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I've never had pr food and it was amazing! The owners were so nice and got me samples so I could decide what I was getting. The pernil was juicy and the potato salad delicious, i felt like i was on a really especial occasion, like a holiday, that's how id describe the food I got. I also had alcapurrias and a coconut soda that was delicious and refreshing. It was a sunny day and the music they were playing was cool, made the whole vibe 10/10
Service is great.. staff is very attentive & friendly. The location is chill but most importantly the food is banging!! You don't find many places now a days that cook from the heart. They sure do!
Every time I've wanted to eat here they're closed on those days, so when my friends wanted to eat out, I convinced them to come to El Coqui and no regret whatsoever (although the food coma afterwards may disagree with me. The owner is super nice too and was nice to hear his passion for his culture and exuberance at me being familiar with Puerto Rican food. It definitely translates into his food. We ordered a lot to sample, but I would definitely get the pernil and the tostones. Smashed fried plantains that are lightly salted are delicious, as is the tender chunks of pork that are the pernil. In the platter, they come with potato salad, which was creamy and had chunks of egg in there, along with rice and peas, which complimented the meat well. Chicharron con pollo is their take on fried chicken, and the bone in meat is crispy and salty and delicious. Empanadas are on the blonder side, but goes great with the sauce they provide you. Can't really go wrong, but they are definitely masters of pork, so I would recommend the pernil. Definitely would also come back to try the mofongo. Cash only!
The boy and I came here for lunch last Sunday and were blown away. The owner of the truck was working the menu and was super friendly and helpful as we decided what we wanted to order. I ordered the Chicharron de Pollo with a side of rice, potato salad, and mofongos. This is the fried chicken dish but it isn't battered like American fried chicken. However, it was still crispy and delicious! The mofongos (mashed plantains) were crazy good. They had little bits of chicharron inside them and came with a dipping broth. Finally, the potato salad added a cold, creamy element that contrasted the crispy chicken and garlicky mofongos. My boyfriend ordered the Pernil with a side of rice, yuca, and maduros. The pernil is slow roasted pork that's loaded with tasty seasonings. It was crazy tender too. The yuca was cooked perfectly. The maduros were nothing short of unreal. They make their own maduros so the cook and flavor of these sweet plantains is really on point. We also tried the two sauces they offered. One was creamy and went well with the yuca. The other had a good kick to it and went well with EVERYTHING. :) Do yourself a favor and have a bite at this food truck.
Delicious food, great service and fun ambiance!! The owner and his family are so kind and really care about your opinions. Highly recommend.
Coming here, I had to get around a bus that had just hit an electricity pole while making a turn - and here I'm hoping that the pole won't fall on me and it'll be a sign of good things to come! And then I saw this white truck that's artistically decorated on one side and bearing a large Puerto Rican flag, and plain white on the other side where the ordering happens. Hankering for some good Caribbean food, a la mode Miami, I knew I had to stop here even if only to grab a fried empanada. Approaching the menu, I realized that they had a large offering - but look around, because blackboard menu is different from the picture menu, and that is also different from the printed menu. And oddly, and happily, they're all available. Friendly José took up my order, and was eager to prepare my request of a single $2 fried beef empanada, here called pastelillo. Once served freshly prepared, I sat down and took a bite, ... and I knew I had to order more. I went back, and ordered a $10 full plate of chicharron de pollo (aka chopped fried bone-in chicken), which had been one of my favorite plates to order from a Dominican place I used to frequent in Miami. The Puerto Rican version is identical, and just as amazing as I remember it being. Flavored with the lovable sazón criollo, and prepared country-style, de estilo campestre. While eating this hearty meal, I even spotted a guy next to this truck hand-peeling the potatoes into the bucket at high noon - I don't know about you, but I found this comforting, knowing that everything here is being made from scratch. I picked a side of perfectly fried ripe sweet plantains (maduros) and the plate was accompanied by white rice, delicious and soupy red beans (habichuelas), and a lackluster salad of iceberg lettuce and tomatoes with hardly any dressing that is actually typical of the Caribbean (they just don't do salads well in most down-to-earth places in the islands, unfortunately). Overall, I couldn't have asked for a better meal, as it was more than satisfying. I actually prefer this place over the more popular Puerto Rican restaurant on Lamar in North Austin, and many other Caribbean restaurants considering that I haven't found any other place in Austin that is able to replicate the flavors that were on point. PROS: + empanadas (pastelillos) + chicharron de pollo + maduros CONS: - no fresh juices, just sodas and water bottles - side of salad (but a salad is better than no salad, for this salad-loving guy)
8 years ago
6 years ago
This is old fashioned boricua home cooking. It's the same stuff most of us grew up eating in Miami or New York so big points for staying traditional. The pernil was delicious and was served with big pieces of the incredible chicharrones. Mofongo was a bit dry as mofongo tends to be which is why it is usually served with a broth or in this case, a big ass pile of pernil. So the pork skin n the pork made the mofongo moist and incredibly flavorful. Arroz con gandules were just perfect. It is so common back home that you dont think of it as special, but when you've been in TX for yrs and never see it on menus you realize how special it really is and this truck did not let me down. I would have preferred the tostones to be more flat, lil thick for me at this spot. Of course I still murdered em cuz they're close enough and the mojo was bomb. The best part for me though was the pastelillo (beef). I haven't had one PR style in a while and they NAILED IT. The seasoning in the beef, the thin crispy flaky fried crust, and the pique they serve with it was outstanding I put a lil dab of that pique on every item on my plate as well. The woman who gave it to me was adorable, she goes "It's very good pero it's hot so be nice." Only thing that was kind of a pain in the ass was CASH ONLY. No venmo or cash app? To be fair I have plenty of Puerto Ricans in my own family that avoid transaction fees and/or taxes when possible lol. I get it. read more
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This... Right... Here.... Absolutely delicious. A hidden gem that you are you doing yourself a disservice by not going in search of. The food here is A1. I'm talking melts in your mouth, seasoned to perfection, makes you want to slap someone's Mama good. This food brought me back to growing up in Brooklyn hitting up all my Puerto Rican friends' house for dinner. The cooking reminded me of living in Puerto Rico, my incredible neighbor that used to bring me home cooked meals and Coco Rico... Did I mention they have coconut soda there???? Run, don't walk to El coqui. You can thank me later by picking me up an empanada or five. :) read more
7 years ago
Had the chance to try this place and it was way worth it. I got the pernil and will definitely return. read more
6 years ago
9 years ago
Just in town for the weekend from Dallas. I'm originally from Caguas, Puerto Rico and any chance I get to eat my home food I gotta try it. If you haven't ever tried Puerto Rican, here's your chance! The people that worked there made me feel like I'm back in Puerto Rico. You must try it! read more
4 years ago
9 years ago
Just simply tasty and flavorful. One tastes and you'll be hooked if you left the island of PR this is the place to be. You will feel like home. read more
5 years ago
9 years ago
Super amazing Puerto Rican food! The man who runs it is so sweet and accommodating. The plantains are to die for! What ever you get make sure you have a side of plantains read more
9 years ago
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Mmmm good..just come and try it because to me iTS AWESOME! Very delicious! Now let me EAT! read more
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The best Peurto Rican food I've ever had. And I've been to peurto rico. Lol. The tostones.. Perfect width.. Perfect crisp and softness. Rice so flavorful. And the juicy fat on the carne frita melts in your mouth. The sweet plantains.. Have me drooling. The service was great. And the young man was kind. Definitely my new crave spot.. And I drove from Temple to try it. I'm so glad I did. Reasonable prices.. Enough food.. And he made it to order. Fresh. Yummmmmmmm read more
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More info about El Coqui
2701 E Martin Luther King
Austin, TX 78702
East Austin
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(512) 363-5525
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http://elcoquiatx.com
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