Known as the national dish of El Salvador, pupusas are thick, hot tortillas stuffed with savory items. At Taqueria y Pupuseria Miranda, they are a star attraction and even part of the name.
The family-owned restaurant on Washington Avenue takes pupusas seriously — 21 types are on the menu. Upon opening the business in July 2021, the Miranda family built their reputation around pupusas, which are a bit hard to find, and the far better-known street tacos. Thanks to diners’ love of both, business is growing.
Pupusas’ golden-brown dough disks are filled with a choice of pork, cheese, beans, and squash and traditionally topped with curtido (cabbage slaw) and a tomato sauce. Jonathan Barrera-Miranda, who runs the restaurant with his mother, Angelina Miranda, says customers often order a trio of pupusas, although the Pupusa Loca could itself be a meal — it’s stuffed with pork, shrimp, beans, cheese, loroco (an edible flower bud), and jalapenos. Miranda loves preparing pupusas with fresh vegetables so customers “can experience and enjoy the beauty of what pupusas have to offer,” she says.
True to its name, Taqueria y Pupuseria Miranda offers 16 tacos for just about any taste. The Queso Birria is a favorite of Barrera-Miranda’s and one of the biggest sellers. Specialty dishes like Pollo Con Tajadas and Picadillo Con Tajadas are served on plantains. Customers also can fill up on Mexican street corn and empanadas de platano (custard-fried plantains). Chase any meal with beer or wine.
Taqueria y Pupuseria Miranda is open for breakfast as well. One house special is Desayuno Miranda, featuring eggs with tomatoes and onion, plus beans, cream cheese, avocado, fried plantain, and two pupusas. The dining room is small, but bright and open. Customers can dine inside or order via drive-thru, but those in a hurry should expect to wait a little while “because everything is made fresh,” Barrera-Miranda says.
Although Taqueria y Pupuseria Miranda opened four years ago, its owners and their extended family arrived in Evansville about 20 years ago. Miranda’s brother, Jose, runs the Las Americas Store and Restaurant on South Weinbach Avenue, about a block from his sister’s restaurant.
Barrera-Miranda describes his mother as “incredibly grateful for the support from the community. It brings her so much joy to serve people and see how much they’re enjoying the food — especially her pupusas! We’re excited about what the future holds and are always looking for ways to keep growing and sharing our food with even more people.”
