Downtown Gulfport’s authentic Colombian restaurant is about to turn one. We gave it a try
Exposed brick and painted tiles, butterflies across the ceiling and a hanging, lit-up bicycle. Vibrant colors mix with Latin music and bring you into a new world when you cross the threshold from Downtown Gulfport into Los Kioskos.
The Colombian restaurant is nearly a year old now and continues to be a hot spot for authentic dishes brought from South America. Located at 1723 25th Avenue, Los Kioskos has a big menu featuring Colombian and Latin favorites from empanadas to desserts to a wide array of refreshing drinks.
Our meal started with fried plantains served with a dipping soup. They were enjoyed with a glass of Panela Lemonade — which is made with brown sugar. It tasted almost like a cider and makes a perfect drink for a hot autumn day in South Mississippi.
The empanada sampler came with shredded chicken, shredded beef and Hawaiian empanadas. The chicken and beef were both good, but the ham-and-pineapple-stuffed Hawaiian was incredible. They came with an avocado hot sauce for dipping that added a complimentary kick.
Then came the main course. I got the protein-packed bandeja paisa, which came loaded with steak, pork belly, chorizo, red beans, rice, fried egg, arepa and fried plantain.
I can’t begin to describe how difficult it was to fend off a nap after finishing this off. It was a fantastic blend of meats and sides that will likely keep me full until next week.
My wife had the arroz mixto, which she described as similar to jambalaya. It was rice mixed with grilled chicken, steak, chorizo and carrots and peas. The fries served on the side may have been the best part.
There’s plenty more here that we couldn’t get to. This includes the ajico soup with shredded chicken, potatoes and corn on the corb and bagre a la criolla — a hogao sauce-topped catfish served with rice and cooked yucca.
There’s an entire fried plantain based menu with burgers and platters. There are bowls for healthy meals based on vegetable mixings of spinach, lettuce, tomato, dried fruit and more.
In one trip it was clear that anybody could find something they’d love here. And now combined with neighboring Tavi’s Salumeria, the restaurant adds to Downtown Gulfport’s growing collection of authentic and noteworthy restaurants.
Los Kioskos is open daily at 9 a.m. and closes at 7 p.m. on Sundays and Mondays and 8 p.m. during the rest of the week.
