Durham, NC-- Coma Rico!! Pupusaria?

[tacostacoseverywhere]

Anyone checked this place out? Next to Transamerica on corner of University and Old Chapel Hill, by DA and Piper's Deli?

[BryanZ]

First, can a mod change the title of this thread to Coma Rico to reflect the real name, as tacostacos notes.

Also, this place isn't next to Transamerica (one of the worst names for a retail location ever); it's inside it. Took me a few second to figure it out, but at the back of the space is a little taqueria/pupuseria.

Pupusas remind me of arepas. For those unfamiliar, they're like patties of cornmeal dough filled with meat, cheese, and beans.

Coma Rico is a little bit less clean than I'd like. Not to the point where it's gross, it's feels a little dingy, even for a taqueria-type joint. I've also never waited so long for a meal so cheap. I spent $3.47 on a pupusa and taco, and waited over ten minutes. There's a salsa/condiment bar, but no chips like at Lopez, so I couldn't even pass time by eating. I'm not sure if it's particularly difficult to make/fire pupusas, but the wait seemed excessive for a restaurant that wasn't at all crowded.

The pupusa itself was pretty good, but I wasn't amazed. I actually found it a little bland, as the pork flavor wasn't all that assertive. The barbacoa taco I got was somewhat too "spiced"--it tasted more like cumin-y braising liquid than meat--and wasn't redolent of beefiness. The tacos I had at Vaquito/Miranda's earlier this week were far superior.

All in all, not a bad spot for something a little different, but I won't be rushing back.

[termite]

I sort of like the name TransAmerica...good movie, anyway.

By the way, it's Vaquita, not Vaquito

[tacostacoseverywhere]

thanks for the post... maybe i'll skip my visit after all.

[BryanZ]

It's the kind of place I'd stop by if i was hungry and was passing by. I do think the other taquerias in the are much better, however. Maybe I'm just not crazy into pupusas (I'm not a huge area fan either) and I don't have a lot to compare them to. I'd actually appreciate another voice since I'm on the fence about the place.

[termite]

I'm going to try to get there this weekend. Will report back after :)

[tacostacoseverywhere]

word. me too. i'll be the guy ordering lots of pupusas. *grin* oh, and i drove by there today, and realized that in a somewhat unrare fit of dyslexia, i transposed the endings of the two words... it's actually coma rico.

[BryanZ]

I must say I'm stumped. What is this place? Address?

[pheebs]

it's on the corner of old chapel hill rd and university...same building as Transamerica...(oh...it says that above)

[BryanZ]

3411 University Dr.

[pheebs]

i have and the papusas are really great, and super cheap too

[dschoonmaker]

I haven't been yet myself, but I have a friend whose taste I trust who loves it.