We stopped here on the road between Ponce and San Juan, and since we didn't have a lot of time, we didn't wander too far down the Ruta del Lechon (Pork Highway). This place is right on the main highway, it's huge and packed so plan accordingly: we arrived before noon on a Friday, so we probably got one of the last parking spots (there's a guy managing or charging in the parking lot? not sure) and the line was manageable. A large group and some buses showed up after us, so it got really crowded! Anyway, we had a short line, had no idea what we were doing to order (I should have researched better) but pointed and nodded, and with some help from the nice people in line, ended up with two huge platters of pork, rice and some other sides - way more food that we probably needed. The food: delicious! I would say our #2 favorite meal in Puerto Rico, after Marmalade (but that was more than 10x the price!) The pork was delicious, juicy, flavorful, and the crackling was to die for! I wish they would package those and sell them - probably only good fresh, though. Rice and sides were adequate: my son tried to be healthy and said the salad and potatoes were ok, but you're really there for the pork. Cost etc.: we paid less than $50 for 2 enormous plates of food and some sodas. It was enough for 3 lunch servings, plus enough leftovers for 2 people to have the rest for dinner - so I guess 5 servings? The wait was not bad early on a weekday, but they must get incredibly overrun on weekends. It is entertaining to see the pork cooking on a spit (please don't come if you are vegetarian and sensitive to such things) and watch them hacking away with machetes. My husband wondered if the machetes are the same once used for sugar cane! read more

Lechonera Los Amigos - Lechon - Puerto Rican Near Me - Cidra, Puerto Rico

During our trip to Puerto Rico, we made a stop at a lechónera- a restaurant that serves lechón (one of PR's unofficial national dishes), which is a whole, slow-roasted pig. This restaurant is just one of many open-air roadside spots that serve lechón along "La Ruta del Lechón", aka the "pork highway" in Guavate. We got a half pound of lechon along with Mamposteao, which was delicious and filling. The pork skin hit a level of shatteringly crispy texture that I have never had from non-fried pork skin. We came later in the day, which unfortunately meant that the pork was slightly dried out. However, the texture and flavor of the lechón was absoutely delicious. It's a "build your own box" style restaurant where you choose which sides you want on the dipslay. Besides the mamposteao there were also other delicious-looking sides such as plantains/mofongo, beans, fruit, etc. There's a small parking lot outside the restaurant- one where the rule is you can only back your car into your parking space. Interesting. Would definetely come to try lechón here again! read more

Lechonera Los Amigos - Puerto Rican Near Me - Cidra, Puerto Rico

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So this is definitely a great place to stop if you're exploring "La Ruta del Lechon". For those who haven't heard or are curious, basically this carretera in Guavate is home to a bunch of lechoneras which famously serve roasted pork. So much so, that the name La Ruta del Lechon was born! Now with that little history lesson out of the way, lets jump into this gem. Los Amigos is right off the freeway so it's pretty easy to make this your first stop. There was a huge line when we arrived. But we did get there around 1PM which is definitely the lunch rush time. The good news is that the line moves very quickly. And I was pretty entertained watching the guy with the machete hacking away at the pieces of lechon to add on the plates. (Classic) All the staff that were serving the food were super friendly. They really felt like your Amigos. If there's something you didn't know the name of, you can just point at it and they are more than happy to fill you in on what things are. We got lechon (of course) with arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), amarillos (fried sweet plantain), and un pastel (similar to tamales but with plantain masa and pork filling). The food is then handed off to the cashier who offers you drinks and rings you up. Once its all said and done you take your food over to sit down. The food is served in disposable containers and disposable utensils are given. The seating area is open to the outdoors but under a roof. The interior is pretty shut out from the outdoors. There is no central A/C in the dining area. There are fans throughout the area and it was comfortable. It did not feel hot at all. Now back to the food. The lechon was delicious! The flavor was mild, not over powering. The meat itself was soft and moist. Delicious. The arroz con gandules was just as delicious. Very flavorful! This was definitely a punch of flavor. But it meshed well with the lechon. The fried plantain was to DIE for !! I could eat it all by itself. It was the perfect ripeness and perfect consistency. Every bite was just exquisite. The pastel was phenomenal. The masa was soft and perfectly made. Highly recommend adding this place to your list! read more

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My favorite place to get lechón . Generous servings.! Friendly and helpful staff. Very clean establishment. Can't wait to come again. Buen Provecho read more

Lechonera Los Amigos - Puerto Rican Near Me - Cidra, Puerto Rico

Definitely a stop you want to make when doing the ruta del lechón (pork highway) in Guavate. Right off the freeway, make sure this is your first stop. Best to arrive early to avoid a very long line. However, the line moved fairly quickly. Food was mouthwatering. Private parking with an attendant. The parking is shared with a coffee shop owned by the same people. The coffee shop sells coffee and craft beer. read more

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I loved this place. It honestly has some of the best lechón I've ever had. I would definitely return and highly recommend. read more

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Evidently this joint is quintessential PR lechonera. It's right off the freeway, which makes it very noisy. You sit on picnic styled tables. We got there right before closing and it felt as if the employees didn't want us there. The lady taking our order was not a happy camper. The lechon itself was somewhat dry and lacked flavor, seams that all the flavor is in the crispy skin. I wish they had some type of sauce to go with the meat The beans and rice were delicious. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here again. read more

Lechonera Los Amigos - Lechon - Puerto Rican Near Me - Cidra, Puerto Rico

Dios mío es todo que puedo decir sobre La lechonera Los Amigos! The flavor of the pork is amazing! The skin crackles as you eat it and the tenderness of the actual pork makes it a heavenly experience. The arroz con gandules are fire and the arroz con habichuelas are on point also. Si estás de visita a Puerto Rico, sin reserva recomiendo que comes en La Lechonera Los Amigos! read more

Lechonera Los Amigos - Lechón con arroz y gandules - Puerto Rican Near Me - Cidra, Puerto Rico

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The food was not as tasty as expected. The ambience was just not appealing as it's a take out kind of place

Excelente comida auténtica puertorriqueña!!! Excellent authentic Puerto Rican Food!! read more

Lechonera Los Amigos - Puerto Rican Near Me - Cidra, Puerto Rico

I think this is hands down my favorite meal I've had on my last visit to Puerto Rico. The prices are reasonable, the vibes are impeccable, the food is amazing, and if you can struggle through parking with your front facing out, then there's even parking. You pay by weight and just order what you want - we got an order of lechon (the skin was so good), yuca (delicious), morcilla sin sangre (blood sausage without the blood that was really good), and some plantains. Plus yummy rice (arroz con gandules) with pigeon peas. You sit in an open air area and the place is bumping which makes sense because the food is sooooo good. I am hungry thinking about it. read more

Lechonera Los Amigos - Lechon, Maduro, morcilla sin sangre, yuca - Puerto Rican Near Me - Cidra, Puerto Rico

Excellent food very clean. Friendly staff. Fresh pork and chicken. ...............................!!!!!!!!!!

Having the opportunity to enjoy authentic Puerto Rican food is a highlight of many visit to Guavate to experiences traditional PR staples : crispy, slow-roasted, succulent pork and pasteles . Pasteles is their version of tamales traditionally made with green banana masa stuffed with stewed pork meat. Sometimes yuca. To sample some of the best lechón in Puerto Rico, plan a day trip to Guavate and visit Lechonera los amigos (first lechonera you'll come across when you get off the highway ) The ambience traditional Service was prompt and friendly . Fun and musical ambience. read more

Lechonera Los Amigos - Roasting pork - Puerto Rican Near Me - Cidra, Puerto Rico

Food is worth the five stars minus the macaroni salad that was bland with no flavor! Most the staff really friendly but the lady taking money was very rude! I ask about where I could get extra napkins and she acted like I was putting her out. The ambiance was cute, there are a lot of other places similar so we may try out others to compare read more

If you are looking for the local experience and eat where the locals eat here is where to go! The Lechón was delicious, the arroz con gandules, the morcilla, plátano maduro... everything! The place was clean and all servers were nice. read more

Lechonera Los Amigos - Lechón asado - Puerto Rican Near Me - Cidra, Puerto Rico

Right off the highway 52. Great location. Generous food port. You pick as much or as little as you want. I recommend to come hungry and make this your one meal of the day. $34 for two meals and beers. Justo al lado de la autopista 52. Excelente ubicación. Porciones de comida generosos. Eliges tanto o tan poco como quieras. Recomiendo venir con hambre y hacer de esta tu única comida del día. 34 dólares por dos comidas y cervezas. read more

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Have always enjoyed lechón on every trip to PR since childhood, but this was my first visit ever to Guavate. Had a blast. I'm used to more tender meat for lechón, but this pork was tasty--amazingly crispy skin! Must try their yuca en escabeche. Delicious! And their cuajito--tanto sabor! On my visit there were no frituras like empanadillas/pastelillos, but there were pasteles. (Traditional PR pasteles are meat pies with ingredient influences from the Taino/African/Spanish--like a lot of PR food--made with green bananas and other root vegetables in the masa and stewed pork.) This place is just good food and friendly service. Busy but worth the wait. Lots of families; mostly locals. read more

When in PR, gotta take the drive to Guavate to get lechón. This was my introduction to my husband and the kids to lechón and the tasty sides including their favorite, sweet plantains. We ordered three dishes of lechón, two different types of rice (arroz fin habichuelas and arroz con gandules) and the last sides were yucca and sweet plantains. All were finger licking good, generous portions. All tables and facilities were very cleanly kept at all times with an employee diligently picking up and cleaning after each group cleared out. Will be back next time! read more

Lechonera Los Amigos - Lechón con arroz habichuelas, arroz con gandules, plantanos maduros y yucca - Puerto Rican Near Me - Cidra, Puerto Rico

It's good but it lacked seasoning for me the lechon that is. I hate to say it but this road seems like a bad one. Please to travel to other parts of the country to understand what i'm talking about. This is far from one of the best read more

Stopped here while in PR and have to say it was delicious! The place is a local hit spot and boy did it live up to the hype! When in PR, take a ride to this restaurant! You won't be disappointed! Best lechon! read more

Came highly recommended by our uber driver. Rerouted our whole itinerary due to this recommendation. Long line. To be expected when it's delish. Worth the wait and worth every penny. Clean. Well managed. Friendly staff. Everything was yummy & had plenty leftovers read more

Worth the drive here. They weigh your food so make sure you don't get carried away but it's definitely worth it

Great food very clean good Easy parking very attentive. A must visit if you're in the area, you won't regret it.

There's no way you could go wrong with this food in this place is so good and so delicious and so flavorful service is fast just have to have patient because there's always a line that ambience is a family place. It's very nice. read more

We had an itch for lechon and this absolutely scratched that itch. The skin was perfectly crispy. Lechon was a little dry but it was the end of the day so it was a little difficult to expect fresh, juicy lechon. Would definitely come back next time we're in town. Super conveniently located right off the highway. Other lechoneras located further east are a bit more tricky to get to. read more

Lechonera Los Amigos - lechon with rice and beans - Puerto Rican Near Me - Cidra, Puerto Rico

Best lechon in caguas! I come to PR for business trips and this spot is a must! The amount of food and for the price it's right! Only reason it's given a 4 star is that they seem to run out of their chicken very quickly so don't count on that for late dinner! read more

I could tell the food was good by the length of the line. I couldn't wait! I was lucky to find someone in line who spoke English. She helped me order. The only person who spoke English there was the person at the register. Everything was GREAT!! I ordered two lunch plates both with pork and rice and pigeon peas. I also had sausage (not blood), yuca and plantain. You must come here if you visit Puerto Rico. read more

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Best lechón and arroz con guandules. Very flavorful and authentic!!! The pastéles were also fantastic!!! The service is nice and the ambiance is very much Puerto Rico. Chilled laid back and family oriented. Love this place. read more

Lechonera Los Amigos - Lechón!! - Puerto Rican Near Me - Cidra, Puerto Rico

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Famous location. Food service was efficient, and there is usually a long line during peak hours, but it moves fairly quickly. Large selection of food. It was not to my taste, however. I found the lechón to be on the blander side. I also ordered arroz con gandules and a pastel. My pastel had garbanzos in it, which is a regional thing and again, not to my northern coast liking. It is a cafeteria-style, informal location with plenty of seating. Parking can be a little tight. read more

Fast service and traditional Puerto Rican food. Very close to highway. We had lechón, arroz con habichuelas, yuca, plátano y pastelon. Everything was sooo good. Highly recommend this place! The group agree this was a good option! read more

Lechonera Los Amigos - Cafe prieto - Puerto Rican Near Me - Cidra, Puerto Rico

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I would have given 5 stars but i couldn't for the fact that i have been there 4x's and the first time the food was ok the lechón honestly lacked flavor second time the rice was very salty and the third time the yuca was very mushy that it was almost like mash potatoes the last time i went which was recent we had spent the day in Jayuya and on the way back we were hungry and decided to stop and the food was no different the lechón was very bland no flavor and then i got the worst piece the rib area and it was so dry and it's sad that it's always so busy with a line and the food is just blah highly overrated place. I do recommend trying further in to Guavate where there are spots that the lechón is very flavorful and the rice is on point. read more

Great food and a great experience....we tried a little of everything and it didn't disappoint read more

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crunch lechon skin and very tasty. other food was good also. the place is right off the exit so didnt have to go through the winding road.

I really don't know how these people get four stars! I waited on line for almost an hour!!! The roast pork was hard and dry and the rest of the food was no better!!! read more

Lechonera Los Amigos - Puerto Rican Near Me - Cidra, Puerto Rico

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Amazing food, rice. Macaroni salad and of course lechón y pollo! You can't go wrong here! Clean and great service! Gets busy during lunch but worth it! read more

Lechón was tender and tasted good. Portions were large. Ambiance was average. Food was ordered Cafeteria style. Service was good. Only think bad Its was 5:00 pm and they had ran out of many of the dishes. read more

Good service, delicious food and reasonable prices. The line looks long it moves fast

They get points for efficiency and being operationally a bit less ridiculous, but even though the meat was pretty good, it's probably number #4 out of 4 on our list. But since all the lechoneras we visited were wonderful, that's actually not a diss at all. You should still try this one... read more

La comida era sabrosa, el servicio excelente y mi estómago estaba muy satisfecho. Agradezco Lechonera Los Amigos - GRACIAS!!!

The best lechón & drinks ! Highly recommended if you are looking for authentic Puerto Rican food