Crocante Restaurant

The restaurant has ample parking, located in a small strip on East Colonial Dr. It is clean, and tidy. Offers indoor seating only, with booths and self standing tables & chairs. A fully stocked bar sits in the center of this open concept restaurant and kitchen. They have a private events room separated by a set of barn doors, as you walk in to your right- this room can sit 30-40 guests. My husband was delighted with their pinchos and I was so excited to order Alcapurrias. These appetizers were amazing. Well seasoned and the cutest presentation. For the main course, my husband ordered pork belly and tostones and I had the sancocho which came with short grain white rice - perfectly made. Their service was prompt, courteous, and friendly. Eileen was helpful and so professional. You are welcomed by their host who is just as friendly and professional; I cannot complain- this experience was stellar, and for sure we will bring the rest family next time. Great background instrumental music.

Staff was much nicer than the Morse Blvd location. I also much prefer the space. Indoor/outdoor seating, more space, big windows. The space is new, clean and bright. They don't have the exact same menu offerings as the other location, but very similar. The only reason I am giving 4 stars instead of 5 is because they were running out of things even though they weren't closing for 2 hours. This could simply be because they have just opened and are nailing down demand. Or it may but one of those bakeries that's a first come first serve/get it while it's hot type of place.

Had lunch here on New Year's Eve around 1pm. The restaurant wasn't very full, but it appeared that many customers were picking up large dishes to go for parties/catering. We started the meal with an order of the blood sausage, deep fried chunks of sausage casing filled with rice and seasoned coagulated blood. Several pieces of VERY crispy chicharron accompanied the dish; these were different than what I was expecting, as "chicharron" varies depending on culture uses the word.I had the carne frita (fried pork chunks) with onions as my entree and a side of Arroz Crocante. The pork was cooked perfectly with onions sauteed to the point just before caramelizing. The rice had just enough seasoning to balance out the pork and small bits other meat and some beans to add additional flavor and texture.

We were looking for a Puerto Rican restaurant to have a casual dinner after a long day. Walking in you're greeted immediately by friendly staff and a welcoming ambiance. Food was delicious. My family is from Puerto Rico and I can honestly say that this is one of the best Puerto Rican restaurants that you can eat in Orlando. The mofongo was buttery, soft and savory. The flan is honestly better than my abuelas but you didn't hear that from me

I'm not sure what I can say to do this place justice. First off the smells are undeniably welcoming as you open the door. Their staff is great, super attentive and personable. The menu is like a remix of those classic comfort foods you grew up loving, but with a fresh twist that keeps it exciting.When the food hits your table, the presentation is lovely and when you get that first bite "YUM". Already eyed what I will try the next time I visit.

I can't believe it's taken me this long to review Crocante! We tried it for the first time during Magical Dining and had a wonderful experience. I had been hearing so many great things about their Puerto Rican food, and I'm glad we finally made it in for a visit, with our new baby in tow.First off, I was really impressed by the spacious interior and you could tell they have been implementing some nice aesthetic elements, including lounge seating and their new private dining room. I took a little peek and it looks like the perfect spot for a family celebration or birthday dinner.Once we were seated, we order some drinks. I got the pineapple coconut sangria (very similar to a piña colada) and my husband got the coquito on the rocks. Holy wow, their coquito is amazing, STRONG, and it's only $7. I ended up ordering one for myself with my dessert, but more on that later.We were ordering off the Magical Dining menu, so for starters we chose the pumpkin soup and the bistec (steak) encebollao eggrolls topped with cilantro mayo. Both appetizers were so delicious and I could not get enough of that soup. For the mains, my husband got their signature pancetta (rotisserie pork belly) which is what they are most known for and I went with the pan seared catch of the day with a panko parmesan crust. The fish was light and so yummy... exactly what I was in the mood for. And OMG that crispy skin on the pancetta -- My husband also really enjoyed his dish. Back to dessert... We were already pretty stuffed at this point, but I always have a second stomach for dessert. We had the tres leches and the cornbread with ice cream. Both desserts were perfectly balanced, but I was pleasantly surprised by the little corn muffins paired with the ice cream. It was a simple, unique dessert and I really loved it. I can't wait to go back and try more of the menu and get that coquito again!

I got the Passionfruit mojito and steak and onions mofongo. The drink was strong and delicious. I love the garnishes. The mofongo was cooked to perfection it was probably the best one I've had since I was in Puerto Rico! The restaurant is beautiful very modern with a bar in the middle. We will be back to try more items.

My wife and I got to try Crocante for the first time when they were participating in Magical Dining and looooved it. Even though this review is about the Magical Dining experience, most of the dishes are currently still offered on their regular menu with maybe the exception of a seasonal soup/salad.For the first course, we enjoyed a pumpkin soup and the bistec egg rolls which were the perfect start to the meal. Then our drinks came out shortly after and spoiler alert: they were so good we ordered a second round of the same drinks: a Coconut Pineapple Sangria and a Coquito on the Rocks. We probably should've saved them for the very end of the meal because they could be desserts on their own but we couldn't control ourselves.Second course: I HAD to get the famous pancetta pork belly and my wife got the fish of the day (can't remember what it was but it she raved about it). The pork belly lived up to its reputation and was beautifully crispy and packed full of flavor. I could not wait to have this and it made my day. It was pretty filling so I saved half of the entree to enjoy the next day and with a quick trip to the air fryer, it was just as good the next day!For the final course, my wife and I each split the cornbread with ice cream and the tres leches. If I see a tres leches on the menu, I always have to give it a shot and thankfully, this one did not disappoint. The cornbread and ice cream surprised me too because I wasn't particularly excited about it at first but then I ended up eating more of that over the tres leches. We were stuffed by the end of the meal and thrilled that every course hit the spot. I'm very excited to come back and try more items on the menu.

Found this gem of a place one night while watching an episode of Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix. This is one of the few places that truly feel like eating back in Puerto Rico. The location was inviting, the waitstaff was patient and gave amazing suggestions. Now the food. The food was amazing if you don't try the crocante rice you are doing yourself a HUGE disservice! I will say the arañi-taco had the right flavors BUT I did not have the crunch you would expect for something derived from an "arañita"

Our final dinner in Orlando at CROCANTE. Everything from the service, atmosphere, and food was wonderful! Everything is fresh and seasoned to perfection. Thanks, Phil Rosenthal, for the idea!