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Quebradillas.- Ryan Reillo learned to fish with his father Noel Reillo Vargas. Noel challenged the Atlantic Ocean’s ferocity and immersed himself in seaside communities, where he sought out the culinary delicacies he would later offer to his diners.

Thus, he carved a niche in Quebradillas’s culinary scene through Arrecife Restaurant in 1998, where he combined his passion for the sea with the art of good cooking, in a privileged space located in front of the Merendero de Guajataca.

Noel Reillo died in 2015, but his legacy is kept alive by his son, who has followed his father’s steps as one of the restaurant’s four chefs, aside from continuing to sail through coastal areas to collect the products he will cook and serve.

Reillo said that “I used to go out fishing while I was still inside Mami’s belly. I used to go fishing with my dad on the reefs.”

“It’s like visiting a different world; it’s something that, when you arrive, you realize how beautiful the marine world is. There are many types of fishing on the reef; lobsters are caught with a snare, and conch (is harvested) with a pick and a knife, and you have to stay there for a bit,” explained the 28-year-old quebradillano.

“This coast is very deep, much deeper than the Fajardo area. I usually go about 80 to 100 feet deep. My dad did go deeper; he used to go all the way to Mona, Desecheo, Saint Thomas, Parguera, Arroyo, Ponce, Vieques; all around the island,” added Reillo, a graduate of the Escuela Hotelera de Mayagüez.

His mother, Angélica Valle Surita, said that “Noel opened this restaurant because he loved cooking, he was passionate about this; he was a fisherman. The name Arrecife (reef) comes from his passion for fishing.”

“He used to fish in reefs, where there’s lots of porgys, striped mullet, lobster, mutton snapper. That’s where it merged with the business; it’s about selling the fresh catch,” the woman recalled.

On the other hand, Reillo stated that “since my father died, until today, we have given 100% (to the restaurant), but Esteban Altieri (administrator) has been an important part of the restaurant’s success.”

“We serve fresh seafood, flounder, conch... local fishermens’ catch, and Puerto Rican food. The restaurant generates 19 jobs,” he said.

Reillo highlighted that “the menu is varied… appetizers such as octopus cocktail, shrimp, homemade cheese balls, homemade sorullitos (cornmeal fritters). Our meats are Angus certified: ribeye, churrasco (skirt steak), veal chops, and the cube steak is spectacular.”

According to the owners, among the main dishes is the arroz arrecife, “which has octopus, lobster, shrimp, fish, clams, mussels or the Valencian rice prepared by Esteban.”

Likewise, people come to taste the whole flounder or fillet, and rice with fresh cod which, according to Reillo, is becoming very popular, since “you don’t see it in restaurant menus as often.”

However, despite having an actual menu, Arrecife’s customers are used to being pleased and pampered; in other words, the menu is tailored to the diner.

“We do have a menu, but if a customer comes in and wants to eat a breaded chicken breast with lobster and sauce on top, we make it for them. We tailor our menu to our diners. Just today, a couple came in and they ordered a grilled chicken breast with shrimp on top. It’s not on the menu, but we’ll make it anyway,” highlighted the young chef.

“Everything is fresh, like the tuna and lobster, and it is bought from local fishermen. No matter how much you fish, it’s never enough to keep up with demand, so you have to buy from others. We also make a chicken breast that is stuffed with plantain or cassava mofongo, with shrimp or chicken, wrapped in bacon, and French-style chicken breast,” he said.

Likewise, they make lobster, shrimp, octopus, and magpie shell salads, as well as the arrecife salad, which includes all the seafood. There is also a wide variety of asopaos (Puerto Rican rice-based stew), such as lobster, seafood, flounder, mahi-mahi, and chicken.

As for desserts, they serve various flavors of flan: cheese, coconut, and pistachio. “Tres leches cake too. We make them here. The casquitos de guayaba (guava shells) are made here too. The cheese is local, we buy it from a farmer from Isabela.”

“We also have a variety of wines; about 50 labels and the house sangría, which is very popular,” he explained, noting that the restaurant has enough capacity for around 93 people.

For more information, call 787-895-8522 or 787-671-8738.