El Jibarito Restaurant

Wow, what a gem I have discovered in this modest hole in wall located in Arlington, just off the service road. Let me give this place a fair review. At first glance, I was skeptical about this place being that it was located in a repurposed hotel lobby or banquet room of a not so glamourous motel. Don't judge a book by it's cover, this place is charming and the food is 110% on par with what I expect Puerto Rican cuisine to be. The Mofongo is the best that I have had anywhere, including Puerto Rico. It's very easy to make Mofongo dry. The cooks at the restaurant picked up on this and serve their Mofongo with a side of broth. Their Empanadillas are authentic and identical to the ones you would buy at the fritter stands alongside the coast in my native Puerto Rico. The Tostones are also great and I can see that they took care to replicate the island favorites to Puerto Rican expectations. On my second visit, the service was slow. I can tell that the staff gets overwhelmed with large groups, and they had a full house that day. Our server was the only one on the floor and I can understand her frustration. So if you decide to bring a large group, call in advance. Again, this is a hole in the wall used to catering to the local crowd of regulars. However, looking at the overall experience its not worth taking down a star on the review. If I were restaurant management, I would just prepare in advance for the weekend crowds, especially after I start telling my friends about this place. 5 stars on food- The best. 5 stars on service- Thank you Evelyn for taking care of us on Friday.

There is only one other place I know that serves authentic Puertorican food and this is definitely my favorite. Very good home style Puertorican food and good portions for an okay price. If they were to add a drink with every plate at the same price it would be amazing But I have no other complaints. But very good service and very friendly boricuas. Que viva Puerto Rico!