El Kiosko

Fabulous… that is all… Always served with a smile

1^st timer DELICIOUS food (tacos de trips/​chorizo), great & fast service ! definitely would come back to this place my fav place for tacos know hurrrray !!:D

Stopped off the 101 for Eva’s café based on Unilocal but it was closed at 8 pm on a Sunday. Stopped here to get gas and the menu looked cheap and decent. Lady who rung up our gas recommended the asada burrito and vampiros, which we had never heard of. My husband and I split the asada burrito and each had a pastor vampiro. Fast, easy, cheap, friendly and best of all, yummy and hit the spot! We’d eat here again.

The roach coach had better tacos. Now that they moved inside, it’s always inconsistent. I haven’t had good tacos since. Good customer service though. The roach coach parks on Filice St now next to Chase.

Now is see why this place was rated 5 stars! Great service, fast and easy. Not to mention delicious!

Now most of the time I will never go into a gas station and order some food, but this my fourth time coming in here. Very small kitchen, and no drinks, but who cares you’re at a gas station that has plenty drinks (most of time I get Dasani). Now the last three times I’ve always ordered the Cabeza tacos. But this time I order the lengua tacos, at first I order three of course with everything. (Lime or lemon, grilled onions, fresh onions, cilantro) but then half way on the third taco I had to order a fourth one. Excellent tacos, cheap prices, It’ll be regular spot for me now and then.

Do not be fooled by the gas station ambiance, this place has fantastic Mexican food. Hidden jewel and the price is great too. Oh and best horchata! Sweet and refreshing.

For $ 3.95, you get a simple, fresh, and huge regular burrito with your choice of meat, refried beans, fluffy Mexican rice, onions, and cilantro. Everything tastes simple, pure, and fresh. A screamin’ deal. Since it does not come with cheese, crema, or added salsa, the burrito was not well integrated nor did it hold together well. However, add the avocado, tomatilla, cilantro and lime sauce, and you have a symphony of fresh flavor. There is also a ranchera chile sauce available. You have to ask the cook for the salsa squeeze bottles.
El Kiosko also serves tacos, tortas, breakfast burritos, and all the usual taqueria products. There are no prices on the colorful overhead menu, but these offerings are probably just as reasonable as the regular burrito.
During the day, El Kiosko cooks inside the gas station mini-​mart, to the right when you walk in the door. If you’re paying cash, you pay the cook. If using a card, you pay at the counter on the other side of the store. Once the mini-​mart closes, they cook outside in the taco truck until midnight. I don’t know about the taco truck, but the mini-​mart is clean and sano. The kitchen is totally open, so you can see exactly what the cook is doing, and appreciate how clean the facility is kept. Very nice!

Had my first taste today. Tried the azada, tripas, pastor, and the chicken tacos. every single one of them were as good as the next. The owner/​cook was more than welcoming. i’ve found my new taco spot for lunches.
but not only does he do tacos, there is pretty much everything else on the menu. Well worth a trip for anyone looking to get a true Mexican meal.
*please note, El Kiosko is now a sit down taqueria style place*
and DO NOT forget to grab a Vampira!

One thing I miss about living in Salinas, is the mighty taco truck.
El Kiosko is one of the best taco trucks in Salinas! We used to go looking for this truck in the east side to eat these wonderful tacos. Also they have this avocado lime sauce which is oh so good. If your in Salinas, and you want some realyl good tacos, I definitely recommend going to this truck.

They offer asada, lengua, cabeza, pastor, and carnitas. I would definitely recommend the cabeza. If you like the taste of simple, tender beef (sort of like pot roast) then you should definitely give it a try. They also offer a random menu of junk foods like snickers? Those pre-​packaged bear claws we all used to eat as kids, jarritos, corn nuts, Reese’s, and soft drinks (see pictures).
Overall, this place is great and they don’t drown their food in sauce like you find at other Mexican restaurants. They allow the fresh ingredients (onions, cilantro, salsa, & tortillas) shine through.