Discover 10 central Florida restaurants and food trucks serving the freshest and most delicious alcapurrias.

After a long day enjoying fun under the Floridian sun, there’s no treat that hits the spot quite like a couple (or a few!) freshly prepared alcapurrias. These crispy, crunchy Boricua delights made with picadillo stuffed in green plantains, bananas, yuca, or cocoyams are a beloved staple across Puerto Rico.

As Nuestro Stories and University of Florida News report, the dish was born from a marriage of traditional Puerto Rican ingredients and the Levantine dish kibbeh, brought to the island in the late 1800s and early 1900s with the immigration of many Palestinian, Lebanese, Egyptian, and Syrian communities.

Hungry to find your next perfectly fried plate of alcapurrias? Floricuans living in or near Orlando have a treasure trove of family-owned restaurants and time-honored food trucks to choose from the next time they get a craving for some delicious alcapurrias. 

1. Coqui Snacks

Variety is the spice of life at Coqui Snacks, a Kissimmee snack bar housed in an adorably tiny, yellow house with bright red awnings. Choose from a traditional alcapurria made from green banana stuffed with ground beef, or go for an overstuffed, bursting-with-flavor option like the corned beef stew with sweet plantains, or the yuca and crab meat alcapurria. Once you’ve gathered your goodies—don’t forget to top off your order with an ice-cold limber—you can enjoy dining at one of several tables lining Coqui’s deck.

2. 787 Mofongo

For the last seven years, 787 Mofongo has whipped up authentic Puerto Rican cuisine for Orlando’s Lake Nona region. This food truck has an extensive menu, including a variety of stuffed mofongos rellenos and vasitos de mariscos, or seafood cocktails featuring shrimp, conch, and octopus, but no meal at 787 Mofongo is complete without one of their fried-to-perfection alcapurrias. Pro-tip: Order online before you arrive to skip the line, which can grow long and slow on busy evenings and weekends.

3. Willie’s Pinchos

This Orlando restaurant was featured on the Food Network series “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” for its tasty take on traditional Puerto Rican recipes prepared with care by chef and owner Willie Garcia, who left his home island at age 15. You might be tempted to fill up on crunchy delights like alcapurrias carne molida or tequeños with melted cheese and guava, but you should save room to savor one of Willie’s signature jibaritos, a sandwich made from fried green plantains instead of bread, and slathered with garlic mayo. Choose from the traditional pork filling, or go all the way with the Super Willie, piled high with chicken, steak, and pastrami.

4. Crocante Restaurant

Crocante Rotisserie Kitchen + Bar is another Orlando eatery that’s been receiving national attention lately—you can catch this elevated, Puerto Rican plates and cocktails concept located near Orlando’s Milk District on season 7 of Somebody Feed Phil, available on Netflix. Chef Yamuel Bigio serves what he calls classic Puerto Rican cravings like alcapurrias, morcillas, or blood sausage, and cuajo blanco, or pork chitlins, but the real stunner is the porchetta en rueda, or roti kan kan: a massive slice of boneless, rotisserie porchetta complete with a thick, crispy skin just begging to be bitten into.

5. Tu Casa Restaurant

In need of a quick yet filling lunch in Orlando? Located on South Orange Blossom Trail, Tu Casa Restaurant is a Dominican-owned, cafeteria-style eatery perfect for grabbing a hearty helping on the go. Select a few of the crispiest alcapurrias before building your combo platter with your choice of pollo guisado, or chicken stew; pollo asado, or roasted chicken; pernil, or slow-roasted pork shoulder; chicharron de certo, or deep-fried pork belly; or fried tilapia.

6. Made in PR Latin Cuisine

For those special occasions when you want a meal to feel like a festive feast for the senses, grab the crew and head to Made in Puerto Rico Latin Cuisine. Surrounded by the glow of neon lights, this Orlando restaurant pumps upbeat music from the speakers as they whip up time-honored Caribbean specialties. After chomping on a few crunchy alcapurrias and empanadillas, savor the flavors of Made in PR’s signature dish: trifongo. Utilizing a blend of green plantains, sweet plantains, and yucca, this mashed dish similar to a traditional mofongo arrives at the table topped with shrimp, chicken, or steak.

7. La Fiebre del Sabor Criollo

No matter where you’re located in central Florida, there’s probably a La Fiebre del Sabor Criollo food truck parked near you, ready to dish out your favorite Boricua cravings. With locations in Orlando, Davenport, and Kissimmee, this family-owned business boasts an extensive menu featuring fried snacks, seafood dishes, and jibaritos. Can’t make up your mind on what to order? Try the Picadera La Fiebre, an oversized snack sampler including alcapurrias, mofongo balls, French fries, tostones, steak churrasco, and pork and chicken chunks.

8. Grillers Puerto Rico

Don’t let its non-descript exterior and location within a truck stop fool you—dining at Grillers Puerto Rico on South Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando is an exhilarating experience. From the portions piled high on your plates (to-go boxes will be a must) to the unexpected twists on traditional Puerto Rican cuisine (plantain-wrapped sushi, anyone?) Grillers Puerto Rico is just begging to be the focus of your next foodie post on Instagram.

9. El Rinconcito Restaurant and Bar

For those just passing through The City Beautiful on a layover at Orlando International Airport, authentic alcapurrias will surely perk up a tiring day of travel. Grab your bags and run, don’t walk, to El Rinconcito Restaurant and Bar, a hidden gem tucked behind a gas station located just three miles north of the airport. At El Rinconcito, alcapurrias are stuffed to the brim, forgoing their traditional, slender shape to fit even more perfectly seasoned, juicy goodness inside. Top off your meal with one of their freshly prepared desserts like the coconut flan or tres leches cake.

10.Chimiking Restaurant

Puerto Rican and Dominican cuisines coalesce at Chimiking Restaurant, a family-owned, Latin American eatery with a whopping five locations spread out across Orlando and Kissimmee. Alcapurrias arrive at the table overstuffed with picadillo, while the kibbeh appetizer pays homage to Puerto Rico’s Arab heritage. Dominican soup steams with thick cuts of chicken, cassava, and banana, while the ribs in passion fruit BBQ dish sees grilled ribs drenched in passion fruit-tinged barbecue sauce and placed in a traditional Puerto Rican mofongo.