2020 Dining Awards: Readers’ Spotlight
2020 Dining Awards | Critic’s Pick 1 | Critic’s Pick 2 | Readers’ Choice | Readers’ Spotlight | Critic’s Farewell
Readers’ Choice: Best Restaurant, Best Family-Friendly Restaurant, Best Latin, Best Service
Pal Campo
Don’t let Pal Campo Restaurant’s modest surroundings fool you. It’s set in a Lake Buena Vista strip mall next to a minigolf course, but make no mistake: This Puerto Rican eatery packs a punch, as evidenced by the four first-place honors it captured from readers in our Dining Awards poll—Best Restaurant, Best Family-Friendly Restaurant, Best Latin and Best Service (and for good measure, it placed third for Best Live Music/Entertainment). For more than five years, Pal Campo has been cooking up authentic Puerto Rican cuisine amid a setting of colorfully painted walls that mimic the streets of San Juan. Regulars and newcomers alike rave about the tostone rellenos (green plantains stuffed with shrimp, conch, chicken, octopus or skirt steak); chicken soup; whole fried red snapper; shrimp mofongo; and the chuleta kan kan, a traditional pork chop presentation that’s eye-catching because of its “Mohawk’’ look stood on end. All are delivered by servers dressed in traditional garb amid a convivial atmosphere that features live Latin music and appeals to couples, friends and families alike. — Barry Glenn
