Taco's Lupita serves up a Salvadorian Treat

First, a caveat: Tacos Lupita is no Anna's Taqueria.

Tacos Lupita is better.

I ride the bus past it three times a week on Elm a few blocks past Porter _ a green, white and red awning, with faded letters that read, "Tacos Lupita: Mexican Food/ Salvadorean Food. Burritos, Tacos, Pupusas, Lengua, Asada." From the outside, it looks like a hole-in-the-wall _ and it is one.

At Tacos Lupita, you won't find high ceilings or warm golden lighting or an artfully scribbled sign out in front. But then you also won't find a rushed burrito assembly line, surly workers, and a loud student population crowding around too few tables. Anna's is fine for a familiar, but impersonal, atmosphere and decent, but unoriginal, taqueria chain food. But for a real food experience _ if you want to watch Spanish TV under fluorescent lights while friendly people serve you filling, delicious, and shockingly inexpensive Salvadorian pupusas, tacos and burritos _ Tacos Lupita should be first on your list.

I arrived at seven on Sunday night with a small group of friends. The small main room was busy but not crowded, and we had no trouble staking out one of the sturdy, unremarkable tables. However, while the decorations were sparse _ a pair of sombreros, a poster of El Salvador, and a large picture of a saint below the softly buzzing TV _ it didn't affect the authenticity of the atmosphere.

We ordered from a smiling woman at the walk-up counter. Almost all items on the menu came with a choice of five meats: carne asada (grilled steak), al pastor (roast pork), lengua (tongue) chorizo (pork sausage), or pollo (grilled chicken). In the open kitchen behind the cash register, meat sizzled on spits and a cook wrapped hefty sandwiches in tin foil.

The wait was a little longer than expected, but the woman who had taken our orders brought the food to the table, grinning broadly and bringing out extra sauces without being asked, including a vinegary green one and a smoky, searing chipotle pepper sauce. "I thought you might want some of this," she said.

Tacos Lupita's signature pupusa ($1.25) arrived shortly thereafter. A traditional Salvadorian street food, it was comprised of a soft, warm patty made from corn meal dough, with either cheese or a pork-cheese mixture melted inside. Served with a crisp vinegary slaw and a thin, mild tomato sauce, it was a favorite around the table, our preference being the plain cheese.

The grilled chicken tacos ($1.50 each) were the best I have eaten in Boston. Two soft corn tortillas were wrapped around smoky grilled chicken, onions, cilantro, and were served with green sauce and a wedge of lime. They were simple, fresh, and perfect. The vegetarian burrito($3.99) was twice the size of an Anna's burrito and with fresh avocado at no extra charge, it was just as tasty.

The chicken torta ($3.49) was fantastic, a hot, crusty bread roll filled with the same outstanding grilled chicken, soft pinto beans, lettuce, avocado, melted cheese, and jalapenos. "This is the best sandwich I've ever had," a friend said after devouring her torta, the remnants of its tin foil wrapper littering the table. At the end of the meal, we agreed that everything we had eaten was cheaper, bigger, better, and more authentic than Ana's. Tacos Lupita, we decided, was the real thing.

The next day I came back to Tacos Lupita for lunch. The same two women were behind the counter, the cook molding a fresh tortilla between her palms. One table was occupied by a trio of men hunched over big plates of carne asada, but the rest of the room was empty.

"What do you recommend?" I asked the smiling woman who had served me the night before. She laughed, turned to say something in Spanish to her companion, laughed again, and told me, "Try the huaracha, with carne asada." So I did.

Then came the minor details of payment. Embarrassingly, I realized I didn't have any cash with me, only one of the old types of hundred dollar bills that I kept in case of an emergency. When presented with it, my server's smile looked pained, but she said, "I think we can take it." She laboriously counted out ninety-six dollars in change.

The $3.99 huaracha was a delight, with one of the thick handmade corn tortillas as a base for tender beans, cheese, grilled steak, lettuce, tomato, and a squirt of sour cream. Though the grilled chicken was still my favorite, the carne asada was flavorful and just crisp enough.

After I had finished and was rising to leave, a man in an apron came out from the back and approached me. Looking uncomfortable, he told me that they could not accept the old hundred dollar bill after all.

"My wife went to the gas station across the street to see if they knew if it was real," he said, apologetically. "They didn't."

Mortified, I said I was sorry that I had only had a hundred, telling him I'd go find an ATM _ and he said he was sorry they couldn't accept it. I said I was sorry his wife had had to go across the street _ and he said he was sorry it was my turn to cross the street now.

After a few more rounds of apologies and the retrieval of a twenty from the ATM, I traded bills with the woman behind the counter. She lectured me kindly on how to spot a counterfeit, and said she hoped I had enjoyed the huaracha.

"Come back," she said, still smiling.

"I will," I told her, and meant it.

Tacos Lupita 13 Elm Street, Somerville, MA 02143 (4 blocks from Porter T stop)

(617) 666-0677 No credit cards accepted.