La Fonda Boricua
This iconic Puerto Rican bar, restaurant and music venue hosts live salsa and merengue bands several nights a week. Quintessential Puerto Rican dishes like arroz con pollo with beans and tostones, mofongo (mashed plantains served with choice of chicken, pork or shrimp) and Puerto Rican-style roast pork are prepared with gusto. La Fonda Boricua also offers daily specials like traditional Puerto Rican soups and meaty stews. Cold salads served with octopus, codfish, avocado and shrimp round out the otherwise sizzling, mostly fried menu. La Fonda Boricua expanded in 2008 to include the FB Lounge across the street, where you'll find a similar menu, extensive drink list and late-night Afro-Cuban jam sessions from top local musicians.
La Fonda Boricua
169 E. 106th St.
New York, NY 10029
212-410-7292
fondaboricua.com
Camarada's
Owners Raúl Rivera, Orlando Plaza and Jay Zhao designed this restaurant, music venue and art space with a rustic ambience that celebrates the legacy of their working-class parents and grandparents who emigrated from Puerto Rico. Here you can sample a wide range of dishes from Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Camarada's offers a number of hot pressed sandwiches typical of Caribbean nations like churrasco skirt steak, chicken avocado and pulled pork. It's also a great place to try cuchifritos (Puerto Rican fried snacks) like meat-filled plantain fritters, shrimp turnovers and yucca potato tostones. Many opt for the sample platters that feature a wide range of Camarada's signature dishes. Don't miss the Afro Cuban performances by different Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican and Colombian bands every Thursday and Saturday night.
Camarada's
2241 1st Ave.
New York, NY 10029
212-348-2703
camaradaselbarrio.com
Lechonera El Barrio
This veritable hole-in-the-wall family eatery specializes in Puerto Rican-style roast pork (crispy, greasy skinned pork with tender meat marinated in lemon and garlic) also known as lechón. Originally a Puerto Rican bakery, Lechonera El Barrio made the switch to dine-in restaurant in a move highly anticipated by its loyal clientele. This eatery offers a number of different Puerto Rican favorites in addition to lechón, including rotisserie chicken with plantains, pork chops, beef stew and classic rice and beans. Finish off with an order of homemade flan, a traditional custardlike dessert popular throughout Latin America.
Lechonera El Barrio
172 E. 103rd St.
New York, NY 10029
212-722-1344
Article Written By Charlie Higgins
Charlie Higgins is a writer, translator, editor and social-media consultant based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Originally from Connecticut, Higgins holds bachelor's degrees in media studies and music from Oberlin College. He currently works for the financial inclusion and microenterprise news website Microdinero.
