My FAVORITE Street Food in San Pedro, Belize: Pupusas at Waraguma

Despite the fact that the pupusa is an El Salvadorean dish, if I was the head of the Belize Tourism Board, I would make it mandatory that all visitors to the island sample a pupusa on each trip to Ambergris Caye.  Perhaps a stamp in your passport to give you a 25% discount on your exit fees at the airport would be in order.  This food is that good.  (You could get another discount for BBQ chicken with rice and beans and potato salad…but I’ll work on the specifics).

There are a few places that make pupusas but my favorite is Waraguma (it is at the southern end of Middle Street).  They make these delicious little stuffed corn pancakes on the street from 5pm until about 9pm and for lunch and all afternoon, they cook them in the kitchen.  Here are the flavors:

My favorites are Chicken and Cheese, Queso Solo or the Pumpkin and Cheese.  The last one is DELICIOUS.  Pumpkin taste just like zucchini.

The woman making the pupusas told me that it is a very easy process.  The dough is just masa and water kneaded until smooth…

The dough is formed into a cup and stuffed with your fillings.  Hmmm…doesn’t seem that easy to me.  It is then topped with a bit more dough and flattened into a fat pancake.  Onto the griddle until the cheese starts melting out and starts to get crusty.  Serve immediately.  DEE-LISH-OUS.

Pupusas are served with a cabbage slaw (I think Waraguma makes the best one) that is just shredded carrots and cabbage with a bit of vinegary-ness.  Not too much.  It is so tasty and cuts the rich cheesiness a bit.  Try it.  You also get a bit of a very thin tomato salsa.

The most popular flavors at Waraguma are Mixed (pork paste, beans and cheese) and the simple cheese one.  Get this…they make up to 500 pupusas on a busy night.

You can eat in the open restaurant…

Or in the side garden…

Or take them to go.  At $2.50bzd each, they are cheap, filling and delicious.

If you in any way doubt my loyalty to this local delicacy, meet my male cat, Pupusa.  Four years old now, 19lbs and found in a garbage shed in San Pedro at 10 ozs., his favorite is definitely the pork and cheese (hold the cabbage slaw).