Lechonera Los Pinos

"Lechonera Los Pinos, which has been open seven days a week—save for a few days around Easter—since originally opening in the 1970s. Sporting a green and yellow awning, Los Pinos has drawn curious travelers from all over the world thanks to its pork, made popular by Anthony Bourdain, who visited here for No Reservations in 2006." - Katherine LaGrave

"For years, only the most adventurous travelers who happened off the highway and onto a local road in the town of Guavate discovered what was once a best-kept secret: Puerto Rico ’s "Pork Highway." Los Pinos is one of many roadside stands, kiosks, and restaurants offering spit-roasted pork and all the trimmings. Don’t expect barbecue sauce (don’t worry, you won’t miss it), but if you mustadd a splash of something, try pique , the white vinegar infused with ají (chili pepper)on many tables. Los Pinos isn’t fancy, but nobody seems to care a bit."

"Like most lechóneras on La Ruta del Lechón—AKA Pork Highway —Los Pinos is a casual, open-air restaurant with cafeteria-style tables, whole pigs roasting on spits, and a man behind the counter hacking up lechón with a machete and heaping it, piping-hot, onto styrofoam plates. The atmosphere is always buzzy and crowded, but it gets especially rowdy on weekends, when the space transforms into a lively dance party with live music." - Kris Fordham

"A little further north on La Ruta, Los Pinos is a local favorite that's a little less rowdy than El Rancho, but equally authentic and delicious. Come before noon and you can watch fresh-from-the-spit lechón being expertly taken apart with a machete, moments before it's heaped piping hot onto your plate—you can even request your favorite part. Los Pinos is also known for its delicious sides like morcilla (blood sausage), arroz con guandules (rice with pigeon peas) and fried-to-perfection plantains."