from the pass —
Menu photos
A few dishes from the current card — tap any shot to view larger.
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Explore El Cuscatleco’s menu featuring fresh pupusas, hearty burritos, chimichangas, and traditional Salvadoran dishes. Enjoy flavorful Latin American and Mexican cuisine crafted with authentic ingredients and generous portions in Durham, NC.
Introducing the Menu at El Cuscatleco
El Cuscatleco, nestled in Durham, NC, offers a vibrant journey through Salvadoran and Latin American flavors, with European and Mexican influences enriching the experience. The menu highlights authentic dishes like sizzling fajitas—shrimp, beef, chicken, or flavorful combos—served with fresh tortillas, pico de gallo, guacamole, and salad. Botanas, a perfect starter, combine shrimp, grilled meats, cheese, and savory pork rinds, showcasing a delightful blend of textures and tastes.
Signature Salvadoran items, such as the immensely popular pupusas, come highly praised for their rich, fresh fillings and perfect seasoning. The Plato Típico sampler delivers a generous assortment: pupusa, yuca fritas, plantains, tamal de pollo, pastelito, rice, refried beans, and curtido—offering a true taste of El Salvador’s culinary heritage. Even kids’ meals impress with ample portions and bold flavors, making El Cuscatleco a welcoming spot for the whole family.
Overall, El Cuscatleco captures traditional flavors with heart and precision, leaving diners eager to return for more.
A few dishes from the current card — tap any shot to view larger.
Grilled chicken strips with ranchero sauce on top.
Well seasoned grilled chicken breast.
Breaded, fried chicken breast.
Grilled chicken breast covered with a special sauce.
Chicken breast cover with spicy ranchero sauce.
A generous serving of tortilla chips, served with cheddar, Monterey Jack cheese, guacamole, and sour cream.
Eight pieces of fried chicken wings served with Bleu cheese.
A good portion of fresh fish, scallops and shrimp marinated in oil vinegar, onion, cilantro, lemon juice, and some spices.
Grilled flour tortilla with Monterey Jack cheese and lettuce, served with light sour cream and guacamole. Filled with chicken or beef.
Fresh handmade tortilla filled with pork cheese or both, beans, and cheese.
Fried ripe plantain served with sour cream and fried beans.
Grilled flour with Monterey Jack cheese and lettuce, served with light sour cream and guacamole.
Fresh crispy corn tortilla chips with hot melted Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese. Topped with beef, sour cream, and guacamole.
Served with tortillas, fried beans, pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, and salad.
Beef, chicken and shrimp.
Served with tortillas, fried beans, pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, and salad. With your choice of protein.
Served with tortillas, fried beans, pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, and salad.
Served with tortillas, fried beans, pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, and salad.
Served with tortillas, fried beans, pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, and salad.
Beef chimichanga.
Chicken chimichanga.
Seafood chimichanga.
Shrimp snack, hoe meat, cheese, chicken, and pork rinds. / botana de camarones, Carne asada, queso, pollo y chicharrones.
Snack of pork rinds, hoe meat, and cheese. / botana de chicharrones, Carne asada y queso.
Shrimp appetizer, grilled meat, cheese, and chicken. / botana de camarones, Carne asada, queso y pollo.
Two beef and two chicken taquitos. Served with lettuce, guacamole, and sour cream.
Beef rolled in flour tortilla topped with fresh burrito sauce, cheese, rice, and beans.
Seafood burrito covered with seafood sauce.
One chicken and one beef served with rice, beans, and salad.
Fresh corn tortilla stuffed with grilled chicken or beef, lettuce, and pico de gallo. Served with sour cream, guacamole, and refried beans.
Fresh corn tortilla served with pork in BBQ sauce and pico de gallo.
Our special chunk chicken stuffed into a fresh flour tortilla covered with ranchero sauce and topped with Monterey Jack cheese. Served with rice and beans.
Fresh salad with grilled chicken pieces, cheese, tomato, and cucumber.
Fresh lettuce, tomato, carrots, peppers, and house dressing.
Crispy flour tortilla shell with beef or chicken, rice, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.
Served with rice & beans.
Vegetarian.
Vegetarian.
Vegetarian.
Vegetarian.
Vegetarian.
Seafood cocktail served with saltine crackers.
Grilled jumbo shrimp with tomatoes, onions, and green peppers served with rice, beans, and salad.
Combination of shrimp, scallops, squid, red snapper, and mussels cooked in a casserole with sherry wine herbs.
Red snapper topped with onion, tomatoes, and green pepper.
Shrimp cocktail served with saltine crackers.
Shrimp served with an exquisite Mexican hot sauce, green pepper, onion, and tomatoes.
Scallops sauteed with special butter, white onion, bell pepper, and ranchero sauce.
Jumbo shrimp with shell cooked with, oyster sauce, garlic, and spring onion.
Coca-Cola or Diet Coke.
Fresa, mango or banana.
Grilled shrimp with onions and tomato in spice chipotle sauce.
A good portion of beef stew, Spanish style.
Salvadorian-style sauteed shrimp with tomato sauce. All dishes are served with rice, beans, and salad.
Jumbo shrimp with tomatoes, onion, and green peppers in creamy sauce.
Pupusa, beef steak cooked, cheese, eggs, and pork rinds.
Grilled pork chips topped with sauteed fresh tomatoes, onions, and green peppers.
Tender beef steak with onion sauteed with special seasoning.
Carne asada, eggs sunny side up, and cheese. Served with beans, avocado, and salad.
Pupusa, yucca, platanos, tamal, pollo, and pastelito.
Grilled ribeye steak.
Whole fried tilapia with seasoning.
Sauteed shrimp, scallops, and red snapper in sauce of garlic, green peppers, and onions. Served with Mexican rice and beans.
Sautéed corn tortilla chips with chicken, lettuce, sour cream, and guacamole.
Steak topped with onion, tomatoes, bell peppers, and burrito sauce. Served with rice, beans, and salad.
Grilled steak topped with onion, tomatoes, and peppers. Served with rice, beans, and salad.
Grilled steak, shrimp, and chicken breast. Served with rice, beans, and salad.
Fried pork ribs, grilled chicken breast, and shrimp with head and shell on. Served with yellow Spanish rice and salad.
Sauteed corn tortilla chips with beef, lettuce, sour cream, and guacamole.
Shrimp and scallops sautéed with tomatoes, onions, green peppers, jalapeño peppers, and cilantro. Served with rice and beans.
Grilled beef steak, sunny side up eggs, and hard home style cheese. Served with refried beans, fried plantains, and roasted jalapeños.
Beef steak cooked to perfection. Served with rice, beans, and salad.
Grilled steak, chicken tamale, and taquito frito. Served with rice, beans, and salad.
New York strip steak and large shrimp. Served with rice, beans, and salad.
Lobster, shrimp, squid, mussels, and scallops in a light creamy tomato soup.
Beef tripe soup.
Shrimp soup with head and shell on.
Beef rib soup.
One taco and one enchilada.
One enchilada and one tamale served with rice and beans.
Chicken quesadilla served with rice and salad.
Bean, chicken or beef.
Two eggs sunny side up with Mexican salsa and sour cream. Served with tortillas.
Flour tortilla chicken.
Served with rice and beans.
Served with beans and salad.
Served with sunny side up eggs and yellow rice.
Covered with cheese sauce.
With your choice of beef, chicken, or cheese and one chalupa.
Two cheddar cheese enchiladas covered with enchilada sauce and more cheese.
One beef and one chicken with lettuce and guacamole.
Two eggs and one fried plantain served with rice and beans.
Food is very flavorful and fresh! I highly recommend this place and will come back in the future. Cheese and Pork pupusas were the best I’ve had in a while. The mongondo was surprisingly delicious. The chicken burrito was amazing and the kids meals were also nicely seasoned. Big and great portions for the price.
Opening hours, the full address and the best way to get there are all on the restaurant page. Booking policies differ from place to place — so call ahead, or simply walk in.