Puerto Rican cuisine — cocina criolla — blends Taíno, Spanish, and African influences into something distinct and satisfying. The food is built around plantains, pork, rice, beans, and fresh seafood, seasoned with adobo (garlic, oregano, and vinegar) and sofrito (a sauce base of peppers, onions, garlic, and herbs).
What to eat
Mofongo is the island's most iconic dish: green plantains fried and then mashed with garlic and pork crackling, shaped into a ball or cup and typically stuffed with stewed chicken, seafood, or vegetables. It's heavy and delicious. Every restaurant has its version; quality varies enormously.
Arroz con gandules — rice cooked with pigeon peas in sofrito and seasoned with sazón — is Puerto Rico's unofficial national dish. Usually served alongside lechón asado, slow-roasted whole pig cooked over an open wood fire. The lechón corridor along Route 184 near Guavate in the mountains is the pilgrimage destination, especially on weekends.
Tostones (twice-fried green plantain slices) appear as a side dish everywhere and are usually excellent. Amarillos (fried ripe sweet plantains) are softer and sweeter. Pasteles — masa dough filled with seasoned pork and wrapped in plantain leaf — are traditionally a Christmas food but found year-round in good fondas.
Street food is outstanding. Bacalaitos (salt cod fritters), alcapurrias (plantain-and-yuca fritters filled with ground beef), and empanadillas are all sold at beach kiosks and roadside stands. The kiosk strip at Luquillo beach, east of San Juan, is the best-known spot to eat this way — over a dozen food stalls, cheap prices, usually with live music.
Drinking
Puerto Rico is where rum was perfected. Bacardí is the famous name, but local distilleries like Don Q and Ron del Barrilito produce excellent rums worth seeking out. The piña colada was invented in San Juan — the Caribe Hilton and Barrachina restaurant in Old San Juan both claim the original, depending on who you ask.
Malta is a popular non-alcoholic malt beverage. Fresh coconut water from roadside vendors is everywhere and very good. Coffee from the mountain regions (particularly around Maricao and Yauco) is some of the best in the Caribbean.
Where to eat
Fondas are small, unpretentious local restaurants serving traditional home cooking at low prices. They're the best value on the island and worth finding over tourist-facing restaurants. In San Juan, the Santurce neighborhood has developed into a serious dining scene with a range of Puerto Rican and international restaurants.