No matter where you stay on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, you are sure to come across some delicious meals. Puerto Rican food is quite simple highlighting the fresh seafood and vegetables, especially plantains, readily found on the island. The food is rich and soulful and is often accompanied by a view of the vast turquoise ocean, which is definitely an added bonus.
via www.fodors.com
Breakfast
After visiting multiple bakeries and sit-down breakfast eateries, the first meal of the day was by no means elaborate for most locals. A Pan Mallorca, a sweet layered bread dusted with powdered sugar, or a quesito, a crisp and flaky pastry filled with cream cheese, with a cup of coffee is a common option for one with a sweet tooth. If in search of a more savory option, a hearty sandwich of country ham, egg, and cheese served on Pan de agua, or a revoltillo, Dominican scrambled eggs, is also very popular.
Pan Mallorca on left, Quesitos on right via www.carolinescooking.com
If you happen to be staying in the eastern part of the island near Luquillo, make sure to visit La Familia Bakery 2, a classic bakery with kind servers and fantastic sandwiches served on sweet, french toast style bread. This spot has a great relaxed atmosphere and is perfect if you are planning on visiting El Yunque National Park, as it is along the way.
Kasalta Bakery is a great breakfast spot if you are near San Juan. Not only does it serve cook-to-order breakfast options, baked goods, killer empanadas, and some of the best rice pudding I have eaten, but also doubles as an artisanal deli with a huge selection of cured meats and cheeses and ready-to-eat salads. The octopus salad with olive oil and peppers is a definite must-have. Fun Fact: President Barack Obama visited this bakery.
Kasalta Bakery
Lunch/Dinner
After having a satisfying breakfast meal and maybe trying your hand at surfing, or horseback riding on the plush sands of a Puertoriccan beach, you may start to get a little hungry again. For lunch and dinner in Puerto Rico, expect to see the seafood shine. Whole crispy fried snapper, mofongo(mashed plantains) served with garlic shrimp, and fresh slices of tender tuna are dishes found on many menus.
Mofongo with Shrimp via www.foodfidelity.com
Casita Blanca in San Juan is a great place to try out some of these dishes. Once you enter the small white house, you are greeted with a complimentary bowl of savory plantain soup and incredible bacalao(salted cod) fritters. The environment is vibrant and relaxed, much like Puerto Rico itself, and the food is fresh and well-prepared.
About a 15-minute drive outside of San Juan in the town of Carolina is El Nuevo Acuario. While my family and I were traveling from the western to the eastern part of the island, we stopped by this chill joint for some lunch. Hands down the best meal we had during our trip! We ordered mofongo with octopus and whole fried snapper. Both were incredible. The mofongo was doused in a garlicky Creole sauce, and the octopus was perfectly cooked. The snapper was crispy and succulent, and you best believe that there was no fish left on the bones. The star of the show, however, was the lobster empanada; a perfectly crisp and chewy dough filled with chunks of sweet lobster meat.
El Nuevo Acuario: Lobster Empanadas on right, crispy snapper on left, via www.yelp.com
If you are looking to change it up a bit, and take a detour from Puerto Rican cuisine, come to La Estacion in el Fajardo on the Eastern part of the island. This place serves some amazing barbeque with an island influence. Smoked and fried chicken wings with a passion fruit sauce, moist brisket, and fresh fish ceviche were some of our favorites. I especially enjoyed the appearance of the outdoor dining area with sleek wooden tables and simple lights lining the wooden roof.
La Estacion via www.cntraveler.com
Puerto Rico Food Recap
Puerto Rican cuisine is simple food with bright flavors and a significant focus on seafood. The meals were comforting and fun to eat, especially when you were seated right on the ocean, hearing the waves crash around you.
Just a little tip, Puerto Rican businesses, including restaurants, take COVID-19 very seriously. Upon arrival to every restaurant, we were asked to show either proof of vaccination or a negative test within 48 hours, along with an ID, in order to enter, so definitely have these documents easily available to you.
If you enjoyed this article on Puerto Rican food, please check out my post on the Chopped Cheese Sandwich, a New York cultural icon.