Here in the States, churros are often only experienced at festivals and fairs – food to chow down on while you wander through the throngs of people under neon lights. But if you’ve tried this tasty treat before, occasional festivals and fairs just aren’t enough to satisfy your cravings. These delicious sticks of fried dough will be calling your name every time you want dessert (or a sweet treat with your morning coffee or, frankly, a sugary midnight snack). So for the sake of St. Augustinians nursing those churro cravings, we paid a visit to the local Cantina Louie.
Situated in a purple building on the corner of US 1 and State Road 312, Cantina Louie is decorated with murals sporting bright colors and Día de Muertos-esque painted skulls – we’re sure it’s caught your eye. Well it’s caught ours too, and with a penchant for Mexican street food, we were sure they could teach us a thing or two about churros.
The inside of the restaurant is an explosion of lime green, hot pink, and deep purple – an ideal eating environment for chowing down on some churros. The signature ridges of the cream-filled fried pastry are rolled in cinnamon and sugar. Cantina Louie then stacks the churros on top of each other to form a sugary structure, secures it with a healthy portion of whipped cream, and drizzles the whole thing in chocolate sauce. It’s a decadent dessert construction perfect for sharing with a friend or (if you feel so inclined) hoarding entirely to yourself. We wouldn’t judge.
As with churros in a general way, the whole dish is a whole lot of sweet. But the harmony of the simple ingredients gives it a kind of varied sweetness – the pastry and cream with a sugary sweetness, the cinnamon adds a spicy-sweet kick, and the chocolate tops it off with rich flavors. Unless you’re craving some hardcore sugar, you won’t need much of this churro dish to get your fix. You’ll easily satisfy even the most well-seasoned sweet tooth.
If you’ve got churros on the brain, take a seat in a bright pink booth in this St. Augustine street food spot (or take a trip to their new location in Nocatee) and treat yourself.
Cantina Louie is located at 1900 US 1. Visit them online at www.cantinalouie.com. Photography by Brian Miller.
