Alcapurria Quemá - Review - Santurce - San Juan - The Infatuation

"Alcapurrias are a Puerto Rican national treasure. So a restaurant that’s dedicated to them is a historic (and delicious) museum of sorts. This casual walk-in spot offers seven different kinds of alcapurrias stuffed with beef (our favorite), crab, morcilla, and more. In case you forgot where you were, consider the Puerto Rican flag painted on the ceiling, the one dangling from the bar, and the other likely behind you, a kind of friendly reminder. Beyond alcapurrias, they also make bubbly pastelillos and larger plates like juicy carne frita with tostones on the side. On Fridays and Saturdays, they’re open until 1:30am so consider it a restaurant refuge after a night of one too many lethal vodka parchas from La Placita across the street. When it’s still daylight, big lunch crowds clink their Medallas and order a never-ending stream of alcapurrias. Food Rundown Corned Beef Pastelillo There’s no space between the crispy dough and the delicious corned beef filling. Alternate between mayoketchup and their housemade hot sauce for each bite. Order three more and repeat the process. PlayMute video credit: Mariana Trabanino Ground Beef Alcapurria Whoever said all beef alcapurrias taste the same clearly hasn’t had the ones from here. This ground beef filling is so flavorful it almost doesn’t need a dollop of mayoketchup. Use it anyway. PlayMute video credit: Mariana Trabanino Carne Frita With Tostones After exceeding your 20,000-step goal, the road leads to this plate of carne frita and a side of tostones. The fried pork chunks are tossed with grilled onions and taste great when plopped on top of these fried plantain discs. photo credit: Mariana Trabanino Coconut Arepas There’s no filling in these coconut arepas. They’re just hollowed-out puffs of coconut bread, and they’re great for snacking with a cold Medalla. PlayMute video credit: Mariana Trabanino" - Mariana Trabanino