rice and beans does NOT = french fries?
Anyways, if you frequent this location or the orient heights location, theyre both really good. But apparently you will never get rice and beans when you ask.

** LOCATED: on the left hand corner of Jeffries & Maverick**
My girlfriend and I have been on the search for the Best Pupuseria EVER! [or in North America] It was this quest that brought us to Pupuseria Mama Blanca. We were deceived by the picture posted on Unilocal![it’s not fulanita’s kitchen your walking into, its ACTUALLY a restaurant]. This place is great! The drive through a sketchy part of town is well worth it.
The patrons are mostly immigrants, but an americanized latin@ will walk in occasionally. The décor is similar to what one would find in a typical Mexican/​Central American restaurant — lots of color & knickknacks from Nica, Guate & El Salvador are highlighted by nopales and other greenery. They have most of the standard Jarrito flavors, but no tasty Tecate or Pacifico in sight. Can easily seat 5, but I don’t see larger parties being comfortable here. It feels like your tias kitchen. In the back there’s a room with toys & papers — possibly the office/​kids play-​n-​homework room. The two ladies cooking, taking orders & serving are friendly and speak English well [not to fret you non-​Spanish speakers!]. They also tolerated my girlfriend’s (slightly) broken Spanish. [3 cool points!]
We feasted on pupusas with cheese and loroco; revueltas [pork & cheese mix] and maduros [sweet plantains]. Being Dominican I’m very partial to my maduros, the ones we ordered weren’t ripe enough [womp, womp]. The main meal… DELICIOUS! The cheese melted perfectly — cheese strings were dangling! A good porky taste in the revueltas and the loroco was fresh and well chopped [I strongly dislike chunky pieces of loroco].
After several pupusa disappointments here on the east coast I was ready to give up the ghost, but thanks to PMB im back. My only regret: I can’t give it 5 stars because we got take out.

I lived around the corner from Mama Blanca’s for 3 years. I had never had a papusa before, I didn’t even know what a papusa was (well, save for a baby in a bag, but I digress), but I am sure glad I got hungry and adventurous. I went out to the little white house on the corner on a hot summer’s day and went back once a week until I moved away.
The staff is very friendly and efficient — not all of them speak English well, but it’s a great opportunity to practice your Spanish if you want (they get a kick out of it and encourage you).
The Plato Gordito is out of this world — carne asada, grilled chicken and shrimp with beans that melt in your mouth. I also recommend getting a papusa revuelta as an appetizer. I’m not sure what’s in it, but I don’t exactly care either — it’s yum-​city.
I am moving back to Eastie soon — dinner from Mama Blancas will be one of my first items of business upon my return. You have to check this place out!

After reading reviews and hearing from a friend that it was a good spot in East Boston for pupusas (besides my bf’s mom pupusas!!) my boyfriend and I finally went to check this place out. I was excited to try their food since there has been so many awesome comments about this place.
If you dont know East Boston then going to this place could make you a bit…“is this the right area?!” frame of mind. It is on the corner of a residential area of East Boston and looks like a house but its not. Walking inside you get the feel of cozy and home cooking since everything is pretty regular and nothing crazy or fancy.
If you dont speak Spanish that is fine as they do have a waitress that speaks English so dont let be your deal breaker. Their menu is a decent size with all the authentic Salvadoran and other cultural foods on there. I ordered a Montenero (I know its not Salvadoran but if for some reason I base my standards on a good Montenero, if you cant bring it with that dish then im sad). My BF ordered a Salvadoran breakfast and 2 mixed pupusas. We told the waitress that we wanted out pupusas first and she brought out our drinks and some chips/​salsa. The chips were very greasy and the salsa was very watery tomato sauce so I was already disappointed. We kept waiting for our pupusas and they never came until after we received our dishes but then had to remind our waitress that we ordered them. The cook made our pupusas and brought them over when we were almost half way done with our dishes.
My Montenero was alright nothing to write home about. The meat was seasoned a bit to much as it tasted a little to salty. The beans were good and the rice was. rice! My BF’s dish was also just ok. Nothing great but I doubt we will ever go back there again due to the horrible pupusas they made. The pupusas that we received were just horrible, the flavor to us was wierd. My BF is Salvadoran so he knows a good pupusa when he eats one and this one was not a good one.
I personally think that there are plenty of other places around East Boston to get a good pupusa and this place is not one of them.

I contemplated not reviewing it because I want to keep it as my little gem, but I don’t want to be selfish and I want people to go here to experience the deliciousness.
I really never have any reason to go to East Boston, but this presents a very compelling reason for me to go there. I took a visiting friend here the other night and it was the best decision ever.
We went there for the sole purpose of pupusas, so neither of us tried any other menu item, but the pupusas was AMAZINGLY delicious. They come with this kind of pickled cabbage-​y thing and this sort of salsa-​y condiment that just make the flavor of the pupusa intensify in your mouth.
I absolutely can not wait to go here again. It’s also wicked cheap, which I am always happy about.

Nom Nom Nom Nom. That’s all you hear when my fiancé and I eat here because the food is so damn good. They make the pupusas to order and there is always someone working who speaks English so I highly recommend this place to everyone! After our first visit they remembered us and the owners son came over and introduced himself. He is clearly very proud of the family restaurant and that they attract a wide variety of clientele. This is one of our new go to places and the prices are unbelievable. If you dint live in Eastie it is still worth the trip!

Chowhound jackpot! Fantastic, super-​cheap pupusas and tacos in an odd residential corner of East Boston.
Pupusería Mama Blanca sits on a corner of residential East Boston that you’d never pass if you didn’t live nearby, or weren’t using the gated, Eastie-​residents-​only back entrance to Logan Airport. You might mistake its unprepossessing exterior for a private home. Its humble interior, with counter service and 21 seats, wouldn’t raise your expectations. But then you’d sample the food, and think, «Aaah, this is why I seek out new restaurants.»
The focus on pupusas signals this is a Salvadoran, not Mexican restaurant, but unlike many worthy competitors, its menu includes English translations, and the chef/​owner is a friendly, funny host who speaks excellent English. Every plate is made to order, and the tacos and pupusas are shockingly good. In fact, Mama Blanca’s taco of chicken, beef, or beef tongue ($ 2) might be the best I’ve had in years: two layers of griddled masa tortillas very generously filled with diced meat, lettuce, and tomatoes, with a wedge of lime to squeeze on top. They’re eminently fresh, bulging, and a tiny bit greasy: just superb, and a great value.
Pupusas ($ 1.75 each) — the fat, griddled, stuffed masa tortillas of El Salvador — are similarly outstanding, with fillings of rich chicharrón (fried pork skin with some fat and meat left on, finely minced), quesillo (a mild white cheese), mashed black beans with cheese, or revueltas (a mix of the three). Each is served with curtido, a rough vinegar-​dressed slaw, and salsa rojo, a simple tomato-​sauce condiment. Originated by El Salvador’s indigenous Pipil people, pupusas are a hearty peasant-​fare wonder. One makes a light lunch, two a good dinner, three a nap-​inducer.
Gut-​busting entrées are served with rice, beans, salad (dressed with bottled Wish-​Bone Italian), and tortillas. Typical examples include the aptly named plato gordito ($ 12.50) of grilled steak, shrimp, and chicken and the camarones con coco ($ 12.50), a sauté of fat shrimp in a coconut-​based gravy. Saturdays feature sopa de res y mondongo ($ 10.50), the offal-​rich beef/​tripe stew beloved as a hangover cure. The Sunday menu offers sopa de gallina ($ 10.50), a similarly restorative giant bowl of chicken soup. Drinks include sodas like El Salvador’s sugary Kolashanpan ($ 1.50), watery fruit smoothies called batidos ($ 3), and canned tropical-​fruit juices ($ 2). Given how well one can dine here for under $ 7, Pupuseria Mama Blanca epitomizes the kind of happy surprise that dedicated cheap-​eats prospectors live for: the little pan of gold uncovered in an out-​of-​the-​way streambed.

I have tried this place several times. It is a little, tiny typical pupuseria in far in a quiet corner in East Boston.
The Good: The menu has alot of variety to please any palate. Hasthe usual Mexican/​Salvadorian items on the menu. The 3 ladies and 1 gentlemn (owner) are extremely personable and show appreciation for you coming. If your looking for the a unique ethnic pupuseria experience with Salvadorian style food… this place would be good one to try.
The Bad: Nothing on the menu that really jumps at you. The place is very small so dont plan with more than 8 people. Food is mediocre in taste compared to other pupuserias in the neighborhood.
The Ugly: When I have been there, I always have to wait a really time for the food to come out. Almost every customer in there had to wait a long time from my observation. Their pupupas have a funny taste to me for some reason. I think its the cheese they use here. As I was waiting for my food in the really small restaurant /kitchen…(cuz your in the kitchen too) there was a cockroach just walking around. I almost threw up in my mouth a lil bit…
If your gonna go: CALL AHEAD and save yourself time.

If you ask me Pupusas are an amuse bouche created by one smart El Salvadorian. I was introduced to these fantastic savory Latin stuffed pancakes when I lived in Los Angeles. Every Sunday, my husband and I would brave long lines at the Hollywood Farmers Market to devour a plate of these. When I returned to the East Coast, I never in a million years thought I would be able to enjoy them again.
Fast forward to me driving around East Boston (don’t ask why). I find that I ‘m getting lost quickly, when all of a sudden out of the corner of my eye I see the sign PUPUSERIA! I back my car up, do a double take, park my car, and run into this run down shack of a restaurant.
The actual name of this joint is Pupuseria Mama Blanca. It’s a serious hole in the wall with about 10 tables, a small counter, Spanish TV blasting from a corner and a really friendly staff. It was hard to tell if the place was clean but I didn’t care. I will say it’s not for the faint of heart. If you like side of the road food stands, this place is for you.
Pupusas are basically a savory masa stuffed pancake. They are usually filled with cheeses and meats. I would suggest pollo and queso for the timid, but if you have an adventurous palate, go for the beef tongue or the chicharrón (fried pork skin with some fat and meat left on, finely minced) They are made to order and come out smokin’ hot. Severed with curtido, a rough vinegar-​dressed slaw which I found really spicy and salsa rojo, a simple watery tomato sauce. I requested a side of «Spanish crème’ to drizzle on each pupusa, but you need to ask for this as it doesn’t come with your dish.
You can’t beat the price. I had 2 chicken and cheese pupusas and a coke in a glass green bottle all for the low price of $ 5.25. Cheaper than that dump Mickey D’s and hell of a lot better for you too.

This is the ULTIMATE, try not to be scared, extreme-​fringe dining hole in the wall, located at the secret back entrance/​exit to Logan Airport near the rental car returns (it is outside the airport fence)
In fact, I had to add the listing to Unilocal.This papuseria is simply called, Papuseria, and serves up, guess what? PAPUSAS, which are yellow corn meal patties, stuffed with cheese and meat (chicken, beef, & don’t ask) and then pan or griddle fried and served with Salsa and Cordito, which is El Salvadorian pickled cole slaw (no mayo, just cabbage, carrots, caraway seeds and vinegar)
They also do Chicharrones and other salvadorian staples, but the paps ROCK here, the place is BYOB and it has the feel of a road side stand right out of The Motorcycle Diaries
NOT for the ‘personal size hand sanitizer’ crowd, be warned, but you will be rewarded for your efforts here, and hey, Santarpios needs a break now and again