Named for the iconic round sentry boxes that dot the fortress walls around San Juan, La Garita Bistro in Lawrenceville is a lively outpost of homestyle Puerto Rican cooking and culture.
The look: La Garita is located in a small strip center on Cruse Road that's also home to a row of Caribbean and Mexican restaurants and food shops. Inside, a wood-paneled bar anchors the front of the long, narrow dining room. Jewel-toned walls are decorated with photographs of Old San Juan.
The scene: One recent evening, the sounds of Latin pop music created a steady rhythm as servers shuttled between tables, and the TV, tuned to the YES network, showed the New York Yankees game. A couple with a young child munched on empanadillas, while another couple prepared to dig into a whole fried red snapper.
The menu: The concise menu of Puerto Rican dishes ranges from corn sticks and cod fritters to roast pork and steak sandwiches. Specialties, served with a bright house salad and a side, include sauteed shrimp and plantain cups stuffed with octopus and conch salad. Daily specials, which often include seafood, are posted in tropical colors on a marker board near the bar.
The drinks: Look for freshly squeezed tropical juices and house-made sangria, plus a small wine list. The bar has six beer taps, pouring American and Mexican lagers such as Budweiser and Dos Equis, and several more selections in the bottle.
The extras: Saturdays, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., chef/owner William Mendez serves a feast of nuestros platos tipicos, Puerto Rican favorites, such as a Puerto Rican-style roasted pork shoulder, arroz con gandules, guineitos en escabeche and pasteles Taino.
Dining out
La Garita Bistro
11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 5-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 11:30 a.m.-midnight Fridays and Saturdays. Closed Sundays.
Starters, soups and salads, $2-$5; sandwiches, $5.50-$7.50; entrees with sides, $9-$14.
2785 Cruse Road, Lawrenceville, 678-924-7876, www.lagaritabistro.com .
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