It’s been a bit chilly in Minnesota since the end of last week. We left the house anyway on Saturday. The plan had been to lay down a protective layer of paya at a Pakistani restaurant in South St. Paul; but we arrived there with friends to find they’re on hiatus till early February. Fine, we said, since we’re in South St. Paul let’s go to Las Islas; and then we discovered that they are unfortunately permanently closed (not sure when that happened). We batted a few ideas around and then decided to head to Mañana, the Salvadoran restaurant on 7th St. in St. Paul. I’d said at the end of my report on our very nice lunch there in the late summer of 2021 that we’d likely be back within the year. Well, it ended up being 3.5 years till our next visit but I’m very glad we did finally go back as it was again a very good meal. Here’s how it went.
Our last visit had been in the second year of the pandemic and so we’d sat outside on their nice patio. This, however, is not patio weather. The smaller dining room by the entrance was roped off and so we headed to the larger dining room in the back, which was quite busy when we arrived. We were a party of six and were seated at one of the booths. We surveyed the menus (in a different format than in 2021) and quickly got down to business.
Mañana’s calling card is their pupusas and we had a lot of them on the table. Three of the six of us got pupusas. The missus and the older boy got the three pupusa plate with rice and beans. You can either choose to get three pupusas with rebueltas or any three pupusas of your choice. Both went for variety; the older boy got one with rebueltas (a mix of pork, refried beans and cheese), one with the tinga de pollo, and one with chicharron. The missus also got one with rebueltas and added on one with jalapeño and cheese and one with chicharron and cheese. One of our friends got three pupusas a la carte (i.e sans rice and beans). She had the same selection as the missus; she also added on a tamal de pollo (Salvadoran tamales are wrapped in banana leaves). The younger boy got the gorditas plate with azada. Our other friend got the churrasca platter (grilled flank steak, grilled shrimp and chorizo with rice and beans) and I got the pollo guisado (stewed chicken over rice with a side of beans). Both our plates came with excellent Salvadoran tortillas.
Everyone enjoyed their food very much (and we also demolished the bowl of curtido that is placed on every table). I quite liked my stewed chicken and also the big bites I got out of the younger boys gorditas (I ate most of one) but, as always, the pupusas are the star of the show. Of all the varieties we got, I thought it was a tie between the rebueltas and the jalapeño con queso. And I liked those refried as much as I had in 2021.
For a look at the restaurant, the menu and everything we ate, launch the slideshow below. Scroll down for thoughts on service, to see how much it all cost, and to see what’s coming next.
Service was friendly and on top of things. Prices have, of course, increased since 2021. These increases are not consistent. Some things have gone up by just over a dollar or so; the churrasco has gone up by $7. Our meal in 2021 had come to $18/head. On this occasion, with the included 18% gratuity and a credit card surcharge, our total came to just over $134, or just over $22/head. It’s still very good value for the quality and quantity and I would again recommend them highly. Though if you have recommendations for other Salvadoran restaurants in the Cities, I am all ears.
Alright, what’s next on the food front? I’m done with my India reports and so my next restaurant report will be posted next Wednesday. It will almost certainly feature burgers in South Minneapolis, as that is what the older boy has asked for for his birthday weekend meal out. See you then.