What do Mofongo, star fruit, red snapper, cherries and tiny mangoes all have in common?

These are just some of the local and delicious foods we experienced during our trip to Puerto Rico last week!

We wanted to share some tidbits from our trip, especially how to enjoy the best of REAL food on the road!

Preparation…

This was our first trip to Puerto Rico.

Our 18 year-old son and his friend picked the location, as this was a belated celebration of their high school graduation back in May.  After some reading and talking to people who had visited the island, we decided to spend three days on the northwest side enjoying the beaches, and then spend four days in the middle of the El Yunque rainforest (which is on the northeast part of the island).

Before we left, we did some research through Yelp, OpenTable and some local food bloggers to make a list of restaurants we might want to visit during our trip.  Remember, we try to put a list together based on the locations where we are likely to be at meal time, but we also try to be flexible so we don’t get stressed about only eating at the restaurants on our list (and potentially miss out on a hidden gem!).

Our first stop, The Beach!

We all enjoyed our days on the beach relaxing and soaking up the tropical culture.  We reserved an Airbnb right across the street from the ocean, which included a private rooftop equipped with a grill and plenty of space to relax and enjoy the amazing views.

As usual, one of our first stops was to a local market, where we picked up ingredients to make our own breakfasts, and for a grilled feast one evening on the rooftop.

The market had a surprisingly good selection, although most everything was in Spanish so we had to consult Google a couple of times to make sure we knew what we were buying.  We also made it a point to get some local produce, even though we weren’t quite sure what we would do with it.  Plantains are a staple in Puerto Rico, so we picked some up, and they were delicious when we seasoned and charred them on the grill!

Our first morning on the island, we ate brunch at a restaurant on the beach near San Juan (El Ambique Beach Lounge).  Scott and I enjoyed a Greek Salad, along with a delicious dish that included salmon with spinach, onions, roasted potatoes and a poached egg (be on the lookout for a customized version of this on the website soon!).

One of our favorite meals on the the northwest side of the island was one of those hidden gems…

…and a spontaneous unexpected surprise.

The boys were craving pizza, but the pizza place we tried to find wasn’t even there any more.  A mile or two down the road, we spied an area described as “food truck park.”  There were several food trucks, two of which appeared to be open.  We decided to stop and we can only imagine what the locals who were there were thinking as they watched us walk up to check things out.

The boys went to one truck to get a Puerto Rican version of a Philly cheesesteak, while we struck up a conversation with the chef at another food truck.  Not surprising, we were asking all kinds of questions to decide what to get.  When we mentioned we like “spicy,” he said “the homemade hot sauce I made this morning would be really good with the Steak Mofongo.”  Umm, yes, sold!  Let’s just say the combination of the spicy sauce with the tomato creole sauce, along with the steak and the Mofongo (plantains that have been fried, seasoned and mashed) was an absolutely mind-blowing meal!  Plus, we saved some of the hot sauce for our eggs and veggies the next morning!  YUM!

Another memorable meal was a recommendation from one of our Airbnb owners.  She recommended a Thai restaurant (called Ode to the Elephants) on the west side of the island.  After a morning of wakeboarding, we headed there for lunch and, let’s just say, we were not disappointed!  The chef had just opened this open-air restaurant four months ago, after closing some other restaurants that were affected by hurricane Maria and Covid.

The chef’s talents clearly came shining through in the steamed dumplings, the papaya salad and the “Bad Mee,” which included egg noodles with a garlic sauce, super-tender pork, mushrooms, napa cabbage and scallions.  It was a perfect combination of flavor and spice — we were so excited we forgot to take a picture!

Our favorite experiences from the first half of our trip:

We spent A LOT of time at the beach during this part of the trip.  The beaches we really enjoyed were Crash Boat Beach (relatively calm, crystal clear waters and plenty to do), Sandy Beach (bigger waves – perfect for boarding), and Survival Beach (a short hike reveals giant rock formations and beautiful views).

Our absolute favorite part of the trip was the rainforest!

For the second half of our trip, we immersed ourselves in the middle of the El Yunque rainforest, in the northeast part of the island.  It was a truly fantastic experience!  We hiked, rode ATVs, went on a fishing trip, and savored the sites and sounds – AND FLAVORS – of the rainforest.

We rented a home through Airbnb that was one of the best we have ever stayed in.  It had all the comforts of home, along with beautiful outdoor areas to enjoy all the rainforest had to offer.  And, when we say we immersed ourselves in the rainforest, we mean exactly that, we were staying in a house in the middle of the rainforest!

Right outside our door were trees that were loaded with star fruit, Acerola cherries, limes, coconuts and more!

In case you were wondering (because we were!), star fruit are crunchy and juicy, with a sweet yet slightly sour flavor.  They are a great source of Vitamin C and fiber.

And those cherries?

They were deliciously sweet and just one cherry supposedly provides over 300% of the recommended daily amount of Vitamin C (they are 65 times more concentrated than an orange when it comes to Vitamin C)!

Our Airbnb host, Frankie, even showed us how to break open a coconut (machete and all!) and we loved enjoying the water and the coconut meat inside.

The water from a freshly harvested coconut is nothing like the coconut waters you buy at the store!

Mangoes floating down the river?!

One afternoon, we took a hike down to a nearby river.

The water was super-refreshing and, while we were swimming, Scott started catching small fruits floating down the river.  What?!  I know you are thinking, “Of course Krista and Scott caught fruit floating down the river!”  And, you know we had to try them!  They tasted like little mangoes – super sweet with just a little tang.  I am sure you can picture it, we sat there snacking on baby mangoes in the river, and then took a few back with us for our salad that evening.  We’re still not exactly sure what they were, but they sure were delicious!

Outside of our homemade meals at the Airbnb, one of our best meals from the second part of our trip was after our fishing excursion.  Just a couple minutes down the road from the dock was a restaurant called El Nuevo Acuario, which serves local seafood and other Puerto Rican cuisine.

We enjoyed talking to the owner and decided to get the Caribbean Grouper (with an orange and Grand Marnier sauce) and the Red Snapper fillet (with a creole sauce).  The tender Grouper and the much firmer texture of the Red Snapper were both insanely good!  We also loved the bi-fongo, which is like Mofongo but with a combination of green and sweet plantains.  It was our most expensive meal of the trip but was well worth it!  Plus, it was just steps away from the ocean to catch the sunset!  In case you’re noticing a trend, we were so excited we didn’t even stop to take a picture.

Our favorite experiences from the second half of our trip:

The boys couldn’t get enough of riding ATVs through the rainforest.  Of course, it helped that our tour guide was a college student and shared their sense of humor!  Hiking in the rainforest was an incredible experience.  You do need a reservation to get into the rainforest and, trust us, they go fast so, if you go, make sure to plan ahead.

We hiked to Juan Diego falls, which were beautiful and refreshing (hint: if you go, don’t stop at the first waterfall…hike up to the second set of falls, which are much larger and less crowded).  We also did the Mount Britton Tower Trail, which ended up being about 4 miles round-trip.  The first 2 miles are at a pretty good incline.  The views from the top of the tower were breathtaking – it was well worth it!

Conservation!

Something that struck us during our time in the rainforest…how important it is to preserve these natural treasures.  There are so many things that we all take for granted – how we use water, how we use chemicals in so many different ways in our environments – living in the midst of nature for a few days definitely makes you stop and think about these things.

If you are considering a trip to Puerto Rico, we are here to tell you, it is a great place to visit and we left with some fantastic memories.  Just make sure the rainforest is part of your trip!  The costs of accommodations and food were reasonable, the people were friendly, and you don’t even need a passport to get there!

If you had a memorable trip this summer, and especially if you discovered some great places to enjoy flavor-loaded REAL food, please share with us!