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Fajardo.- Near Fajardo’s coast, adorned by the sea is El Chinchorro de Tía Manín, a restaurant located in barrio Maternillo that has been conquering the palates of its faithful customers with its unique Puerto Rican flavor.

The name of this chinchorro, according to its owners Nicole Montañez and Lemuel Otero, is in honor of tía Manín, a figure who taught them great lessons about food.

“The name came about because our cook’s name is Manín, I call her ‘tía Manín.’ She worked for many years in several places, and she’s a renowned chef, so we wanted to emphasize her name because of her reputation. She’s also the one who taught us everything, so we decided to honor her by naming the restaurant after her,” said Montañez.

On their culinary offering, Montañez mentioned that they specialize in Puerto Rican food and seafood, and their products are fresh, since they purchase from their local fishermen.

“Our forte is beef tenderloin steak; if there is no tenderloin steak, we don’t serve it. We also have arepas with beans, carne frita (fried pork), mofongo, chicken breast with onions, breaded chicken breast, the conch salad is a seasonal item because the conch we serve is fresh, and the fried flounder is also fresh. As long as the fishermen can go out and bring us fish, we have seafood available because it’s all local. We are always in touch with the local fishermen, and we help each other out,” highlighted the owner.

Meanwhile, her husband reaffirmed that “everyone comes for the steak.” However, he said he has expanded the menu to give diners greater variety without straying away from their Puerto Rican menu.

“We maintained the concept, which was Puerto Rican food and seafood. The menu was expanded, now there’s more dishes, such as churrasco (skirt steak), lobster, flounder, chuletas can can (pork chops),” said Otero.

And what has been the recipe for this business’s success? The freshness of their dishes and the consistency of tía Manin’s cooking, claimed the owners, who also highlighted that the cook “is very smart” with the ingredients.

“The secret, aside from good cooking, is that everything is made fresh; the meats are prepared daily. As I always tell customers, nothing is pre-made here. Rice and beans are prepared daily, and the meats are freshly seasoned all the time. We know that we are serving quality to our customers. Our secret is quality,” highlighted Otero.

The chinchorro, which was recently remodeled, is complemented by a boardwalk, a giant chair, and a gazebo; these serve as attractions for the customers. “I always say that this here is like its own world, because we have a beautiful view. There are many people who go eat on the boardwalk, to enjoy the view and the fresh air. The city built us a gazebo and people sit there to eat. It gives the place a different atmosphere,” concluded Montañez.

Likewise, she indicated that they are open seven days a week from Monday to Wednesday from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm; and Thursday to Sunday from 7:30 am to 9:00 pm. For additional information, call 787-964-2590.