La Garita Grocery and Cafe

This is classic home cooking Puerto Rican style. Fresh and flavorful, it’s all the classic Puerto Rican flavors made daily. It’s a pearl because San Antonio is known for its Mexican cuisine. This is not a fancy place but a grocery store with home cooking. Fairly priced and generous portions. No complaints and will be visiting weekly.

All the Puerto Rican staples you could want! Pernil, arroz con gandules, rellenas de papa, alcapurria fresh made and delicious. Not only that but all the Puerto Rican groceries you need for home: pan sobao, malta, cola champagne, homemade sofrito, adobo, sazón, etc etc. We came a little late for lunch with a craving for rellenas de papa and they were so sweet to fry up some fresh ones for us. La Garita is family owned/operated and has the kindest staff. Stop in and try something new.

Finally, I have found my people! Family owned and operated is this nice Eatery with Puerto Rican food that's absolutely authentic! They also have a small Market of all things Puerto Rican cuisine. From Goya products to pan sobao to limbers, this is your place! You will not meet a stranger here as we are all from Puerto Rico! Highly highly recommended.

Came Saturday April 29. Chuletas Can Can are not on the menu but they sell them not sure if everyday but they are good. Huge plate, too. We also tried the tripleta sandwich (pernil, ham, and chicken) with fries. My wife is now a regular here. ***** Visited again April 28th. Carne frita, arroz con gandules, amarillos, tostones, and coconut water. Solid. They have the food displayed up front now and you can see exactly what you're going to get. This also reduced the time that it took us to get our food. It is immediate. Great for quick lunches. ******* Update: visited again on Monday, April 27. I forgot they closed Sundays and I came yesterday but they were closed. I was hungry today, so I ordered pollo frito, arroz con gandules, tostones, amarillos (sweet plantains), frijoles, ensalada de coditos (macaroni salad), and two large bottles of Goya coconut water. The chicken was good, had what appears to be sazón Goya or something similar. Two large drums. The rest of the items were also good. Everything tastes home made, which is the reason I keep coming back. Good stuff. And cheap! I basically ordered two lunches and the total was $11.07, including tax. Wow. ***** Visited Gusto Criollo on Saturday, March 11, 2017 to find it permanently closed last weekend (March 5). However, next door there's a tiny Puerto Rican/international food supermarket (La Garita) that also sells P.R. food. La Garita is the smaller, Puerto Rican cousin of La Michoacana and Culebra Supermarkets, which sell cooked Mexican food. La Garita has limited seating (I counted 27 chairs total) and limited groceries. It is tiny but cozy. Salsa and merengue in the background. I could tell by their accents that most people seated or in line to pay when I was here were Puerto Rican, so San Antonians from P.R. visit and I understand why: the food is solid. The menu changes daily and is short, 4-6 classic dishes with sides to keep me on my toes and trying different things, which, as a foodie, I like. No problem finding food for lunch but for dinner, call ahead. They sell out! If you were wondering, the owners/managers from Gusto Criollo (R.I.P.) are not the same from La Garita. I asked. With that said, I also give La Garita a solid thumbs up. I had lechón, arroz con gandules, tostones, and a mango drink. My plate looked like it had been wiped after I was done. Good stuff.