El Abuelo Cafe

ATMOSPHERE:
Walking into El Abuelo Café off of Eglin Parkway thrust you into the Caribbean to set the ambiance for the culinary flavors your about to encounter.
I didn’t read the reviews prior to going to this Café and it was recommended by a local. I have to say I’m glad I didn’t or I may have just continued to pass by Fort Walton Beach’s best kept culinary secret.
For a new and up coming business El Abuelo’s Café sets the ambiance of being at a restaurant right on the coast of San Juan. The servers are hospitable and quality is guaranteed here. With bachata playing the background and the straw and lantern plate setting it’s perfect for a cozy date (if they turned the lights off at dark and lit the lanterns) and/​or bringing small ones to enjoy the well themed decorated café.
THE GOOD STUFF:
Upon arriving they serve thinly sliced fried plantains that have a olive oil and garlic dip. These alone make El Abuelo Café worth checking out for yourself.
Between my guest and I we had a sampler platter that consisted of pastalillos, alcapullas (a little on the greasier side and please forgive my spelling on the last two) a cornmeal stick concoction, and a very thinly sliced fish all (but the alcapullas) fried just shy to perfection.
The Mufungo con Camarrones de Abuelo (usually served with sauce on top) was dished with the plantain mountain in a wooden barrel (seen all over Puerto Rico) and the red sauce in a separate bowl. It’s not traditional but I really enjoyed being able to try both components separately and of course being able to smother the already very moist plantain mixture in the decadent sauce it’s served with.
The Ray David Special was a skirt steak cooked medium well with lightly sautéed onions on top. The seasoning isn’t over the top but it isn’t under seasoned either. It’s served with a mound of buttered rice and a very eclectic pot with the star of the plate in it. This small pot on the plate has a red sauce, bean, and potato mixture that steered my attention from not only the other plates on the table but everything in the room (kind of hard with a two year old sitting next to you). Although all Three components separately are great, put all three together and than you will realize why it’s called the Ray David Special.
To wrap our meal up we split a piece of flan. Served in a traditional square with coffee. It’s definitely on the creamier side of flans and not the sweeter. I would have like it to be a little more moist. It was the end of the night so that may have been why it was on the drier side.
DRINKS:
I enjoyed two cups of sangria served in a cute little ton cup on the rocks. My guest enjoyed a Madella beer. With dessert we had their coffee which was a dark roast, the beans tasted a little burnt but it still tasted well black. Other beverages such as soft served and frescos are available.
OVERALL:
The meal and service was great! The owner is very humble and down to earth and really puts a lot into being hospitable to every guest. I enjoyed a three course meal that fed 2 ½ with yummy left overs and at a very reasonable price given the quality which is why I qualified it for one of my five stars. If your looking for authentic Puerto Rican food and great hospitality definitely get into El Abuelos Café. It would be a shame to see this place shut down.

after my third visit me and my wife have enjoyed every dish we’ve ordered. the mofungo is delicious but very thick and different from a texture standpoint but the flavor is perfect. i’m not familiar with mofungo so i cannot compare it to anything else. the free plantain appetizer is to die for and its worth the trip alone!

2^nd and last chance for this place. The plantain appetizer was just short of burnt, the mofungo tasted odd, and I like mofungo. The best part was the rice. My wife had the greasiest Cuban sandwich I have ever seen and it didn’t seem like they even used Cuban bread for the sandwich. The waiter didn’t offer to fix the Cuban and generally wasn’t too sure of what to do. The waiter was less than attentive and had to be reminded to bring waters. I also had to inquire about the salad that was supposed to come with my meal. I guess the warning sign should have been the greasy menu we were handed from the start.

Not a big fan of the mofungo. Went at dinner around 6 and had the mofungo with fried pork and onions. Should have chosen a yellow rice dish like I was going to before he suggested the mofungo.

I wanted to love this place. The menu had the right items including mofongo, Cuban sandwiches, and rellenos. The atmosphere was nice, and my waitress was friendly. Unfortunately, the flavors of the foods was no where near authentic Puerto Rican. The rellenos tasted like they were made with boxed mashed potatoes, and the bread was not even close to the wonderful Cuban bread you get on Puerto Rican sandwiches. This is a shame. This place can be great if they get the right ingredients and prepare food with the right seasonings. For the prices they charge I won’t be going back.

I thought the food was delectable. It’s hard to find good carribean cuisine. I was impressed with the flavors and everything I ordered was delicious.

There was very little to like… the food was mediocre and expensive for what got… there are better choices… a FWB Local

Um, no. I’m not sure when this place opened, but when my group went someone said they’d been open for 2 months already. After that amount of time, I’m less apt to write off general unpreparedness as «growing pains». We went for lunch and, before it was even noon, they were already out of (what one would think is) a staple in a Puerto Rican restaurant, yellow rice. That should have been our first sign. Long story short, after almost an hour waiting none of us had been served any food. Before finally going out of the door, a couple in our party did receive their food (one with an item missing), which they took to go. They told us that it wasn’t even that good. I won’t be going back.