Comfort Food

Visitors to El Salvador will often times have the misconception that the mere act of staring at a plate of food for too long will make one gravely ill in the stomach. 

While caution should be taken, there are many exaggerations and urban legends surrounding the topic of food and dining in general, so relax and enjoy yourself.

As I mentioned in a previous post, San Salvador offers a wide breadth of cuisines for your dining choices. 

To recap, some of those include:

• Italian
• Chinese
• Argentine
• Middle Eastern
• Brazilian
• Peruvian

Now, much like any other city you might visit, the fact these options are available doesn't mean that any given restaurant provides quality meals. So, to help you along, allow me to introduce you to some of my favorites. But before I do so, you should be aware that my criteria was mostly based on the quality of the food, not the view or ambiance. All are reasonably priced, with the most expensive coming in at around $15/plate. In addition, all are casual. Alright, lets begin.

Argentine

Las Pampas Argentina is one of the more popular steakhouses in town, and for good reason. Great cuts of meat and other grilled options, such as chicken and shrimp, all cooked to perfection for you. If you are a carnivore, don't miss out on this spot. There are a couple of them around town, with one of the more popular locations situated on Bulevar Orden de la Malta, directly across the street from the U.S. Embassy, in Santa Elena.

Chinese 

If you are in the mood for Chinese, check out Royal. Pretty much anything on their menu is good, so you can't go wrong. Take note that it does tend to get crowded on weekends. Royal is located on the corner of Calle Padres Aguilar and 87 Avenida Sur in Colonia Escalon.

Italian

El Rosal is one of the best places in town. It has been around forever and was founded by some guy from the old country. I would recommend the lasagna or other handmade pastas. A lot of folks are also fond of their pizza, but I would consider it average. El Rosal is located on the corner of Calle Del Mirador and 93 Avenida Norte, a few blocks away from Torre Futura and Crowne Plaza hotel. 

Papers Please

One thing I always advice people not do while wandering around El Salvador is to not carry their passport, a tip I learned from my dad. Instead, carry a photocopy of the page where the picture is displayed. You should actually do this even if your destination is not El Salvador.

Doing so helps avoid potential problems that might arise should you misplace your travel documents, or worse, if your belongings are stolen. Better to lose a photocopy of your picture, than the actual passport. Another option is to carry a photocopy of valid identification cards issued to you by your local government. For example, a photocopy of your license. 

Photocopies will suffice for most situations where you need to show identification, but for certain transactions, originals are necessary. A good example of such a transaction would be cashing a check or paying with a credit card. While your originals may suffice for some of these transactions, there are others that specifically request one show a Documento Unico de Identidad (DUI). In short, a national identification card.

Some transactions that require it include:

• Obtaining a Salvadoran Passport
• Voting
• Purchasing a mobile phone (pre-pay or otherwise)
• Opening a bank account (also has other requirements)

By no means is that a comprehensive list, but obtaining a DUI is a worthwhile venture. 

Most expatriates take the opportunity to obtain their passport while in El Salvador, because it is significantly cheaper than doing it abroad. The cost usually hovers around US$15, whereas abroad, it can set you back nearly 7 - 8 times that amount, depending where you live. Of course, to do so you must first get a DUI.

Obtaining a DUI is a rather simple process, but does require some patience.