Ernesto Larin was living in Los Angeles in the 1980s when cravings for food from his home in El Salvador became too strong to ignore. He considered opening a restaurant of his own in California, but when his mother-in-law told him that Houston’s Hispanic community was booming, he and his wife, Dora, packed up and headed to Texas.  

Once in Houston, Larin wasted no time. Determined to introduce locals to his homeland, Larin opened La Pupusa Loca in the Hillcroft area, a full-blown restaurant serving pupusas and cold drinks. Forty years later, La Pupusa Loca is a fixture in Houston and within the Salvadoran community, with four locations around the Houston area, including the singular La Pupusa Loka that helped usher in new dishes (with cheeky names). Now, the original Pupusa Loca is ready to celebrate. 

For the family, making it to four decades is a big deal. 

“It’s nice to know that my parents were part of building the Salvadoran community here,” says Vanessa Larin, Ernesto and Dora Larin’s daughter. “It’s expanded so much.”  

When Larin first launched his brick-and-mortar on Hillcroft Avenue, there was no social media, so he advertised by getting involved in the community. Oftentimes, he attended local soccer games with an Igloo ice chest filled with hot pupusas and cold drinks.

Larin’s business eventually gained traction, and the family opened several restaurants across the Houston area, including outposts in the Westchase area, Spring Branch, and Mission Bend area.

Today, Vanessa handles operations and marketing, while her brother, Christopher “Chris” Larin, is heavily involved in the kitchen and oversees the employees. Both have long been immersed in the restaurant industry. Vanessa launched her own health-conscious restaurant, Fit Fuel, in the Marquee entertainment center in 2015, where for three years she leaned into the era of meal prepping. But in 2020, the siblings came together to launch a spin-off of their family’s restaurant in the Westchase area, a location with more visibility, close proximity, and less competition than the original location in Hillcroft, which is known for Salvadoran cuisine. Although it’s noticeably spelled with a “K” instead of a “C” (a name change due to a legal hiccup,” Vanessa says it’s still part of the local chain.

At La Pupusa Loka the siblings push the limits, going beyond the Salvadoran classics and plates their dad originally introduced. The PuTaco, a play on a Spanish curse word, was the first dish Vanessa and Chris introduced to the menu. The name feels almost as daring as the ingredients: two cheese pupusas are folded like a taco and stuffed with fajita meat, cilantro, onion, and pickled cabbage. The new addition took some convincing. 

“My dad was not happy about it,” Vanessa says. “He didn’t understand it, but me and my brother… We thought of doing different items that would bring attention to us and taste good, too.” 

Like her dad, though, Vanessa admits that she was initially against adding the PuTaco. She says her brother had the idea for years, but it didn’t grow on her until she saw other restaurants placing the dish on menus.  “I started seeing people in California doing it, and of course, [my brother] sent me a reel.… He was like, ‘See, this could have been us.’” 

Naturally, they hopped on the bandwagon, adding the PuTaco and a burger composed of a juicy patty sandwiched between two cheesy pupusas. The diner-favorite, though, is La Loka. Served inside a pizza box, this 10-inch pupusa is packed with cheese, pork, beans, chicken, beef, squash, and loroco, an edible flower native to El Salvador. All the menu items are available at the restaurant’s four locations now, and this pupusa restaurant chain is still experimenting. 

Chris and Vanessa plan to roll out brunch sometime this fall, with dishes such as plantain waffles and Yucca egg bowls. But first, it’s time to celebrate. The restaurant will host a party with a DJ, giveaways, and multiple vendors, including Bardalees Sorbetes, a Salvadoran ice cream business, and Rosh & Co. Coffee, to commemorate 40 years in business.

Vanessa says she is filled with hope about the future. Her goal is to continue growing the business, uplifting other local Salvadoran establishments, and educating Houston about all that El Salvador has to offer. 

“I’ve come to fall in love with [La Pupusa Loca],” Vanessa says. “I’m excited to see where it goes and be part of the next 40 years.”

Join In

Head over to the Westchase location on July 27 from 1 to 5pm to help the La Pupusa Loca celebrate 40 years.

3995 S Gessner Rd