El Rancho Original

Mejor lechonera de Cayey y punto. El mejor lechon, morcillas y pasteles en terminos de sazon, calidad del producto y cocinaje/​termino de la carne. Le di 4 estrellas por q el volumen de la musica es tan estruendoso que solo se puede disfrutar en la calle frente al lugar. Es imposible conversar y/​o cenar adentro por el estruendo. No logro comprender porque en PR los locales desean tener musica que no permite la conversacion o la digestion…

The roasted pork (lechon) is very tasty, well seasoned and it should be considered a sin to eat the pork skin because it’s so delicious. A bit unhealthy yeah, but it’s okay to indulge in it once in a while.
It is loud because they have live music and dancing almost always and the nearby businesses as well. I enjoy that because I grew up with loud salsa music playing in my home, so no big deal for me. If you don’t like that then that might be a problem for you.
I would recommend sitting in the lower area of the restaurant because you can see the little creek and enjoy nature.
Definitely recommend this place. If you can check it out!

A trip to Guavate, to eat Lechón Asaó (Roast Pork) is a family tradition, every time we visit PR.
There’s a lot of lechoneras along the way but, El Rancho Original is the one my grandfather always went to.
It was always a happy occasion when we went. It was always on weekends, spending it with family, eating all this delicious food, enjoying the beautiful weather.
Now that my grandfather’s not with us, we have not lost the tradition. We pick up the grandmothers, cousins and anyone else who wants to join and up the curvy road we go.
It’s fun to see the transformation of this place. It’s years of us coming here and seeing it grow to what it is now.
The food quality is always great. My grandfather was right, this is the best Lechón in Guavate. They have arroz con gandules, pasteles, potato salad, all sorts of viandas (batata, yautia, guineitos…), and so much more authentic PR food. Enjoy it with a soda, sangria, drinks or a Medalla (PR’s beer). Make sure they give you cuerito (the skin), believe me, it is the best part.
The waiting for the food is where it gets a little messy. Everyone stands in one place waiting for their name to be called to get their food and. It can get crowded, and may seem disorganized, but don’t get scared, your food will come and you’ll forget all about it in no time.
There’s seating right there and, to the side, sort of a stage area where they have live entertainment or music playing (usually salsa and merengue) for people to dance. There’s always a party, and it’s great for people watching. I have never danced there but, must admit, the music gets to you.
Now, I recommend going downstairs and seating in one of the covered (cement) gazebos they have. It’s a little bit more calm, away from the loud music but still able to enjoy it, giving you a better chance to talk with the people you came with. It’s open so you can enjoy the weather, and the little river, where the kids love to play and everyone loves taking pictures at (Hello Instagram).
I know this is a bit far from Old San Juan, where most of the tourists stay but, if you rent a car, I recommend coming here.
It’s an experience, away from the touristy things everyone usually does. Live like a local for the day, you’ll enjoy it.

We stopped here for lunch on our way back to San Juan after visiting Ponce. The drive up was «fun». Very curvy. There are many places to stop on the road, but we chose this one because it was at the end and it was very lively and had the largest crowd. We parked on the side of the road but there are lots for $ 3. So we got in line and ordered. You basically look through the window and point to what you want. We got lechon (pork) for two, a small cup of potato salad, rice and beans for two, 1 pasteles, 1 maduras, an orange juice, beer, and soda. The total for $ 26. It was a feast for three people. The pork was salty (in a good way) and juicey, and the skin was like a thick potato chip. The potato salad was simple but tasty. The rice was good and flavorful. The maduras was nice and sweet, but I wished it was cooked a little longer. I like mine pretty soft. The pasteles was gross. It had a weird flavor that we could not identify. My only other complaint was that I wished we had more pork meat. There was a lot of bones, cartilage and unrendered fat.
All together the food and experience was really good. The had a live band and many people were dancing. They have a full bar and some type of gambling game. There were lots of places to sit. We went down the stairs in to the back and sat under a gazebo by the stream.

Finally I made it here thanks to my sister. Truly enjoyed myself with my sister and her family and my family. Good food, music (a little disappointed no salsa, just bachata) I’m old school, plenty of mojito and beer oh almost forgot a little shopping too. Lol!

Best roasted pig ever. Was a little away from where we were but well worth the drive. If you are in Puerto Rico exploring I highly recommend you stop by this place. You won’t regret it

The pork was ok. Not as good as La Ranchera Lechonera. The empanadas were stuffed with fruit, I think. I didn’t care for them. I did enjoy the fresh piña coladas and the band made it quite festive! We danced a little too!

What a complete trip. This place lies off what is known as the «pork highway» and it is the cultural experience I was waiting for in puerto rico. The road here from the highway, about a 5 km drive is windy, but completely navigable under the conditions I saw. First off, the sights and sounds are overwhelming. Yes, it is loud, and if you don’t enjoy being out of your element, this is likely not for you. The pina coladas are amazing. The music is loud loud but it works. There is some gambling here in the form of a horse wheel that I could not figure out.
The pork is very good as we’re the sides. However I would have to say that the Pinos place up the road squeaks it out by a bit. Oh, eat the skin. It sounds gross, but it’s worth it.

I had high expect but we’re not met. Still, however good food and atmosphere. Live music and great food. The Mavi let me down for sure…
The amount of curvy roads to get there an experience alone!

Ok, the pig roast is terrific (lechon) and it is worth the 30 min drive from San Juan to get out of the city and see the festival atmosphere an outdoor dinning on the weekend.
Everything we ate was tasty, and there is live music and all types of drinks to keep you busy while you wait in long, but continuously moving line. All the meats were great and I suggest trying many things while you eat down near the river.
So, 1 reason I did not give them 5 stars, some of the staff were wearing a T-​shirt that had swastikas on it, as a connection to a local motorcycle club. Totally in bad taste, I’m pretty sure Himmler had no love for Puerto Rican people, not cool.

Google maps is stupid. So is Waze. Go to the Facebook page for the restaurant and use that address in GPS.
The food was amazing! It’s totally worth the drive. We had no language issues at all. The servers spoke English.

I don’t normally say this about my trips to tourist-​laden attractions: I wish I would have come on a weekend. In fact, the day that my wife and I came to this Pork Highway favorite, we only saw a quarter of a hog on the spit.
Fortunately, the drive was very much worthwhile. Our windy twists and turns gave way to a $ 12 lunch, full of mofongo, sliced turkey, pork ribs, roast hog, skin, potatoes, beans, and rice.
When in Puerto Rico, expect your food to be oily, filling, and a sorts of meaty.

So worth the drive out if SN Juan! Fun atmosphere on the weekend in addition to the amazing Pig roast and all the sides! Seriously try as many sides as you can!

This place is a must while vacation in Puerto Rico. We went here on Sunday around noon and it wasnt as bad as I thought it would be. The pork, chicken, and ribs are excellent. For side orders, I highly. recommend sweet potatoes and plantains. Those are really good. The prices are reasonable. The services are friendly and helpful. There are plenty of tables and the order line is moving fast.
Driving in PR is not bad, but the directions in google map is suck. Heres the direction to go to this place. Stay on 52 and then exit 184. Once u exit you’ll see an intersection «make a LEFT turn.» Then go all the way up «u will pass a few stores and small restaurants.» Don’t be afraid, just keep on driving for about 10 — 15 mins up the mountain. Once u hit another intersection u will make a Right turn. Then u will see this place on your right hand side. Hope that help. Good luck!

You’ll pass many lechoneras on the way but keep going!!! This place is rocking with live music and high energy on the weekends.
We ordered some lechon with arroz con gandules and the homemade chorizo. This lechon is super salty, moist and absolutely amazing! The rice and beans aren’t anything special but are a good accompaniment.
They don’t take cash but have an ATM. A plate will cost you around $ 10.

A trip to Guavate and to El Rancho Original is a must while in Puerto Rico. Being Filipino I take my lechon seriously and the lechon here seriously does not disappoint. The only thing missing is white rice and Mang Tomas lechon sauce (1 star off for no sauce lol)!
You order your lechon per lb. and whatever sides you want to add and pay when your order is ready. They have a bunch of tables right behind the front but walk a little further down by the stream and grab a table there. :) Join in on the fun when they start playing music and local families start dancing. The surrounding area also has a lot of little stores you can check out to walk off all the crispy skin and plantains you just ate.
You’ll pass by a lot of lechoneras as soon as you get on «Pork Highway» but don’t be tempted and keep driving to the end.

Unilocal address is wrong. Be prepared to stop to ask for directions from locals. See my pics for GPS coordinates.
First off I admit I don’t like pork. However I am a rib guy and do like the ribs though beef ribs much preferred over pork ribs. It’s the gaminess flavor of pork that I find so off putting even though I love duck and lamb. Took my first bite of lechon. No swine game there. Lightly salted and peppered with great moisturized pliability!
Beware of the ribs. They look dry and under sauced. Complete opposite! Alas my only regret was not hoarding more of the ribs. Do not let my mistakes haunt you!

This place is the BEST! It’s like going to a Puerto Rican baby shower and not having to buy a gift, and all the food was cooked by grandmas with love! The lechon is incredible, I always get that with rice & beans, and you MUST get the potato salad!!! They have so many food options here, I really wish I could eat more, but by the time you’re done… good luck walking! lol the place it self has a great review in the back, they always have bands playing salsa, people are always dancing, it’s as Puerto Rican as you can get.

This area lives up to its reputation as I had the best Lechon I’ve ever had. El Rancho service, food presentation, and side choices were exceptional. We pretty much asked for the combo and pointed anything that looks interesting. We were very shocked how cheap the meal was.
A bonus for El Rancho is you get a nice view of the creek, nothing beats drinking Medalla Lite and eating Lechon by a running creek. Overall, great LeChon and side options + service. The blood sausage was a bit bland, but it was the first time I’ve had PR blood sausage so it could be the way it was intended. Enjoy the recommendation.
Cheers.

Go on Sunday. Good food, music that reaches your heart (musica que llega a tu alma)
Prices are dirt cheap. Quality food. Easy to get to.

#69
The SEARCH for PORK HIGHWAY.
El Rancho Original was the very first spot my friend wanted to hit when we got to Puerto Rico. We figured we’ll stop by for lunch and head back. GPS showed 40 minutes one way. Since El Rancho Original was featured on Anthony Bordain’s travel show, it was most definitely on our hit list.
But before I continue any further, know that GPS’ in PR are irrelevant. And when someone says it takes a certain amount of time to reach a place, double it. Your planning will be much more bearable with those two things in mind.
Now on to El Rancho Original:
If only I knew how to speak Spanish! After the 2 hour trek through PR to reach ERO, we expected to get a half a pig as part of our order with all the glutonous sides surrounding us. Unlucky for us (but quite honestly quite lucky for my waistline), our order was a plate of lechon with the sides we had ordered. When you say one order of lechon, they mean one pound. So when we said 2 orders of lechon, it was one plate full. To satisfy my fatty friend, we really should have ordered like 10 lbs worth. You live, you learn, then pass on the wisdom.
He even tried to go back in line for a second round and asked for an order of the «balat» or skin of the pig. They didnt understand him, gave him a free plate of 2 pieces of skin. You could not have seen a more disappointed face on him or more laughs coming out of my mouth.
None the less, the food was delicious. We got 2 lbs of lechon, an order of longanisa, fried plantains, and fried rice. All good orders!
Sundays are the best days to go, it’s like a strip of parties from establishment to establishment. Music all around, salsa dancing, drinking, vendor tents, outside «roulette» gambling, and just an over all good time.
We probably didn’t expect to stay so long on such a short vacation trip but gotta say it wasn’t the worst decision either! :)