Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Slide) in Santa Tecla, El Salvador

One of my favorite games growing up was Mario Kart. Something about drifting through the Mushroom Kingdom and tossing turtle shells at opponents was exhilarating. Every course was unique and designed around key lands or characters in the Mario universe. Of all the courses, Rainbow Road was my favorite. A shimmering rainbow race track that floated magically in the middle of the galaxy. It was the most challenging but most beautiful course.

While I haven’t had much time for Mario Kart as an adult, I was able to find a real life Rainbow Road at the Picnic Steak House Restaurant in Santa Tecla, El Salvador. Located in the mountains of Santa Tecla, The Picnic Steak House Restaurant is a whimsical eatery that over looks the capital city, San Salvador.

The restaurant boasts a unique aesthetic – something like a universe crossover between Alice in Wonderland and your local pop-up circus. Garden hedge art, life-size statues of animals, and various fair rides, like a merry-go-round, are sprinkled between the restaurant’s picnic tables and grassy areas. While many people come to the Picnic Steak House Restaurant for the food and mountain views, what draws the most tourists is the infamous rainbow slide – which is exactly what I came for!

We arrived to the Picnic Steak House around mid-day. We had already eaten lunch, so we decided to just enjoy the grounds of the restaurant and make our way to the rainbow slide. We purchased a ticket for ~$5.00 USD and waited in a short line until it was our turn. As we watched people descend one by one down the slide, we began to notice some dark clouds moving across the sky. Finally, it was our turn! The slide attendant placed a shiny blue inner tube down on the rainbow pavement and motioned for me to get in. He instructed me to hold on tight as he started his countdown to the big push. 3…2… and before he could get to one, the sky opened up and it began to rain…HARD!

People ran to take cover from the rain as the attendant helped me get out of the tube. Unfortunately, the slide closes during the rain. When the slide is wet it becomes too slick for the inner tube to slide down at a safe speed. We watched and waited for the rain to clear up and when it did we eagerly ran back to the attendant and begged him to let us go down. My best friend, Vanessa is a master finesser – she told the man it was my last day here and we had come all this long way to do the slide. He sighed and said, “You can go, but you will go down fast.”…and oh, did I go fast!

He gave me a big push and I zoomed down the steep incline, soared over the two humps, and crashed into the cushioned wall at the end of the slide. I crashed so hard my glasses fell off of my face. As I recollected my glasses, my thoughts, and my inner tube, it began to rain again. I hoisted my inner tube above my head and began the climb back up to the top of the hill. When I finally reached the top, I was exhausted and soaked, but I couldn’t help but laugh. Well, he did say it would be fast!

If you are looking for a little adventure and some quick bites during your time in San Salvador, check out the Picnic Steak House. No reservation is needed to enjoy the restaurant’s enchanting grounds or rainbow slide.