Top 30 Puerto Rican Foods — Watch Now On YouTube

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Guavate

Our first stop for authentic Puerto Rican food is called Guavate, also known by visitors as the “Pork Highway”. Guavate is an area located in the mountainous municipality of Cayey where you’ll find numerous lechoneras, or restaurants specialized in preparing pork and other foods in a traditional Puerto Rican cooking style. Here we stopped by one of the most popular lechoneras in Guavate called El Rancho Original. At El Rancho Original we ordered what is likely one of the most traditional Christmastime dishes in Puerto Rico.

In this dish, we first have arroz con gandules, an aromatic rice cooked with pigeon peas, along with various seasonings such as sofrito, oregano, peppers, cilantro, and more.

Puerto Rican Lechón Asado — #2 Lechón Asado

We add to this dish Guavate’s specialty and what it is mainly known for, lechón asado. Lechón asado is pork that is seasoned with various herbs and spices and slow-roasted over an open flame until the skin is crispy and the meat is tender and flavorful.

This crispy and crunchy pork skin called cuerito occupies a stand-alone spot on this list because many people won’t consider this traditional Christmas dish to be complete without it.

On top of this, we have what is probably the most traditional Puerto Rican Christmas food of this dish, a pastel. Pasteles are made by smashing green bananas into a dough-like consistency which is then mixed with seasoning, filled with meat such as pork, and then wrapped in green banana leaves before boiling or steaming it to be served.

And lastly, in this dish, we have morcillas. Morcillas are a type of blood sausage made from rice, onions, garlic, a variety of spices, and of course, pig’s blood. Traditionally, this mixture is then stuffed into pork intestines to create the sausages, but in actuality, you’ll likely find them made with alternative types of sausage casings. The morcilla is then boiled and often grilled or fried before serving.

To accompany this traditional Puerto Rican Christmas dish, I decided to drink a cold glass of Malta India. Malta is a carbonated drink made from malted barley, hops, and water, similar to beer. However, dissimilar to beer, malta does not contain alcohol because it is not fermented, but it does share other characteristics with beer such as its dark color, and a sweet, rich, and slightly bitter taste.

And last but not least, we finish off this delicious meal with a traditional Puerto Rican dessert called tembleque. Tembleque is a coconut milk pudding with a creamy, smooth texture and a delicate coconut flavor. The name "tembleque" comes from the Spanish word "temblar," which means "to tremble," reflecting the dessert's wobbly, gelatin-like consistency.

OLD SAN JUAN

To continue our culinary adventure we must go to one of the most frequented areas by visitors in all of Puerto Rico, Old San Juan. Old San Juan is best known for its rich history, colonial architecture, blue cobblestone streets, and some of the most important monuments in all of Puerto Rico such as El Morro. However, Old San Juan is also full of restaurants, food joints, and kiosks where you can find many traditional Puerto Rican foods.

Puerto Rican Dulces Típicos — #8 Dulces Típicos

And to find the food that occupies the #8 spot on this list we must take a calm stroll down the Paseo de la Princesa. The Paseo de la Princesa is a picturesque walkway where you’ll typically find artisans selling their art during the weekends, bands performing live music, and kiosks selling traditional food, including the #8 on this list, the delicious dulces típicos.

Dulces típicos are a variety of traditional sweets and desserts that often combine tropical ingredients like coconut, guava, and spices. Some of the dulces tipicos that you’ll find in the Paseo de la Princesa include turron de ajonjoli, dulce, cremitas, and besitos de coco, pilones, gofio, guava paste, dulce de leche and many many more.

To get the food that occupies the #9 spot on this list you’ll have to walk to the end of the Paseo de la Princesa, stroll through the breathtaking walkway beside the San Juan Bay, pass through the impressive Puerta de San Juan, and walk up near the Rogativa sculpture. Near here, you’ll see a beautiful tree with purple flowers in front of a charming building where you’ll ring a bell to order a limber.

A limber is a delicious frozen treat similar to a popsicle or an ice pop. It's typically made by blending fruit juice and flavored syrup with water and sugar, then freezing it in small plastic cups. Limbers come in a variety of flavors such as coconut, passion fruit, guava, strawberry, and many more.

Helados Típicos de Puerto Rico — #10 Helados de Carritos

Now, if you’re a fan of ice cream, then you’ll definitely want to try the typical helados de carritos. These helados de carritos are a sorbet-like frozen treat typically sold by street vendors with carts rolling around the streets of festivals and other popular areas like beaches. The traditional flavors for these helados are coconut, passionfruit, and pineapple flavor, but you might also find others like strawberry and “rainbow”.

Next up we have another typical Puerto Rican frozen treat that you can find in Old San Juan. For this, you’ll have to walk up to the Calle del Cristo and head over to PiraRum. PiraRum specializes in cocktails made in the form of piraguas, a typical Puerto Rican shaved ice treat.

Piraguas are made by shaving a block of ice using a special tool, packing it into a cup or cone, and then using a bar tool to give it its distinctive pyramid shape. At PiraRum you’ll be able to find many delicious cocktails turned into piraguas such as mojitos, piña colada, and passionfruit cocktails.

Around Old San Juan you’ll also find colorful piragueros that use traditional methods, tools, and ingredients to make piraguas. However, I highly recommend passing by PiraRum for a contemporary and distinctive approach to this traditional Puerto Rican food.

And once you’re here, you might also want to try their delicious mojitos. Mojitos, although originally from Cuba, is a popular cocktail in Puerto Rico because of its sweet and refreshing ingredients such as lime, Puerto Rican white rum, soda water, and mint. At PiraRum you could try my personal favorite, a delicious coconut mojito or you could try a traditional mojito in the form of a piragua.

SAN JUAN

Our next stop for more traditional Puerto Rican foods is La Alcapurria Quemá located in the popular hangout spot in Puerto Rico called the Placita de Santurce. Here, we were excited to try some of their tender bistec encebollado. Bistec encebollado is a cubed steak marinated in vinegar, sofrito, and other ingredients before being cooked in a pan with sautéed onions.

We accompany the bistec encebollado with a side of majado de viandas, a traditional Puerto Rican food with taíno origins made by smashing root vegetables, commonly known as "viandas." Root vegetables such as malanga or taro, are first peeled, chopped, and boiled until tender before seasoning and mashing them to the desired consistency.

Puerto Rican Carne Guisada — #15 Carne Guisada

At La Alcapurria Quemá we also ordered a delicious carne guisada. Carne guisada is a beef stew made with marinated beef, tomatoes, broth, and additional seasonings along with vegetables such as carrots and tomatoes. Carne guisada can also be served by itself or on top of white rice which soaks up the flavorful sauce.

However, in this case, we served the carne guisada with some tostones. Tostones are green plantains that are cut into slices, fried until softened, flattened, and fried again until they are crispy and achieve a golden color.

And to top it all off, we added locally grown avocados which tend to be much larger and softer than avocados grown elsewhere.

After eating this delicious meal at La Alcapurria Quemá, you decided to stay in La Placita to hang out and enjoy the local nightlife, but when it’s time to head back home, you’ll want to satisfy those late-night munchies by eating a tripleta.

Tripletas are a popular Puerto Rican street food sandwich that derives its name from the three different types of meats it is prepared with including ham, grilled steak, and roasted pork. Tripletas are commonly sold by street vendors in food trucks all around the island and can sometimes include cheese, lettuce, tomato, potato sticks, ketchup, and mayonnaise.

Next up, we have the most popular holiday drink in Puerto Rico, the coquito. Coquito is a traditional Puerto Rican Christmastime drink that is often referred to as "Puerto Rican eggnog" due to its creamy texture and seasonal popularity. Coquito is made from coconut milk and cream, condensed and evaporated milk, a variety of spices, and typically spiked with rum.

You’ll be able to find coquito in a variety of flavors being sold by street vendors at local artisan fairs and events during Christmastime, but if you’re visiting Puerto Rico outside of the holiday season and still want to taste coquito, you’ll be able to find it in local supermarkets in the liquor section.

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KIOSKOS DE LUQUILLO

For our next group of foods, you must eat in Puerto Rico, we’re driving all the way to the east side of the island to visit the Kioskos de Luquillo. The Kioskos de Luquillo is a popular area that consists of various food kiosks located right next to the beach that sell many of the traditional Puerto Rican foods I’ve included in this video, and even more.

Here, we stopped by the famous kiosk called La Roca Taína to get some delicious traditional Puerto Rican fritters starting with rellenos de papa. Rellenos de papa are deep-fried mashed potato balls with a crunchy exterior and soft interior that is usually stuffed with ground beef.

Here we also tried their delicious piononos. Piononos are sweet plantain cups made by frying long sliced ripe plantains, shaping them into cups, filling them with beaten eggs and savory ground beef, and finally baking them until they’re crispy and golden on the outside.

Puerto Rican Sorullitos de Maíz — #22 Sorullitos de Maíz

And rounding off the fried fritters we tried at the Kioskos de Luiquillo we have sorullitos. Sorullitos are fried cornmeal sticks oftentimes served as appetizers or snacks that are made with simple ingredients such as cornmeal, cheese, butter, sugar, and salt.

These sorullitos are commonly served with a side of mayoketchup, a popular and creamy condiment used in various dishes in Puerto Rico made by mixing mayonnaise, ketchup, and sometimes garlic powder or other spices.

Coco Rico from Puerto Rico — #24 Coco Rico

And, what better way to eat all of these fried fritters than with a refreshing Coco Rico? Coco Rico is a coconut-flavored carbonated drink invented in the 1930s in Puerto Rico. Nowadays, the concentrate for Coco Rico is still made in the municipality of Naguabo, but this sweet and refreshing soda can be found all around the island.

Now, if you don’t feel like loading up on carbs during your visit to the Kioskos de Luquillo, you could try a delicious pincho. Pinchos are marinated and grilled chicken or pork skewers normally sold by street vendors near the beach. Pinchos are doused with the sauce of your liking such as barbecue and normally topped with a slice of toasted local-style bread with a garlic spread.

BAYAMÓN

Next up, we’ll be going all the way to the municipality of Bayamón to Lemy’s Bakery for the food that they’re most famous for, pan sobao. Pan sobao, which roughly translates to “rubbed bread”, is a traditional type of Puerto Rican bread unique because of its pillowy soft, chewy texture and slightly sweet flavor. Pan sobao is typically used to make sandwiches such as tripletas, sliced to make toast, or simply served as a side to dip into our traditional soups.

Another type of traditional bread that you can find at Lemy’s is pan de Mallorca. Mallorca is a soft, fluffy, and slightly sweet bread that is generously sprinkled with powdered sugar. Mallorcas are often enjoyed for breakfast, either by themselves or used to make sweet and salty sandwiches.

Now, we couldn’t visit a traditional Puerto Rican bakery without trying some of their desserts, starting with tres leches. Tres Leches is a sponge cake soaked in a mixture of condensed, evaporated, and whole milk, giving it a moist, creamy, and almost pudding-like texture. Tres leches is also usually topped with a layer of whipped cream, cinnamon and garnished with a cherry.

The next dessert we tried at Lemy’s Bakery is called flan. Flan is a creamy caramel custard made from eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and condensed, evaporated, and whole milk. Flan is normally vanilla-flavored, but you’ll also find flan in cheese, guava, and coconut flavors served in bakeries and restaurants as desserts.

Puerto Rican Arroz con Dulce — #30 Arroz con Dulce

Here, we also tried a rich and creamy traditional Puerto Rican dessert called arroz con dulce. Arroz con dulce is made from rice cooked in coconut milk, adding sugar, raisins, and aromatic spices like cinnamon and cloves. Arroz con dulce is typically served during Christmastime, but you’ll be able to find it at many local panaedrias year-round.

And finally, the last dessert we tried at Lemy’s Bakery is called besitos de coco. Besitos de Coco, which translates to coconut kisses, is a bite-sized treat made from shredded coconut, sugar, and other flavorings. Besitos de coco are sweet and coconutty and have a chewy texture with a slightly crispy exterior.

JAYUYA

Now, for the last group of foods on this video, we’re heading to a special municipality in Puerto Rico called Jayuya. Jayuya is located in the mountainous central region of Puerto Rico where temperatures tend to be cooler than the rest of the island and is characterized by its deep connection to the indigenous people of Puerto Rico called the taínos.

Now, on my Ultimate Travel Guide to Jayuya, we visited the restaurant La Casona where we tried their asopao. Asopao is a delicious traditional Puerto Rican stew that is the perfect comfort food for the cooler weather in Jayuya. Asopao is made with chicken, rice, sofrito, broth, carrots, potatoes, and seasoning.

Jayuya Travel Guide — **The Ultimate JAYUYA Travel Guide | Piedra Escrita, Museo del Cemí, Indigenous Festival and MUCH MORE**

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Another great restaurant that you should try when visiting Jayuya is Aguzao. Aguzao is a beautiful restaurant with outdoor seating right next to the main river that runs through Jayuya. Here we tried several foods including barriguitas de vieja. Barriguitas de vieja, which translates to “old ladies' bellies”, are mashed pumpkin round fritters that are crunchy on the outside with a sweet, spicy, and fluffy interior.

And last but not least, we visited La Destilería in Jayuya for the final food you must try in Puerto Rico, rum. La Destilería Craft Spirits is an award-winning distillery recognized as the first craft distillery on the island. Here we were able to tour their facilities, learn how this liquor is made by fermenting and distilling molasses and sugar cane juices, and finally, we tried their complete and varied portfolio of award-winning high-quality spirits including their 106 Strong Rum which is used to make Old Fashions in many famous bars around Puerto Rico such as the world-famous La Factoria in Old San Juan.

Conclusion

Before we finish, I just wanted to mention that I have another video on this channel of the Top 10 Foods You MUST Eat In Puerto Rico. So if you don’t see your favorite Puerto Rican food on this list, it’s likely because I’ve already included it in that video.

Top 10 Puerto Rican Foods — TOP 10 Foods You MUST Eat In Puerto Rico! | AND Exactly Where To Get Authentic Puerto Rican Food!

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If after seeing both videos you still didn’t see your favorite traditional Puerto Rican food, drop them down in the comments below so that I can include them in a future food video.

And that’s it! I hope you found this travel guide helpful. Make sure to check out my YouTube channel, Brik’s Travel Guides, to see the full video of this and other Puerto Rico travel guides.

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