Fodor's Expert Review Canela Café
Editor's Note: This location is no longer in operation.
It's a bit out of the town center, but Ponce's newest mesón gastronómico (a national designation reserved for the highest level of traditional Puerto Rican cuisine) is worth the effort to reach. The intimate second-level restaurant above an X-ray center is one of the South's most creative and reliable. Chef Agnes Toledo-Rivera's menu changes seasonally, focusing on local, organic produce, meats, and seafoods when possible, though global influences are apparent in dishes such as Moroccan-style rib-eye as well as roasted chicken breast with yuca-cilantro mofongo and applewood-smoked bacon. There's a tapas menu for those who opt to sit at the bar and sample the extensive wine list. At this writing there was talk of relocating the restaurant closer to the beach, so give them a call before heading out.
