El Salvador Restaurant

Ninety-​two decibels.
That is, according to the app I downloaded ten minutes into my meal at El Salvador by sheer curiosity. How would I accurately be able to convey the ear-​splitting din I was subjecting myself to?
A train whistle at 500 feet, truck traffic and jackhammers, that’s how loud. So loud that OSHA doesn’t allow people to be exposed to this level of noise for more than six hours a day. Prolonged exposure can lead to hearing loss.
Pity the bartender here, sitting at an empty establishment while sensation drifts out of the auditory canal. Or the sole waitress, who gently corrected my Spanish when ordering the baleadas. This is technically Honduran, but I had it alongside the quintessentially Salavadoaran pupusa con queso.
The pupusa hit its mark, especially in the consistency and density of the corn meal coating. I typically prefer a red sauce, but the salsa verde had some interesting savory notes mixed in the spices. The baleadas (it’s four syllables!) were more substantial, although I can’t remember anything from a long-​ago trip to Honduras to compare this with.
The music, however, is just insane, even by Latin restaurant levels. Especially in a place where I was the only diner for a good chunk of the meal. Amanda is cranking out better pupusas at her tiny shack around the corner, which can be eaten in the warmer months in the nearby Maria Hernandez Park. Go there instead.

El Salvador has some tasty dishes. I’m a big fan of their pupusas: thick corn tortillas stuffed with various ingredients, the revueltas being my favorite. Pupusas also come with a fresh homemade coleslaw which is great in its own right.
The way they spice their black beans is delicious and unlike others that I’ve had. This makes their tostadas, burritos, etc something special.
Recommended for Bushwick diners in search of more authentic Latin American food!