Tostones (fried plantains)
Aguacate de Pollo
While visiting the Caribbean in mid June, my dining companion and I stopped by Restaurante El Campeón in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico for dinner one warm evening. Located on Calle de San Justo at Calle de San Francisco in the heart of the touristy part of the capital, this restaurant serves traditional and new Puerto Rican dishes in a modern setting.
Since we were looking for food that is distinctly Puerto Rican, we followed the guidance of our friendly server and ordered the Aguacate de Pollo for our main course. We had never seen anything like this avocado dish before: it featured the largest, creamiest avocado half we've ever seen — what is in the water there and how can we get some here? — stuffed with chicken and vegetables over a bed of flavorful rice. There is much more to this dish that I am giving it with my short description, but I can tell you that it was the most interesting, unique, and definitely Caribbean dish we had had on that trip thus far. Although I usually go for the sweet "maduro" plantains, we also enjoyed the more savory "tostones" green plantains we shared as well.
Along with the unexpectedly delicious meal — we had no idea what was in store; we simply came off the street, avoiding the obvious tourist traps — we were treated to an evening of wonderful hospitality. If you ever find yourself in Old San Juan, see if you can make it to Restaurante El Campeón for a nice taste of Puerto Rico.
Restaurante El Campeón
201 Calle de San Justo, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00901
Open: Sunday - Wednesday 11am - 9pm, Thursday - Saturday 11am - 10pm
Check out more posts from San Juan.
