It a little over a half over drive from San Juan and there's no picturesque view from your table…read more But it's worth it. Cool rustic vibe, delicious food, and top notch service. I recommend the breaded pork loin. It comes topped with a mushroom and cherry tomato sauce and served over a bed of mashed malanga. Generous portion and filling, I wasn't able to finish the whole thing. Some appetizers I'd also recommend are the alcapurrias and the Montaditos de yuca with spicy crab and salmon chicharrón. My kid liked the rabbit meatballs. They are known for their cocktails, so order one. Overall, a great spot to hit up on the weekend, especially with a group of friends or family. Kid friendly atmosphere with open areas for them to play. If you're going with a group, I'd recommend carpooling since the there's no parking lot. Parking is on the side of the road. Will definitely be back. They take reservations, so call ahead because they get busy.

This was a nice treat. I loved the vibe. Great music. Friendly service. To top everything off the…read morefood was delicious. Every dish was good. The montaditos were excellent appetizers. We had the spicy crab and salmon and the smoked salmon ones. For the main course I got the quail with mamposteao rice. For dessert I had the tronki flan. I highly recommend this restaurant.

A decent bar but the service is very slow, especially for food. The noise from the street is loud…read moreand the traffic wizzing by constantly makes for a dangerous situation when walking.

Come back every time I'm in PR, by far the best mojitos I've had ever. Very chill spot with cool…read moreand chill vibes! Great and easy service, nice people and one of my favorite spots!

We stopped here on the road between Ponce and San Juan, and since we didn't have a lot of time, we…read moredidn'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!

During our trip to Puerto Rico, we made a stop at a lechónera- a restaurant that serves lechón (one…read moreof 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!

Sábado 3 de agosto de 2024 nos fuimos almorzar para Cidra buscando este local por referencia. El…read morecamino para llegar es jalda arriba, bastante arriba, pero al llegar el cambio de clima se siente. Local tiene mesas interior y exterior. Fuimos los primeros en llegar y el ambiente es uno familiar para almuerzo. Todo lo que pedimos estuvo excelente y rico. Servicio excelente.

Es un lugar riquísimo de buen ambiente y comida deliciosa. La dueña y todo el personal son…read moresumamente amables y cordiales. 100% recomendado. No se van a arrepentir

Fuimos un domingo en la tarde un grupo de cuatro personas. El lugar es limpio y acogedor con una…read morevista panorámica muy bonita. El personal fue muy amable y la comida muy buena con precios razonables. El precio de los tragos los encontré caro.

This is true Puerto Rican Food at its best . Beautiful scenery and outside ambiance. Excellent…read moreservice great drinks especially their Mo Hitos . If you want to take nice ride through the mountains from Naranjito to Cedro Arriba . Chefs cook awesome meals and waitresses are great. Ask for Leyra she's great .

Servicio AAA. El mejor lechón asado. Los guanimes con…read morebacalao muy buenos también. Variedad en el nenúfar. Platos típicos. Hasta tembleque venden. Me encanta.

Amazing food! It was almost a two hour drive to this restaurant from Dorado but so worth it! The…read morelechon was perfectly cooked, moist and juicy. The vegetables with olive oil and the rice and longaniza were excellent. The alcapurias were to die for! If you have an opportunity, go there!

Excellent fried pork! Great service! Lots of seating here and they have live entertainment too.read more

I absolutely LOVED this place, and hope to come back while visiitng Puerto Rico in the future. The…read moreviews were stunning from this mountainside bar/cafe, and the food and drinks were absolutely phenomenal. More than anything, I loved the service here. The owner and his family run the place, and they personally came by multiple times to check on us. While we stopped here to eat, we had some issues come up with the hotel we were supposed to stay at that night, and the owner without hesitation said he could reach out to some of his colleagues to see if they had an open airbnb for us. It was incredibly kind and generous, and while we thankfully didn't need to take him up on his offer, the thought meant everything! Excellent views, food, drinks, and above and beyond service... what more could you ask for?

Food, amazing. Views, amazing. The people, amazing!…read more What more do I have to say? The kurobata ossabuco (spcheck) was amazing. Fall off the bone! So much flavor. Good combination with the mashed potatoes. Although it would've been better with their take on risotto where they crisped the outsides where it was like a giant hash brown. Inside of it was perfectly moist with the crunch on the outside. Been thinking about this everyday since I left. The lady that was our server was very sweet and straight to the point. Checked on us and made sure everything was going good! Definitely recommend after toro verde!

Bueno, este sitio es un cinco y es un cinco, porque el Restaurant primero que todo muy lujoso muy…read morebonito. Segundo el servicio es exquisito la gente bien atenta bien servicial el menú increíble de comida selecciones no comunes en el área de Puerto Rico. Por ejemplo, la carne mechada, me encantó el oso buco riquísimo los cortes de carne churrasco, prime rib. Deliciosos buena carne. Los tragos riquísimos la vista encantadora. El único problema es las curvas y la carretera que hay que subir mucho para llegar a este nivel alto en Cayey, pero una vez que llega estás contento de qué hiciste el viaje, no te lo pierdas

Food is absolutely delicious & at a great price. I ordered the pig & it was cooked perfectly & the…read moreflavor 'taste' on point! The reason for a four star & not a five the arroz con gandules along with the guineo just dry no flavor.

Great place to go and eat, good service and lots of stores that you can go in and enjoy after you…read moreeat your pork

Oooooiiiii!!! The Legendary La Ruta de Lechon (Pork Highway)…read more AMBIANCE Parking: Can definitely get busy during peak hours and weekends, but there's usually attendants and nearby parking options helping direct traffic. There's paid parking and street parking. All in all come early. Seating: Huge open seating areas with picnic-style tables and plenty of room for large groups, families, and celebrations. Take your pick, close to the live music or the local river for a more natural feeling. Vibes: The area keeps you busy from souvenir shopping, listening to music, or just Chinchorreo (like bar crawl but with pork)! The spot itself is alive on the weekend with music, people dancing, pig roasting and for a calmer pace, enjoying the scenery of the mountain, flow of the river and the chirps of animals around. Great place for a nice food adventure for families, friends, or just rolling through solo. FOOD / DRINKS Combo Plate (Recommend) I know it's important to save room to chinchorreo but especially if this is your first time, this should be your base. Lechon - Pick your protein, obviously I got pig - it was juicy, flavorful and tender slices of meat, and a nice piece of crispy skin. Morcilla - not your usual sausage but a rich flavorful with a chewy spiced earthy flavor. Pasteles - kind of like a tamale which was a savory soft doughy base. Arroz con Gandules - If they're out of their seasonal pasteles, then this is a nice savory with a lot of lot of lively flavors and seasoning. The portions overall were generous and very "family style" feeling. This is not tiny trendy food--you come hungry. CUSTOMER SERVICE Awesome! Props to the people that work the weekends for their consistent friendly service. TL;DR OVERALL 5 Stars. Good food, reasonable prices, and a one of a kind Puerto Rican vibe. From the mountain scenery, live local music, smoky aroma, and the general playful energy - this was a highlight of my trip I won't be forgetting for a while. When in Puerto Rico, La Ruta de Lechon is a must and make sure to stop by El Rancho Original. TIPS * Come hungry and come early (for parking and to get the best parts of the lechon). Weekends are the best as it is livelier.

I don't know what that rub/flavor is that they put on the pork at El Rancho Original but I vote…read morethis is the best pork on the Pork Highway. It is the last lechoneras on the street but if you are driving and making the stops make sure to leave room in your stomach for this one. Loved it a ton although I would have liked the band volume to be a little lower. Also we had other friendly customers jump in and help us when we messed up during our ordering. Then our line neighbors made sure we knew how to pick up our food when we were at the pick up station. Everyone here was so nice. Def come here!