So anyone who knows me much, knows that I have an affinity for latin culture. From the music, to the colors, the languages, the food…it’s all my jam. For whatever reason the gods saw fit though, I was born in the high mountains of Washington state, far from the plazas and taco stands of my dreams. So it wasn’t until my early 20’s that I discovered pupusas, an El Salvadoran nation dish that I have been obsessing over ever since my first bite. Unlike tacos, pupusas are not ubiquitous however and so sussing them out can take some investigating.

I had had Pupuseria Ana saved in my google maps for awhile but it wasn’t until my birthday rolled around that I was finally able to saunter up to Marysville to check it out. Some people would argue that pupusas are a strange birthday breakfast food for a blond haired gringa to order up but those people just don’t know a good thing when they see it. I could eat pupusas anytime, any place, anywhere and judging by the Pupuseria Ana’s online reviews, I am hardly alone.

The thing about what makes a good pupusa is not just the masa or the fillings it’s also about the curtido, a slightly pickled cabbage slaw which comes on the side of all good pupusas and of course the salsa. It’s a trifecta really and only as good as the sum of its parts. I’ve been to some restaurants that serve up a paltry little side of curtido, a grave error as every bite should have a bit of that pickily crunch to balance out the rich pupusa. And then there’s the salsa, ever so slightly spiced, with hints of onion and tomato but still almost liquid so that the pupusa is able to soak up all that delicious flavor. So obviously, not every pupuseria can pull this off; the salsa will taste more like ketchup than anything else or the curtido will be overly sour, so finding a restaurant that does all three well can be rare. It’s a delicate dance of flavors, mastering all three elements but one that Pupuseria Ana does well.

The menu at Ana’s is extensive including their pupusa selection which had the usual, like frijoles & queso, pork & queso and loroco but they also had spinach and cheese as well as a combination of all my favorite flavors that I’ve never seen done anywhere else before; beans, cheese and loroco. So that was major points obviously and after my first bite, I was won over.

Of course I ordered too much and ended up leaving with a to-go box but that’s yet another great thing about pupusas, they heat up well the next day unlike tacos which really only have their one moment of glory before the tortilla gets all hard and the cilantro goes all wilty. And what better way to start the new year of me, the first day after my birthday, than with pupusas all over again. And if it’s anything like my leftover breakfast this morning, it’s gonna be a delicious year.

Pupuseria Ana

409 State Ave, Marysville, WA 98270

Open Monday thru Friday 10am-8:30pm and Saturday & Sunday 9am-8:30pm. Closed Tuesdays

~425-903-7696~