Do you sometimes long for the authentic tastes of home? These markets across Florida offer not only the products you need to cook Boricua style, but also the delicious dishes you love!
Nothing brings back the sweetest memories of beautiful Borinquen like the flavors and aromas de su cocina. If you ever went to the store for recao or queso de roja and came back empty handed, here’s buenas noticias: these Puerto Rican markets have the products and ingredients you need for great home-cooked meals. And they also offer a great selection of authentic dishes to delight the whole family.
Supermercado Nacional, Kissimmee
Do you want to feel as if you’re back en la islita, shopping for your favorite Puerto Rican products? Whether you want to prepare a delicious arroz con gandules or a heaping plate of alcapurrias, this authentic Puerto Rican grocery store will make you feel right at home.
Visitors say that in this friendly, welcoming place, you will feel like familia as soon as you enter the store. Best of all, here’s where you can find all your favorite items from home, from queso de roja puertorriqueño, to plantillas for pastelillos, and empanadas Kikuet. In short, Supermercado Nacional has a great selection of Boricua products that you can’t find in other supermarkets, because they come straight from Puerto Rico!
But that is not all Supermercado Nacional offers. Established in 2019, it also has a great variety of fresh produce, and carries Dominican and Latin American products as well.
Address: 1344 E Vine St., Kissimmee, Florida
Phone: (407) 785-2215
El Grande Supermarket, Tampa
If you can’t find too many local markets where you can buy recao, cilantro, Coriander leaves and everything you need to make a really good sofrito, this is the place for you. You can also find guava, calabaza, yucca, plantains… En fin, many of the island fruits and veggies you miss from home.
Here you will also find all manner of goodies from the island, such as Conchita guava paste, tons of Goya products, and even “empanadillas de pizza” (or deep fried pizza turnovers), which are available uncooked and frozen so you can enjoy the delicious Puerto Rican delicacy in the comfort of your own home.
Another good thing about El Grande Supermarket, is that you can find those special pots and pans Boricuas love, like a huge caldero to make a mean Sancocho, and all at a very good price. In short, the former Discount Auto Parts building turned market has an old country Latin charm that will grab you as soon as you set foot in the store.
Address: 8413 Hanley Rd., Tampa, FL 33634
Phone: (813) 249-7960
La Nueva Isla Supermarket, Clermont
This is the place to find your favorite Latino/Boricua products as well as enjoy a great hot meal. Granted, the place is actually a grocery store, but because of the quality of the food and the reasonable prices, it has been steadily growing into a restaurant.
However, this takes nothing away from the store. The place is ample, and has a large selection of fresh produce, as well as all the ingredients anyone might need for a typical Boricua/Latino meal.
But back to the food. The cafeteria style breakfasts are a local favorite, and lunch is one of the place’s main attractions with great dishes accompanied by a choice of yellow rice, beans, and either yuca or plantains. At the end of the counter diners will find fresh salads. And the prices are insane! A large dinner (enough for two) is only $5.99.
Address: 9722 US-192, Clermont, FL 34714
Phone: (863) 424-7503
Souveniles de Puerto Rico, Holllywood
If you’re looking for a place that is not just Puerto Rican, but hyper Puerto Rican, this is your destination. Mi gente, at Souveniles de Puerto Rico you will find every kind of sweets and snacks, from galletitas Rica, sirope de fruta de mantecado and pilones, to gofio, Serenade mini wafers, and Florecitas!
But this is not all that you will find at this store that gives you the option to shop online! With a great selection of souvenirs de la islita like wooden mortars to make mofongo, Puerto Rican flag tank tops, and even a selection of colorful beach towels, every item in this store will remind you of home.
Address: 5925 Johnson Street, Hollywood, FL 33021
Phone: 954-967-9467
La Primera Supermarket, Port Richey
This market is known not only for its great variety of produce and Latino products, but also for its great food. The heaping plates are served with a smile, y el ambiente de familia hace el lugar aún más acogedor.
Here’s a good example of how obliging and serviciales they are: if the food that you’d like to order is not available, they’ll prepare it for you for the next day.
Oh, and did we mention that the plates are heaping? Well, they are also incredibly baratos. For $5 a plate, you can enjoy a delicious meal that you will need to share, because the servings are so generous.
Address: 6221 Ridge Rd, Port Richey, FL, 34668-6743
Phone: (727) 849-4437
Cynthia De Saint Cynthia De Saint is a Peruvian American writer based in Miami who loves cats, culture, and the arts (in that order). She has worked for Buenhogar and Vanidades magazines. As a content provider, her work has also appeared in EFE News and People en Español, among other publications.
