A buzzy pupusa paradise finally opens up in the Bay Area

On Wednesday, the modern Salvadoran restaurant, known for its wood-fired pupusas, welcomed eager guests for indoor and outdoor dining at 906 Washington St. — just a short drive from its former pop-up digs. Chef-owner Anthony Salguero said he’s excited to finally debut his 49-seat restaurant more than two years after announcing his plans to open a brick-and-mortar. Dinner reservations aren’t necessary but are highly encouraged.

At Popoca, Salguero will showcase his culinary talents on an outdoor hearth, which he said adds a lovely smokiness to many of the Salvadoran dishes he plans to make. Among them, chorizos de cojutepeque, which are handmade pork sausages tied with torn corn husks, as well as a range of savory pupusas.  

“It’ll feel like a late-night campfire,” Salguero told SFGATE.

A seasonal pupusa menu will showcase three flavors at a time. To start, Salguero will feature shrimp, short rib and cheese, and pupusas stuffed with potatoes and blackened jalapeños and topped with a variety of curtidos, like a regional San Miguel mix prepared with an in-house Worcestershire sauce. Ashes from the hearth fire will help nixtamalize Mexican-sourced corn, which will be ground at the restaurant molino to form fresh masa used for the pupusas as well as tender Salvadoran-style tamales.  

The drink menu is just as exciting. Imported Salvadoran beers will be on hand, as well as a selection of nonalcoholic drinks that include cebada — a barley and strawberry drink — in addition to peanut horchata. It’s Salguero’s wish that Popoca function as an educational setting for guests who may not be familiar with dishes not often spotlighted at Salvadoran restaurants, like gallo en chicha — a chicken in a rich sauce made of spices and dried chiles. Moreover, he wants to embrace conventional flavors with a healthy dose of contemporary techniques.

“We’re going to do dishes that are really important in Salvadoran culture,” Salguero said. “I’m going to get quirky and have fun with them, but I also want to showcase really traditional Salvadoran dishes that aren’t always at the forefront. A lot of people are trying these dishes for the first time.”  

Popoca has been a long time coming for Salguero, who delayed the opening when he had to pivot to a new location. Initially, the plan was to make the Classic Cars West outpost at 411 26th St. the permanent home of Popoca, but the cost of constructing the space was higher than Salguero anticipated, so he opted to break his lease. It took some time to find a new home for Popoca, but eventually, Salguero found a new site within a stone’s throw of Huangcheng Noodle House, Swan’s Market and Square Pie Guys. 

Salguero’s culinary background took him through the kitchens of fine-dining restaurants years before launching his pop-up in 2019. He previously worked as a cook at Michelin-starred restaurants Plumed Horse in Saratoga and Saison in San Francisco before eventually becoming one of the head chefs at the now-shuttered Michel Bistro in Oakland.

Growing up in San Francisco, Salguero recalls dining at Salvadoran restaurants in the Mission District where he’d frequently order his favorite dish of fried plantains served with beans and crema. His passion for the food of his heritage grew deeper during his travels to visit family in El Salvador, especially when he’d discover new culinary dishes unfamiliar to him that inspired him to take a deeper look.  

That’s why, when he decided to launch Popoca, he knew that he wanted to create a business that hit closer to home. Salguero admits that for many years he believed being a successful chef meant working his way through the fine-dining circuit. But as he gained more professional experience, the true marker of success became getting in touch with his cultural roots.

“I think I felt like something was missing,” Salguero said of his time working at fine-dining restaurants. “I wanted to do something that felt more meaningful … and felt true to me.”

Popoca, 906 Washington St., Oakland. Open Tuesday to Thursday, 5:15-9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5:15-11 p.m.