Bites Nearby: Irene's III Still Producing Pupusa Perfection

In 1970, Irene Cuevas came to the U.S. from Honduras and over the following 15 years, started a family and learned to make pupusas from her husband at the time.

The popularity of her pupusas slowly grew by word of mouth and she eventually bought a food truck in 1985. As she traversed the Langley Park and Hyattsville areas over the next decade, the legend of her savory, saucer-shaped treats grew, and Irene opened the first stationary restaurant on University Boulevard in in 1996. Storefronts in and would follow in 2005.

Irene’s son, Jose Melgar, grew up seeing the hard work that his mother, father and grandfather were putting into the Irene’s ventures, studying every facet of the business. “I hated it as a kid, but am very happy now,” says Melgar, who started taking over some of the overall management operations in 2002. He now runs the Wheaton location full-time.

“When I took over, my mom told me ‘No shortcuts on the food, Jose, everything has got to be fresh, especially the soups,’” he shared. “I’m happy to carry on the award-winning tradition here in Wheaton.”

While Irene’s boasts a full complement of Salvadorian and Honduran foods—fajitas, chicken and shrimp dishes and stewed tongue—there is a reason the restaurant is called “Irene’s Pupusas.”  

Comparing Irene’s pupusas to the usual would be a bit like comparing a Kobe beef hamburger to one from a fast food joint. Transcending the often-soggy concoction of a thick corn tortilla filled with combinations of meats, cheeses and beans, Irene’s has perfected the filling-to-tortilla ratio and plates them with a crisp, caramelized exterior and savory and well-balanced interior.

The chicharron con queso (pork and cheese) is Irene’s most popular, and comprises the majority of the 10,000 pupusas that Irene’s makes in an average week. Add a queso con frijoles (cheese and bean) pupusa and a heaping side homemade curtido (a vinegary Salvadorian cole slaw) and you have just about the most satisfying meal one can find in Wheaton for $3.25. Jose suggests eating the pupusa and curtido together, to offer a variety of textures, and topping them with one of their fresh-made tomatillo or jalapeno sauces.

Tracy S., who works nearby in Wheaton Triangle, is an avid fan of Irene’s. “There are a few other places that sell pupusas in Wheaton, but if anyone tells you there are better ones than Irene’s – they are either a liar, or have no taste buds!”

Irene’s Pupusas III shares the corner of Georgia Avenue and University Boulevard with the Sky Bar, Irene’s expansive entertainment venue which features local salsa, bachata and cumbia music on Saturdays and Sundays, plus R & B and funk bands on Fridays. Enormous television screens broadcast futbol, and Melgar says to get there early when Barcelona's team is playing.

Are you a fan of Irene's Pupusas III? on the restaurant's listing in our Patch directory.