Puerto Rico

I've planned a vacation in Puerto Rico for November. Can anyone recommend some good restaurants there? Thanks in advance.

Teddy, I'll tell you man, I ate at a bunch of high-end and hole-in-the-wall places in PR, and I dont' think I had a really spectacular meal the whole time I was there. That was in my pre Chowhound/LTH Forum days, so perhaps my sensibilities were blurred.

I'm going to track this evolving thread with interest to see if anyone comes up with any solid recommendations. I'm interested to see what I may have missed.

Hammond

PS. Plus, the scuba diving was the worst of any I've experienced in the Caribbean.

TB

It's been 20 plus years since I spent any time in PR.Oddly the only meal I remember was a lousy pizza delilvered to my room.

For a real slice of Puerto Rican culture I would strongly recommend an evening at club Gallistico,a chicken shack of a different sort.

http://www.gearnuts.net/photo/2002/puertorico/sj_cockfight.htm

http://www.igougo.com/planning/journalEntryActivity.asp?EntryID=15747

John

JSM,

Love the links.

A "smoke-free" cocking fighting parlour! I'm trying to imagine what that would be like.

Hammond

A "smoke-free" cocking fighting parlour! I'm trying to imagine what that would be like.

Hammond

David

The atmosphere at Club Gallistico is pure rum and adrenaline fueled excitement.
Chicken soup for the soul

Like a Las Vegas heavyweight bout all the major players are gathered rignside,waving fists full of cash as they cheer on their favorite bird.

With the huge amounts of cash being bet on these birds, I would wager that the "smoke free" environment is to insure maximum fight time for the birds.

John

my notes from a few areas of Puerto Rico, which has to be the most unappreciated/overlooked island in the Caribbean IMO.

In Old San Juan:

Chef Marisoll, 202 Calle de Cristo. Contemporary. I had a curried chicken w/papaya and cilantro.

Amadeus, Calle San Sebastian 106. Caribbean, but w/a gourmet twist.

Just next door to Amadeus is El Patio de Sam.
A busy, but fun place for drinks. I would not recommend the food. It is across from the Church de San Jose where there are usually some festive happenings, which are fun to take in after dinner (at Amadeus!).

One of our favorite restaurants is newcomer The Parrott Club at 363 Fortaleza. Very, very, very good PR and Caribbean food. Also live music at night. Very lively atmoshpere.

Brunch:

IMO, hands down it is the sunday brunch at the Caribe Hilton. What a spread!

In Condado Area:

Los Faisanes, Avenida Magdelena 1108. International. Being lovers of great pheasant (Faisanes) dishes, Los Faisanes always has at least two on the menu. Never disappoints.

Ramiro's, Avenida Magdelena 1106. International/Spanish. While the service is great, we've never been bowled over by the food at Ramiro's. Although most others we've talked to have. Just a personal opinion I guess.

Chayote, Avenida Miramar 603 (Olimpo Hotel).
Puerto Rican/Seafood. Always very good!!!

Compostela, Avenida Codado 106. Spanish. We like Compostela over Ramiro's anyday!!!

Urdin, Avenida Magdelena 1105. Seafood/PR.
Had a divine dish of Halibut w/a chutney of raisins and bananas over it.


AJILI MOJILI, Calle Joffre 6. If you want to try Puerto Rican food as the Moms of Puerto Rico cooked it, try this restaurant!!!! WE ALWAYS EAT HERE, EVERY TIME IN PR!!!! Very fun and good value. Anything w/the Ajili Mojili sauce (a very garlicky chili salsa) is awesome.


In Isla Verde:

While we have stayed at the El San Juan, we have never really enjoyed the food or thought it was a good value, seeing the tremendous other restaurants in San Juan. So I can't recommend anything here......EXCEPT!!! goto the open air rooftop bar at the ESJ, get a magarita and have guacamole made tableside.
Very yummy and great views.

In El Yunque/Luquillo Beach:

I highly recommend driving to El Yunque Park. It is the only rainforest in the US park service. Great hiking. Afterwards wash yourself off in the ocean at Luquillo Beach, just don't go on weekends when it will be packed!!!! The good eats are the various bungalows along the beach (not in the beach park, but down from the beach area) you'll see when driving twoards the beach park. The various grilled meats and empanadas go great w/the cold Medalla beer.

In Ponce:

The only restaurant we've eaten is La Hacienda/La Cava de la Hacienda which is located in the Ponce Hilton. Good International cuisine, but pricy. a better bet is to drive 20 minutes West to the following:

In Guanica:

One of our favorite places to stay (and eat) on the south side of the Island is the Copamarina Beach Resort whose Ballena's restaurant is very good. Service is slow here, but the food is well worth it.

In Rincon:

Rincon is 8 miles north of Mayaguez on the West side of PR. The Horned Dorset Primavera Hotel. This is THE best hotel in PR for couples (no kids under 12 allowed). It also has one of the most beautiful and delicious dining rooms in all of PR. Well worth the drive and $$.

La Paguera:

La Paguera is located on the SW side of PR.
If you should find yourself there on a dark night. Make sure to do two things.
Eat at the Parador Villa Parguerra, which serves seafood in a traditional PR manner. the fresh fish is ALWAYS pleasing.

After dinner, find the local boats that take you to Phosphorescent Bay. Once there, the tiny bioluminescent organisms in the water light up when disturbed by the swimmers. A very amazing sight and real fun being on the water at night.

Other activities:
the Observatory of Arecibo, the largest radar/radio telescope on earth
Rio Camuy Caves (about 1 hr drive from San Juan)
Scuba (we've gone out of the Copa Marina and Fajardo)
Oldest Church in the Western Hemisphere (text courtesy of Frommer's): One of the most noteworthy churches in Puerto Rico is Iglesia Porta Coeli (Gate of Heaven) (tel. 787/892-0160), which sits atop a knoll at the eastern end of a cobble-covered square, the Parque de Santo Domingo. Dating from 1606 and built in a style inspired by the Romanesque architecture of northern Spain, this is the oldest church in the New World. Restored by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, and sheathed in a layer of salmon-colored stucco, it contains a museum of religious art with a collection of ancient santos, the carved figures of saints that have long been a major part of Puerto Rican folk art.

David Hammond wrote:PS. Plus, the scuba diving was the worst of any I've experienced in the Caribbean.

I disagree.

Out of Fajardo was nothing special, out of Guanica (SW side of the island was very good though), did not get to Mona Island off of the west coast of PR, which I've read is excellent.

For me, there were two things I really remember about my trip to PR.

El Yunque is spectac, and the little coquis (singing frogs) are great.

Then there are the two phosporescent bays - one off the south side of the island, and the other on the Island of Vieques. We went about 10 years ago, and I believe Vieques has been developed a lot in the interim, but then it was a beautiful, mostly empty, place.

And swimming in the phosporescent bay, surrounded and bathed in trails of light, is the best hallucinatory experience I have ever had (no comment on any basis for comparison).

The food, back then, was mostly pretty disappointing for me, though I did not have Willie's list. I think that outside the big city and resorts, it is simple, fried fish and meat with starch of one form or another. Lightly spiced, mostly with salt. But the mountains, the people and the sea were great.

The d clan is going to Puerto Rico for Christmas. On previous visits, I have not been impressed with the food, though my brother's significant other is Puerto Rican, and that food is always excellent, so I know the cuisine is there.

A couple of days in San Juan at the beginning and end, with a week in Rincon in the middle. Preliminary research says Rincon is a fish shack on the beach dining type of place, but I have not been there. Any ideas are welcome, and a full report will be forthcoming.

thx

The mofongo is to me the characteristic Puerto Rican dish. It's one of those things that is so fundamental it is executed in many different ways, so if you try one and don't care for it, you might want to try it again somewhere else. The essence of it is a shell made of crushed plantain, with seasoned meat, garlic and maybe some vegetables inside. Pork is typical but chicken is common too.

A recentreport, from Chowhound.

Erik M.

It might be a little late for the original post, but we just returned from Puerto Rico and wanted to add our thoughts to the Chowhound post cited in the previous posts:

• Bebo's Cafe (on Loiza in Condado) was great--it was just over a block from our hotel (Best Western Pierre) and the food was amazing. We had the mofongo with chicken--delicious!--and beef with cheese--pretty good. We both had batida de papaya (papaya shakes) which were delicious, but could have been colder. We also had fried sweet plantains, and these were yummy.
• Jibarito in Old San Juan (on Calle de San Francisco?) was outstanding--we had fried whole red snapper--unbelievably fresh and delicious, with just the right amount of seasoning--and plantain tamales with pork, which were pretty good. My husband loved the red beans and rice here. We also had the fried green plantains and the fried sweet plantains. Both were delicious. The green sauce was amazing. Look for it on your table (not all tables had it).
• Ajili Mojili on Ashford in Condado was the letdown. The fried red snapper was tough, and the beef with garbanzo beans was delicious but small (for $23). The pumpkin fritters for appetizer was very good, though. We thought it was the worst restaurant we visited on the trip for price and quality (especially when compared to Jibarito and Bebo's, which were both packed with locals--and Ajili Mojili was more touristy). Lesson learned.

We ate very well in PR, as it turned out. I will not report on all the places, because I am not sure it would be of interest to all, but here are some comments, and I would be happy to answer any questions.

Funny about Ajili Mojili - the hotel owner (at El Prado in Condado) strongly advised us against going there. Her comment: "I cannot see paying $30 for Mofongo, even if it is very good.") Can't say I had any great meals the day I was in San Juan, as it turned out. Seems like Pikayo was the place to go, but it was booked. Somehow, I never made it to any decent Nuevo Latino spot. My bad.

Great Mofongo Relleno con Mariscos. and Empanadillas con Mariscos (both in Rincon, one at Rincon Tropical Gourment, the other at Kaplash). Lovely to dine at Horned Dorset Primavera on Christmas Eve, sipping Champagne and watching the sun go down. The food was pretty decent, too, and watching our fellow diners was a hoot. A real mix of people from all over, all gussied up and festive. Drinking moonshine with some locals on the way to midnight mass later was pretty good, too.

After 10 days, I found PR food got a bit oppressive, and of course it is very heavy and pretty unhealthy. But it was a great trip overall.

Great beaches, mountains and people, though. Very good trip overall. Still, if my main focus was not beach (and it usually is not), I would pick Mexico first most times. Certainly for food.

R.W. Apple Jr. wrote an article in today's NYT on the dining scene in San Juan, P.R.

"Puerto Rico, Flavored With Contradictions"
(Registration Required)

Erik M.

Erik,

I found the article very interesting as I'm heading to Puerto Rico in April. Since it's for a business function most of my dining choices will be made for me ahead of time. However, I always manage to have one or two memorable meals on trips such as this and it will be interesting to compare my own notes with the article and the others who have posted on this thread when I return.

Kwe730 wrote:Erik,

I found the article very interesting as I'm heading to Puerto Rico in April. Since it's for a business function most of my dining choices will be made for me ahead of time. However, I always manage to have one or two memorable meals on trips such as this and it will be interesting to compare my own notes with the article and the others who have posted on this thread when I return.

I hope that you share your impressions with us!

Regards,
Erik M.

I read the article with great interest, to see what Johnny Apple's take on Puerto Rican was. I'm disappointed. While I still think he's great, Apple has been slipping a little in his travelogues lately (eg, his Chicago report).

He focused almost exclusively on higher-end hotel "fusion" Nuevo Latino stuff that has little to do with the way most folks eat most meals in PR. These kinds of places, in my experience, are almost always a letdown , falling short of the same kind of stuff one can find here, or NYC, or Miami. A couple of sentences are added at the end about "home cooking." I do envy his trip to the lechonera, though he should have tried a pastel with his pork. And there are inaccuracies. He misstates that mofongo is made with boiled plantains (they are fried; fufu and mangu are made with boiled platanos).

The article also is peppered with facile analogies and overstatements -- dismissing the foods of the French and British West Indies, presumably including places such as Trinidad, Jamaica, and Haiti; declaring Puerto Rican to be the most sophisticated Caribbean food while giving nearly no examples of the cuisine; announcing a particular tie between Cajun and Puerto Rican food food when, in reality, there seems to be the same overlap as in the rest of the African American diaspora, no more no less.

Every one has better and worse articles. To my mind, his writings about Vietnam and Italy stand head and shoulders over this effort.

This current C.H. thread contains a few pointers on the dining scene in San Juan.

Erik M.

Sweet Willie wrote:AJILI MOJILI, Calle Joffre 6. If you want to try Puerto Rican food as the Moms of Puerto Rico cooked it, try this restaurant!!!! WE ALWAYS EAT HERE, EVERY TIME IN PR!!!! Very fun and good value. Anything w/the Ajili Mojili sauce (a very garlicky chili salsa) is awesome.

word from a few people who have been is that Ajili Mojili has gone down in quality and way up in prices.

Any other/recent restaurant recommendations in San Juan or Old San Juan? I'll be in PR for the first time this weekend and would like to dig in to some authentic food.

Teddybear -- any feedback from your recent trip?

Hi all,

Just got back from PR last night and unfortunately, being there on business food took a back seat (imagine that). The only real memorable dining experience I had was at Hacienda Siesta Allegre. I got the impression that the only way you can dine there is if you're there for an event or are staying on the property because it is a private home. However, it was a beautiful evening.

Did some snorkeling as well and although it wouldn't be my first choice as a destination for that, I thought it was enjoyable.

http://www.haciendasiestaalegre.com/

Nice to be back with you all from LTH!

I'm not thrilled to be back in Chicago. Yesterday morning, we were on the beach in 90 degree weather with hardly a cloud in the sky, but after blue-lining it back home, we were greeted with (relative) wind and cold.

We spent most of our time in San Juan. A few food destinations (not in any order):

(1) Pollo Tropical, various locations
A fast food joint. As in drive-through, etc. Not great, but tastes like it's made to order. PR and other traditional Carribean food. All considering, a better alternative to the other joints in this category (e.g. ubiquitous McDonald's, Burger Kings).

(2) Reposteria Kasalta, Calle McLeary 1966, San Juan, PR
Great diner with wonderful looking pastries. We went for breakfast, but looked like great options for later in the day. Solid ham and cheese sandwich, strong coffee. Mostly locals here. Three different lines while we were here, each for different offerings. Ask before getting in line -- then ask again to make sure.

(3) Ajili Mojili, Av. Ashford 1052, Condado, PR
Mentioned above. Given the somewhat inconsistent reports on this place, I was extremely pleasantly surprised with our dinner here. Decent wine list, friendly wait staff, very solid renditions of traditional (and not-so) PR food. Tasted the tilapia, churrasco steak, and paella puertoriquena which were all great. Desserts weren't as solid -- could have done without the tres leches cake and tembleque, but the rice pudding was good. Had some minor service mistakes (e.g. received one, instead of two orders of the crab arepa appetizer; getting maduros instead of the ordered tostones), but these were quickly corrected when brought to their attention. One of our more expensive meals in PR. Mix of locals and tourists here.

(4) Metropol, 124 F. D. Roosevelt Ave, San Juan, PR
Right next to the Club Gallistico mentioned above. Mostly Cuban dishes. We all had the red snapper, which was mighty fine. Strange disconnect at this place -- waiters were tuxedoed but looked very overdressed given surroundings. Another disappointing tres leches experience (aside: why is it that the best tres leches I've found was in Toronto, of all places?), but otherwise good. And why don't we have more places that sell 1/2 bottles of wine, like this place does? Locals and tourists.

(5) El Siglo XX, Calle Fortaleza 355, Old San Juan, PR
Spanish and PR dishes here. Very friendly, unrushed service. Was disappointed when I got to the end of my potato and chorizo tortilla. Fresh squeezed orange juice. Mostly locals when we were here for brunch.

We went to a few other places that were just for grab-and-go stuff, but nothing worth writing about. I know there's more to eat, so we're looking forward to next visit.

--Zee

Funny you mention the Miami chain Pollo Tropical. You know there were two in Chicago in the mid-90's, one on Ashland near Diversey (now a Boston Market) and one on Addison near Gordon Tech that is now a Chinese buffet. They were ok. They should have done more demographics research. One might have worked well in Humboldt Park, though I don't see going to PT over Papa's.

A recent Miami Herald article says they are poised for expansion again, noting that the mid-90's experiment was poorly executed. They've added lechon and ribs to the menu, too.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/bu ... 055077.htm

JeffB wrote:Funny you mention the Miami chain Pollo Tropical.

Jeff,

I ate at a South Florida Pollo Tropical back in December, sure beat the alternative that afternoon.

Muerto Carne post

Enjoy,
Gary

Gary,

Your experience with Pollo Tropical sounds pretty poor. And I'd only venture as far as to give it faint praise.

While the tostones tasted like they'd been fried last week and kept on life support, at least the pernil actually tasted like pork, the pechuga de pollo was a serviceable chicken breast, the rice and beans were just that.

I'd rank it like I rank Arby's. I wouldn't seek it out normally, but in a pinch (e.g. desolate drives through Indiana to Ohio), it's a decent backup.

Zee

I've serched through threads here looking for any hidden gems I might find in Puerto Rico. I'm headed there for a week after Thanksgiving, and am pretty suprised that most of the reviews here are luke warm at best.

I'm really interested in finding some great lechon asado or any other traditional gems. I'll mostly in in San Juan but wouldn't mind travelling a bit around.

Any help or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

I was in P.R. for Christmas a few years ago; although we only spent 2 days in San Juan (mostly Old San Juan), we did manage to rustle up some good grub.

Inexpensive, home-style cooking:

La Fonda del Jibarito
280 Calle Sol
787-725-8375

Tasty light-ish breakfast (pastry/coffee):

La Bombonera
259 Calle de San Francisco
787-722-0658

Damn good, if expensive, seafood (raw bar is excellent)
364 Calle La Fortaleza
787/722-0665

Hipster semi-foo-foo fusion and lovely cocktails:

Parrot Club
363 Calle Fortaleza
787-725-7370

Are you going to Vieques? I have a few good recs (but I'd have to dig around for names).

I spent a week in Puerto Rico last winter and had an amazing trip. Unfortunately, though, the food could not compare with the sunshine, pristine beaches, and laid back accomodations. My girlfriend does not eat meat, but loves fish and this made things pretty complicated. There is oddly a lack of quality seafood on the island and being an island there was a scant selection of fresh vegetables. Puerto Rican, like most Carribean and Latin American food is heavy on the starches, i. e. plaintains both green and sweet, yuca, beans, and rice. Also meat plays a central role. Its fairly simple and homestyle cuisine. In San Juan we had our best meals at old school local favored cafes, such as Cafe Manolin, where I enjoyed this meal of fried pork chop and requisite starches:

Another great breakfast we enjoyed was at La Bombonera, a classic 100+ year old cafeteria:

I had this sandwich, name escaping me, which was a sort of Puerto Rican Monte Cristo with egg, ham, and cheese on a sweet powder sugared bread pressed with a sandwich press:

We ate at a few classier establishments like Tio Danny's, but were repeatedly disappointed with the results. The down home places are the way to go.
I never got around to lechon country, but a local told me that the central highlands of the island are where to find the real deal. Apparently there are families there who have specialized in roasting pig for generations and there is tight control of who can produce the product.
My favorite off the beaten path eats were in an area just east of San Juan called Los Pinones, where apparently there is a heavy African presence. Here I really enjoyed crab alcapurrias, made with plaintain meal and hand formed around spiced crab meat and also fritters of salt cod, bacalitos.

A full on foodie adventure? no, but a wonderful laid back time and hospitable folks, indeed.
Enjoy your trip!

Jefe wrote:[img]I never got around to lechon country, but a local told me that the central highlands of the island are where to find the real deal. Apparently there are families there who have specialized in roasting pig for generations and there is tight control of who can produce the product.

ccrush, thanks for the tips. I probably won't be going to Vieques but likely will do a day snorkeling around Culebra.


Jefe, Thanks so much for this. I'm really looking forward to finding the real deal lechon!

JLenart wrote: I'm really looking forward to finding the real deal lechon!

another Puerto Rico thread: http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=981

I wish you luck in finding lechon, just realize that even though the island is only approx 55 miles east to west and 30 miles north to south, it can take hours to traverse either way. That said I do highly urge you to get out of San Juan if you can and I do love San Juan, however the real beauty of the island is away from the city.

I don't agree that seafood is lacking, there just are some towns that are loaded with seafood restaurants and others are more land based proteins.

edited to add info about a seafood town La Paguera, which is located on the SW side of PR. If you should find yourself there on a dark night. Make sure to do two things.

Eat at the Parador Villa Parguerra, which serves seafood in a traditional PR manner. the fresh seafood is ALWAYS tasty.

After dinner, find the local boats that take you to Phosphorescent Bay. Once there, the tiny bioluminescent organisms in the water light up when disturbed by the swimmers. A very amazing sight and real fun being on the water at night.

A paradore is a small family inn, generally owned by local a local family and some serve some great food like Paradore Villa Parguerra, more info here: http://www.puertoricosmallhotels.com/ma ... adores.htm

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