You’ll find Wepa! Cafe right on Earl Avenue, just North of the entrance to McDonald’s. It’s Lafayette’s one and only Puerto Rican cuisine cafe, also known as cocina criolla. The joint is bright and vibrant with a fun and inviting vibe. Puerto Rican cuisine is also bright and vibrant with “Spanish, African, and indigenous Taíno cultures.” It’s also important to note that while “comida criolla” is heavily spiced, that does not necessarily mean spicy hot so don’t be scared!
Linda started us off with a round of appetizers, as she’s known to do, and for that we are so grateful! She got us the rellenos de papa, which is mashed potatoes with beef and then deep fried and it is to die for. We also had one each of the shrimp and chicken empanadas. They were oh so good, and my heart got to beating and my mouth got to eating when they graced our table with my personal favorite, Melinda’s hot sauce! Hoorayyyy! The empanadas are crispy outside, chewy, soft, and flavorful on the inside, just perfect! We could have had a hundred or so of those and been happy…
Tetia ordered the lechon, or roasted pork on toasted bread with your choice of grilled onions, lettuce, and tomatoes. The bread was nice and toasted, and the moist and flavorful tenderness of the roasted pork with the crunch of the raw onion was just *chef’s kiss*.
Ken got the camarones al ajillo, or shrimp in garlic sauce with white rice and beans. The white rice and beans come separately, and the beans include potatoes and carrots to boot! The shrimp was perfect, and beautiful, the garlic sauce was delicious. His only complaint is that the serving size is impossibly impressive, and he had breakfast this morning! That platter is beautiful, colorful, and so very good!
Linda, the shrimp queen, also ordered the camarones al ajillo, but she isn’t quite sure what rice she ordered. So we will stay tuned to find out…… As it turns out, she also had the white rice and beans! How exciting, this time she stole Ken’s idea, not me! She poured the bean, potatoes, and carrots over her rice and was really pleased with that decision. She and Jo really went hard emphasizing the moist, juicy, succulent nature of the shrimp. It got a little weird, if I’m being honest.
I went with the pollo guisado, or chicken in red sauce with yellow rice and beans. Holy cannoli. I would push a child down and steal this right out of their hands. When asked about the yellow rice and beans, I said it was so wonderfully good I could die. Naturally, that motivated Kay and Tetia to sample it as well, and let’s just say if we all drop dead you’ll know why. It was photo ready and absolutely something to write home about.
Kay ordered a la carte and opted for the pollo al ajillo, which is chicken in garlic sauce with a side of mofongo. Her chicken was really good and garlicky! None of us had ever had mofongo, and she was anticipating bland and boring. It’s a mound of mashed plantain topped with a red sauce! It was no such thing, it was awesome and flavorful, it was great! She loved the potato appetizer, rellenos de papas as well.
Jerry ordered the carne frita but isn’t sure if he ordered it a la carte or as a salad! Mystery abounds at this motley table, it’s pure chaos. As luck would have it, he got it a la carte with a side of yellow rice and salad. He couldn’t handle the tender, flavorful pork chunks and kept reminding us how good it was!
Jo ordered the garlic shrimp with mofongo or green plantains. The mofongo is a literal mound of flavor, which really kept us talking and discussing it for way longer than what is appropriate. Now we know mofongo hates to see us coming!
Margy ordered rice, chickpeas, and plantains. The owner, George, was concerned that she didn’t have enough to eat. After verifying that the beans were vegan friendly, he brought over a bowl for her!
Iseral tried to skip out and suffer he shall. Kidding, he could not get away from work, so Margy delivered him take out. He reported his Taino de bistec was delicious, flavorful with onions and peppers and some kind of sauce. Israel had it cold as he was too hungry to take the time to warm it up and it was still delicious.
We'll be back for more mofongo moments at this cocina criolla gem! The Dining Divas & Dudes savored every bite.
