Looking to satisfy your appetite for Puerto Rican and Dominican fare?
Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top spots around Detroit serving Puerto Rican and Dominican cuisines, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of the best restaurants for a meal of roast pork, rellenos de papa, fried plantains and more.
1. El Caribeño
Topping the list is El Caribeño. Located at 8065 Vernor Highway in southwest Detroit, it is the highest rated Dominican and Puerto Rican restaurant in the city, boasting 4.5 stars out of 25 reviews on Yelp.
On the menu, expect to find made-to-order offerings like shrimp mofongo, steak empanadas, stuffed fried plantains, moro de gandules (rice and beans) and pastel en hoja — a sheet cake made with dough consisting of different root vegetables that are wrapped in plantain leaves. (You can view the full menu here.)
Yelp reviewer Allison T. wrote, "The empanadas were delicious, a nice crisp on the outside and oozy cheese on the inside. Both the arroz con gandules and plantains were a lovely addition and so flavorful."
2. Rincon Tropical
Next up is family-owned and operated Rincon Tropical, situated at 6538 Michigan Ave. With four stars out of 38 reviews on Yelp, the Puerto Rican spot has proven to be a local favorite.
Founded by married couple Lizaida and Riquelmi Moreno in 2013, the eatery specializes in home-style Puerto Rican cuisine with traditional plates like pernil (roasted pork), rellenos de papa (stuffed potatoes) and alcapurrias — a fritter made of green bananas and yautia. (You can check out the full menu here.)
3. Angel's Place
Angel's Place, located at 7824 Michigan Ave., is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the Latin American and Puerto Rican spot 4.5 stars out of 17 reviews.
Come try authentic offerings like carne guizada (beef stew), Puerto Rican pernil and pollo frito (fried chicken). Side orders of bread pudding and tacos are on offer as well, along with specialty soft drinks such as Tropi-Cola's sparkling cola champagne soda.
