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San Germán.- Inspired by the work of the Spanish writer Fernando de Rojas, the restaurant La Celestina has brought a mystical culinary experience to the “Ciudad Fundadora de Pueblos” (City Founder of Towns) since its opening a month ago.

The “celestial” adventure begins as soon as guests step into the establishment, located on the historic Calle Luna in San Germán’s downtown area, where they are greeted by a welcoming, modern, and vibrant environment reminiscent of Miami’s style.

Las tostadas a la francesa de pan brioche relleno de guayaba y queso crema se han convertido en una de las especialidades favoritas.

Drawn to the culinary scene, María del Mar Rodríguez Ortiz, the main partner of the restaurant, decided to introduce the only restaurant that offers brunch, tapas, coffee, and cocktails throughout the day to her hometown.

The confections, crafted by the renowned chef and partner of the restaurant, Christian Quiñones, begin with the Pain Au Chocolat, a homemade chocolate croissant; followed by the corned beef croquettes with smoked paprika aioli; and papas bravas.

In just a few weeks, the brioche French toast filled with guava and cream cheese has become one of the favorite specialties. Similarly, the smoked salmon toasts served with avocado, radish, pickled red onion, and lemon; the pancakes; and the chicken & waffles sliders have garnered public acclaim.

“I noticed that here in San Germán, we didn’t have a place for brunch where you could enjoy it any day of the week, at any time. I seized that market. People think that we only offer breakfast, but we do have some lunch dishes,” highlighted the 28-year-old entrepreneur.

The establishment’s menu features Taki Taki skirt steak, corned beef hash, Caprese panini sandwich, and rigatoni Bolognese: a delicious ravioli in pumpkin sauce filled with chicken. For desserts, they incorporate homemade corn, wine, and pistachio ice creams.

In her beverage menu, the natural medicine student incorporated juices made from pink grapefruit, acerola, passion fruit, and green ingredients. Meanwhile, the brunch cocktails were curated in collaboration with mixologist Jesús M. García, who concocted the house specialties: La Celestina and Calisto, characters from the literary work; and the Santo Grial, a tribute to his Paso Fino horse.

The recently inaugurated restaurant offers a variety of wines, champagnes, and local beers for patrons to enjoy.

Over the next few months, the entrepreneur from San Germán intends to incorporate her knowledge of natural medicine into the business. To achieve this, she will offer diners a variety of teas renowned for their anti-inflammatory properties. Additionally, she plans to educate the public about the health benefits of tea through a dedicated space called “tea time.”

“I’m here, I still can’t believe I’m here, that I’ve opened the restaurant. I can’t believe it’s real,” expressed the owner excitedly, noting that she has welcomed customers from towns such as San Juan, Guayama, and Aguadilla.

Meanwhile, the young entrepreneur revealed that she will soon be working on new spaces for the restaurant, such as a rooftop and a dining lounge in the establishment’s garden. Both will be named after characters from the play La Celestina.

For more information, call 939-357-1525. Social networks: Facebook: La Celestina; Instagram: Lacelestinapr.