Our time in the Caribbean was accomplished through the cruise industry by sailing on the Carnival Victory on a 7 night cruise departing from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Since our days at the respective ports were action packed through prebooked excursions, we hardly had time to eat at any local restaurants, much to my chagrin. Luckily, however, we had two full days in San Juan before and after the cruise in order to see the sites which required us to eat at multiple locations along the way. Being good little tourists we had to make a stop at the most famous two: La Bombonera and Barrachina.
La Bombonera - Get Your Mallorcas Here!
La Bombonera is the equivalent of a Puerto Rican diner in terms of food on the menu and appearance. The restaurant has been in operation for over a hundred years and has been featured on numerous TV shows including Rachel Ray's 40 Dollars a Day. There is one menu item in particular at this restaurant that everyone comes to consume day or night, and that is the mallorca, a baked pastry with powdered sugar on top that is nothing short of magical.
We visited La Bombonera twice on our journey, once for breakfast and once for dinner. The novelty of the mallorca extends even further as it can be topped like a McDonalds breakfast sandwich with eggs, bacon, and cheese to be a Puerto Rican McMuffin, as well as that satisfactory stuffed and disgustingly awesome feeling that comes with it at the end. Our second stop we had a Cuban sandwich and the Bombonera special, which was a double decker sandwich consisting of chicken, salad, tomato, and other ingredients - as well as a side of the magnificent mallorca. My recommendation, order breakfast food for dinner. They charge $1 more in the evening per item for breakfast, but ask for the menu as it will be entirely worth it. Overall the breakfast meals for two was around $18 with drinks and about $22 without drinks for dinner.
Barrachina - Home of the Pina Colada
The second iconic stop we visited at was Barrachina. Not famous for any menu items per se, Barrachina claims to be the home of the Pina Colada, a coconut and rum drink that was invented in the 1960s. Not being one to miss out on any iconic beverage of the time, or to do anything Anthony Bourdain tells me to, we had to check it out. Since I do not like coconut, I was a bit reserved but dove right in on this tasty beverage. A little disturbing, the restaurant that founded the Pina Colada does not even make the drink by hand. A glass is started with a few shots of rum and filled with a soft serve blend from a machine. Although the image of the drink being dispensed rather than mixed in a blender is rather disturbing, the final product is anything but. Even with my hatred of all things coconut, the $7 drink was well worth the trip!
So next time you are in San Juan be sure to check out La Bombonera and Barrachina for your gastric necessities, they will surely not dissappoint.
2 comments:
Seems like a great place to check out. Thanks for the review.
I just came back from San Juan and went to "Barrachina". I also do not like coconut, but had to try the 'Pina Colada'. And I'm so glad I did! Very creamy, and with the rum,and the fruit flavors that are added, you barely taste the coconut. Wish I could have stayed for dinner. A very nice restaurant!
Post a Comment