Izalco for the past thirty-three years (eighteen in the current location) has been a fixture in Woodside Queens serving up delicious Salvadorian cuisine in a colorful setting. The restaurant is named after the famous volcano which is one of the most active in the Americas. Izalco first erupted in 1770 and it's eruptions became so frequent that over the years it became known as "The Lighthouse of the Pacific."

The most well-known dish in Salvadorian cuisine is Papusas. Papusas are made of thick handmade corn tortilla and filled with an array of items, ranging from cheese, beans, beef, or pork. I selected cheese with jalapeno which  had a nice spicy bite. It was accompanied by a hot sauce which I liked, and shredded cabbage which I did not care for. Papusas are similar to the Venezuelan arepa, however the difference is that papusas are filled "prior" to cooking where arepas are filled "after."

Now there is a handsome beaming face to greet you.  Jose Tejeda the animated manager of Izalco for the past fifteen years takes pride in explaining not only the cuisine of his country, but the rich culture and beautiful landscape of El Salvador.

The interior of Izalco is creative and atmospheric. From paintings of the volcano, to the fourteen miniature wood-carved buses representing each state in the country, to an iguana perched above on a red tiled roof, and the lovely folkloric music playing, this is a restaurant with a lot of personality and says "El Salvador!"

With the so tender and moist chicken tamale (wrapped in green) Jose insisted I must try the corn tamale also. It's taste was much different, a distinct "sweetness" about it, I enjoyed the variation.

Well there it is . . . the iguana on the red tiled roof looking down on the happy restaurant patrons. On the other side of the roof is an armadillo.   

El Salvador (Spanish) lesson - "Hello"  (Hola)  "Thank you"  (Gracias)   "Delicious"  (Delisioso)

Interesting fact about El Salvador - El Salvador is the smallest in land size of the Central American countries - but the most densely populated with a population of 6.2 million.

Address - 64 - 05 Woodside Avenue  Woodside (Queens)    (718) 533 - 8373