Even with it having been open for over a year (they opened in November 2016), I had no idea that we had a Salvadoran restaurant in Hiram.  But, on Saturday, when I ran to Office Max to pick something up, there was Nueva San Salvador Bakery, in the same strip mall.  I got so excited, I called both my girls.  And then made plans to have lunch there on Monday.

As you walk in the door, the panaderia selection is overwhelming – these counters were easily twenty feet long and three shelves high.  You can see in the picture above where the three ladies are making all the lunch dishes, to order, on the griddle.

Our youngest daughter turned me onto pupusas, on a visit to the food court at La Fiesta mall.  She had become a fan while studying abroad in Costa Rica.  And spread the fever on to me.  There is also a great Salvadoran place, near my office – Panaderia Elizabeth in Norcross.  But having one in Hiram was a completely unexpected pleasure.   

We stepped up to the counter to order, and the lady behind the counter told us to have a seat, if we were eating in.  It’s a good thing that we sat when we did – by the time we were half way through with lunch, every table was full (it seats 25-30) and we saw a couple of folks leave because there wasn’t a place to sit.  My beloved wasn’t familiar with pupusas, so we ordered one each filled with cheese and beans,

and I had two mixtos – filled with cheese and chicaronnes.

They were excellent, thicker than the ones I’ve had in the past – which may (or likely, may not) have contributed to my over ordering.  As I said, there were two ladies working the griddle and these came to the table so hot that the cheese inside was like licking a flame – we had to wait a bit for them to cool, to enjoy them.  They had a slaw on the table (like a Latin American kimchi) that you could add to the top (I didn’t).  But there was also a verde sauce that had quite a kick to it.  We also ordered a couple of carne tacos.

These were street style tacos, topped with cilantro and onions and wedges of lime.  And they were so fresh tasting.  We also ordered a torta

which was ham and cheese, topped with lettuce and tomato.  They also had a Cuban, which looked excellent.  I’ll have to try that on another visit.