Although an article was written on Papi’s Family Restaurant back in 2007, when a friend of mine recently pointed out that it had some of the best Puerto Rican food in the city I had to admit to him that I had never been there. “What? Do you mean to tell me that you’ve never tried their mofongo?” he asked. I told him that not only had I never tried their mofongo… I was unaware as to what mofungo even was. It was then that I asked him to send me some info on the dish. Little did I know that he would send me an extensive piece on his fondness for Puerto Rican food and Papi’s. The following account is from Peter Rouff:
I adore Puerto Rico: the food, the people, the historic castles, and the nightlife (not to mention no need for a passport or currency conversion) have made this one of my favorite tropical vacation destinations. And every vacation to Puerto Rico has included almost daily lunches at Hacienda Don Jose’ on Ashford Avenue in San Juan. The open air windows with ocean view is reason enough to visit, but then there’s the Pork Mofongo, Seafood Mofongo, or Shrimp Monfongo often with an added side of Mofongo (with a liberal addition of table side vinegar).
I returned from my last San Juan trip to a leaking sink – happenstance, the plumber was Puerto Rican and told me that Papi’s Family Restaurant on Hertel had the best Mofongo (period).
I have driven by Papi’s a few hundred times since arriving in Buffalo three years ago. It looks like a converted Denny’s and while the Puerto Rican flags fly proudly and prominently, the restaurant does not quite appear alluring. The inside is standard diner – stools at the counter and a few tables – but any other parallels to Buffalo diners or dives ends there. The staff will greet you warmly and present you with a bilingual menu (a great sign). Coincidentally (and quite unintentionally), I ordered the same meal that the BR reviewer did back in 2007: a beef pastelillo and the shrimp mofongo.
No disrespect to the folks at Mighty Taco and Jim’s SteakOut, but one bite of the beef pastelillo and anything else in town is simply Taco Bell. The chef delivered my mofongo personally and told me that I was about to enjoy the best mofongo on earth. While I wanted to defend Hacienda Don Jose’ – there was no argument. The plantains contained more flavor and the sauce so trumped the standard vinegar that I’ll no longer need to board a plane to get my mofongo fix – only to enjoy open air windows and ocean view in February…
-Pete Rouff
After reading the glowing review of Papi’s, I called up Pete and the two of us ate lunch at the restaurant today. My first-time shrimp mofongo (a molded heap of mashed plantains with a light savory sauce) was good and I’ll be back to try it again (warning: it did take a bit longer to come out of the kitchen… not sure if that’s to be expected). But the hands-down winner was the Cubano (Cuban sub – pork with Swiss cheese, mustard and pickles). Not only did this look like the most delicious sandwich that I have ever seen, the meat was cooked to absolute perfection, the toasted bread appeared to be artisanal, and judging by the look on Pete’s face we had a real winner on our hands. I’ve eaten all over the city of Buffalo, and rarely have I seen such a delicious-looking presentation in a sandwich. And if the Cubano looks big, it’s because it is (Pete couldn’t even finish it).
What is lacking in appearance at Papi’s is made up in the delicious home-prepared culinary offerings. If you’re in a big hurry, then this may not be the place for you. If you think the Cubano looks good here, it looks a lot better when it’s sitting right in front of you. Basically, if you’re looking for something completely different, then I would not hesitate to try Papi’s.
Papi’s Family Restaurant
690 Hertel Avenue
Buffalo, 14207
716.874.7274