I know Puerto Rican food isn't the most Instagrammable cuisine with its various shades of brown, yet it is one of the most soulful and comforting. But you wouldn't be able to tell that at a glance. In fact, many culinary historians can tell which cultures and nations contributed to Puerto Rican cuisine with just one look.
A variety of peoples left their mark on the island: the Taínos (the original inhabitants) contributed barbacoa, the Spanish gave tomatoes and herbs from the New World and Africans lent their love for frying. Even the more recent possessors (read: Americans) left canned corned beef.
You can see most of these cultures mixed together in Puerto Rico's unofficial national dish: arroz con gandules (rice and pigeon peas). It's made by browning pork—typically ham, pork shoulder or salt pork—in a pot, usually made of aluminum, and then sautéing rice in the rendered fat. Next, tomato sauce, green Spanish olives, sofrito (an herb base made from cilantro, tomatoes, onions, garlic, bell pepper and ají dulce), gandules (pigeon peas), sazon (seasoning salt) and water are added and left to simmer for about 45 minutes.
The history of Puerto Rico lies in this dish. A one-pot meal that sustains its eaters throughout the day; savory from the deep brown color of the meat, floral from the herbs, acidic from the tomatoes, briny from the olives and toothsome from the little pigeon peas that are dispersed throughout the entire pot.
Now that you're craving a helping of arroz con gandules for yourself, here are five restaurants throughout the San Francisco Bay area where you can enjoy this and many other Puerto Rican specialties.
1. Sol Food
The darling of Puerto Rican options in the Bay Area. No, it's not traditional for Puerto Ricans to eat a big leafy spring mix salad, but you know, you're in California. (Bonus: it's good for you.) The inside is a caricature of the cotton candy-colored Colonial houses that line the streets of Old San Juan. Always a lively scene inside this moderate-sized restaurant, you'll never be lonely thanks to the communal seating.What to order: The Sunday special plate that consists of pasteles, arroz con gandules, roasted pork and a side of tostones. And don't forget to pair it with a glass of their sparkling limeade.
2. Parada 22
Named after a bus stop in San Juan, it's only coincidental that you'll find yourself gawked at by the myriad of tourists from the sightseeing buses that stop across the street from this tiny hole-in-the-wall joint. That all fades into the background once the server brings you an ice cold Coco Rico and you start to linger over the wall-mounted tchotchkes. Once the Haight Street people watching begins or you get entranced by the activity of the open kitchen, the hours will slip on by. Also, Parada 22 has the best pique (Puerto Rican hot sauce) in the area.What to order: Chicarrones de pollo (fried chicken) with a side of habichuelas coloradas (kidney beans) and rice.
3. El Nuevo Frutilandia
While it's technically a hybrid Puerto Rican/Cuban restaurant, it's of the few restaurants that has alcapurrias, delicious fried gut bombs made with a masa consisting of green bananas, plantains, yautia (taro) and potato coating, and filled with ground beef or crab.What to order: It's all about the alcapurrias here.
4. El Coqui Puerto Rican Cuisine
Nestled in between the beautiful wine country landscape, some of El Coqui's offerings are untraditional. (I'm looking at you, guacamole.) Luckily, they do have a classic dish that none of the other spots offer: plantain boats. A ripened plantain is sliced down the center—resembling a canoe—stuffed with picadillo (seasoned ground beef), topped with cheese, and roasted in the oven. The sweet and savory combination has been known to send some diners into sensory overload.What to order: Mofongo—plantains (sometimes with chicharrones incorporated) mashed in a mortar until supple, stuffed with your choice of protein (prawns sautéed in garlic and olive oil is my recommendation), and plated in a moat of seasoned broth.
5. Borinquen Soul
These guys are always on the move. Borinquen Soul was the West Coast's first Puerto Rican food truck until tragedy struck and sent it up in flames. But, in true Puertorriqueño fashion, the owners dusted their shoulders off and kept moving until they found themselves in the kitchen of an East Oakland bodega. Recently, they transitioned to running the kitchen of W.E.P.A.! at BRIX 581. Specials alternate based on ingredient availability and include lobster mofongo and bacalao guisado; you can also order pasteles and coquito for the holidays.What to order: Their platanos maduros (sweet plantains) are amazing. Perfectly ripened plantains are fried until the edges are crispy and the inside is like custard, and then they get sprinkled with salt.
Hero image from Parada 22 by Jane C. via Yelp.
