14 Dishes from Puerto Rico that I Must Eat Again
A table of home-cooked Puerto Rican specialties from Finca La Zafra
I spent most of July 2024 on the “Isle of Enchantment,” Puerto Rico. The first week was for TBEX, a travel and tourism conference that brings together destinations and content creators. I then head the pleasure of a three-day gastronomy familiarization tour with Discover Puerto Rico. After that I stayed in San Juan for another two weeks while working on a book and enjoying the Puerto Rican lifestyle. I rented a car for my final five days and drove into the mountains, then to Rincon on the west coast. I saw native Taino hieroglyphs, dipped my toes in the ocean, enjoyed coffee shops and rum bars, swam in waterfall pools, and found some amazing eats along the way. Here are 14 dishes that truly stand out from my trip, in no particular order:
1) Pan Seared Scallop “Crudo” Cebiche, Corn “Leche de Tigre”, Summer Truffle, Fingerling Chips
estela/
Rincon
At estela, in the beach community of Rincon on the west coast of Puerto Rico, where sunsets fade softly into the sea, James Beard Semifinalist from 2022 Chef Abel Mendoza helms a kitchen that puts special twists on Puerto Rican ingredients. This Peruvian inspired scallop ceviche left a lasting impact on me. The bright, tart citrus made the dish refreshing while the sweet scallops supplied a beautiful contrast with the crispy fingerling potatoes.
2) Chuleta Kan Kan, Tostones, Mayo-Ketchup
Raices Urbano/
Calle Loiza, San Juan
I never want to eat a pork chop another way. The loin, baby back ribs, spare ribs, belly, and skin all together on one chop is a thing of beauty. One thing I learned about Puerto Rico - they love their pork. This cut provides most of the best cuts in one package, all cooked together and still delicious. Crispy, fatty, meaty all in one!
3) Longaniza - Pork Sausage
Finca La Zafra/
Gurabo
We ate very well at Finca La Zafra, a beautiful farm and ecotourism destination less than an hour outside of San Juan. In fact, the picture at the top of this post is a full spread from that meal. However, this longaniza, a pork sausage that is chopped not ground, with Spanish influence that we ate as a snack after the farm tour and mojito making, is the dish I couldn’t stop eating.
4) Tripleta Pizza
Pirilo Pizza Rústica/
Ocean Park, San Juan
At a pizza joint on Calle McLeary, just a block from the beach in the residential San Juan neighborhood where I rented an Airbnb for three weeks, this pizza called my name. Based on a famous Puerto Rican sandwich, the pizza features homemade tomato sauce, mozzarella, seasoned pork, cube steak, and ham, topped with potato sticks and a hint of mayo-ketchup. Perhaps a weird and bizarre pizza to some, I truly enjoyed this pie. The crust was fantastic, the meats were great, and the potato sticks added a fun texture. And the ubiquitous mayo-ketchup, which is THE Puerto Rican condiment, finishes the deal.
5) Wedge Salad with Sourdough Migas, Spicy Radish and Tahini Green Goddess Dressing
Celeste/
Puerta de Tierra, San Juan
I have a hard time putting a salad on this list, but the truth is that whenever I have a chance to go back to Celeste with Chef Diego Tully, I’ll be ordering a salad. That green goddess dressing had me dreaming of how good a salad can be. The rest of the meal at Celeste was incredible as well, but with a rotating seasonal menu, I don’t know that I’ll get to try any of it again. This salad, though, will live on in my mind.
6) Pernil, Rice, and Beans
Deaverdura/
Old San Juan
One of the first meals I ate in Puerto Rico… and in fact a meal that I ate twice, was the most fundamental of dishes. Roasted pork, white rice, and slow-simmered beans, thickened with pumpkin. Spread the rice out on the plate, cover it in beans, add little homemade hot sauce and chimichurri, and you have a meal that is as close to Puerto Rican home cooking as you can find in San Juan.
7) Chicken + Cabbage
Reina Mora/
Aguada
In what may have been one the most memorable meals that I’ve had in while, it is the chicken + cabbage that I can’t get out of my head. Reina Mora, a unique 20-seat, 3-days-a-week supper club from Alex and Sarah Windover on the west coast of the island, blew me away with both the 4 courses of inspired cuisine and a world-class hospitality experience. The local chicken, with the most beautifully cooked breast I’ve ever tasted and a chicken thigh sausage, created a salivation that no fine-dining chicken dish has ever done for me before.
8) Pastrami Sandwich
PanCafé El Buren/
Utuado
On the drive from the mountains to the beach, cruising around hairpin turns and alongside lake vistas, I stumbled upon a bakery and cafe with a small sandwich menu. The pastrami sandwich with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo and cheese, pressed and served hot, was easily the best sandwich I had in Puerto Rico, and I ate quite a few. The secret: the fresh baked, magnificent loaf.
9) Pancakes with Fruit
Paliques Café/
Jayuya
I’m always a sucker for pancakes. When seeking out a coffee shop in the mountains around the center of the island that was open on a Tuesday morning, I found this cute cafe. The pancakes, silky and beautifully risen, were topped with powdered sugar and an assortment of delightful fruits. Local bananas and kiwi along with blueberries and strawberries got me ready for a walk through the town square and a hike to La Piedra Escrita.
10) Banquete del Oso (Bear’s Feast)
Casita Guavate/
Cayey
At a stop on the Pork Highway for some flavored mojitos by the quart, my tour group also feasted on this spread of fried Puerto Rican specialties. This ready-to-eat picnic comes with a pound each of fried fish, fried chicken, fried pork, and grilled pork with tostones, plantain chips, french fries, and fried mofongo balls. THIS is bar snacks!
11) Ham and Cheese Mallorca
Don Ruiz Coffee/
Old San Juan
While not as mindblowingly awesome as the pastrami sandwich above, I’m glad I sunk my teeth into a proper mallorca. The Spanish-style sweet bread topped with powdered sugar is filled with melty cheese and salty ham. The sweet and savory combination is craveable. I could have eaten way more of these.
12) Mofongo with Chicken
Juanes Restaurant/
Old San Juan
During my time in Puerto Rico, I had a multitude of mofongos. Some in deep fried balls, some topped with shrimp in a creamy sauce, and this one topped with a chicken creole. Juanes, another authentic home-cooking joint in Old San Juan, served this up on a walking tour of town. The mofongo, made of mashed plantains with pork fat and sofrito, is a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs kind of dish.
13) Pulpo
Boveda/
San Juan
A fancy restaurant in the business district of San Juan, Boveda from Chef Carol Reyes impressed me from the start. Approaching the restaurant through a parking garage and to the second floor of a quiet office building seemed almost eerie, but once we walked in and saw the modern design and immense wine wall, I knew I found a good spot. This grilled octopus with white bean “escabeche”, piquillo peppers, and pickled red onion highlighted the meal, along with several fantastic cocktails and a few glasses of wine.
14) Lechon
Pork Highway/
Cayey
My trip to Puerto Rico would not have been complete without a trip down the Pork Highway near Cayey. Laura from Sofrito Tours guided us along roadside stands called lechoneras, where whole pigs slowly roasted on spits and my stomach was filled with some of the best pork of my life. I’ll take Puerto Rican whole hog over the Carolinas any day. This beautiful bite of pork with crispy skin is from Lechonera Los Amigos. Boxes of pork also came from Lechonera El Rancho Original. Tender, flavorful, and succulent, this culinary experience is a must! Here’s a little extra taste:
