Travel Tuesday: Luquillo’s Kiosks

Our magical time in Puerto Rico seems like it happened years ago. . . I am craving warmth and sunshine in a big way, and Boston is not delivering! The trip was full of relaxation, beach time, and lots of local food, which we tried in all sorts of places, including at Los Kioskos, the kiosks in Luquillo, a must-visit for anyone traveling to the area.

The kiosks are a long stretch of roadside food stands, some small storefronts and others more upscale restaurants, all facing a beautiful beach. The kiosks give you access to about 60 different eating and drinking options with some shops and even a piercing and tattoo studio mixed in!

If you’re visiting Luquillo, you’ll want to visit the kiosks more than once to sample the variety of food there. We loved fresh, tangy ceviche at the Ceviche Hut, along with their peek out at the ocean. This was always a packed spot; you can tell it’s popular and that the seafood flies out of there!

After our hike at El Yunque National Forest, the burgers at the El Jefe kiosk were calling our names, as were their delicious rum cocktails! I loved my Caribbean BBQ Burger with avocado, red onion, and pickles and hand cut fries as much as I loved my rum punch. This would definitely be a spot I would visit again; the menu offered burgers stuffed with chorizo and short ribs, which both sounded decadent and delicious, perfect for a slightly cooler day.

We also loved that many of the places had happy hours. Tattoo Tavern was great for this as well as for live music later in the evening. I almost got my nose pierced again, but the tattoo/piercing part of the business was closed when we went back. Next time!

One of our favorite kiosks for a more sit down dinner was Terruno, where we found incredible local music, dancing, and dinner, along with really friendly and welcoming service. We didn’t stop smiling the entire time, as we chowed down on fried cheese with guava and shrimp mofongo with a garlic sauce.

Seriously, this shrimp was pure heaven. Sharing an appetizer and a main course was enough to fill us up and to get us ready for a night of moving to the music. Such warmth and local flavor to be found by visiting the kiosks!

On another night, we did a couple of appetizers at Mata de Platano where again we went with seafood; crab empanadas and salmon skewers, again delicious and served with true Puerto Rican hospitality.

Our final stop at the kiosks was Edelweiss, known for their extensive beer selection and, you guessed it, friendly staff. Edelweiss is the perfect post-beach spot to start your wandering of the kioskos; most places allow you to take your beer to go as a refresher while you browse the other kiosks.

We really only visited a small handful of the kiosks but spent a lot of time wandering up and down the stretch, seeing families enjoying meals, friends out dancing, people on dates, and lots of people just relaxing after work. It’s a great spot to see how the locals enjoy life, one another, and good food.