Puerto Rican Food in NYC
Puerto Rican cuisine has been part of New York City since the Great Migration of the 1950s. From the cuchifrito shops of El Barrio to the pernil plates of the Bronx, Boricua food culture is deeply embedded in the city’s DNA.
Must-Try Puerto Rican Dishes
- Pernil — Slow-roasted pork shoulder, crispy skin, tender inside
- Mofongo — Fried plantains mashed with garlic and chicharrones
- Arroz con Gandules — Rice with pigeon peas, the holiday essential
- Pasteles — Banana leaf-wrapped tamales with meat filling
- Alcapurrias — Fried green banana fritters stuffed with ground beef
- Coquito — Puerto Rican coconut eggnog (holiday season)
Where to Find Puerto Rican Food in NYC
East Harlem (El Barrio) · The Bronx · Williamsburg
Puerto Rican Caribbean Spots in NYC (5)
Events and Fetes
Three Kings Day Parade 2027
El Museo del Barrio's annual Three Kings Day Parade — a free East Harlem tradition with music, colorful…
El Museo del Barrio, 1230 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10029
Clubs and Lounges
Michelle’s Cocktail Lounge
Panamanian-Caribbean cocktail lounge in Flatbush — old-school vibes, rum cocktails, Latin and reggae on rotation.
2294 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11226
Events and Fetes
National Puerto Rican Day Parade 2026
35 blocks of boricua pride rolling up Fifth Avenue — one of the largest outdoor celebrations in the…
Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10022
Food Spots
La Fonda Boricua
East Harlem's beloved Puerto Rican restaurant serving traditional Boricua cuisine in a colorful, cultural setting. Their pernil, mofongo,…
169 E 106th St, New York, NY 10029
Food Spots
El Barrio’s Cuchifrito
A legendary East Harlem cuchifrito shop serving fried Puerto Rican street food — alcapurrias, bacalaitos, rellenos de papa,…
168 E 116th St, New York, NY 10029
