Puerto Rico is a hub of culinary diversity, offering a range of dining experiences as bold as its culture. The Island’s rich history has created a booming food culture that blends Taíno, Spanish, and African traditions with culinary influences from the Americas, Asia, Europe, and beyond.
Taste the evolution of comida criolla in San Juan
Comida criolla (creole food) – Puerto Rico’s traditional cuisine – is the result of centuries of blending of Taíno, Spanish, and African traditions and ingredients. There’s no shortage of delicious restaurants serving classic criollo dishes like La Casita Blanca, El Jibarito, or La Alcapurria Quemá. However, beyond the traditional eateries, a cadre of San Juan chefs are finding creative ways to evolve and elevate comida criolla by fusing staple recipes with outside influences and placing local ingredients squarely at the forefront of their menus.
From her vibrant location in Santurce, Chef Natalia Vallejo of Cocina al Fondo transports city dwellers to Puerto Rico’s countryside as she breathes new life into ancestral recipes. The rice with rabbit, catch of the day, and beet terrine are highlights. Moreover, at Vianda, run by husband-and-wife team Chef Francis Guzmán and Amelia Dill, the polished seasonal menu both reinterprets the traditional and reinvents international classics, all with local ingredients.
Moreover, no other dining experience is challenging the status quo as much as Oriundo, a monthly pop-up tasting experience. Chef Martin Louzao takes diners on a six-course journey through the forgotten foods of Puerto Rico, to recover the Island’s biodiversity by introducing new and old ingredients to Puerto Rico’s cuisine.
Try world-famous lechón
Lechón consists of an expertly seasoned whole pig that is slow-roasted until it’s fall-apart tender, juicy, and flavorful. It is one of Puerto Rico’s most emblematic dishes, and the best place to find it is in Guavate. Dubbed Puerto Rico’s “Pork Highway,” this winding mountain road is lined with lechoneras, or open-air roasteries fostering a casual and lively atmosphere.
On weekends, locals queue up to order cafeteria-style and enjoy their food at the communal tables. Don’t miss out on the sides – equally important and delicious – like arroz con gandules (rice and pigeon peas), morcilla (blood sausage), and amarillos (sweet plantains). Tried and true favorites include El Rancho Original and Lechonera Los Pinos. More modern venues such as Casita Guavate offer made-to-order options and strong cocktails like the passion fruit mojito.
Get your fill of local fritters
Puerto Ricans delight in all kinds of stuffed and fried turnovers known as frituras. Popular options include alcapurria, made by grating green bananas and yautía (a root vegetable similar to a yam) into a dough. Traditional fillings include stewed ground beef or jueyes (blue land crabs). However, during the beachside experiences in Piñones, you can find made-to-order delicacies such as lobster alcapurrias.
The most ubiquitous fritura, however, is the empanadilla or pastelillo. These crescent-shaped turnovers made from wheat flour can be found on menus from fine dining establishments to roadside food trucks. There’s a heated debate as to which is which, but generally, pastelillos are yellow with edges sealed with a fork, while empanadillas are white with hand-braided edges.
Savor hand-crafted cocktails
Puerto Rico boasts a long history of cocktail making with several local and international rum distilleries. The piña colada was famously invented here in the 1950s. Today’s expert mixologists are riffing off classic cocktails and inventing concoctions uniquely their own.
When La Factoría opened in 2013, it launched the Island’s craft cocktail craze with its Lavender Mule. Since then, it has expanded to six interconnected bars, each with a distinct vibe. In Miramar, Bar La Unidad serves vintage speakeasy vibes and delectable drinks like the cortadito, made with espresso, bourbon, chocolate bitters, and white chocolate. In Santurce, La Penúltima attracts crowds with hand-crafted cocktails focusing on quality ingredients.
Sip single-origin coffee at the haciendas of the central mountains
Coffee is a staple of everyday life in Puerto Rico, which takes its coffee culture very seriously. The microclimate in the central highlands is perfect for cultivating high-quality single-origin coffee, known for its unique and delicious flavors. Visitors can meander through the mountains to discover gorgeous coffee plantations that harvest, hand pick, sun-dry, and roast their own coffee.
Two hours’ drive from San Juan is Café Hacienda San Pedro in Jayuya, where you can grab a bite and a coffee, tour the historic coffee museum, or shop for local produce from their 300-acre farm.
From traditional restaurants and creative roadside cafes to trendy bars, Puerto Rico’s thriving food scene has something to offer for every palate. Come and explore some of the Island’s best eats.
