The Most Delicious Puerto Rican in Tampa

La Criolla Cafe & Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.5 (43)

"I was looking for a satisfying meal before hitting home.I stopped at La Criolla Cafe. Plenty of parking across the street.I was greeted and noticed it was not what I had expected. Ambiance was counter with food with table in the middle of a somewhat store.It was Mexican food. I was in the mood for it. I liked that the tacos were made to order. I noticed a senior enjoying her soup. I decided to give it a try. Wow!! The soup reminded me of grandma's cooking back in Brooklyn. I ate the whole thing. It came with rice and chicken breast and pasta salad.I also ordered a beef taco. I ate the whole thing. It's not your typical restaurant. but it surely will satisfy you."

Johnnys Table

★★★★★ 4.5 (8)

"I'm a super picky eater and I was blown away by not only how flavorful his food was but how all the meats we're tender and juicy. I tried the roasted pork tacos and the table (a little of everything), everything was amazing and his homemade sauces were unlike anything I've ever had before. Going beyond the food Johnny was very personable and speaks very passionately about all his (food) creations. I cannot wait to go back."

El Molino Bakery Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3 (2)

"La comida de mala calidad, la ensalada estaba dañada, no lo recomiendo."

Oasis Rotisserie Chicken & More

★★★★☆ 4 (23)

"Ate their food at a first Friday event. Violet (the owner) served everyone salad, Spanish rice and chicken. Friendly service, tasty Puerto Rican food. We'll have to visit the restaurant and try more of their offerings."

WEPAA RESTAURANT

★★★★☆ 3.5 (164) • $$

"So, I am Puertorican here recently decided to come to wepaa after craving some mofongo. Where else in Largo are you able to find some authentic Puerto Rican meal? None other than wepaa. They have done some renovations since my last visit and wanted to evaluate my experience. I only dined in for part of my meal and took the mofongo with pernil to go. The vibe inside in nice and clean. Art on wall reflecting Puerto Rico. They have a TV and in the new space a full bar. Seating is now abundant with the additional space. I had the beef empanadas and the pizza empanadas. I really enjoyed the flavor of the meat on the empanada l, really took me back to the island. The pizza empanada I would not recommend. We got our first one cold and the second really wasn't enjoyable. Either way the real empanadas was the beef. I also had the mofongo and again they got it out of the park, I recently visited Puerto Rico and was impressed with the food on the island l, thankfully the food here is equally as good.The service was also Johnny on the spot, once the cold empanada was identified she quickly corrected the problem and confirmed it was good before leaving the table."

Boryken

★★★★★ 4.8 (13)

"I was looking for something that was open after 10 PM that wasn't the usual fast food places. I stumbled upon this place. The food was good and the customer service was great. Everyone enjoy their food would definitely go back."

La Lechonera

★★★★☆ 3.8 (199) • $

"This is another hidden gem that I can't be selfish with anymore. I believe this is my second visit to this establishment. OMG!! It seems they cook with love and flavor. It feels like you are back in Puerto Rico with someone's grandmother who is cooking for you. We started with the traditional Coco Rico sodas. As for the entree the oxtail which was more fat them meat as you can see in the pictures. A side of Maduros, and dirty rice and peas. The flavors when combined are delicious. We also ordered a shrimp Mofongo which was also very delicious but ordered 1 because it is made for 2 people. The only real problem is the line wait if the help isn't there you will be online a bit. But I promise you it's worth it. These are the mom-and-pop shops we should be raving about. That old traditional cooking with flavor and love that these cooks are using. The ambiance is like an old lunchroom when you would go to school back in the 80s. The decor, old history of Puerto Rico. If you love some real authentic Puerto Rican food this is the establishment to be.Kudos to LA Lechonera for giving the community some flavorful dishes. I wish nothing but success for this establishment and may they continue to be an establishment to be reckoned with. Till next time and hopefully, my fellow Elites will stop by as well."

Antojitos Boricuas

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (13)

"It was good, but I've had better. I just compare all Puerto Rican food to my parents and grandparents cooking so I'm just a little picky. I'm also the gringa of the family since I wasn't born & raised in Puerto Rico so take what I say with a grain of salt.Anyway, I was lured in by the note on the menu of bacalaitos. Unfortunately they didn't have any so I had to choose other menu items. They have taken it off the menu since that time so I guess I will never get to taste them. I love these cod fritters so much and I was excited to see it, but was let down again on my second visit. I ended up getting the platter of mofongo with fried pork chunks. This had a lot of flavor and the meat was somewhat tender. The only con was that some of the pieces were super salty so it wasn't evenly salted. The mofongo had a nice garlic taste. It wasn't as hard as others I've had, but it wasn't soft either. Mofongo is a heavy dish made of mashed plantains but my favorite version is the trifongo which they don't have. I like the addition of sweet plantains which gives it a smoother texture and sweet and savory flavor. They don't offer this nor do they offer maduros. I wish they had maduros as a side dish instead of tostones but they don't. Otherwise, it was a good dish and I would order it again. The flavors were all there.For my second visit, I got the camarones with rice & gandules and tostones. The tostones were fried perfectly and not greasy. The rice was just basic. I'm used to having all kinds of sofrito goodness in my rice. Mom made it with olives and capers and included recao. Okay, maybe this is old school Puerto Rican but I remember mom picking a leaf off the recao plant and adding it to the sofrito. So the rice was basic to me. The camarones were a little overcooked but had good flavor. The Kola Champagne was a cool find. It tastes kind of like a bubble gum soda. I'd get that again.I'll go back for more visits and update my review as needed. It's great to have more Puerto Rican food in the area. I'm seeing more food trucks pop up, but this one seems to have more of a variety. They are located on Pauls Drive near Brandon Oriental Market as of this writing. They have moved a couple of times so do check their Facebook page. I will go back to try the frappes and pastelillos."

AJ’s Breakfast Club

★★★★★ 4.8 (23)

"Great new addition to the breakfast/lunch scene in the Seminole area. The minute you walk in you know you're in for a treat, the aroma's are wonderful and the owner greets you and is very helpful with any of you questions. I had the "chicken of the day" (chicken stew) with rice and beans and I was thoroughly impressed. The flavors were wonderful and the portions were ample without being too much. My wife had the pork, rice and plantains which, was also very tasty. While it's probably more take out, at this time, we ate inside and enjoyed the atmosphere while chatting with the owner and the chef. Certainly, worth trying and we will be back."

Pa' Los Chinos Restaurant - Lakeland

★★★☆☆ 2.5 (17)

"Just went here for lunch today with a small group. Chicken & broccoli, Philly steak roll and plantains were all very good. A little bit salty but good none the less. Prices are a bit high, however the portion sizes were good. Will definitely return."

Delicias Latinas

★★★★☆ 3.9 (39) • $$

"This is a perfect local spot right down the street from me and it always offers me great consistent ropa vieja, yucca, y arroz con frijoles. I was a little upset they were out of the mofongo and sancocho when we went last time but they usually do have that in stock. Everything is super fresh and it's always super busy around lunch time."

Mesa Latina Food Truck

★★★★★ 4.5 (10)

"By far the best PuertoRican food truck and or restaurant in this area. Authentic PuertoRican flavor and usually very fast with the orders."

Rancho Latino

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (18) • $$

"This restaurant is authentic in Puerto Rican food. I was there 6/28/09, they play live typical Puerto Rican music, this place gets packed. I felt like i was in Puerto Rico. I will recommend it to anyone, must try the cuajito and their yellow rice."

Omi’s Bar & Grill

★★★★★ 4.8 (21)

"Let me tell you, this is hands down one of the tastiest chickens falling off the mone delicious! Served quickly and with a smile in the middle of a classic VW collector gathering and some catchy live latin music. Plenty of seating both inside and out."

El Azucarero Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.6 (9)

"Well worth the drive. Was recommended by a friend for the food. They have a full menu but we decided to order off the hot bar. Had Pork two different ways, rice and beans and plantains. The flavors were amazing the portions HUGE. The place is very clean. The staff is very friendly and patient (since I didn't speak Spanish) The Chef even came out front to explain the cooking process for us. Will definitely go back again."

Los Gorditos Food Truck

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (27)

"I'm used to mofongo being a bit more crumby with texture, this was smoother. I can see why someone in the reviews said it's not mofongo. It's like someone overly mashed some mangu. HOWEVER, I loved it lol. I guess it might turn some people off if they're used to it being made a certain way. Or if they're iffy about texture.It was flavorful though! The tostones were good, and the fried meat was amazing. I recommend."

La Fritanga de Toñita

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (21)

"I had the mofongo de churrasco with garlic sauce and my wife had mofongo de camarones (shrimp). I can honestly say it was one of the best mofongos I've had in a long time. Great place will definitely return."

La Casona Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (170) • $$

"Stopped into this restaurant in Tampa and the smell outside just brought be back home. Authentic Puertorriquena food. Nothing beats homemade red beans like momma used to make. Had the pork chops with white rice. Also had the stuffed shrimp tostones. Everything was delicious and service was excellent. Will stop by again if ever in the Tampa are."

Coqui Snacks

★★★★☆ 4.4 (65) • $

"Puertorrican snacks!Ordered the "empanadilla de pizza""Empanadilla de pionono" Crispy flour turnover pastry filled with seasoned ground beef and sweet plantains "Bacalaito " Cod fritter Everything made to order and freeeeeeshhhh!!Recommended"

La Bahia Bakery

★★★★☆ 4.2 (116) • $

"I dropped by here because I wanted a little snack. I ordered a couple items from the bakery. Somethings were good. Some things were OK. I got the croquet as well, which are very good. I got a Quito and a guava pastry. They were OK a little bit on the dry side. The service was not great. The people that were taking my order didn't care to explain some things, didn't seem like they want to answer my questions. They seem short that day. I ended up ordering online. Which works out great because I also have pictures. It is a casual place with several tables that you can bring a bunch of people to sit down and have some hickory items. It's quite cute in there."

Parada tropical

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (9) • $

"My friend and I decided to try this place because we had driven by before and it had caught our eye. There are so many frappes to choose from!!! I ordered a pastrami sandwich and a cookie frapp. The guys at the counter were really nice, and there was only one other person in front of us and I think we only waited about 15-20 mins for two sandwiches and three frapps. The food was so good and the frappes were absolutely delicious!! I had a whole chips ahoy cookie in my frapp. There's even a place to your right to eat , but we took ours back to work. We would def go back!"

Pal Campo Chickens BBQ

★★★★★ 4.5 (2)

"Outstanding chicken! I will stop by anytime I'm in town! Super attentive staff and very personable"

Borinquen Restaurant & Pizzeria

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (89) • $$

"New owner, food taste even better, owner is super friendly and you can tell they're doing their very best to improve this restaurant."

La Fondita de Leo

★★★★☆ 4 (406) • $$

"Food was great..alot of options...portions huge...Drink selection large and tasty. staff very friendly and knowledgeable. Music very very Puerto Rican...lol"

Pal Campo Restaurant Tampa

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (295) • $$

"This was as much a meal as it was an experience. We stopped by with our neighbors and respective babies. The staff seemed to be primarily Spanish speaking (which gave me a great opportunity to flex my Spanish), lending authenticity to the experience. Our server was great, and he was forthcoming about the lack of vegetarian options. He kindly told us that they could adjust some of the menu items to be vegetarian, and we were off to the races. I had the chicken with mushroom sauce, which was a giant chicken breast served with a creamy sauce and a side of rice and beans. This was more than enough to share with my toddler and still have a modest leftover portion. I thought the dish was good, though I would stop short of saying great. My wife had a vegetarian mofongo which she was very happy with. I tested my neighbor's skirt steak with chimichurri, which was seasoned and cooked just right with a chimichurri sauce on top. When we asked for hot sauce we were given a green, intensely spicy sauce that I was very happy with. During our meal, a nearby table was serenaded by about 10 staff members, singing a birthday song I'd never heard and playing various instruments. Then a photographer came and took our pictures, and another staff member tried to sell us the framed photos. Prices are a little high but the portions were large enough to mostly justify them. The overall lively vibe and kept us entertained for the night. With full bellies, we left happy."

El Rico Frappe Latino

★★★☆☆ 3 (23)

"The absolute most authentic Puerto Rican food here in the Tampa area!! I've been searching for weeks now for authentic delicious Boricua food and am finally glad I found this gem!! The alcapurrias are perfect, abs their mofongo is amazing! We had piña colada's, sangrias, and a medalla bucket. The ambience is beautiful and reminds me of old San Juan with the vibes and music! I am definitely returning!!"

Duran's Bakery

★★★★☆ 4.4 (9)

"It's a new Puerto Rican bakery in the shopping plaza on the corner of Lithia Pinecrest and Lumsden Rd. It's near the Wooden Spoon Diner. It's family owned and local to Brandon. They sell pastries, desserts, breads, sandwiches, and more. It's great that they are close to home.I absolutely love their guava & cheese quesitos. They are so delicious! I'm not usually a fan of this combination, but I love this particular version. Maybe because the cheese filling is sweeter. They also have strawberry and pineapple turnovers. I've only had the pineapple which I haven't seen in this area. It was great! The guava pastries are also a winner. I'd go back many more times just for these items alone.The mallorca wasn't my favorite. It's good, but it's more of a bread consistency than a sweet roll. The cheese and guava on top was very good. It was just too dense in my opinion. But hey, what do I know? I'm just a Puerto Rican gringa whose parents were born on the island. I'm guessing there are two different versions. The version that I know (and my mother loved) is the softer one that is more like a sweet roll. I've also had better ham & cheese mallorca sandwiches. However, I will try their other sandwiches and fritter appetizers for lunch one day.Other than that, everything else I've tried was wonderful. I love that the turnover and pastries are flaky and full of flavor, unlike some other bakeries. They are perfect! I do want to try the donuts and tornillos. I also want to try the breads. There will definitely be more visits, and very soon."

Doble Gustazo

★★★★★ 4.6 (36)

"Had the garlic shrimp with dufongo. This was exceptional!! Me and my family also had churrasco and empanadas and arroz con gandules and we can't say enough great things about the food. We also happened to be there on their 5 year anniversary!! Honestly, I am still dreaming about their garlic sauce!! I wish I lived closer!"

Tito's Latin Kitchen

★★★★☆ 4.4 (37)

"What a treasure of a find on a hot Friday afternoon for lunch! The A/C was working great inside Tito's ( it is no longer just a food trunk ). The owner or manager has done a very creative job on decor inside to reflect New York Puerto Rican pride! Really cute inside and very clean and comfortable. We enjoyed two Pincho's. Which are skewers of meat. One of chicken and one of pork - both delcioso with sweet media niche bread on the side. Our sandwich we shared was the churrasco with hot, fresh friend. The flank steak was prepared perfectly and there was enough food that lunch tomorrow is covered. The cashier was super friendly and the guy who was making the food in the kitchen came out, made eye contact with my husband, and with gesturing made certain we liked the food. My husband nodded enthusiastically! YES! A great find off Waters Avenue that you should check out some day soon!"

Don Criollo Bakery & Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4 (12)

"This place is a good option for "Criolla" food. The hot table has a nice variety of dishes and the size of served portions are big.The bakery is really good, it has the Puertorican taste , sweet but with a perfect balance. If you are into deep fried foods , you have several options and they are good.Also the price of the food is fair. No argument when it comes to pay the ticket.But there are some points that need to be improved; such as reduce the salt on the stewed meats, too salty and increase the use of garlic. But in other hand, the extra salt used on the sewed meats, can be used on the rice and beans. The texture is excellent but is missing taste.The service of the employees are good but is just is a little rude when they are taking about their personal issues when they are taking care of a customer , there are time for that later.The local is clean and nice, but ; I know this is going to sound rude, I don't feel comfortable eating my food feeling like I am on the middle of the church.Buen provecho!"

Manjar Criollo

★★★★☆ 4 (8)

"New Restaurant in town!!! Come enjoy Puertorican food in a family friendly, clean and elevated restaurant. Great menu and friendly staff. Great for groups, options for indoor and outdoor seating."

5 Hermanos Baked Potatoes

★★★★★ 4.6 (5)

"I am a big guy, I always get the loaded steak potato with extra steak for $2.I'm lucky if I can finish 1/2 of this monster potato. So actually I get two meals for the $9.99 price of one. Next time I go I will get better pictures."

Wepaa Restaurant - Palm Harbor

★★★★☆ 3.5 (10)

"The service was friendly, and the food was great. Felt like I was in San Juan again with the Salsa/Meringue, music. I had the fried chicken with white rice and fried yuca. This is a new place and deserves the chance to be successful. If you love Caribbean cuisine, this is the place you need to come to! They take pride in fresh made to order specialties along with simpler fare like Cuban sandwiches. Full bar with a great view of the lagoon behind the Vista Hotel. I predict this will be a popular place to come eat and savor popular libations. A new place breathing new life into a location that's been around for a while. Finally a fresh spin on Latin Cuisine in a great location!!!"

El Punto Sandwich Cafe

★★★★☆ 4.3 (18)

"I don't know why it took me forever to try this place. I loved it! The service was great. I was greeted as soon as we walked through the door. The ambiance was also great! It was very nostalgic for me because they had Coqui sounds and traditional Puerto Rican music playing in the background. Everything was clean and organized. Every wall, design and detail was just so amazing.Food came out pretty quickly and so fresh! I was not expecting the amount of food we got so I ended up taking some home. I ordered a plate that came with 2 fried eggs, the most thickest and yummiest bacon and freshly baked bread. If you order a sandwich, just know you will have plenty left over for lunch time because they are pretty big. If you are looking for a nice breakfast spot with good coffee, good food and good ambience I'd recommend coming here! 10/10"

En Mi Viejo San Juan

★★★★★ 4.5 (27)

"I had mofongo and carne fritas! I had wait over 20 min sue the orders were hectic but it was worth the wait! The chef was very nice. I also tried alcapurria it was awesome!!!"