Experience and explore a gourmet version of the flavors of Puerto Rico.

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Whether fancy or humble, Puerto Rico's restaurants deliver with flair. The Caribbean's premier culinary destination boasts thousands of spots to pamper the palate with every conceivable ethnic cuisine or creative fusion style. It's also home to an original fusion cuisine, called criolla, which is a blend of flavors, ingredients and traditions of the island's earlier inhabitants—the Tainos, Africans and Spaniards.

In Old San Juan, among its evocative colorful façades and picturesque balconies, you'll find more than 50 fabulous places to indulge your taste buds. One by one, over the last dozen years, stylish upscale eateries have cropped up all over the Old City. Just a few years ago, the southern end of Fortaleza Street, now known as "SoFo," was an overlooked section of the historic city, but today it's a gastronomic hotspot. And this is just one of the many clusters of culinary delight in the Old City.

Besides Old San Juan, the tourist areas in and around Condado, Isla Verde, Santurce, Ponce, Mayagüez, Fajardo and Dorado each have a great concentration of fine dining restaurants where you can savor the foods of different countries and enjoy global world-class cuisine in an upscale setting. Quite a few local restaurants are specializing in Nuevo Latino, Fusion and Creative Caribbean cuisine, which are modern interpretations of traditional Latin cooking that offer diners the opportunity to experience and explore a gourmet version of the flavors of Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and Latin America coupled with various ethnic cuisines. These lively cooking styles, with dazzling contemporary twists and turns on the regional culinary traditions of the Caribbean, combine old and new techniques and gourmet ingredients with fresh tropical fruits, root vegetables and regional herbs and spices.

Out on the island, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company has a program that takes some of the guesswork out of choosing a place to dine. The island's Mesones Gastronómicos program identifies a collection of 30 restaurants that feature Puerto Rican cuisine prepared according to the highest standards of quality. There's usually a sign on the front of the restaurant that indicates the Tourism Company's seal of approval. The Piñones waterfront in Carolina is a great place to enjoy delicious local cuisine. The beachfront area, which is a favorite among locals on weekends, has everything from little kiosks serving local tidbits to upscale restaurants with creative recipes using island flavors.

Although there's plenty of fabulous, world-class dining in Puerto Rico, you don't necessarily need to dig too deep in your pockets to have a memorable meal. You can find great Puerto Rican food all over the island, including in modest urban fondas, where you can enjoy a soul-satisfying local dish for often not much more than $5. Quite a few of the major American fast-food chains operate here, as well as a great number of well-known casual dining franchises.

Appropriate dining attire varies quite a bit. For most casual eateries and even some finer dining restaurants, anything but beachwear is acceptable. Some of the ritzier dining rooms will expect chic attire for women and collared shirts for men. But, wherever you do go, it's always a good idea to make reservations in restaurants where they are accepted, especially during the busy tourist season, from mid-November to April.

Cocina Criolla: Puerto Rico's Traditional Cuisine

The traditional cuisine of Puerto Rico is a unique blend of old and new and incorporates the island's Spanish and Caribbean roots. Some of the present-day staples of island cooking come from the Taino Indians, who grew cassava, corn, yams and taro; the Spaniards, who introduced garbanzo beans, cilantro, coconut, garlic and rum; or the African slaves, who brought pigeon peas, okra and plantains. Rich traditional dishes usually include some type of rice and beans, whether arroz con habichuelas (rice with either small pink beans or kidney beans) or arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas). Another island favorite is the plantain, which is cooked in a variety of ways. Many meals include either amarillos, fried sweet yellow plantains, or tostones, fried mashed green plantains, which accompany a heaping serving of rice and beans and meat. Yam and other root vegetables, such as yuca and yautia, are served baked, fried, stuffed, boiled and mashed. Locals prefer chicken, beef or pork as a main course, as well as seafood such as red snapper, shrimp, lobster or salt cod—known as bacalao, a staple food here. Though never bland, local food is not hot or too spicy, and is usually prepared with a variety of spices and condiments. The base for most native dishes is sofrito, an aromatic seasoned sauce made with tomatoes, onions, garlic, green peppers, sweet peppers, coriander and annatto seeds. This sauce adds a zesty taste to rice, stewed beans and many other local dishes. Meats are rubbed or sprinkled with adobo, a garlic-oregano marinade, before cooking.

Some popular desserts include flan, a type of custard made with cheese, coconut or vanilla; and guayaba con queso, candied guava slices served with country cheese. Some other favorites include tres leches, a super-sweet and moist cake made with regular, evaporated and condensed milk, and tembleque, a local bread pudding with a coconut flavor. Most meals end with a small cup of strong Puerto Rican coffee or espresso, sipped black or with whipped milk.

Bring on the Pork

Lechoneras are as Puerto Rican as you can get. These casual roadside eateries found throughout the island specialize in delectable roast lechón, or pork, a staple of our cuisine and the must-have of any Puerto Rican holiday dinner.

Although the mostly family-owned lechoneras are found coast to coast, the Guavate community within the hills of Cayey (just 30 minutes away from San Juan) is hands-down the lechonera capital of the world. Here, more than a dozen of them whip up this island delicacy as well as other innately Puerto Rican side dishes such as arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), yuca and morcilla (blood sausage). Add to that Guavate's lush vegetation and cool breezes, and you're in for a native mountain getaway that will leave you literally licking your fingertips. Pork and its accoutrements are a necessary Puerto Rican experience, so disregarding your diet is a must. And there's another extra to enjoying this type of food in a lechonera—the ambience. Couples and families load up on their yummy favorites and make a day out of it, exploring the countryside, while buses drive in with groups from all walks of life seeking a taste of pork and a view of the area's natural charm.

Although lechoneras are frequented year-round (especially on weekends), December and January is when they truly bask in the spotlight. Holiday revelers travel from every corner of the island to enjoy a juicy piece of pork and fresh cuerito or chicharrón (crispy pork rind), as well as indigenous holiday music, local tchotchkes to take home and maybe even a bit of dancing if the mood strikes.

Going Bananas for Plantains

There's a classic saying amongst Puerto Ricans: regardless of who you may become or where you might live, you can never erase la mancha del plátano—the so-called "plantain stain" that, at any given moment and often by surprise, comes bursting out of each Puerto Rican. It's that little local saying, gesture or preference that screams out our nationality and culture, akin to what makes others "as American as apple pie." And there's a reason why that "stain" is referred to as coming from plantains: this non-sweet member of the banana family is a standard and much-loved main character in Puerto Rican cuisine.

Ask any Puerto Rican and they'll give you a long list of their favorite plantain treats. One of the most popular side dishes in Puerto Rico are tostones, made by peeling the plantain, slicing diagonally, frying, then pressing flat and frying again until crispy. Tostones are especially tasty when garnished with a bit of garlic sauce. Another cherished dish is mofongo, twice-friend plantain slices that are mashed and sprinkled with garlic, olive oil and fresh chicharrón (pork rinds), then mixed together and coaxed into a bowl-like shape. Mofongo can be enjoyed as a side dish or made into a full and decadent entrée if you stuff it with seafood in a tangy tomato sauce. Other plantain options: arañitas (shredded and fried), pasteles (plantain dough stuffed with meat and wrapped in banana leaves)…the list goes on.

Originally an import from India, plantains are now plentiful in Puerto Rico and are never absent in home or restaurant kitchens throughout the island. You just can't leave without trying a plantain-based creation—years from now, we bet you'll remember where you were when you first tried it!

Must Try Island Treats of Puerto Rico

Visit one of the fabulous local eateries, stop in at a food kiosk, or simply pull over to the side of the road, but whatever you do, don't leave Puerto Rico without experiencing the unique and flavorful foods of the island. Here are a few favorites to look for:

• Alcapurrias Mashed plantains stuffed with meat or fish and deep-fried
• Amarillos Ripe sweet plantains deep-fried
• Arroz con gandules Seasoned yellow rice with pigeon peas
• Arroz y habichuelas White rice and beans
• Asopao A hearty, rich and spicy rice stew with meat, chicken or seafood
• Bacalaítos Codfish fritters
• Coquito A rich holiday drink similar to eggnog with rum
• Empanadillas Turnovers stuffed with meat or fish and fried
• Lechón asado Roasted pork
• Limber A super-sweet homemade popsicle
• Mallorca A sweet bread pastry covered with powdered sugar
• Mofongo Baked or fried mashed plantains made like a casserole and sometimes stuffed
• Morcilla A spicy black sausage stuffed with rice, meat and seasonings
• Pan de agua A local bread similar to French bread
• Pasteles A tamale-like loaf made with plantain and root vegetable paste, stuffed and wrapped in banana leaves
• Pionono A ripe plantain coil filled with meat and cheese
• Piragua A cup of shaved ice drenched in sweet fruity syrup
• Quesito A sweet baked pastry filled with soft, sugary cheese
• Sorullo Corn sticks stuffed with cheese
• Tembleque A sweet pudding made with coconut
• Tostones Twice-fried smashed plantains

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