A restaurant recommendation in the CSUSM orbit that I always enjoy visiting for a delicious meal is Cuscatlan Salvadorian Cuisine.

The eatery is in the heart of Escondido, CA between Kalmia St. & Juniper St at 221 E Grand Avenue. The Cuscatlan is an authentic cuisine experience. According to its website, “the cuisine of El Salvador is rich and varied.”

The colorful fl avors of the cuisine originate from its infl uences near the Pacifi c Ocean and its Guatemalan and Honduran neighbors. I discovered it in the Fall of 2018 during my fi rst semester at CSUSM. My Spanish 101 professor assigned the restaurant as an extra-credit assignment to expose my class to culture and cuisine from a Latin American country that might not be commonly known to many Americans.

The restaurant itself is not very large but has an outside patio, main dining room and a bar that serves alcohol. The service is friendly and attentive and the waiters are patient with novice Spanish speakers who want to practice restaurant scenarios by ordering in Spanish.

A popular dish I would highly recommend is the pu-pusas, which are incredible. The pupusa itself resembles a tortilla style pancake that has various fi llings that can include meat, vegetables, cheese and beans. They are also served with a spicy slaw on the side.

As a condiment, Cuscatlan has a light hot sauce that is mostly water, as well as a thicker hot sauce that I would not recommend to those who aren’t acquainted with serious spiciness. The prices are affordable even for a broke university student.

On the menu they have an assortment of beverages, soups and salad and a selective kid’s menu. The appetizer, breakfast and main entree menus feature a range of traditional Salvadoran dishes. The specialty menu features a variety of pupusas, deep-dish pizzas, sandwiches and more.

From Sunday to Thursday, Cuscatlan is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The restaurant opens at the same time on Fridays and Saturdays but closes an hour later.