Authentic unpretentious Puerto Rican food! I have the shrimp mofongo and absolutely loved it! My…read morego-to going forward!

Hidden Gem Alert!! This spot might not be on everyone's radar yet, but it definitely should be! I…read morestopped by with my mom and was blown away by how good everything was. I ordered the Pechuga a la Criolla mofongo, and wow--what a dish! The portion was super generous, packed with tender, flavorful chicken all the way to the bottom of the bowl. Every bite was delicious! My mom ordered the carne frita mofongo but I loved mine more!! Lol. Her's was good too if you prefer that type of meat. I also got a side of alcapurria, and it was piping hot, clearly made fresh. Crispy on the outside, perfectly seasoned on the inside... Absolutely hit the spot! The lady at the counter was kind and patient, answering all my questions since I wasn't familiar with a few of the menu items. Her helpfulness made the experience even better. This place feels like one of those underrated treasures you're lucky to stumble upon, and I can't wait to go back! Very authentic vibes inside... Loved it!

From the owner: Selling traditional puertorrican seasonal Christmas food and more…read moreMasa para bacalaitos, alcapurrias carne y jueyes, pasteles de masa o yuca, de cerdo, pollo, vegetales, tofu . Pastelillos de carne, pollo, lasagna, camarones, jueyes, pescado. (Regulares, medianos y de cocktail). Sorullos de maíz con o sin queso y más, mucho más! Tenemos 25 sabores de Coquito.

What happened??!! Just got there and it's closed!! Signs off!! This hurts my soulll!! Hands down…read morethe best Puerto Rican food in south Florida

In short : Come for the authentic Puerto Rican comida and stay for the beautiful atmosphere…read more It was my father's birthday and I wanted to take him for Puerto Rican food. He is Puerto Rican :) and we do cook some but not all of it . Anyway... Backstory: Chef Iram Ayala was born and raised in Caguas, Puerto Rico. This is considered Jibaro territory and they are known to be great cooks ! He has worked in many high end hotels such at The Breakers, Ritz Carlton etc. He started in the Hollywood farmers market and his comida became so popular that he opened this restaurant in honor of his grandmother Sara. Wela is short for Abuela which means grandmother in Spanish . Atmosphere: it's a tiny space located directly off Hollywood blvd but hard to miss because of the colorful storefront. Inside it feels as if you are stepping in Puerto Rico. Taino artwork is all over the walls ( Taínos are the indigenous people that all Puerto Ricans descended from). It's breathtaking. Appetizer: We ordered beef empanadillas (what Ricans call empanadas ) , Alcapurrias, and croquetas de mofongo. The empanadillas were fresh and came with a mayo ketchup sauce. Alcapurrias are specific to PR cuisine and they are a plantain fritter stuffed with whatever meat you desire . We had beef and they disappeared instantly . The croquetas stole the show in my opinion. They are unique in that they are made out of mofongo, stuffed with cheese (or whatever you want ) and served with a guava salsa. They were fire! Get these! Dinner: My father had the chuletas with arroz con gondules , my son and nephew both had steak and I had a pernil mofongo. Let me just take a moment to say this mofongo was probably one of the best I've had in a looonnngggg time . It wasn't dry.. it was so flavorful and the pernil was amazing. I had to stop myself for eating it all. Everyone liked their meats but the arroz con gondules was a bit lacking . It could've had more gondules and some green olives and/or pork. I'm used to My dad and Abuelita making it so flavorful so my standards are high on that side dish. For dessert we had the homemade tres leches . It was light , almost too light . Service was good.. our waitress was very nice. Overall I would definitely come back again.. Especially when they have their live music .

I had a great experience at La Empanada Loca. I ordered the pollo a la plancha and it was…read moreabsolutely delicious--well-seasoned, cooked perfectly, and very satisfying. What really caught my eye, though, were the mofongo dishes coming out of the kitchen. They looked incredibly authentic and beautifully plated--definitely something I'll be coming back to try. The portions were generous, which made the meal feel like a great value. Overall, flavorful food, solid portions, and a spot I'd happily return to.

Delicious & Authentic I had the chuletas with rice and the coconut flan, and everything was…read moredelicious! The chuletas were flavorful and cooked just right, the rice was seasoned perfectly, and that coconut flan was the perfect way to finish the meal. Everything tasted fresh, flavorful, and comforting. Definitely a spot I'd recommend if you're looking for some good Puerto Rican food. I'll definitely be back to try more from the menu!

The food was awesome. The waiter was attentive and efficient. The ambiance was awesome. Love the…read moredecor.

I came once to eat with my friend. In our opinion the food was okay not the best but I'm hoping it…read morewas just what we ordered. The place is clean and staff is nice. Their drinks were up to par. A few weeks ago I ordered one of their typical puerto rica. Appetizers take to my kids school for Hispanic heritage. I was impressed that they were nice enough to give me 12 mini Puerto Rican flags to put on each ball called Sorullitos.

First visit to El Palacio de Mofongo. Incredible flavors and a staff that made us feel right at…read morehome. .Mofongo con camarones al ajillo was so delicate and succulent. Mofongo con bistec encebollado was prepared skillfully and their mofongo is a wonderful light texture that is clearly handmade with a mortar and pestle. The batido de mango was creamy and not overly sweet from using fresh fruit instead of pre-made purees.The chef owner and the line cook Even came by the table to make sure we enjoyed everything. The waitress was genuinely enthusiastic about the food and the flan and espresso finished the meal off perfectly.

Let me start my review by saying the food was really good and worthy of a 5 star rating on its own…read more BUT...my experience with this resturant is a classic example of how service can just take away from the food quality. My work colleagues and I were greeted by a friendly host and sat at a table. But everything from service went down hill from there when our actual table server arrived. We were immediately greeted with "You ready", with a frowned face. We asked for water with lemon (never received) and was later served water from a pitcher (without lemons) only later to see an adjacent table served water from a picture with lemon and orange slices. Didn't make much of that. But when our waiter returned to take our order the second time, again with the same "you ready" frown faced I asked for help with the menu. I could hear her sigh so loud I wanted not to believe the feeling that we were bothering her in some way; and there was maybe only a quarter of the tables with customers. After placing our orders I asked my colleagues if they were getting the same vibe as I was from her and they both felt the same way. From my seating angle I could see this young lady server when she approached the front bar/seating area of the restaurant; which appeared to be where the other waiters all gathered when waiting. But I noticed her smiling and engaging in friendly conversation with two customers sitting at the bar. I noticed this difference from how she treated us vs these other guest throughout the entire time. With them she was smiling, engaging and not in any flirtatious way, but seemingly just being nice....being a good waiter. Clearly she was choosing NOT to be nice to us, and this bothered me internally because I did not know why. Our friendly greeter from when we arrived was seen serving another table and whose behavior was consistently friendly with everyone. So why the difference with our waiter I kept asking myself. I still gave a generous tip despite this service. It was important to me to do so, but I probably won't be back here, and this would have been a nice place to go back to with mi amor.

Food is outstanding. Alcapurias were on point and the Mofongo was delicious! Will be back for more!read more

The food of Ay Bendito is amazing. It is super tasty and super fresh and well cooked. All is hand…read moremade and with natural ingredients. If you want to have real Puerto Rican food, this is your place. Alcapurrias, Mofongo, Trifongo, the Mamposteado rice with steak, everything is super good here.

Una vez más lo recomiendo. Excelente lugar, un mondongo espectacular, el manposteado es una…read moreexperiencia muy nueva, su carne fría y el lección asado son platos a probar. Recomendado una vez más!

A delicious local spot featuring cuban and puerto rican dishes served in an inviting atmosphere…read more They usually have some live music going on, today there was a violin player. My husband always gets Vaca Frita with rice and beans and tostones. Sometimes he switches to mofongo. I like to alternate between the Ropa Veija and the Rambo Encendido. The Ropa Veija and Vaca Frita are always a hit every single time. Discovered this restaurant a few years ago but have been a loyal customer ever since.

Come for: mofongo of course!…read more Know that: English is not spoken by everyone here, but service is very nice! I LOVE mofongo and visiting Miami, I had to give it a try. The ambiance of Mofongo is friendly but be prepared to do a lot of pointing if you don't speak Spanish. Servers are very nice! I came for lunch and ordered the mofongo churrasco (4/5). The mofongo was deliciously flavorful and the pork still juicy. My one disappointment was they did not have the cream sauce during lunch, but did provide me with some garlic butter sauce. It made the mofongo very decadent...perhaps too much. Overall, I'd come back to try it with another sauce. Delicious food, welcoming atmosphere, and great service.

BEWARE. SCAM - We…read morechose this spot to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday, but the service at the end left a bad impression. Instead of reviewing the bill with us, the waitress went straight to charging the card and included an additional tip without explaining that gratuity was already built in. It felt deceptive and avoidable. Food was decent. I won't be returning due to the deceptiveness.

In town visiting with a friend before our virgin voyages cruise. They said we had to go to…read moreBrandon's so we scurried over about 30mins before they closed. The hostess let us know we could order as long as we decided by 2:45. To our surprised two more tables of guest came in after us. Amongst the table we got the peach , passion fruit and mango lemonades. They were good but the mango was really sweet. Food wise we got salmon and grits, salmon blt, French toast sticks, and the oxtail Philly. The fries were nice and crunchy on the outside while still soft on the inside. The Philly came with a little juice on the side. French toast sticks were deep fried 8/10 Cheesesteak oxtail 8.5/10 Salmon and grits 10/10 Salmon blt 9/10

Brandon's Bistro had the breakfast of my dreams!…read more I love a from-scratch kitchen -- honestly that should be the norm, but we all know it isn't these days. Everything was a 10/10 for me. My food came out fresh and hot, and the staff was attentive without being pushy. Amazing business. I'll definitely be back!