El Gallo Pinto — Restaurant in Guayama

This place was a gem, recommended by my brother in law —refined without being fussy, and very fairly priced for the level of cooking. It’s a modern take on international cuisine, but with a clever use of local ingredients that gives it a real sense of place.

We kicked things off with drinks that sounded a bit pretentious on the menu, but thankfully delivered. My wife had the “Annona,” a guanábana-based gin cocktail that was sweet in a sophisticated way. I went with the house gin and tonic, which leaned a little spiced—refreshing and complex without trying too hard.

Since we’re visiting the island (and overordering is basically research), we went all-in on the starters: pumpkin hummus, cheese croquettes, and bone marrow. The hummus was a great surprise—velvety pumpkin with tamarind giving it some flavorful counterpunch to the sweetness, and toasted seeds for texture. Croquettes were more of a straightforward dish, but the acerola sauce gave them a nice punch.

The highlight for me? The bone marrow and tartare combo. Rich, silky, perfectly seasoned, and the plum reduction pulled everything together into this bold, slightly sweet bite that just worked.

We shared the squid ink rossejat for the main course, and it absolutely delivered. Deep ocean flavor, perfectly cooked noodles, and tender squid that brought it all together.

To finish, we split the Parmesan flan—which was definitely the most unconventional part of the night. Topped with a bit of grated Parmesan and served over a base of olive oil, it kept me thinking with every bite. The flavors weren’t bad, just unexpected. One of those dishes where you’re not entirely sure if your brain’s caught up with your taste buds—but in a good way?

Service was excellent—courteous and attentive without hovering. I was a bit hesitant about our 6pm reservation on the balcony (summer heat in Puerto Rico is no joke), but that ended up being a win. The restaurant’s balcony faces east, so it was already shaded by evening, and being perched high up in town meant we had a steady breeze the whole time. The table felt almost private, with a great view and minimal noise—perfect atmosphere.

All in all, this is definitely a spot worth seeking out. Off the beaten path, yes—but absolutely...

Part of my family lives in the town of Guayama, so I visit the place often. I live half of the year in PR and the other half in the states. Until visiting El Gallo Pinto there was really not a really good place to eat there. This was something that always annoyed me. However a family member told me about this place. When I read that they had been nominated for a James Beard award, I decided to try the place. This past Saturday I ate early dinner there with a couple of family members. OMG!!!, it was way beyond my wildest expectations! The first thing you notice is the beautiful, understated old world elegance of the restaurant and the soft jazz playing in the background. It’s a late 1800’s house which has been tastefully restored. Then there is the food. I have travelled extensively and have eaten at some very fine dining establishments. However, I really was not expecting the culinary excellence I experienced at Gallo Pinto. As appetizers we ordered an eggplant dish, which was very nice. We also ordered the octopus dish, which was extraordinarily delicious! I would go back for that dish alone. Our main courses were the red snapper fillet, the salmon and the onion consommé rice. Our taste buds were bursting with flavor. We had a glass of Riesling wine, which I typically don’t love too much because it’s usually sweeter than I like, but this one was not. The Parmesan cheese flan and the caramel with ice cream was a wonderful way to end our meal. By the way, the service and attention by all the staff, including the manager, added to our terrific experience there. Trust me when I say that this is fine cuisine. I live 10 minutes from Manhattan, which has some incredible restaurants. This place has nothing to envy any of those restaurants. I almost didn’t write this fearing that it may become way too popular and getting reservations there may become difficult, but then decided to do the right thing. Make reservations at least a few days ahead if booking for...

El Gallo Pinto was highly recommended by a relative and since my friend and I are foodies, we made a reservation and looked forward to a great meal by an up and coming Puerto Rican chef. We did like the ambience and decor. That's where it ends. The staff seemed very disorganized and twice they delivered orders to our table that we did not order, as they belonged elsewhere.

I ordered a mojito cocktail and it was good. As an appetizer I ordered the scallops which were expensive for 2 scallops at $25.00, but they were tasty. We both ordered the same main course dish, unfortunately. It was the steak sliced into strips over a mash with a brown sauce. I asked for medium rare. I was not impressed as the pieces of steak were chewy and each slice had a large piece of gristle on it which I had to labor to cut off from each slice. The chef should have sliced all of that off before cooking it. I regret that I did not take a photo of the small mass of gristle left on my plate. The sauce had a peculiar taste to it and we did not like it. The taste was similar to a gravy in a bottle. The taste overall was very mediocre and reminded us of food one would get at an Applebee's restaurant. I forced myself to eat all of it, as I had not eaten all day and was famished. I dared not order any dessert.

My friend asked for his steak rare and it came overcooked and he did not like the taste of the sauce either. He refused to eat the meal after one taste and left it. Unfortunately, our waiter never came back to check on us, so the meal could not be sent back, as we were at this point ready to go. Interestingly, when the waiter finally came around to our table and asked about the meal, he blamed my friend for not letting him know that he was dissatisfied. We spent nearly $200.00 at this restaurant and it was NOT worth it. The photo of the receipt if for...