Only a few words needed best lechon on the island many of the best chefs in the world will attest.

Best pasteles I've ever had. Pork top notch. Home made hot sauce. Weekend only.,totally worth it. Excellent prices. read more

Excellent spot for some great lechón. They open only on weekends and close early in the afternoon. Pretty much by noon they are out of many things. Most people order take out. For that you need to call during the week to place your order. There is parking across the street. The place is hard to find because it is not you average restaurant. It looks like a shack. And it is, really. When you walk in, the first thing you see are the pits where they roast the pigs. Tables are in the back. It feels like you are eating in somebody's backyard. The whole vibe can be off putting to some, but I love it. The food is excellent. Of course, the lechón is the start but everything else is very good too. This is a family run operation, led by Luis "Apa" Ramos. He is a very well respected chef and master lechonero. Chefs like José Andrés, Anthony Bourdain, and Eric Ripert have all dropped by. There are some photos on a wall (at least there were when I went). According to one employee, Chef Ripert has his own hammock here. The staff is great and very friendly. Like I mentioned, it is like eating at somebody's home. They also do catering services. We have used them for New Year's parties in the past. They even sell you the pig for you to roast. They will gut it, remove the head, and season it and you come pick it up. My dad has done this a few times. He has a Caja China and has bought pigs from them to roast at big family events. The pigs are top quality. read more

The experience in the waiting line was amazing because you can see the cutting proccess of the pork. The pork is tender and delicious, the pork seasoning is tasty and delicious. read more

Absolute banging lechon, it's a hard spot to find (just go to the big parking lot in the middle) but the food is excellent. You need to order on facebook to pick it up on the weekend but the overall experience is easy (just go in and pick it up). Food itself is super affordable and the lechon itself is some of the best I've had on the island. Skin is nice and crispy and the pork is tender and juicy. Be sure to grab a lot of the side dishes. read more

Had a little trouble finding this place. Google maps told us we had already passed it, so we turned around and tried to look for it.. Had to turn around again and then decided to just park at the first lot we saw. It's actually just across from the parking, there's a small white and red sign This place has THE BEST lechon. Wow, I am really impressed. It is much closer than the other lechoneras too. For four, we ordered - 2 lbs lechon, $10/lb - SO GOOD. So incredibly juicy and flavorful (albeit a bit salty). The skin was perfect, so crispy. We had leftovers and when we MICROWAVED it, the skin was still super crispy! I wish I had bought extra!! - 1/2 lb morcilla (blood sausage), $5 - I liked it! It was full of spices - arroz con gandules, $9 - rice was so fluffy and full of flavor - 2 pasteles, $3/each - like a tamale.. the masa was moist and very soft. I thought this was alright, but thought it tasted better after (prob bc the pork was salty in comparison and made this taste bland) - 4 medallas, $1.50/each Ended up being $52 with tax and tip, or $13/pp. Bummer that they are only open sat/sun 10-3, I totally would've came back if only they were open. Hands down one of the best things I ate here I will definitely return the next time I am in Puerto Rico read more

Google maps took us right to the spot. There's a parking lot across the street. The restaurant is next to a mural of a Dominican flag. We got there at 10:45am and ate it for brunch. The pork was amazing. A must-try. The skin was so crispy and the meat was really tender. The rice and beans, and blood sausage were really flavorful. We also got avocado on the side, which really put the meal together. We also got pasteles. They have seating in the back. It was nice to eat under the shed with the chickens and in nature. The roads getting there are narrow and winding but worth the trip there. We spent $35 total for a lot of food for three people, before tip. The workers there are also very nice. read more

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The lechon is delicious, though the pieces we had were not really tender. I highly recommend the morcilla (blood sausage) it is perfectly spiced. Be prepared for a drive up a severe hill one lane road. When we went, patio was closed for a private event and only had takeout. read more

This is the spot for authentic Puerto Rican food. Get there early as they run out of food fast. The pasteles were very flavorful and full of meat. The pork was juicy and well-seasoned. My favorite was the pana en escabeche and not to miss arroz con gandules. Highly recommend it read more

Food is delicious the downside we drove from the west coast and the place doesn't have sitting. It's takeout inly. They should move across the street Better facility But once again food is very good read more

If you are visiting Puerto Rico you have to go to this place. Best roast pork (lechon asado) I have ever had, beside my dad use to make. This place is as close to a hole in a wall as they come. Don't expect anything fancy. Think about going camping and you are having a BBQ. In other words, blue jeans are a must. The sides, depends on what the cook had available that day. I had arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), Pasteles, and Morcillas (Blood sausages). Don't have much time to keep writing, but trust me, if you want to have a true Puerto Rican meal this is the place. One word of advice. If you have never driven in Puerto Rican rural roads. Barely wide enough for two cars with no center line, full of curves,and up and down hills an mountains.....Just be careful. One final word. The place is only open on Saturdays and Sundays. They are officially open until 3:00pm but usually they are out of food by 1:00 so plan on getting there early read more

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Yes! Yes! Yes! Service was amazing and the food was delicious.. will travel up the mountain anytime for this :) read more

El Rancho de Apa - Puerto Rican Near Me - Hato Nuevo, Puerto Rico

Best food I had in Puerto Rico. Not only was the food so good I'm still dreaming about it almost a year later, but the staff was AMAZING and so friendly. I recommend this to everyone I know who are planning a trip to PR. I would happily fly back just for the food here! read more

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One of the most AMAZING places I've ever seen. Excellent food, excellent service, and the drive to this place is an experience you'll never forget. Can't wait to go back on my next trip to Puerto Rico. read more

Don't be fooled by the appearance, this place has some of the best lechon I have ever had! If you wanna make sure to get your hands on some, call when it opens to place an order. We came when it an hour to closing on the way to Carolina back from visiting Ponce. 1.5 pounds of pork well marinated and every piece of skin crispy with a medium side of rice. Yum! We ended with an order of flan de queso and flan de coco, you can't go wrong! It is also the place we met our first Puerto Rican hick! Great service! read more

El Rancho de Apa - Entrance - Puerto Rican Near Me - Hato Nuevo, Puerto Rico

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Classic Puerto Rican mountainside lechonera. I had roast pork, arroz con gandules, morcilla, pasteles, and gandinga. All were made with traditional, real ingredients. These flavors and techniques are becoming more and more rare - not at this establishment. read more

I have been going to lechoneras since I was a kid in Puerto Rico. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical when I was told we needed to reserve the food beforehand. The place is tucked in and doesn't even have a sign. However, the food was on point! The pork was delicious with the skin was crackling! The biggest surprise was the quality and variety of the sides!! Highly recommended read more

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Go in person! You enter where their cooking ... everything is dirty. in the back there are chairs and junk piled on the right. Food was average also and they said that they are more of people picking up and catering. Of course!! So others don't see the truth! read more

Rico rico rico i love the place, super good very homie and friendly i have to go back

First, we could NOT leave Puerto Rico without getting lunch from here. Second, we were so obsessed we even took food back with us to NYC. The food was immaculate and the hospitality was totally family driven. We felt so warm and welcomed and did not want to leave. Will stop each and every time we go to PR without fail. A must!! Bring cash!! read more

Don't believe the hype. This place sucks and the service was terrible. Go to Lechonera El Paso down the road. Way better!!!