Not just for Tuesday; this taqueria and pupuseria is delicious every day of the week.
September 6, 2021
When you walk into El Torogoz, you are immediately greeted by families and locals socializing at tables and picking up meals; people laugh and talk while eating specialty dishes, transporting customers to El Salvador and Mexico. Formerly an Indian fusion chain called Avatar Punjabi Burritos, Taqueria y Pupuseria El Torogoz has managed to achieve the comfort of authentic Salvadoran and Mexican food.
Located a mere seven-minute walk from Redwood High School, this family-owned restaurant serves a wide variety of traditional Salvadoran food, including popular beverages such as horchata and Jamaica. The Jamaica drink ($4.25), made from hibiscus flowers, is sweet; however sadly, it is over-sweetened, so the fresh hibiscus flavor is underwhelming and unable to fulfill its potential.
The El Pastor Tacos ($3.50) and the Revuelta Pupusas ($3.50) are two other popular menu items. The El Pastor meat was perfectly cooked and seasoned within the taco, yet the taco shell itself was a bit dry and could have used some sauce to revive its moisture. The pupusas, on the other hand, are El Torogoz’s claim to fame. A pupusa is a dish originating in Honduras and El Salvador that consists of a griddlecake or flatbread, typically made with cornmeal or rice flour. It has been named the national dish of El Salvador and has its own holiday in the country as well. The pupusa I ordered was filled with cheese, beans, roasted pork and roasted vegetables, and it was arguably the best dish I ordered.
El Torogoz’s unique dishes stand out against the many other Latin American restaurants in Marin. They offer a simple yet captivating menu, and their customer service is exceptional, an important factor for small businesses. Another meal that struck my attention was the Pasteles Beef ($5.95), which is a traditional Salvadoran dish featuring empanadas. Freshly cooked and crunchy, the Pasteles Beef came with sides of tomato salsa and coleslaw. Despite the effort to complement the dish with additions on the side, the salsa could have been seasoned more and the coleslaw didn’t really add much to the meal. The last menu item I tried was Nuegados ($4.95), a Latin American dessert made with Yuca, a vegetable similar to a yam or potato. The deep-fried dumpling coated in a sweet, brown sugar cane sauce was exciting to try, however, the excessive deep frying and resulting grease made it hard to appreciate the flavor.
After trying a significant amount of the menu, I can assure you El Torogoz is perfect for providing the ultimate comfort food at a surprisingly amicable and relatively inexpensive cost. Whether you are drinking horchata while cramming for a study session or devouring chorizo empanadas after a long practice, El Torogoz will be there to satiate your appetite. You can find El Torogoz at 574 Magnolia Ave in Larkspur or order online through DoorDash, Postmates or Ubereats.
