This viral Bay Area dish weighs 3 pounds and only costs $15

As far as Pupuseria las Cabanas is concerned, there are two types of pupusas in the world: classic pupusas and pupusa locas.

On paper, both styles seem similar with an identical set of ingredients, but at Pupuseria las Cabanas, pupusas locas, or “crazy pupusas,” are the equivalent of about five pupusas and weigh a whopping 3 pounds.

“Around the Bay Area, not a lot of people sell it,” said owner Frankie Martinez. “It gets a lot of curiosity.”  

I found myself at the Hayward restaurant, tucked in an unassuming shopping center at 30030 Mission Blvd., on a recent Monday after hearing about pupusa locas from Bay Area rapper Grand-O. Last month, Grand-O, also known as @thensnacksensei by his 61,000 followers on Instagram, shared a post of the classic Salvadoran dish, only this one looked like it was on steroids. My eyes widened as Grand-O lifted the hefty pupusa off his plate and easily covered his torso with the meal’s 13-inch diameter. He eagerly topped the pupusa with a generous dollop of curtido and tomato sauce before taking a comically small bite.

The video garnered more than 81,000 likes and was enough to pique my interest, especially as a pupusa fanatic. So, I headed to Hayward with my sister in tow to help tackle the oversized pupusa. Pupuseria las Cabanas sells about 600 pupusa locas each month and prepares them with corn masa ($15) or rice flour ($16). The standard filling for these mammoth pupusas is cheese, beans, pork, chicken, zucchini and loroco (an edible flower); however, you can also customize the fillings. Shortly after the waitress handed us menus, I ordered a pupusa loca with corn masa (it’s the most popular option) with a classic revuelta filling: pork, beans and cheese. Much to my surprise, my sister decided to abandon me in the 11th hour and ordered her own set of regular-sized pupusas — leaving me to fend for myself.

Although most customers can’t finish the pupusa loca in one sitting, it remains one of Pupuseria las Cabanas’ best-selling items, according to Martinez. He shared that many customers take the pupusa loca to the next level by ordering the birria topping. It’s a cross between Mexican and Salvadoran flavors as it comes topped with tender, shredded beef, cilantro and chopped onions and served with a side of birria broth for dipping. A recent Instagram video captured the magic behind the scenes as a skilled cook methodically flattened the large pupusa on a sizzling grill and later sliced the finished product with a pizza cutter. They call it a birria pizza.

Inside Pupuseria las Cabanas, customers were busy chatting across tables filled with pupusas, fried plantains with crema, and traditional Salvadoran stews. It’s the type of no-fuss establishment with comfort food dishes best enjoyed with friends and loved ones. A group of customers nearby were busy celebrating a birthday as servers whizzed by with full plates balanced on forearms.

When the server dropped off the pupusa loca at our table (along with the regular ones my sister ordered) I was amazed by how much bigger the pupusa loca appeared in person compared to what I saw on social media. About eight thick slices were cut into the pupusa loca, which had burnt, crispy cheese around its edges. Slicing the pupusa like a pizza was ingenious, I realized. 

Gooey cheese strings dangled over the pupusa as I moved it onto my plate. Like Grand-O, I topped the pupusa slice with a generous heap of curtido and drenched it with the mild tomato sauce before taking a bite. The sauce had soaked the masa just enough to soften the thick exterior. I couldn’t think of a better way to kick-start my otherwise uneventful week with an exceptional deal under $20. (Regular pupusas are $3.95 each). 

The makings of a giant pupusa are more challenging than one may think. Skilled cooks begin with 3 pounds of masa that is carefully stuffed with cheese, meat, and vegetables at its center before the fillings are enveloped into a round mass. Next, the round dough is shaped by hand and partially flattened to place on the hot grill. The hardest part, Martinez shared, is making sure that the cook flattens out the pupusa enough to evenly distribute the ingredients inside the masa. A quick 4-minute grill is needed on each side to help deliver a light golden, brown crust. 

Martinez took over the Pupuseria las Cabanas from his mother Angela Leiva in 2015. He isn’t exactly sure when the restaurant added pupusas locas to its menu but recalls that the idea came from an employee at one point early on, not long after the restaurant opened in 2004. Initially, the pupusas locas weren’t a smash hit, but over the past few years they’ve gained popularity thanks to social media posts made by Martinez and die-hard customers. It’s helped put the dish on the radar of budding Bay Area foodies — including local rappers.

Not surprisingly, I was unable to make much of a dent into the giant pupusa, thanks to my sister, but I couldn’t be too upset. There was still enough pupusa loca left to have a big lunch the following day. Feeling quite stuffed and satisfied, I packed the remaining pieces into a takeout box along with more curtido and tomato sauce. If you’re wondering whether I plan to return to Pupuseria las Cabanas for another pupusa loca, the answer is probably no, not because the meal wasn’t delicious, but mostly because it’s quite the commitment. With newfound wisdom, I hope to come back and devour a regular pupusa while I cheer on anyone brave enough to complete the hefty dish in one sitting.  

Pupuseria las Cabanas, 30030 Mission Blvd., Suite 113, Hayward. Open Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m.- 9 p.m.