Come taste a yummy meal at El Chalateco Restaurant. They are open after-hours all week. You can get there by bicycle and public transit. They are situated in a location characterized with restaurants, stores and coffee shops.
A pupusa, for those not in the know, is a Salvadoran dish made of corn tortillas typically stuffed with pork, cheese and refried beans that's served with tomato sauce and a side of traditional Salvadoran coleslaw. Anyone already familiar with the dish has surely heard of El Chalateco. “Whenever the subject of El Salvadoran food comes up, or someone mentions pupusas, we will be mentioned” says owner Eduardo Alvarenga. “We’re very much associated with it in Montreal.”
For Eduardo, authenticity is key. He and his mother, with whom he opened the restaurant in 2008, decided to keep it simple and true to their culture, staying away from fads or ingredients that stray from the traditional practice of making pupusas in El Salvador.
“The important thing for us was that the El Salvadoran who comes in here, they know it’s authentic,” says Eduardo. “For us, when you come here and settle in Montreal, for instance, there’s not a whole lot that’s familiar. So you go find your little place that’s true to you. And that’s what we’re doing. We have Latino customers, Quebecois customers, all sorts, and they come here because of who we are.”
