Chapter 03 · Dining
Where the locals actually eat
12 local restaurant picks across Puerto Rico: roadside kiosks from a few dollars a plate, waterfront fine dining from $60 per person, and everything between. From the Old San Juan tasting menu to a lechonera on Guavate's Pork Highway. Every pick is checked against its own site, Google, or Tripadvisor before it earns a place here.
Kioskos de Luquillo, the island's original beach food scenePlanning a sit-down dinner? The fine-dining rooms (Marmalade, Santaella, Verde Mesa, and friends) take reservations, and most fill up in high season, so open each one and book a table early. The roadside kiosks and lechoneras are walk-in.
Wondering where to eat each night?
We're a local team. Tell us your dates and who's coming, and we'll line up dinners, beaches, and tours the way we'd plan a friend's visit.
On the menu
Must-Try Puerto Rican Dishes
Mofongo
Fried green plantains mashed with garlic, oil, and pork cracklings, then usually filled or topped with meat, seafood, or stew. The dish most identified with the island.
Lechon
Whole roast pork, slow-cooked over charcoal until the skin cracks. Guavate's "Pork Highway" near Cayey is the place most locals point you toward.
Alcapurrias
Fritters of grated green banana and yautia wrapped around a savory filling, usually crab or beef, then deep-fried. A roadside-kiosk staple.
Arroz con Gandules
Rice cooked with pigeon peas, sofrito, and often pork, the everyday side dish that shows up at nearly every Puerto Rican table.
Pasteles
A masa of grated green banana and root vegetables, filled with seasoned meat, wrapped in banana leaf, and steamed. Traditionally a holiday-season dish.
Tostones
Green plantains sliced, fried, flattened, and fried again until crisp. Served as a side almost everywhere on the island.