I'll be honest, I didn't know what to expect when I walked into Cafe Viejo San Juan at about noon today.
I don't think the owner, Joseph Parrilla, quite knew what to do with me when I said "Umm, could I get some tacos to go?"
He suggested that maybe I should try the taco truck next door, but I back-tracked a little bit because I really wanted to learn about Puerto Rican food. And Parrilla was gracious and happy to explain to me the differences between Mexican food and Puerto Rican food.
They're not subtle.
"Mexican food is spicy hot," Parrilla said. "Puerto Rican food is not about being spicy hot, it's about being flavorful."
Cafe Viejo San Juan, which has been open for about a month, features pork, shrimp and lobster among various meats at the center of dishes accented by plantain, garlic, coconut and various other vegetables. For lunch I had arroz blanco cuajito, quite simply pork on white rice. It was tasty and probably a good introduction, though I will go back to try more adventurous orders like mofongo con langosta (fried green plantain with garlic and lobster).
Parrilla, who has been around Waco long enough to have cheffed at La Cabaña, said he opened Cafe Viejo San Juan specifically to serve Waco's Puerto Rican population, which he said would often drive to Killeen in order to eat authentic Puerto Rican food.
Located on La Salle Avenue, Parrilla's restaurant is in an ideal location to catch the Baylor crowd. But the uniqueness of food makes it worth the trip from all areas of town.
