Guanaco’s Tacos Pupusería has become a fast favorite for several reasons: it’s incredibly fun to say (for gringos anyway), it serves one of the most underrepresented cuisines in the city, and it’s one of the best deals in town.

For only a few bucks, you can get a sampler with at least one pupusa, another item like a taco or enchilada, and two slabs of fried yuca. The name doesn’t lie: the pupusas are definitely the thing to order here. Inside a crisp layer of hand-patted masa from corn or rice flour (a hard-to-find pupusa version) is a juicy pile of meat (chicken and/or chicharrón, pork skin), melted cheese, loroco (an aromatic Central American herb), spinach, zucchini, and jalapeños. (You can build your own pupusa, making a simpler or vegetarian version.) We also recommend the pastelito, a savory and salty empanada stuffed with beef and onions. The sampler is a lot of food; a pupusa on its own would be a hearty snack, and an economical one.

Both locations are friendly and cheerful, but we’re partial to the Capitol Hill branch. Tucked away from the Broadway hubbub next to a Korean joint and a smoke shop, it’s a great place to catch up with a group of friends over a San Lucas beer. The guys running the show here are also really good at explaining each item and making recommendations.