La Roca

Tamaleria, Pupuseria, Panaderia and Taqueria
6407 Bissonnet, right across from Bayland Park

There are more than 2 dozen Salvadoran restaurants listed on b4-u-eat and I’ve been to a third of them and this is my favorite. You can choose table service or some items are readily served from a steam table next to the cashier for quick in-and-out. I’ve done both.


The menu is pretty extensive. I’ve had the riquas which has been basically a thin, elongated corn fritter most times I’ve had it but on the most recent visit was drier, more like a corn pancake. I think this is produced by wrapping the dough or batter in a banana leaf and grilling it rather than steaming it. It’s served with a generous slab of a firm, slightly salty feta-like cheese, like the Mexican cotija but probably Queso Duro, or a dollop of crema Salvadorena. The first time I inquired about it the waitress brought over a plate to examine that had both the cheese and the crema and when she tried to take it away I insisted she leave it so I got both. You can get both for $1 extra but be advised it's a pretty good sized chunk of queso. It’s on the appetizer menu but I saved it for desert as it was quite sweet and so good.

Pupusas come with a variety of fillings, arroz (estilo olocuilta), queso, chicharron, loroco, frijoles, fajita, and, of course, revueltas (mixed) and are the best I’ve had. They’re served so hot you can’t pick them up like you’re supposed to. When they split and the oils from the cheese and meats spill out, it is like they were sauteed in butter.

The curtido is made of more coarsely shredded cabbage than others I’ve had and has sliced carrots instead of shredded and is very vinegary and a bright yellow color. You get an individual fresh serving of it rather than dipping out of a communal crock like at some pupuserias, which I appreciate, and it is the best I’ve had. Every time I’ve had it the vegetables have still been good and crisp.


Tamales are a specialty and are available in either pollo or puerco, both with potato. Some Salvadoran tamales have a gelatinous texture but La Roca’s are positively creamy and delicious - and very, very moist. They are among the best tamales I’ve ever had anywhere and quite addictive. These are served on the plantain leaf they’re steamed in with curtido and are also available piping hot on the steam table, individually wrapped in plantain leaf and foil and usually double-bagged by the cashier because they’re so moist. I stop by to pick one or two up sometimes for a snack and head for a table in the park across the street. You’ll need napkins for your hands just getting them open and a utensil to eat with - they can’t be picked up.

Another option is the tamal de elote. This is pure masa, served with a dollop of Crema Salvadorena. This didn’t seem all that interesting to me until on one visit I saw a tableful of young Salvadoran men having nothing else, 2 or 3 each, and wolfing them down with gusto, and I had to try them. These are served in the corn husk they’re steamed in; they’re very good but I find them a little less interesting and would like them better if steamed in the banana/plantain leaf, but I suppose that would be culinarily incorrect.

The aroma of fresh baked pastries coming from the Panaderia in back is a real plus and I seldom leave without picking up some baked goods. You can serve yourself from a large display of Salvadoran pastries and breads, unfortunately not labeled. You take a tray and a pair of tongs and take your selections to the cashier.

There’s also a small grocery section with a selection of Salvadoran products including coffees. They do not serve tea at La Roca, only coffee (one of El Salvador’s main exports) but I was surprised there are no coffee beans and mostly instant coffees for sale. In the cooler section you can find gallon jars and pillow packs of Crema Salvadorena or Hondurena, several Salvadoran and Honduran cheeses, tropical sodas and other products.

My waitresses have all been friendly and helpful though none of them were really fluent in English. The cashier usually speaks English.

The biggest drawback I’ve encountered is the limited parking. The place can be very busy and double-parking is common in the tiny lot. Signs indicate you might get towed if you park in the strip center next door, even though there are several vacancies among the shops, so be forewarned (La Roca used to be located a few doors west).

La Roca apparently supplies other eateries in town with both baked goods and tamales. I’ve seen their labeled baked goods at several places, taquerias and even other panaderias, and their tamales at carnicerias including Nortenito, on Bissonnet at Wilcrest and Carniceria La Michoacana # 27 further out Bissonnet and I presume you may find them at other locations of this extensive chain. These have been Mexican tamales, much spicier than those served at La Roca itself.

Ever since discovering the tamales here about a year and a half ago, they’ve been my favorite tamales in town, despite the blandness of Salvadoran foods. The creamy texture is like eating corn flavored whipped cream. However, having tasted the Colombian tamale at Las Delicias that has supplanted La Roca’s tamales as my favorite.

A blurb on the menu at El Pupusodromo down the street explains the importance of corn in Salvadoran cuisine: Pre-Colombian cultures believed that corn was a gift from their gods. Therefore, it was accepted as a holy meal. The preparation of the ground, the planting of the seed and harvesting the grain were considered a religious act.

La Roca does well by those ancient beliefs with it’s offerings.

Photo added 8/16/11 - Rigua, Empanada de Platano, Tamal Frita, Tamal de Pollo.

See comments on other tamales.

Froberg Farm

UPDATE:  THERE IS NOW AN ENTRANCE DIRECTLY OFF OF HIGHWAY 6 - 3601 W. Highway 6, Alvin, TX


I took a little trip down to Froberg Farm near Alvin before Christmas. Actually, I stopped off on the way home from a day trip to Galveston. I’ve heard about Froberg’s for years and have received gifts from there, but never been before. Partly this is because I’ve been warned it was hard to find; more on that below.

I’ve got an aunt who’s been going since the Frobergs were selling produce off of tables under the trees and pies out of their kitchen. The place has grown quite a bit, with a small warehouse-like store, shopping carts, and more. There’s a plaque on the wall dedicating the building to several Frobergs who’ve gone before.

There was a big display of gift baskets, shelves of home-baked pies, and tables of nuts, mostly probably not grown around here. The Snack Bar, fried pie central, offered an enticing array of home-made fried pies in paper pockets with hand-written labels, kept warm under heat lamps. There are also shelves of home-made pickles and jams and jellies and some other products produced elsewhere including salsas.


The produce bins are clearly marked with those items grown on the farm and I mostly stuck to those. I got a 5# bag of satsumas for $3.50. I have a satsuma tree but had not a single bud this past year so I was glad to get these. There were also ‘home-grown’ lemons which I suspected, and the cashier confirmed, were Meyer lemons. My Meyer tree likewise had no fruit this year, although it has numerous buds now. I also picked up some kumquats (my shrub produced only a handful) and some Honey Crisp apples (not from around here) for $1.39 a lb., a lot less that you usually see them in the grocery stores. I also got a few of their home-grown tangelos but passed on the grapefruit (all from the Valley I think); all they had were Rio Star and I prefer Ruby Red. I also passed on some beautiful, large bananas at $.60/lb.

Before leaving I picked up a couple of the fried pies. They had about a dozen varieties including some sugar-free and at least one breakfast fried pie (eggs, potatoes, bacon as I recall), but who wants breakfast when you can have dessert? I got a Sweet Potato and an Apricot Cream fried pie.

The sweet potato fried pie did not survive the trip home and could not make it to the photo session! It was great. I’ve never been a big fan of sweet potatoes and haven’t figured out why some people think it’s better than pumpkin in a pie, but this was excellent. The Frobergs make a very excellent, flaky pie crust. The apricot cream fried pie (not sure what the ‘cream’ denotes) was also good even at room temperature with large chunks of fruit preserves inside. The fried pies are $1.75 apiece and worth it.


The Honey Crisps were not as good as I’ve had before but the satsumas were so good I decided to get some more to share with family, friends and neighbors so I made another trip. I also picked up a Buttermilk Pecan pie and a jar of their dill pickles and a jar of their homemade fig preserves. The dill pickles are excellent; the label only lists ‘vinegar’ as one of the ingredients but I’d sure like to know what they're using; I don’t think it’s regular store bought white vinegar or rice wine vinegar, which is mostly what I’ve used in making pickles. The pie was good but not exceptional. I had to resist the temptation to buy some more fried pies, too.

I’ll be a regular at this place for the fried pies and pickles if nothing else but I’m sure on any visit it’ll be possible to find some locally grown, excellent produce. In fact, it wasn’t until after my second trip that I remembered the tangelos I had bought the first time and tried one and discovered they’re even better than the satsumas.


On leaving after the second visit I stopped in at the Greak’s Smoke House, a little shack on the end of the warehouse, and got a sliced beef sandwich and a regular sausage link.


The meats are pecan smoked and I found the brisket, a very generous amount of thick slices of beef with a deep pink smoke ring, was too acrid, I guess from the pecan smoke. I literally couldn’t eat it; it became more palatable when cooled off but ultimately I had to trim some of the exterior bark. The sausage, however, was excellent and they have several varieties. The price was kind of steep, $13 for a sandwich and less than a pound of link. There is no price list or menu posted anywhere so I was quite surprised. I doubt if I’ll get anything there again.

There are several picnic tables on the premises so you can chow down on your haul right away.


UPDATE - AS NOTED ABOVE, THERE IS NOW AN ENTRANCE DIRECTLY OFF OF HIGHWAY 6, WELL MARKED TOO, SO THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS ARE UNNECESSARY.  Now - about finding the place. It’s really quite simple contrary to what I’ve been warned. If you know where Alvin and Manvel are on Highway 6 you won’t even need a map. County Road 190 runs parallel to Highway 6 only about a city block south, on the other side of a rail line. About half way between Alvin and Manvel on 6 you should see the sign for County Road 146 and a temporary sign (plastic sheeting on a frame) for Froberg’s. There is a traffic signal at this intersection. Go south off Highway 6 for one block and just over the railroad, turn left for about 1 mile. Another way to get there is on the western outskirts of Alvin, look for County Road 149; go south over the tracks and turn right and go about 3 miles. They’re open 7 days a week except for holidays (Closed December 26th, too).

Froberg Farm

Las Delicias Panaderia Colombiana

7643 Dashwood @ Fondren

ANOTHER update below!


Mas ricos tamale. Looks messy, tastes great (not less filling). Update on the Las Delicias tamale below.


This place caught my eye as I was pulling away from a fried chicken emporium on the corner. I drove into the parking lot and made a note of the address and some of the specialties listed on the sign: Lechona, Tamales, Buneulos, Natilla, Empanadas, Pavo Relleno, Pollo Relleno and so on.

Some of these were easy to figure out and when I looked the others up I knew I had to give this place a try. I've never seen some of these offerings on the menus of the other Colombian restaurants I've visited.

Lechona is a Colombian version of roasted, stuffed pig, with yellow peas, green onion, yellow rice and spices, traditionally cooked in a brick oven. Natilla is a custard like pudding made with corn starch instead of eggs.

On my first visit I was sorry to learn that the lechona is available only sporadically; they do expect to do it for Christmas so I'm making plans to visit on the 24th of this month. I do understand it will be available by the platillo or as a whole platter. Yum-yum.

The place has a small pastry display case but mostly it's a lunch counter type set up (and more attractive inside than what you might expect from that trashy center); a counter with stools lines the wall around two sides of the space and there are stools at a main counter, too, but no tables.

I dealt with three different servers; one, the manager I presume, spoke good English apparently, but she was on the phone the whole time I was there. With my limited Spanish and the even more limited English of the others, I managed to find out a lot more about the offerings while watching the plate lunch specials of the day, listed on a blackboard, come out of the kitchen. The place was very busy at 2 in the afternoon. One of the offerings was the traditional dish Bandeja Paisa but the most popular offering of the day was a pork dish, I think, cubed pork in a green sauce; I saw a chuleta plate on the blackboard but can't remember the whole name; there is no other printed menu.

I picked up two empanadas and two pieces of Pandebono, plus a half dozen Colombian tamales. The empanadas, made with arepa dough, were the best Colombian empanadas I've had, fresh and hot out of the fryer. The filling of shredded beef and mashed potatoes was very good, although the first one I bit into had so little actual beef in it it reminded me of deviled ham. The accompanying green sauce, salsa or chimichurri?, was hotter than anything I've ever had at a Colombian restaurant, a surprise since Colombian cuisine is not spicy. Other Colombian empanadas I've had have used ground beef.

Pandebono is a much more interesting Colombian bread than arepas. Made with corn flour, cassava starch, cheese and eggs, the rolls have a hole on the bottom and are hollowed out; they somewhat resemble a cheese flavored bagel, although not as chewy. It is traditionally consumed hot out of the oven with hot chocolate but these were out of the display case and probably several hours old. Nevertheless they were good. I haven't gotten around to heating up the tamales yet (they were refrigerated and require veinte minutos en agua caliente to be ready to eat).

I'm looking forward not only to the tamales but a return to Las Delicias to try other items. I'm particularly intrigued by the Pavo Relleno but I'll be happy to have more of the empanadas and Pandebono.

Despite the language difficulties the servers were all friendly.

Update on the tamale: Okay, so I misunderstood; I bought one tamale, not a half dozen! I fixed it for breakfast this morning. Unwrapping it from the foil packet and banana leaf revealed a beautiful sight, though a bit messy. A common sign in the window of Latin restaurants will describe mas ricos tamales or mas ricos pupusas or mas ricos caldos - this was mas, mas ricos - very, very rich. Besides a drumstick and part of a rib (both bone-in), I detected peas, carrots, onions, and, I think, red and green peppers in the tamale and was on a possibly lard-induced high after just half of it. I have to try one of these in the restaurant. I'm wondering if any salsa is served with it? Not that it needed any - it was awesome as is. I have a better idea now of what the nacatamale of Nicaragua must be like and this just may be the best tamale I've had anywhere.

I've been reading up on Colombian tamales and discovering there are many interesting variations. I'll be looking for them on menus from now on. Here's a fascinating article on a particular type of Colombian tamale (I don't think mine had any egg). Apparently the green sauce is called pique.

NOTE: I believe the tamale I had here is called a tolimenses.

Another update: I went in on the 24th but was unable to get any Lechona; the waitress indicated I needed to call ahead. I wasn't surprised. After reading up on this more it's a very special dish. I went ahead an got an order of Bandeja Paisa to go (the place was packed at 11:15am with people waiting for a stool).


This came with a very good section of skirt steak, lots of rice, a very savory chorizo with lots of green onion in it I think. The portion of plantano maduro was very small, the chicharron was mostly fat and the beans could have been served in a Cajun restaurant over rice and nobody would have noticed. It was a pretty good version of this dish.

I also got a potato ball - a rice and ground beef mixture rolled in cooked potatoes and deep fried. In Puerto Rico this is called Papas Rellenas but the girl, who spoke good English, just called it a potato stuffed with either beef or chicken here so I'm not sure what the Colombian term would be. It was from under a heat lamp so not really hot nor crispy but still pretty good.

The lunch menu hadn't changed that I could tell so I guess it's the same dishes each day. The pork dish on the menu was Chuleta Empanizada; from the explanations online that does not sound like the dish I saw on the first visit so maybe what I saw was not pork after all.

They did not have any tamales. I was planning on buying a couple and trying freezing one.

This is a neat little place and with so many dishes that I have not seen on other Colombian restaurant menus I'm tempted to believe it's the most authentic of the ones I've been to.

Antonini's Subs and Steaks

17314 Highway 3 @ Medical Center Blvd., Webster


I've had to make some trips to the Clear Lake area lately and had heard of this fabulous sub shop and finally had a chance to check it out. It's hidden behind a Valero but easy to find despite the poor signage since it's right at the intersection.

The owners are from Delaware judging by the posters and license plates on the wall. I've read before in a national forum that the Delmarva Peninsula is a mecca for sub lovers and this is my first chance to find out for myself.

The place is small and very plain; the menu is quite small. On my first visit I got a Special to go. The sandwich was huge with 2 meats, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and a very good hot pepper relish. I had noticed a big gallon jar of the relish sitting next to the cash register and now I knew why - they undoubtedly get lots of requests for it and they sell it ($21 a gallon). The bread is chewy rather than crusty and quite sturdy, which it needs to be to hold up to the sandwich's fixings since a lot of their business is take-away. It was a very good deal for just under $5.

On a second visit I tried their Cheesesteak which is a little more expensive, but only by a few cents. I thought it was a little odd it wasn't labeled a Philly Cheesesteak but once sampling it I can see it's a little different than what I think of as a classic Philly. There was a lot of thinly sliced beef, probably sirloin, plus provolone and grilled onions and more of the relish, plus mayo and ketchup. I had read about that ketchup online and so knew to ask that it be left off and only a smear of mayo be added. I think I did the right thing. The relish adds a nice twist to the sandwich which I think would only be muted by the ketchup (I'm not a big fan of ketchup for anything, anyway).

I definitely preferred the Special of the two sandwiches but when I ordered one of those again the owner steered me toward the Italian (pictured above) which he said is his best sandwich. It too was just a few cents more than the Special and has 4 meats instead of 2 (ham, peppered ham, salami, Lebanon bologna?) and was one of the best subs I've ever had. Right away, the Italian becomes one of my favorite sandwiches alongside the Chicago Italian Beef (seems to be a trend developing here) and much better than any Philly I've ever had. Too bad this place is an 80 mile round trip from where I live.

They have a selection of Zapp's and Lay's chips and some sodas and Tastykakes, the packaged snack cakes from Philadelphia that are very good, although the ones I've tried had been on the shelf a little too long.

Besides the gallon jugs, they sell the Bay Valley Foods Chopped Hot Pepper Relish in quart jars for $9. I'm going to have to pick some up. It'll go nicely on the condiments shelf alongside the harissa and sriracha, etc.

There's supposed to be a menu online but I haven't been able to get the website to come up. They do have a meatball sub that I haven't tried but I can't remember all the other sandwiches on the menu.