Casa Borinquena

Out of the last of all the food vendors that's available in Saluhall 2nd floor was Casa Borinquena which specializes in Puerto Rican food. Since everything on its menu were vegan, it was a perfect time to celebrate Veganuary!Loved their cultural decorations and its written history to show off their true colors. The couple of males working at Casa Borinquena were chill.Two selections I tried so far: Arroz con Granules and Mofongo Cups. Keep in mind, the bowl of side dish was Puerto Rican national dish. It's carefully selected blend of ingredients and spices was like dancing in the morning sun, just lukewarm. I should have this for takeout. Mofongo Cups with vegan chicken cubes, hearty despite its lack of dressing. Seeing a pair of plantain filled cups in rich portions made it almost filling. Nicely done for the Puerto Ricans.If anyone really decides to try out what Casa Borinquena has in store, now's the good opportunity while it's still around. Might come back and try another one of their plant based creations if I'm moody.

The food court area has a lot of great options, but we decided to try Casa Borinquena out for the first time recently. We were excited at the vegetarian options and ordered Relleno de Papa, Mofongo Cups, and a diet coke. The relleno de papa was soft and warm but the dipping sauce really added that extra zing! It is a great dish to share because I prefer simpler tastes, while my husband was able to drench it in sauce and really get a robust flavor. The mofongo cups were my favorite though. The plantain bottom and vegetarian "meat" covered in sauce made for a sweet and savory combination of complex flavors. My husband also added the little bit of sauce that was left to his mofongo cups as well... he couldn't get enough of it. We will definitely be back to sample more of their offerings soon.

This is one of the best meals I've eaten in a long time. Note: it's INSIDE the IKEA, on the second store, in the food court.

I was ordering from Casa Borinquena when they were on Shattuck in East Bay! I've always loved their food, so when I had to go into San Francisco for an errand I swung by Saluhall to get my fix. I ordered a pastele plate and took 6 frozen pasteles home to eat at my leisure. No matter what I've ordered from here, I love it all! Chef does an excellent job with everything!If you haven't tried Casa Borinquena, I highly recommend it, best vegan Puerto Rican food I've ever had!Casa Borinquena please come back to East Bay!!

It is located up stairs of Saluhal along with other restaurants. First time trying Puerto Rican food. Opted in for the sampler plate - $20. Had a choice of vegan chicken skewers or pork (but real pork). I was curious to try the vegan chicken. I didn't mind it that much but the texture was a bit too dense for me. The portion on the plate was very generous. They gave me lots of rice, some cooked plantains, a bit of green salad and the protein. I took half of it home because I also ordered a side of tostones - $6 and it was filling in itself. They were fried perfectly and the dipping sauce paired well with it.

As I explored the new IKEA next door, I ventured into the new Saluhall plant-forward food hall that is Swedish-inspired and developed by Ingka Centres. I really wanted to try this restaurant on the second floor because I am not familiar with Puerto Rican food that much. So I was lucky when I saw this restaurant post in the Too Good To Go App and got a mystery bag. They don't post anymore, but it's a good marketing to make people aware of their establishment. Side of Arroz con Gandules which is Seasoned yellow rice made with gandules, achiote oil and fragrant seasonings was visually interesting and tasted okay. I was hoping for some strong flavor but for me it was on the bland side. Another reviewer I read wasn't too excited about the rice either. The Deep fried sweet yellow plantains were perfect taste and texture. The salad was fine with the dressing. Would I go back to try their more popular dishes? Sure I would for I am curious about their Relleno de papa Deep fried potato ball filled with seasoned impossible beef picadillo and their Mofongo CupsDeep fried green plantain is mashed into a cup, filled with chopped vegan chicken or impossible beef and drizzled with mama sauce. I am foodie willing to explore different cuisine.

This place is really excellent. We ordered the sample platter (pinchos). The vegan meat was delicious and super tasty. They did not skimp on the meat either. The accompanying rice was great and very flavorful. The salad was also good. I really loved the plantains, they were fried perfectly and were a great pairing with the meal. All in all, a 10/10!

My order:Pincho (skewer) sampler plateArroz con gandules (seasoned Puerto Rican rice), sweet yellow plantains, Side salad with two BBQ vegan chicken skewers.$20. Recommended for first timersNice exposure to cuisine with a sampler. Three tasty sweet yellow plantains. The two skewers had that meaty texture and sweet flavored BBQ sauce. Generous portion of special rice which was tasty. Healthy green side salad included. I hope to try the mofungo cups which look interesting and try the other few menu items. Dined in , the space is very clean, spacious at Saluhall, just wish everything were a bit warmer temperature wise. Saw someone get to go for SF ballgame, not sure how it would hold up at a cold ballgame in the summer??Thumbs up for my first vegan Puerto Rican try.

I came here a while back to finally visit Saluhall and I was not disappointed! I've never had Puerto Rican food and after 2 months later of finally writing the review, the one thing I remember is about the service. I remember the cashier was super nice and goofy and gave us the sampler plate and the loaded yuca fries as a recommendation. He was super silly, and I loved his energy. The portion sizes here are huge and feel hefty. The star of the show in the sampler plate is definitely the vegan chicken skewer. I loved the protein itself, but wasn't a super big fan of the sweet bbq sauce. (My sister liked it though). The yuca fries were also very substantial and I love how yuca itself is very pillowy and feels so comforting to eat! Overall a pretty good restaurant! I'm just super biased about how I like my vegan meat because my dad cooks it super well and I am spoiled by his 5 star cooking, hence the 4 stars. But would totally recommend

I've really enjoyed everything I've eaten at Casa Borinqueña. So far I've had both of the chicken entrees and the mufongo cups. Out of the three, the vegan chicken bbq skewers is my favorite. The bbq sauce is tangy and the vegan chicken has a good texture. The rice is delicious and the plantains are caramelized well. The salad is much needed to lighten the meal. The mufongo cups are a meal in itself. They're made with plantains and you have the option of impossible beef or vegan chicken. I chose beef since I've already had their vegan chicken. It was really good! I think one cup paired with the salad would be a really good entree. The sauce had a nice spice to it. I think a lemon or lime would've given it more acidity. I've yet to try the coquita cake, so I'm definitely coming back for that. Casa Borinqueña is located at Saluhall on the second floor. So the ambiance is really more on the food hall than the restaurant itself. There's plenty of seating a for eating by yourself or for dining with friends. There's a few tables by the wall with outlets for lunch meetings. Service is friendly and fast. This is definitely a must visit if you're at Saluhall.