La Estrellita Snack

DUDE. SERIOUSLY. Thin homeboy with the long hair needs to get his ish together. Forreal. I don’t have all day to wait for a $ 3 cup of corn. I watched him scoop corn out of a pot (without draining it first), put it into a cup, mix the mayo, chile powder and cheese and hand it to someone else who ordered way after me. I tried to get his attention but he seriously doesn’t know how to prioritize. He decided to bag curtido… make a few peoples’ drinks. HELLO HOMEBOY, DONDE ESTA MI ESQUITES?!
here. here’s my freaking corn soup

For $ 3, the Pupusa is awesome. They are made individually right in front of you — granted, this takes a few minutes. The different fillings are good — I think they have at least 6 or 7 choices. The pupusas come with a side of slaw (very good) and hot sauce. A single Pupusa may be a bit slight unless you’re not very hungry. Although, still good for the $ 3 price-​tag. I usually get two, which is a solid lunch for $ 6.
I recommend a few things:
1) Get the Pupusa Loca (mix of pork, beans and cactus).
2) Figure out a place to sit, because this is a knife and fork meal.
3) Suquini = Zucchini
4) Hot sauce ain’t that hot. So get hot, unless you HATE spicy .
5) The side slaw is super-​legit. If you get it to-​go, use your fork to shovel it out of the bag. Otherwise, you get a wet Pupusa plate.
6) Don’t second guess yourself for not getting wood-​fired pizza next door. The pupusas are good, and much cheaper.
Why four stars? It’s UN Plaza. You lose a star for that. Still — I like it!
Good job!

On our first day in San Francisco, tired from unpacking, hungry from not eating any food for 12+ hours and cold from being absolutely unaware that San Francisco can get this windy, my husband and I wandered around the area in search of something to quickly satiate our hunger!
We got here just as they were closing down and asked for two pupusas (bean and cheese). We were not turned down, even though they were clearly done for the day! The pupusas were made hot & fresh, right in front of our eyes and served with much love. The hot salsa was super yummy and the pupusas are comparable to some of the best ones I’ve had! I can’t wait to make this my Wednesday & Sunday routine!

The Tamale Lady’s pupusa stand. How much better can life be?! Definitely make sure you get them homemade (they premake the revuelta and queso ones), though realize it’ll take 5 – 8 minutes, but it’s well worthwhile. I like trying out different combinations. (One of my favorites recently was spinach/​mushroom/​queso). Fresh and tasty, and a great addition to Tenderloin eats.

Cruel and unusual things can happen to your food from the time you order it to when it gets to you.
And for those of you who’ve ever worked in the food industry, you know what I mean. *sniff sniff *
It’s the main reason why 1) you are always nice to the folks working the drive-​through, 2) you are glad to see an open kitchen and can see who is making your food, and 3) you are cautious when eating from a street vendor or roach coach.
It’s because of reason number three that I had my reservation about La Estrelita’s Snack Bar — it’s a make shift kitchen under a tent near the United Nations Plaza.
But I no longer fear, for the pupusas they serve have a fresh flavor that can only come from homemade goodness.
The pupusas are made to order and cooked right in front of you.
You have your choice of filling (s) but I’d recommend trying the combination of pork, beans, and cheese.
The downside is that they only set up shop Monday, Thursday, and Friday, but if the weather is bad, forget about it – which makes a lot of sense on those windy days.
Who wants to see a tent being blown down around Market Street?