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Unless you’re a homesick Honduran or you live in Mott Haven, there’s little chance you’ll find your way to this unassuming, down-at-heel-looking eatery. Outfitted with a handful of creaky booths and barstools, peeling linoleum, and a couple of battered pool tables, it’s the kind of place that, even for many locals, is eclipsed by the area’s flashier, cheaper fast-food joints, like the giant Burger King right across the street. But for Central American immigrants missing the tastes of home, this shabby spot is a stellar hub, a reliable base where a couple bucks buys an edible passport, no visa required: a steaming pupusa—a griddle-fried cornmeal pocket stuffed with melted cheese and pork cracklings—or a hearty, homemade baleada, which folds a thick tortilla around black beans, crumbled manchego cheese, fresh avocado and slightly spicy marinated beef. The sweet café con leche is the finish of choice, along with a side of conversation about what the family is up to back home—or at least what Los Yanquis are up to a few subway stops away. — Sarah Gold

Baleada con aguacate, $2.50; pupusa de queso chicharron o revueltas, $2; pechuga al vino blanco, $9.50; platanos maduros, $3