COLOMBIAN STREET FOOD
New Baby Back Rib Burger The Latest
Colombian Creation At Los Quesudos
Story and Photos by Callie Sharkey
The true passion of any foodie is the desire to find authentic and original flavors. And if you’re looking to discover the unique tastes of true Colombian street food, there is nowhere better than Los Quesudos in Royal Palm Beach.
With the wide range of backgrounds and cultures in the area, Los Quesudos stands alone with its focus on popular Colombian street foods. The Gutierrez family opened the restaurant with a goal to bring these unique Colombian flavors to the general public.
Want to really eat like a local? Then order something not on the regular menu! Just last month, the team at Los Quesudos introduced the Costi Quesuda — the baby back rib burger. This hardy, satisfying burger will change the way you view street food forever.
The tender, boneless baby back ribs are smothered in cheese and combined with coleslaw and cooked onions, on a bed of crunchy potato strings and a slice of green tomato.
Bringing forth such a unique combination was a hard sell to the family, according to restaurant owner and Costi Quesuda creator Ivan Gutierrez.
“It was a fight with my family about that dish, because I was pushing to get it out, and they wouldn’t let me,” Gutierrez recalled. “So, one day I just decided to sneak out, get the ribs and make one anyway. We tried it and everybody liked it. They really loved it because the ribs are so good.”
Gutierrez sees the restaurant and its accompanying food truck business as the realization of a dream to bring something unique and different to his customers. With this latest dish, he knew people liked ribs and wanted to incorporate the Colombian flavors.
“All those flavors together is amazing, and since we launched the burger, it has been kind of crazy,” Gutierrez said.
His daughter Camila wasn’t so sure the baby back rib burger would be successful, but she gives credit to her father’s creativity and tenacity.
“We thought it was going to be this huge and messy thing, and he kind of went off on his own and built it,” she said. “He made his idea come to life.”
Gutierrez’s wife Juliana wasn’t sure about the concept for the Costi Quesuda being worth the work, considering there are so many components to the dish, but head chef Camilo Muñoz has found a way to execute it in a way that still works as original, hand-held street food.
“I recommend the Costi Quesuda with fries or bananas,” Juliana said. “It’s a lot of work, but it is so good, and people love it. Like our other dishes, it comes with four bonus flavors on the side — a pink sauce, a cilantro sauce, a pineapple sauce and a garlic sauce.”
Los Quesudos takes pride in its ingredients being fresh and light, which keeps the baby back rib burger from being too heavy for a daytime meal.
“Everything is local. We have a good relationship with distributors. We bring the ideas from Colombia and make everything here in house. The coleslaw, we don’t buy it, we make the coleslaw here in the kitchen,” Gutierrez said. “We do everything from scratch, start to finish. The salsas, the pink sauce, the cilantros, the garlic sauce — we do everything here. When you come here, and want a burger, you know that it’s not precooked. Everything is made fresh. Always.”
Los Quesudos offers a wide variety of Colombian street food ranging from burgers and hot dogs to maicitos and desgranados (corn-based dishes popular in Colombia). There are also vegetarian options and Colombian desserts, so no one goes home hungry.
The restaurant is open seven days a week, Sunday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Los Quesudos food truck can also be found at many local events and the upcoming green markets in West Palm Beach. Catering services are also available.
There is a dine-in option at the restaurant, or you can order your street food to go through delivery services such as Uber Eats, Grubhub, DoorDash and Postmates. Carryout is available by ordering online. Keep an eye out for the Los Quesudos app coming soon.
Los Quesudos is located at 9864 Southern Blvd. in the plaza with Home Depot. For more info., call (561) 331-8114 or visit www.losquesudosusa.com.
