LOMO DE CERDO! It was the daily special but i had to have it based on reviews. The line is shoet but never runs out. I would try anything here. It was SO yummy and so inexpensive. Nice big seating area, clean bathrooms. People are super friendly. We're coming back! read more

We drove right by on accident and luckily looped back to find this place. It was near closing time for lunch, but they hooked us up. The lomo de cerdo: perfection! Oh my goodness. Tender, tasty, delicious. Meat melting in the mouth. So good I could have eaten two. Then, while we were dining, the worker very sweetly brought us an extra fried chicken loin and some plantains. She'd taken an interest in us because of our not super great Spanish. What a sweetheart! read more

On our drive from San Juan to Ponce we stopped in for a quick bite thinking that this place was only going to be quick and probably not that great. Boy were we surprised! The food was soooo good!! The fried pork, Moro go and tostones were delicious and the staff was super friendly!! read more

2.5 stars. Cafeteria food with very uneven quality. We came in around 1:30 for a late lunch. They were clearly running out of food. The rice with pork was perfectly fine, and the sweet plantains and tostones had been under a warmer for a while but were fine. My pescado (chicken wrapped in bacon and stuffed with mashed potatoes) was completely unseasoned and inedible. The roast pork seemed greasy and dry to me, but my boyfriend thought it was fine. The chocolate muffin I grabbed for later was leaking oil everywhere and yet somehow still dry on the inside. The staff were very friendly and kind - one even brought my boyfriend some avocado to mix into his rice and beans. Not a terrible place to stop if you're hungry on the road, but certainly not as high quality as the rating and other reviews led me to expect. read more

Wanted to try some local food while visiting from California. This was a good place for it with the cafeteria style service. We had a group of 11 and were able to see the items and ask questions as we chose. Tasty food! read more

No this is a really good authentic Puerto Rican restaurant that always have fresh food, prepared fast and politely by the people working there. It's basically a cafeteria style, where you pick what you want then pay and sit down and chow away. The food alone brings me back plenty of times. The atmosphere of the place isn't bad either, there are tables everywhere and all you have to do is find a place to sit and eat. You can relax and let the food digest and get a little cake dessert. read more

At first I thought: " Meh, another boring place" when I saw all the fancy menu and the affordable prices I was very impressed.But when I chose the food I wanted and started eating it, it was like heaven just opened up. I mean I was overwhelmed. The food is next level good. The cooks here are masters of their craft. I have been over there for lunch many times and it keeps getting better and better. You want Puerto Rican Gourmet food? You MUST visit this restaurant and enjoy THE BEST food experience in that area, bar none!. read more

Not sure how this place hasn't been reviewed yet. We stopped by here on our way to the Arecibo Observatory and various caves. It's right off the 22 highway on Rte 2. You'll have to make a U-turn if coming from 22 since it's on the left side of the road. Parking is a little weird, but I think you can park in the lot next to it because finding a spot out front was tough. This appears to be frequented almost solely by locals. The food is served cafeteria style and we got by with limited spanish. Get in line, grab a tray, order your food, and then sit down and enjoy. The food we had was great. There's a lot to choose from. I had the stuffed chicken with yellow rice and tostones (smashed and fried plantains). The fiance had the turkey (pavochon) with gravy, white rice and plantains. Everything was great and the prices were very reasonable (I think it was like $12-14 for everything). Also note, the location shown by the map here isn't correct. The restaurant is on the south side of Rte 2 when you are heading west after getting off Highway 22. It's between calle A and calle D. There's a baseball field right across the street from it on the north side of Rte 2. It's like a half block west on Rte 2 from this address: Iglesia Muralla de Fe 1722 Santana Arecibo, PR 00612 Correct address is: GPS 18.443229,-66.640340 (204-228 PR-2, Arecibo, PR 00612, Estados Unidos de América) read more

Arrived 30 mins before closing and they served us with love. Ordered the white rice, white beans and fried pork chops. Excellent food! Great location! read more

Stopped for lunch when heading back toward San Juan after a day at the Rio Camuy Caves. So glad we did! Authentic, tasty PR food, with some twists on Italian and Mexican favorites served in a cafeteria style setting. During a busy lunch hour, the restaurant had a line out the door far the best rice and beans of our trip. Reasonable prices, super helpful staff. read more

We ate here for lunch and had a delicious meal! It had something for each of us and the portion sizes were great. Would recommend!

Plate is around 10 bucks and food is really good... you most try the potatoe salad, it is real good. Parking is kind of hard to find since it is always full (as most of good places to go) Restaurant is real nice to go with your family. read more

If you happen to be in the northwest coast of Puerto Rico, on the way to Rincon or Aguadilla, and you're imagination thinks, "I wish there was a perfect little cafeteria style spot that specializes in chicharonnes and seafood and mofongo...and it's got to be quick and easy and run by a family who all take the time to make you feel slightly less of a gringo...look no further. We worked hard to maneuver around places that were sadly closed because of Maria. But this spot was hopping. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was just what you want. The parking was easy and the prices were so low even for Puerto Rico. Five stars. All the way. read more

Ordered double meat plus two side combos. Food here has a very unique homely taste, like the smells and tastes of grandma's cooking during thanksgiving break. Unfortunately I came close to the shops close, so I was left with only a few choices. The food that I did chose tasted good and the meals were pretty inexpensive, despite the hefty portions. If I came during peak hours this would have gotten 4 stars. read more

Gustitos Criollos - Meat plus two side combo - Puerto Rican Near Me - Arecibo, Puerto Rico

We left Fajardo early to get to Arecibo without hitting too much San Juan traffic. We had some time to kill and were ready for breakfast, so we found this place via a small but consistently positive number of reviews. Breakfast was sort of ad-hoc: no menu, just discussion such as "we can do this, we can do that." Three of us had omelets, one had a ham, egg and cheese sandwich; all had coffee. It was all delicious. The coffee was served as a latte, complete with artwork in the steamed milk's foam. And cheap, less than $2 per cup! By the time we headed back from our day at the Observatory and Cueva Ventana (Window Cave) we were starving. Hey, why don't we hit that same place since they serve lunch cafeteria style? Definitely the best meal for the money of our entire week+ trip to PR. Pork chop, chicken Alfredo, and chicken breast stuffed with mofongo and wrapped in bacon. Their $8 pork chop (with two sides) beat the $20 one I had at a fancy restaurant a few nights earlier. (In fact I didn't even have to pay for that one at all because it was gristly and over cooked.) my family raved about their meals. Our bill: only $36! The owner's daughter came over to personally thank us for our business and offered us free dessert and coffee. We were stuffed but who turns down free dessert? Certainly not us, cuz 'Murica! Also worthy of note beyond the excellent food and affordable prices is the cleanliness. Staff were constantly cleaning the emptied tables and other common areas. A real gem of a restaurant; if you're passing by you should stop for sure, but it's even worth going out of your way. read more

This is the best place in Arecibo to enjoy grea, great food and service. If you are in the area during lunch hour this is the best place to eat. The line moves quickly so don't get discouraged reasonably priced AC AND CLEAN. read more

Favorite place to have lunch, they have a nice variety of food to choose. The staff is really friendly and fast.

Excellent food at amazing prices. Lacks ambiance, but you come for the quick cafeteria style food and the opportunity to be stuffed with delight for $6. Really good PR food! read more

Great food options. It is a cafeteria style restaurant and the food was authentic and tasted great.

Absolutely delicious. Hefty portions and low prices. I've eaten criollo food all over the Caribbean and this is a particularly great representation. read more

We followed the wisdom of the crowd (this is a top rated restaurant on other sites), and in this case the crowd was right! This may have been the most satisfying meal of our trip - and this includes the tasting menus at 3 of the top rated San Juan restaurants. The staff was so friendly, and the pride in their offerings as evident. Every offering from the mains to the sides was crafted with a focus on flavor. A few standouts include the pork loin with chimichurri, the bean side, and a plaintain crusted fried chicken breast. The value was beyond belief -- 3 of us ate enough for two meals for less than $30. It was so good we were tempted to make the 1 hour drive from San Juan on our last day there just to have one more meal here. read more

Gustitos Criollos - Business Card - Puerto Rican Near Me - Arecibo, Puerto Rico

If you want to taste real "criollo" food done the correct way this is the place. I've been coming here for years (5 or 6 years) and they never disappoint, huge variety and you are paying for quality food, yes there's similar and cheaper food around, but believe me, this one is the best. Also the portions are huge! read more

We followed the wisdom of the crowd, and in this case the crowd was right! This may have been the most satisfying meal of our trip - and this includes the tasting menus at 3 of the top rated San Juan restaurants. The staff was so friendly, and the pride in their offerings as evident. Every offering from the mains to the sides was crafted with a focus on flavor. A few standouts include the pork loin with chimichurri, the bean side, and a plaintain crusted fried chicken breast. The value was beyond belief -- 3 of us ate enough for two meals for less than $30. It was so good we were tempted to make the 1 hour drive from San Juan on our last day there just to have one more meal here. read more

This place is really good and affordable. The staff speak English well and are super friendly. This is a must stop for folks headed to observatory or caves. read more

We found this place from yelp and the reviews were great. Fantastic Puerto Rican style food and good service. Very happy we made the stop here read more

Amazing. Clean and friendly inside, but the best part is the food! It is SO GOOD. Don't let the neighborhood scare you away. Parking can be hard to find but trust me, inside there's plenty of seating and new friends. We saw that it was cafeteria-style and almost didn't go...fools! We were on our way from San Juan to Cueva Ventana and this was perfectly in between for our honeymoon adventures. My husband said the ribs were the best he's had and I love love loved the pastelon de amarillos y carne molida. The woman behind the register was so nice, she gave us a little sample of (I think) carne de res estofada and it was GREAT! If you are traveling out that way, you must stop in. Thank you wonderful Gustitos Criollos! read more

Was in Puerto Rico for 8 days. Travelled/ate through San Juan, Vieques, Rincon, and others. This was hands down the best place we ate... AND they were super nice! Do yourself a favor if you are in San Juan and drive to the west coast, then you have an excuse to stop at this place for some tasty tasty food. read more

This place is not reviewed enough! It is a classic cafeteria style restaurant with fantastic home style Puerto Rican food. If you want to try as many new things as you can, this is the way. They are friendly and helpful even during the lunch rush when packed full of hungry locals. It was cream and comfortable and I am overly full from a great meal. read more

Right off the main road to San Juan, this wonderful local restaurant was a delightful surprise. The food, served cafeteria style, is fresh and flavorful with generous proportions. We had the steak, cooked so tender and juicy with peppers and a chimichurri sauce. And the chicken breast with peppers and onions was tender, juicy and delicious. Many different sides accompany the main, and the rice and beans were equally top notch. For excellent, fresh, delicious comida criolla go here. The manager/ host was very welcoming, bringing us samples of the lasagne (yum) and suggesting beef stew broth to accompany our rice. Very friendly and generous service. We will definitely return. read more

Fantastic food, friendly staff, and very reasonably priced! The people were friendly and helpful with us non Spanish speakers and went out of their way to make us feel welcome. read more

I do not even know where to start! We read amazing reviews, and the locals agreed that it was the best restaurant in the Area. We drove for two hours to go there, it was so highly recommended that we thought it was worth the trip. When we arrived the owners were getting ready for an event and the restaurant was closed. The owner, apologized and offered to cook for us, if we allowed him the time. We left and returned to find the most amazing food. The chicken filled with mofongo was perfect. The rice was cooked to perfection. Every single bite was a taste of haven. The ingredients are fresh, and since the restaurant was closed for the day, the owner let us walk around the kitchen, which was impeccable! The owners were so kind and generous that they refused to charge us for the food!!! HOWEVER I did look at the menu, and the prices are extremely low. This is a family owned restaurant, the labor of love, and it shows in their food! read more

Super casual with very tasty food! And quick service as well. Went with a group of 6 and every one of us loved their meal, even the kids. I had salmon which was extremely tender. read more

Visited this off-the-beaten path restaurant based on the outstanding Yelp reviews it received and was not disappointed. Our party of six included adults and children, and we all loved the delicious meals we ordered, as well as the very friendly service (given our Spanish is not very good). read more

Amazing food in an amazing restaurant. Classic cafeteria style menu with a great variety of delicious PR dishes. Very clean and organized restaurant with friendly staff and fast service. read more

I come here all the time. As you expect for a place that serves a lot of different plates, not every food is perfect, but most stuff will be at least well above average. However, one thing I can always count on is the delicious Rice & Beans, which is as good as it gets. Price wise, it isn't actually the cheapest place in Arecibo, there are few food trucks and fonditas that are cheaper, but Gustitos really has a great balance between quality, a clean comfortable setting and variety. read more