San Juan, La Union — Imagine, after spending an afternoon surfing, you start thinking what’s for dinner. Then the thought of having an ice cold beer and beef brisket, pork ribs, and sausage (being slowly-cooked and smoked over wood or charcoal in an open pit) started lingering. You find yourself drooling and your tummy, growling. Well, I can’t blame you if you’ll feel that way.

Well, if you happen to be in surftown, San Juan in La Union, then you are in for a lovely, gastronomic barbecue treat! Kayu, a Texas -style, al fresco barbecue restaurant and smokehouse is slowly making waves in the food scene at this side of Ilocos Region.

People I know have been raving about Kayu’s good food. So I didn’t have any qualms when I decided to include Kayu in my “eat-inerary” during a recent San Juan trip. By the way, here is a little trivia.”Kayu” is an Ilocano word which means ‘wood’. What an appropriate name for a BBQ food nook!

What makes Kayu’s barbecue options special? As a Texas-style type of BBQ, the usual rub is a simple salt-and-pepper mix, so most of the smoky and hearty flavor one gets to taste in the meat comes from the wood. Such style holds true to the traditional “slow-and-low” method of preparing the meat over wood for upto 12 hours or so.

Kayu has an impressive set of grilled meat (from pork, to beef to chicken), and more (like burger etc). We had their Peri-Peri chicken that’s paired with a lovely tasting mashed potatoes, their appetizer set (that has grilled pork, sausage, and chicken wings – this one is super sulit), and the absolutely satisfying, tummy filling Kayu burger. Since we weren’t really ready to gulp on beer, we had a taste of their refreshing cucumber shake instead.

The Kayu barbecue experience was definitely a delicious and satiating one. And it shouldn’t be missed whenever you are in San Juan!

Kayu is located along McArthur Highway, Urbiztondo, San Juan, La Union. It’s pretty easy ro find them and is very accessible from the central surfing area. We were very fortunate that the BnB we stayed at is just a stone’s throw away from Kayu!