Food Trails and Culinary Adventures in Puerto Rico

Guavate, "The Pork Highway"

PR-184, Cayey

Just off highway PR-52, about 40 minutes from San Juan heading south, you take exit 32 and follow the road that snakes its way up the mountains of Cayey. When you hear the sounds of live salsa music and smell garlic and pork fill the air, then you've arrived in Guavate, “the pork highway.”

This stretch of road is lined by dozens of lechoneras, open-air restaurants specializing in slow-roasted whole pork. Locals often make a daytrip out of visiting Guavate, ordering several pounds of juicy pork with crunchy cuerito (crispy skin) that servers roughly chop with a machete in front of you. The main course is accompanied by generous portions of yuca al mojo, tostones, arroz con gandules, or whatever Puerto Rican side dish is your favorite. The more daring can also order some cuajito (stewed pig stomach) and morcilla (blood sausage).

Everyone has their favorite lechonera but some of the most famous are Los Pinos, Lechonera El Rancho Original and El Nuevo Rancho, and Los Amigos, next to which is Café Prieto, a gorgeous coffee shop that serves both local coffee and craft beers.

Ruta de la Longaniza

PR-155 and PR-156, Orocovis

Longaniza is a type of intensely flavorful, slightly spicy sausage, made from pork or chicken (sometimes a mix), served chopped up on a platter with a side of tostones, cooked into rice, or stuffed into a mofongo. And the best place to find longaniza is Orocovis, a small rural town boasting some of the most spectacular views of Puerto Rico's Central Mountain Range.

La Ruta de la Longaniza (the Longaniza Route) winds along the PR-155 and PR-156 roads and it's the ideal scenario for a little weekend chinchorreo (the Puerto Rican version of bar-hopping). You start early and throughout the day you stop at different rustic open-air restaurants, called chinchorros, order drinks and a platter of longaniza along with different fried foods like alcapurrias (root vegetable fritters stuffed with meat), empanadillas (deep fried empanadas), and rellenos (balls of mashed potatoes stuffed with ground beef) to share, then move on to the next place.

There are 16 restaurants along the route including Bar Restaurante La Sombra, El Naranjo, Roka Dura, and Doña María. Not officially on the route but also worth the visit is Casa Bavaria, a beer garden serving Puerto Rican and German sausages and beers. Remember to pick a designated driver!

Luquillo Kiosks

PR-3, Luquillo

If you'd rather do a chinchorreo next to the beach, head east to the town of Luquillo (just past El Yunque rainforest) for a stop at the famous Luquillo Kiosks. This is a strip of about 60 restaurants and shops ranging from open-air chinchorros to more sit-down places serving traditional Puerto Rican food (especially fresh local seafood), Peruvian, Colombian, or Argentinean cuisine, burgers, pizza, or cocktails. Many of the kiosks have a view of the beach and on weekends there is often live Latin music. Right next door is one of the most beautiful beaches in Puerto Rico, Balneario La Monserrate.

Piñones

PR-187, Loíza

Piñones is another excellent alternative for some beachside fried-food indulgence. Piñones is the coastal part of the town of Loíza, composed of dozens of kiosks selling fritters, skewered meat, and fresh fruit shakes.

El Boricua, one of the most famous kiosks lies on the far side of Piñones. Fritters are thrown into the fryer just as you order them, so they take a little longer to be ready, but the wait is worth it for the amazing flavor and freshness. Also, the portions are enormous. Other popular kiosks include La Comay, Donde Olga, and K'rajo Beach Bar, which was rebuilt on the reality show “Bar Rescue” after Hurricane Maria destroyed it. Aside from food, there is also a boardwalk that meanders through the mangrove forest, perfect for a leisurely walk or a bike ride, and Aviones beach, basically a giant tide pool created by volcanic rock formations.

Rum Distilleries

Various municipalities

Puerto Rican rum is world-famous and during your visit to the island you’ll get an opportunity to try it at the source. There are three distilleries on the island that you can visit. At Casa Bacardí in Cataño they receive you with a welcome cocktail and you can choose from three tours: Historic, Rum Tasting, or Mixology. Hacienda Santa Ana in Bayamón, where Ron del Barrilito is produced, now receives visitors, but reservations are required in advance. For the more adventurous, there's PitoRico in Jayuya, a distillery that produces a type of moonshine called pitorro which comes in a variety of flavors. For some local rum history, visit the Serrallés Castle Museum in Ponce, former home of the Serrallés family, producers of Don Q rum.