The 8 best places to get mofongo in Central Florida

Wondering where to get the best mofongo near you? Restaurants, cafeterias, and food trucks across Orlando and Central Florida serve up a variety of this filling Puerto Rican staple.

Move over, Mickey Mouse. Orlando’s Boricua culinary scene is varied and ever-expanding, making it one of central Florida’s defining and most exciting features.

For fans of traditional Puerto Rican cuisine, options abound from family-run food trucks to bustling cafeterias piling massive portions onto your plate to elevated restaurant and bar concepts serving only the finest ingredients. 

In the mood for mofongo, Puerto Rico’s popular dish made from mashed, fried green plantains and fresh garlic? You’re in luck, as the following list gathers central Florida’s top-rated destinations for a delicious mofongo meal.

1. JazTro by Chef D.O.C.

At JazTro by Chef D.O.C. on Orlando’s westside, owner and chef Danny Otero prepares each dish fresh from scratch and to order, creating inventive Latin-Caribbean fusion dishes with flavors and colors so bold, each plate is just begging to be the next post on your Instagram feed. JazTro’s extensive mofongo offerings feature both classic choices like mojo pork and grilled chicken breast, as well as more unexpected pairings like grilled salmon and a vegetarian option. The desserts at JazTro are not to be missed either: Opt for the flan of the day, carrot cake, triple chocolate cake, churros, or the cinnamon toast crunch fried ice cream and brownie dish, which contains a multitude of textures and flavors.

2. Lucy’s Puerto Rican Kitchen

Boricuas located near Orlando’s College Park neighborhood know that Lucy’s Puerto Rican Kitchen is the premier lunch spot to enjoy baked-from-scratch sweets and aromatic, steaming plates of mofongo, each of which is served with a cup of chicken soup. Call ahead to place your order if you can’t spare a few minutes of waiting, as the small but mighty team who operate this food truck makes each mofongo fresh to order. Mofongo options include chicken stew, deep-fried chicken bites, deep-fried pork bites, pork chop, or boneless chicken thigh topped with grilled onions and peppers.

3. Crocante Restaurant

This elevated Puerto Rican rotisserie kitchen concept in Orlando pairs mouth-watering mofongos with innovative, shareable appetizers and a full bar, not to mention happy hour specials each weekday from 3-6:30 p.m. After enjoying alcapurrias, corn fritters, or fried cheese topped with guava, mint, and toasted coconut to start, you could choose among classic mofongos featuring churrasco covered in chimichurri or garlic shrimp. However, you might be best suited if you opt for Crocante Restaurant‘s signature offering: porchetta. These succulent, rotisserie-cooked chunks of pork belly and loin provide an added oomph to your average mofongo. 

4. 787 Mofongo

Locals know to order ahead of time instead of braving the long lines that gather outside this Lake Nona food truck that’s been dishing out authentic Puerto Rican plates for almost a decade. Customers return to 787 Mofongo time and time again for the carne frita con mofongo topped with fried pork chunks, though the hungriest among us may want to select the mar y tierra, which nearly busts its container open with churrasco skirt steak, conch meat, octopus, shrimp, fried plantains, and of course, mofongo. Pair your dish with a fresh glass of mavi, a drink made from mauby tree bark and leaves boiled with ginger, brown sugar, and avocado leaves.

5. Trópico Mofongo

This family-owned Latin American restaurant in Kissimmee serves up a slice of home with its freshly prepared Puerto Rican specialties like mofongo, which is always made to order. Select from mofongos topped with grilled chicken breast, pork chop, pork cracklings, or mixed seafood featuring mussels, calamari, octopus, and shrimp, to name a few. Don’t forget to add a delicious sauce on top: Trópico’s signature salsa is a creamy sauce with cilantro, onions, and peppers, while the salsa criolla features a tomato base, and the salsa al ajillo is a delectable mix of garlic, butter, cilantro, and lime.

6. Lechonera Orlando

Arrive early and with an empty stomach to Lechonera Orlando, a cafeteria-style Puerto Rican restaurant on the east side of Orlando that draws massive crowds of hungry fans at both lunch hour and dinnertime. At Lechonera, there’s much to feast your eyes upon: massive portions of pollo guisado, or chicken stew, and bistec encebollado, or steak with onions, are piled onto your plate buffet-style by the helpful, hard-working staff members. Lechonera’s mofongo offerings are as diverse as they are plentiful—combo options include beef stew, pepper steak, barbecue ribs, teriyaki chicken, cod fish, ox tail, and more.

7. Coqui Restaurant

Sanford’s Coqui Restaurant wows guests with a winning combination of warm, friendly service and delicious food prepared just like Abuela makes it. Its five mofongo offerings—plain, pork, shrimp, chicken, and steak—each come with chicharron, or crunchy pork skin, but don’t fill up on this dish alone, because you must try one of their empanadas, filled with your choice of beef, chicken, cheese, or pizza. In more of a sandwich mood? The jibarito sees ham and cheese squeezed between two freshly fried plantains, all over a bed of French fries or crispy tostones.

8. El Cilantrillo Restaurant

With four restaurants dotting Orlando and Kissimmee, including one location inside the Florida Mall, it’s hard to miss the impact that El Cilantrillo has left on central Florida’s Puerto Rican cuisine landscape. Known for their gigantic portions perfect for sharing and their regular schedule of music-filled celebrations, El Cilantrillo is the perfect place to gather friends and family in the name of enjoying traditional Puerto Rican fare. Their selection of mofongos won’t disappoint—with 15 varieties to choose from, including vegan-friendly impossible meat, there’s a mofongo at El Cilantrillo perfect for even the pickiest eater.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.