This place was completely empty when we almost went past. What a shame too because it has been my favorite meal on this trip to PR. We gorged ourselves on Medalla and seafood here. First, the bacalaíta was a bit greasy, but the flavor and crispy outside was excellent. I could always go for a bit more cod, but a little of their spicy pique made up for it. The pique (hot sauce or hot vinegar) reminded me of a spicy sofrito. There was a lot of fresh cilantro and pepper flavor which complemented the seafood we ordered.
The picada mariscos or seafood appetizer platter was perfect for a late afternoon dinner. It was a generous helping of battered fish nuggets, stuffed seafood tostones, mixed seafood cocktail, and coconut shrimp. I think you can order any seafood in the plantains or cocktail, and we tried the mixed with shrimp, octopus, and conch. At $30, it can easily start a table of 4 as an appetizer, or 2 normal appetites fire dinner. We should have known better and stopped there. No, we ordered the shrimp and octopus mofongo in Creole sauce. As expected, the Creole sauce was a tomato base and absolutely awesome. It was by and far my favorite dish of the week, although my guy prefers the silky soft trifongo at Edelweiss in the kiosks.
The server/bartender saw us struggle to get through the massive amount of food and took pity on us. She comped a couple of shots of a tasty orange elixir, and like magic we could eat more. Still, we took a box home with us that is enough for a meal on it's own. Crío Mar was a win for us today. Be warned though, food is made to order so expect a wait for anything ordered from the kitchen. If you just want a snack, like other kioskos they have frituras in a case to take away with your rum punch. Speaking of that, I overhead a patron who came in after us say "this is better than the other place," in reference to said punch.
Also, this isn't your high-faluttin' crab house back home. Napkins are paper and while the restroom is free to diners, they charge $1 for use by the public. If language is an issue for you, you'll have no problem. Our server barely had an accent and the owner spoke fantastic English. read more