Culinary & Cocktails
With endless creativity and constant transformation, the Puerto Rican kitchen has evolved into a true foodie paradise.
From seaside kiosks to fine dining, the Island’s chefs are reinventing those beloved abuelita recipes and caring for the people through food. You’ll taste that Boricua passion as you follow your appetite (and curiosity) across Puerto Rico.
The Island’s cocktail scene has evolved with equal care. Puerto Rico is the birthplace of the piña colada, and you’ll find that an innovative approach to refreshing drinks continues to this day. Whether it’s one of the world’s top bars in Old San Juan, a brewery tour, a tasting of local rums, or just a poolside cocktail, you’ll find plenty to enjoy there.
Live Boricua!
To Live Boricua means to enjoy until your heart is full and give passion every chance to flourish. Whether you’re sipping handcrafted rum cocktails, savoring slow-roasted lechón, or sharing stories and a meal with new friends at a lively chinchorro, dare to live every moment in Puerto Rico.
Culinary Experiences in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is more than rice and beans!
Your trip to the Island won't be complete if you don't sample staple dishes such as mofongo, made of deep-fried green plantains; tostones, double deep-fried plantain wheels; and lechón, a slowly spit-roasted pork dish with juicy meat and crispy skin. The lechón asado was recently declared a Puerto Rican culinary legacy.
Even though you will always find the distinctive spice that characterizes Afro-Caribbean cuisine, chefs and cooks throughout the Island have inclined to infuse other cultures into their menus. So, if your palate is feeling a little adventurous, many kitchens around Puerto Rico offer various plates inspired by Asian, Latin-American, and European cuisine that still highlight creole elements.
If you don't have time to sample the wide variety of local dishes, consider trying out a food tour to sample the Island's flavors.
Culminating in a traditional cooking lesson and the battle to end all battles - can Barry and Jamie beat Ben in making a traditional mofongo?
The Puerto Rico Rum Journey
Get your rum-soaked passport and follow your own path in the rum capital of the world.
Download the Puerto Rico Rum Journey App and use it as your guide through different distilleries across the Island. Create a route, book your walking and tasting tour, and even make a mixology class reservation (among other experiences) at:
- Casa Bacardi
- Castillo Serrallés
- Ron del Barrilito
- Destilería Coquí
- San Juan Artisan Distillers
- The Crab Island
- Craft Spirit Distillery
You can even enroll in their rewards program, buy items, and receive special notifications of promotions directly.
Puerto Rico produces around 70% of the rum consumed in the United States.
The perfect companion to rice and beans is a side of tostones (fried plantains).
In the last couple of years, farm-to-table has really come to define Puerto Rico’s gastronomical scene.
As the birthplace of the piña colada, the island’s bartenders known a thing or two about refreshing cocktails.
Filled with delicious ground beef or local crab, alcapurrias are the go-to beachside fritter for locals.
Eager for a culinary adventure? Visit any of the Island’s James Beard nominated restaurants.
Did you know Puerto Rico is home to one of the World’s 50 Best Bars, La Factoría?
El Peligroso cocktail at La Factoría in San Juan.
Cocktails and Mixology in Puerto Rico
Did you know Puerto Rico is the Rum Capital of the world? Over 70% of the rum sold and consumed in the United States alone comes from this Caribbean island. From gold to white, spiced or dark, your preferred drink will be at its best when mixed with one of the many on-island distilled spirits.
While many establishments have their interpretation of traditional cocktails like the piña colada, ask to have your drink crafted with award-winning Puerto Rican brands like Bacardí, Don Q, or Ron del Barrilito to see what all the buzz is about.
A great way to taste and learn about the over 70 brands under the Rums of Puerto Rico quality seal is to take a tour around Casa BACARDÍ or Castillo Serrallés. Visit La Casita de los Rones in Old San Juan, or make time for a rum tasting excursion. Try some creative, rum-forward cocktails at La Barrita del Lado or book the cigar room at La Central by Mario Pagán, both at Distrito T-Mobile in San Juan.
So, whether it is at a popular restaurant, a famous bar like La Factoría, a microbrewery like Ocean Lab, or the many establishments around La Placita de Santurce, there are plenty of beverage-related adventures you can enjoy while you’re visiting Puerto Rico.
On National Piña Colada Day, we celebrate all the refreshingly delicious ways to enjoy Puerto Rico's national drink– invented right here in the island of enchantment.
The menu of 1919 focuses on farm-to-table dishes prepared with the freshest organic and local ingredients.
Top 8 Chefs on the Island
Get to know the people that showcase Puerto Rico’s culture through its gastronomy.
A perfect blend of pineapple juice, coconut cream, and ice!
Best Places to Enjoy a ‘Unique’ Piña Colada
These locations around the Island serve innovative takes on the classic Puerto Rican drink.
Learn the difference between café puya and café con leche.
Order Your Coffee like a Local in Puerto Rico
Learn the difference between café puya and café con leche.
Puerto Rican culture comes to life in its dishes, a celebration of flavors that visitors have the opportunity to enjoy.
Guide to Traditional Puerto Rican Food
Taste traditional Puerto Rican dishes like lechón asado, pasteles, and coquito.
Arroz y habicuelas are the staple side dish in Puerto Rico.
Guide to Mesones Gastronómicos in Puerto Rico
Great restaurants to try outside of San Juan.
Mofongo is a staple Puerto Rican dish that pairs well with everything!
Guayama and the Ruta Gastronómica de la Costa
Plan a trip to this seaside foodie paradise
The cuisine is as colorful as the Island!
Vegan and Vegetarian Spots in Puerto Rico
Are you going meatless? No problem, the Island is here to sustain you.
Visit La Factoría in the heart of Old San Juan to taste its most famous cocktails.
Cocktail Recipes from Puerto Rico You Can Make at Home
Treat your taste buds to refreshing cocktails from some of the island’s top mixologists.
Find authentic Mexican food at Acapulco at Calle Loíza.
Where to Eat in Calle Loíza
A guide to Santurce's culinary Mecca.
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