When you're in the mood to step outside the traditional and try something different, you can find a variety of unique dishes at restaurants around Puerto Rico. From the metro area to the coast and the mountains inland, these 10 dishes we've selected will guarantee a memorable experience.
🍽️ Criollo flavors
1. Pastel al Caldero, Casa Vieja
Christmas feels close no matter the time of year when you visit Casa Vieja in Ciales. This recreation of a traditional Puerto Rican home is decorated with all the hallmarks of Puerto Rican culture, and one of the stars of its menu is the Pastel al Caldero.
It's a twist on the traditional pastel recipe, but instead of being wrapped in a banana leaf, it's cooked in a caldero and served in a large cup.
2. Chillo Frito, Pescadería Don Candi
Chillo frito is the specialty at Pescadería Don Candi. Its freshness, straight off the boat, is what sets it apart. This is a casual, charming restaurant on the water's edge where you order first and sit down to wait. They also serve fried sierra and other whole fresh fish.
3. El Tostón Gigante, El Rincón de los Recuerdos
In Maricao, they make the largest tostones in Puerto Rico. It's made with a whole plantain rather than cut into pieces, and the result is a tostón that will satisfy even the fiercest hunger. Order it with fried meat, chicharrones de pollo, chicken breast, fish fillet or octopus.
🍽️ Pizza, tacos and pasta
4. Pizza San Blas, La Ó
You'll want to reach for the heavens over the pizzas at La Ó, a restaurant with a health-conscious cooking style. In addition to an extensive menu of vegan dishes, the restaurant offers a wide variety of pizzas.
The San Blas is made with pesto sauce, chicken mozzarella and roasted red potatoes, an uncommon pizza ingredient that gives it a distinctive touch.
5. Tacolaos, Hijos del Josco
At first glance they look like any other taco, but the dough holds the most Caribbean secret of all: it's made with bacalao. The house specialty at Hijos del Josco is this artisanal tortilla.
You can order Tacolaos with chicken, ground beef, churrasco, fish or green plantain. For a snack, don't miss the Nacholaos, made with the same artisanal blend.
6. El Mushroom Bolognese, Tía Dora
The Mediterranean mezze-style menu from chefs Raúl Correa and Juan Lebrón features as one of its centerpieces a mezze-style mushroom dish prepared bolognese, served with rigatoni.
You'll also find other unique creations inspired by the chefs' travels to the Middle East.
🍽️ Sweet with a surprise element
7. Mantecados de Vía Láctea
The James Beard Awards have recognized Vía Láctea as a semifinalist in the Outstanding Bakery category, and for good reason. This is the first ice cream shop in Puerto Rico to make mantecados from plant-based ingredients. Visually, they're all appealing.
This is an ice cream shop unlike any other, and you'll enjoy the visit.
8. Budín de Chocolate Blanco, Paulina Escanés
Chef Paulina Escanés draws on her travels and her upbringing in Mexico to create unique dishes. In addition to the restaurant, she has a bakery where desserts are made fresh every day.
The white chocolate budín is a showcase of her ingenuity. It's made with European white chocolate and salted caramel and served topped with fruit.
9. Old Fashioned Smoked Brownie, Pa'l Pueblo
In the historic downtown of Cayey, you'll find this tavern-style spot with more than 200 whiskey labels to choose from. It also offers cocktails, food and appetizers. Their smoked items are prepared using almond wood as a base to bring out the aromas.
For dessert, they offer a smoked brownie with salted caramel gelato, a creation you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.
10. 4 Leches, Pirilo Pizza
Once you've had your fill of pizza, save room for dessert. Pirilo is known for its hot, juicy artisanal pizzas, but the dessert is top-notch. And because tres leches is so common, they break the mold here with a cuatro leches that adds one more flavor: coconut milk.
Honorable mention goes to the Brownie a la mode.
This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
