Mesa 503, Iowa City, Iowa

There are several Salvadoran restaurants in the Iowa City-Coralville area, but this one, the newest on the scene, is my favorite of the bunch. They have a wide selection of pupusas, which are about the size of a corn tortilla, made with masa harina, and are stuffed with cheese and/or a variety of meats and vegetables. My favorites are cheese and jalapeno or cheese and refried beans, but here I also enjoyed the cheese and chorizo pupusa. These are kind of the lynch pin of Salvadorean food, and here they are very good. However, they are not the reason that I am returning--it is the other menu items that will bring us back. The Chicken enchildadas (which are more like a Mexican tostada) and the pounded meats that are topped with carmelized onions are divine, and also affordably priced.