Delicias Chapinas is a casual Guatemalan restaurant in Fort Lauderdale. And some time between the third bite of briny pacayas and tearing open a piping hot pupusa mixta, you’ll start anxiously rummaging through your purse for loose quetzales because there is absolutely no way you’re in Fort Lauderdale right now. It’s too easy to forget where you are with Beto Quintanilla blasting through speakers and a freezer filled with Sarita ice cream right across from you—a scene that’ll make nostalgic Guatemalans feel a little closer to home. Everything from the crackly empanadas de carne to the warm tortillas are made fresh to order and tastes like a reasonable excuse to uproot your life and look for a job in the area.
Food RundownTostadas De Guacamole
We don’t know what kind of fryer they’re working with back there, but the crunch from this miraculously non-greasy tostada is unmatched. Not to mention the housemade tomato sauce and queso seco that taste shipped from Guatemala City mere seconds ago.
video credit: Mariana Trabanino
Pacayas Envueltas
Pacayas are a vegetable native to Guatemala that are texturally similar to baby corn. They’re dunked in egg batter and fried to a crunch. The best two sides to choose for the pacayas are the rice and salad, which don’t upstage the bitter magnificence of these crispy pacayas. You really don’t want beans or plantains to interfere with the subtle magnificence of the pacaya. It also comes with a side of housemade tortillas to eat as tacos.
video credit: Mariana Trabanino
Pupusa Mixta
The chicharron in this pupusa adds saltiness, but it’s the refried beans that provide the kind of warm creaminess that makes you pick up journaling again.
video credit: Mariana Trabanino
Tacos
They use a thinner tortilla for the tacos, which is why each one is prepared with two tortillas to avoid breakage. Get lengua and carne asada. The tomatillo sauce on the side adds a nice kick.
photo credit: Mariana Trabanino