El Bajareque Restaurant

Authentic Puertorican food. The mofongo with fry pork (mofongo con carne frita) was on point. The mofongo comes full of pork-​rinds inside. The fry pork had a good flavor and texture. Today’s lunch special was stew meat and potatoes (carne con papas), white rice, red beans and sweet plantains. The meat was very soft and flavorful. For dessert we had the coconut custard, OMG good!

Great puertorican food. I had the roasted pork, Arroz con gandules and tostones. It was like made in the island. Service was great and prices were decent. Quality of food is ⁵⁄₅. I would definitely come back to this restaurant to have great puertorican food!

Absolutely the best Puerto Rican food in Miami. It’s a very intimate restaurant with a home cooked feel and the delicious food to back it up. The perfect flavors & seasonings of true Puerto Rican dining. Highly recommend it.

As a Puerto Rican gal living in Miami, I always jump at the opportunity to eat Puerto Rican food in Miami with the hopes that it will taste somewhat like what we have back home.
I’ve been a few times to El Bajareque and this is what I think:
Pros:
Good location (close to my place)
Great staff
Parking in the street
Best lechón asado I’ve had in Miami so far
Great Yuca (always needs some salt though)
Prices can’t be beat
Free pan con ajo basket
Their flans are amazing
Cute decorations (living for the placemats, haha)
Cons:
Place is small aka not a lot of tables
Very busy during lunch time, don’t come with a group
Mofongo is not good, nope, don’t even go there
No Medalla (every time I go I ask)
They close early, should consider opening for dinner time on the weekends
Overall, I will continue to come here every time that I have a craving for PR food until something better opens.

If you’re going to this restaurant with the expectation of fulfilling your Puerto Rican food cravings, or any delicious tasting food craving, you are setting yourself up for failure. disappointment would not even describe the feeling I had when I left the restaurant. I’ve been wanting to take my boyfriend to this place for months because he is from NY and misses his authentic Puerto Rican food. we were finally able to go to the restaurant yesterday and were excited as we were seated. He anxiously looked thru the menu and because it is so rare to find a Puerto Rican spot spot in Miami, he ordered several things off the menu. He asked for a Alcapurria, pastel and the special of the day, Bacalao con vianda. I asked for the jibArito with chicken. his kids ordered a palomilla steak and breaded steak. we’re waiting for our food and a few minutes later they bring out the toasted bread with this delicious dipping sauce. I can tell you right now, this sauce saved the day. they bring out the Alcapurria and Pastel. the pastel had NO taste whatsoever, even some salt would’ve been appreciated but no. The Alcapurria. I could’ve made better ground beef At home. it was dry, tasteless. We both looked at each other and said «ok…we’re disappointed. hopefully the food will bring our spirits back up»…
WRONG.
I cant even tell you how disgusting that bacalao was. so they bring this pathetic excuse for bacalao with some diced tomatoes and onions on top and again, some tasteless dry yuca and potatoes. We put hot sauce on it, I put a whole thing of that dipping sauce in it and I saw my boyfriend was not happy at all with his food, I gave him my jabarito which was OK, and I ate the bacalao. I’m far from a picky eater. so for me to not be able to finish that bacalao, it means it must’ve been gross. the breaded steak and palomilla was good according to the boys.
I don’t know if it’s a new chef, if we must’ve ordered the worst items off the menu but I’m being as sincere as possible, I have never left a restaurant as disappointed as I left El Bajareque. just a fair warning. Do NOT get your hopes up.

I’ve been wanting to come here for months and was so disappointed. There are definitely more authentic Puerto Rican restaurants in Miami.
Pros:
— Conveniently located in Wynwood
— Casual diner feel
— Staff was very friendly
— Cheap eats
— The bacalaitos were nice and filling
Cons:
— The mofongo was a little plantains and mostly chicharon (fried pork rinds) so it was hard to savor when it’s only supposed to have a touch for taste
— The shrimp was dry and only a few slices of veggies were included on the plate
— Few appetizer options; not vegetarian friendly
I asked the waitress what her recommendation was and she certainly said the mofongo but it was definitely a pork rind mixed with a little plantain. Not satisfying at all.
On to the next!

It was like coming home to mom’s cooking. Finally a place in Miami that makes authentic Puertorican hem cooking. My mother and abuelita would would love this place! My wife had the mofongo and it is by far the best in Miami. I had arroz gandules and it was like I was in my abuelita’s house in Rio Piedras. I can’t wait to go back!

Ive been going to El Bajareque for many years. I go for the typical PR food. This restaurant serves the the typical foods you miss from the island. Service is nice too. I hope they stay here for many years!

Place is small but overall food was tasty. I ordered pepper steak with Arroz con guandules and tostones on the side. My recommendation is to ask for a side of bean juice or mojo, this meal is extremely dry and could use a little something to wet it up. The garlic mojo for the toasted bread is sooooooo darn good i winded up using on everything. I also ordered a pork empanada which was ok. The lemonade was really great, i had them add passion fruit to give it a little kick. overall i am satisfied and will recommend to friends and family.

Oh my goodness what have I gotten myself into? This place took me back home to my moms cooking! Ahhh the food was delicious and definitely authentic Puertorican taste. I traveled far to get to this hole on the wall and don’t regret it. Even my kids (whom by the way are picky eaters) fished all of their food and loved it. Why am I giving it 4 stars? Well because the workers there need to be friendly and pay attention. Our server was nice (I didn’t catch his name) once we were seated. It was a busy day but still, Just say hello when people enter your restaurant and acknowledge them. The food was excellent. Thank you! Truly satisfied customer

It was packed and we had to wait for awhile to sit down We were lucky to sit next to a friendly Puertorican lady. She explained some traditinal food.
My husband is Cuban and he wanted to try bacalao. It was prepared differently from Cuban style. But it was fresh and full of flavor. He really enjoyed his meal.
I ordered ajiaco which came cold. We had to ask the server to heat it up. But it was still not hot enough… the place was busy and the soup tasted good so I gave up.
The bread basket came with a garlic sauce which is addictive.
Over all, the food is good but maybe stop by less crowded time, next time?

Ay Benditoooo!
what can I say.
I’m a puertorrican girl from the country side (Yauco).
A few people told me about «el bajareke».
A Puertorrican restaurant near me.
First time I decide to try them was
In December I called 3 or 4 times and no one answered, I was checking their menu for an event.
Since no one answered I moved on.
Recently, I decided to go to the place itself and place an order there.
As, I arrived 3 diff waiters were at the counter and no one approached me.
Finally, I asked a lady to help me and she was «too busy to help» closing time was approaching.
Another woman came to my rescue, I asked what was left from the specials of the day and asked for a some traditional items, Arros con gandules, roasted pork and tostones and an order of white rice, beans and bacalao w viandas, plus 3 alcapurrias, (by the way… aren’t alcapurrias made with yuca? Not at el bajareke!!! they are made with green bananas that to me are pionos. Anyhow,
At one point I met the owner, not puertorrican at all. A Cuban woman… hello!
We chat and she’s a nice lady but no idea what puertorrican food is!
Finally another woman came out with a large bag of food charged me and off I went. The order was all wrong, they send different items,
but the bottom line is that I wouldn’t care if at least tasted true to what it should be.
Therefore, this foodie girl will NOT!! recommend this establishment, it doesn’t represent nor serve Puertorrican food beside they lack proper costumer service, knowledge & approachability.
_​0 in my book!

Fast service and great puerto rican food! The arroz con gandulez was delicious and the pork was very tender. The pork wasn’t overly seasoned, it was just right. This place gets packed but they bring you your food fast.

Todo está exquisito sabor a Puerto Rico great service and the people super friendly If you’re hungry for a taste of PR you will love this place. And the prices are also a super friendly. Lol 5 stars in my review. Gracias por la comida

As soon as you arrive the place is more like a mom and pop restaurant. It looks more like a cafeteria. The place is simple and small. The staff it’s extremely friendly and fast. The minute we arrived we sat and ordered right away! We wanted to to sample plenty of puertorrican food so we ordered mostly appetizers. We were blown away!!! Forget about fancy chairs, or space and focus on the great tasting real puertorrican food. We were transported back to our island of Puerto Rico. The Cushitic with guineitos was great, bacalaitos tasted delicious just like the Kioskos in Luquillo. Empanadilla de Pizza did not impress anyone. The have home made pasteles all year long. They even sell it by the dozen. The were ok.
The star of the day was the mofongo, just delicious with pork and chicharron and the Caldo just as good. But the mega star was the alcapurrias. I was transported right back to piñones in Puerto Rico. THE BEST IN MIAMI and perfectly fried. Boricua if you love alcapurrias You must try El Bajareque. Price point was super cheap. Si tu eres Boricua in search of a great puertorrican food just like abuela made it. EL BAJAREQUE IS THE PLACE !!!

Carne frita con mofongo, buenissimo!

Ate here yesterday with my mom and fiancè and I must say it was delicious! The pasteles are amazing and perfectly cooked! Their flan was so good I had to refrain from ordering 4 more… lol. Friendly and attentive service! All in all, a must visit for Puerto Rican food!

If you want as close as home made and authentic Puertorican food, the lb you must come here! Great price and amazing food. It’s not fancy and it’s very small, but that’s probably why I like it too. Alcapurias are delicious, mofongo is perfect with a lot of chicharon and the arroz con gandules is the best. Can’t go wrong especially with those prices. This is my new to go spot for Hispanic food.

Hidden little spot outside of midtown is amazing! I enjoy Puerto Rican food and this place did not disappoint! I had the Jibarito de Pollo a chicken sandwich with tostones rather than bread. It was huge! My group had the mofongo and breaded chicken steak, all seasoned and prepared well and everyone had food to take home! Highly recommend you to try it!

OmG
Ok so based on Unilocal reviews and distance from the home I’m staying at, I saw the reviews and had to try it.
Haven’t been in Miami for a while and all of the Cuban restaurants are not as epic as I remember and why are there so many so called Cuban retaurants that have tacos on the menu. Side eye.
I love Mexican food but not when I am looking for some Cuban cuisine.
After 4 days I have given up and tried this little gem. It’s clean, fresh and the waiters are very nice.
Yummmmmay!
I ordered the arroz con pollo it came with two sides I got some delish black beans and yucca.
Anyway for the price I paid and the quality 5 stars is NOT enough!!!
Loving this place and they will see me over and over again!

Obsessed with this place. With an overwhelming amount of Cuban restaurants in South Florida, it’s not easy finding a great Puerto Rican place. This is the spot for Boricuas, everything was on point and service was quick and easy. Can’t wait to come back and try everything else on the menu. Arroz con habichuelas FTW

MUY BUEEEENO! Este sitio es delicioso para comer algo tradicional. Diariamente tienen especiales de los cuales trato de no perder ir cada viernes para comer rabo encendido. Es delicioso y ni decir los sabados que tienen Ajiaco (sancocho) es super sabroso