El Caldero Boricua

I went to this place tonight, and the food was very good. The guy that took my order was nice and polite. I will be going here.

Very delicious and fresh Puerto Rican food. Their pernil and arroz con gandules are Bomb! Also, the owners Luis and Joey are awesome and you just feel like family here.

The food tasted really good. Downside is you can’t order from the menu, they just tell you what they have available. When we were there they only had two choices. Also, only soft drinks and water. The place looks run down. They could spruce it up a bit and give it a more authentic PR atmosphere. So, if you are close by, pick up whatever they have available and take it home. Not worth driving any distance for a dine-​in visit.

Came here for dinner yesterday and totally fell in love. I called ahead at like 7:30 and ask if they were open and they said yeah and that they would wait for us because they were closing soon. Drove around and could not find the place based on the address! The map sends you to like a church, but the restaurant is next to the gas station. There’s a big Puerto Rican flag on the windows so you can find it. We walked inside at like 7:55 and it’s empty. Turns out they close at 8 but they said they would wait for us which was super nice! My husband asked for whatever food would make us want to come back. We chatted with Luis about the place and how we knew about Puerto Rican food (My husband wanted pastelon but they were sold out already. Next time we’ll call in advance!). They made everything FRESH even though we were so late. We ended up getting HUGE plates of food. I don’t remember the names but they were soooo yummy (see photos). When we were eating, Luis and Joey were so polite and let us eat by ourselves (no overbearing, weird, watching us eat nonsense which I really appreciated). I wish my stomach was bigger because I wanted to eat everything! I especially loved the rice and plantains. We had to take half of each of our plates home because they really serve so much food. So this morning I got to have some for breakfast and it’s still good. The food costs about a total $ 25 which is really reasonable considering the portions are ginormous and we could have probably split 1 plate between us. We were in and out in only 45 minutes which was also unexpected and very wonderful.
We loved the food and Luis and Joey were really nice! I love supporting small businesses and we will definitely be back especially to try the pastelon!

This place is one of those «hole in the wall» joints that surprise you in the most delightful of ways with their delicious food and attentive care. My wife and I have eaten there often and always enjoy taking food home with us because their portions are generous. The only reason I do not give them 5 stars: they only accept cash as a form of payment and their parking situation is meager at best. Nevertheless, I can assure you that the food will be the tastiest Puerto Rican food around short of making a trip to «La Isla del Encanto».

This place and food is authentic Puerto Rican. The workers were all nice and very helpful on what to get. Being from Chicago and moving to Katy I haven’t had much Puerto Rican food but this is my go to spot now. The Jibarito was top notch!

Food was amazing! My dad is Puerto Rican and he is constantly looking for places that remind him of home! He loved that the guys gave off of a family feeling and told the guys it was the best Puerto Rican food that he’s had since he came to the U. S!!! AND the prices were great! Don’t let the look fool you. We did have to clean our table but still gooooooddddd!

I loved it! Real good and tasty puerto rican food. Made with real boricua seasoning. The mofongo is great and arroz con gandules amazing!

This experience turned out to be a big disappointment. Someone suggested this place to me and i was excited to try it. It’s nothing fancy. It’s in a little strip area with a few tables and chairs. It’s really a hole in a wall but most hole in the walls have great food. First off BRING CASH! I didn’t know this so i went to the gas station that’s like steps from the front door to this place. After being seated by the ONLY waitstaff (which i think was the cook as well), we waited about 10 minutes before she came over. She proceeded to take our order. We wanted the Jibarito. She took the order went to the back and came back to tell use the they were all out of bistec. Very disappointing. So she said she could make it with some pork roast thingy. We were hungry so we agreed. Well had i known what was to come I would have walked out at that point. So me and my two children sat and waited and waited and waited. Before we knew it 1 hour and 5 minutes later NO FOOD! So being the person i am, I just went to the counter and told them I’ll pay for the drinks but my childre were hungry and we couldn’t wait any longer. The young man, who I guess was helping in the kitchen, asked what I ordered. So I told him. He said my food was coming right up and give him another 2 minutes. I made it clear that if it didn’t come up in two minutes we’ll just go. So he kept his word and it was at our table. First bite and the food was luke warm! REALLY!!! All that time and I can’t even get hot food. SMH. I don’t send food back, fear of what they will do to it so we just ate what we could and left.
As far as the food itself, the pork was ok. Somewhat seasoned and tender. It was very oily. The rice was good (and just about all that my kids liked on their plate). Overall I would have to say, yes I’ve had better. The lady there was very apologetic for the whole thing and didn’t charge us for the pop. It was very kind of her but I probably won’t be coming back to this place.

This place only gets better every time we go. The wait is worth it and then some. The servings are out of control and so are the flavors. The only way to get it this authentic is to visit the island. We love it.

Very good mofongo. The carne frita was a little salty for my taste but that’s expected from pork. Staff was very friendly and explained the menu since I was a newbie. Will return again whenever I’m on that side of town.

My wife and I enjoyed a delicious meal there tonight. She feasted on a plate of carne frita with mofongo and I enjoyed a Chicago Puerto Rican dish, the Jibarito sandwich with a generous portion of arroz con gandules. Everything was delicious. The staff and owner were courteous and friendly. I highly recommend this establishment if you’re looking for great island cuisine. Will definitely return.

Take it from this conocedor de comida Boricua, the dishes are very authentic. I had a Mofongo, the quintessential baked plantain dish consisting of plantains mashed with garlic and spices, surrounding a core of chicharrón (pork rind), fried pork, and arroz con gandures (rice with chick peas). The flavor profiles are spot on, and the portions are generous. The quaint decorations make me feel like I am in a restaurant near El Jurutungo in rural Ponce, Puerto Rico. I can’t wait to come back!

This place always fulfills my cravings during my pregnancies. This is as close to home as it’s going to get. I love their friendliness and although the wait is longer than normal, everything is always excellent.

I am from NJ/​NY area and the food here is just awesome it reminds me of home… Is very family friendly and the food is just GREAT!

As usual, my boyfriend was craving something «different» and he suggested this place, since we had never been. We pulled in around 5:30 and saw on the window that they had closed at 5pm. The guys were just leaving and offered to open back up for us.
They were very friendly and fixed our meals quickly. It was very good and the portions were HUGE. We’ll definitely be back!

It is important to know that this is a CASH ONLY restaurant. So, for those of you who (like me) hardly ever carry cash, make sure you take a trip to the bank!
Also, it’s a small family owned restaurant so don’t expect to be wowed by the décor.
I went on a Saturday afternoon with Steve M. One of my coworkers had recommended this place since he is actually from Puerto Rico, so I put it on my list of places to try. We had some Bacalaitos and empanadas as appetizer. The Bacalaitos were good, but the empanadas were just ok. The menu has about 10 – 15 items for all. I ended up ordering the Lechon with arroz con gandules and a side of tostones. Steve ordered the mofongo. I thought my food was good. I’m from the east coast where Puerto Rican Restaurants are a dime a dozen, so I wasn’t super impressed with the taste. I pretty much liked the food, but have definitely had better.
The prices are not too bad. You can get a dish for $ 10 – 15. The service was A-​ok and everyone who served us was very nice. I can recommend this place as a place with good authentic Puerto Rican Food.

Very friendly staff. Amazing plantains. So sad it was the only thing I had…

Randomly found this place and glad I did! I was hooked on mofongo since I first had it in NY, so I had to order it here — It came out different but overall good. I loved the «home cooking» feel they gave. The «patio» was basically a few tables and chairs in front of the place but it was perfect with the weather.
Overall, it felt very home-​y and the food, although more salty than I would have preferred, was good. The restaurant was very far from where I normally hang out so I have no plans of visiting this location just to eat but would stop by if I was in the neighborhood.

Honestly good authentic Puerto Rican food, fair prices and friendly owners. Will be back. Often!