Puerto Rico is 2,940 miles away from Arizona, but Batey Puerto Rican Gastronomy is here in Tucson serving authentic dishes that are equal parts refined and flavorful. 

The restaurant is owned by Guaynabo-native Carlos Garcia, who also owns the food truck Boriken, which amassed a following through events like Tucson Meet Yourself because of their Boricua street food.

“I used to cook with my grandma,” Garcia said in an interview in Spanish. “I wanted to, you know, delight my future girlfriend.”

En español: Batey Puerto Rican Gastronomy brinda gustazos Boricuas a Tucson

Batey Puerto Rican Gastronomy’s menu includes island classics such as bolitas de queso, canoas, chuletas can can, sorullitos and desserts like tembleque and sorbet made on the premises among other dishes.

In the late 90’s, Garcia began bringing food for himself and his co-workers and he would charge them at the end of the week. One day, he met the executive chef of El Club Nautico.

“He liked my food and told me to come to the kitchen, watch and decide if that was something I wanted to do,” Garcia said. “And I told him yes. I wanted to learn how to make plates look pretty and combine flavors.”

Garcia attended the Instituto de Banca and went on to work in esteemed kitchens such as the one in the Ritz-Carlton in Puerto Rico.

“After a while, I felt I was stuck in my career,” Garcia said. “I wasn’t moving forward.”

So Garcia made his move to the United States. Not only did he “open the JW and the Ritz Carlton,” he traveled to places like Abu Dabi and Austria to work with hotels. After working in California, he returned to Arizona. However, when the pandemic hit he found himself without work.

“It was like an awakening and it taught us, I think, to value what we have,” Garcia said. “And I figured, eventually people would want to leave their houses but wouldn’t feel comfortable going many places. My wife gave me the idea of a food truck. And I said, ‘Alright, let’s do a taco truck. And my wife was like, ‘A taco truck? You’re Puerto Rican.'”

Boriken Modern Puerto Rican Cuisine food truck was born and Garcia began serving food “full of good vibes.”

“We spent three years with the food truck but I felt something else was missing,” Garcia said. “I felt like I had reached the peak and I felt empty.”

One day, they received a package addressed to their house’s previous owner and Garcia went to return it. The previous homeowner worked in the plaza where Batey is currently located and he told Garcia about a venue that had become available a few doors down.

“My wife said, ‘It’s time,'” he said.

Batey is the Arawakan term for a community space. The indigenous people of the island, which are commonly called Tainos, would gather in the batey of their villages and they would engage in ceremony, celebration and games. The batey acted as a plaza and the indigenous people built their homes around it. It was often shaped in a rectangle, outlined by carved stones featuring animistic spirits.

“We wanted to teach about Puerto Rican culture and to have people come here and celebrate with us,” Garcia said. “That’s the meaning of Batey, come celebrate with us.”

The restaurant is painted in lively blues and has hand-painted murals in the walls. Colorful umbrellas hang from the ceiling as an homage to the umbrellas in Calle de la Fortaleza in San Juan, Puerto Rico. There is a larger mural that depicts two of Garcia’s favorite places – Buyé Beach and the bioluminescent bay of Lajas. There’s a garita in the corner that represents protection as the structures once served to protect Puerto Rico. Three stones symbolize his three children and the flamboyán tree symbolizes growth. There is another wall that features a Puerto Rican flag and their goal is that people add their Puerto Rican license plates on the wall. 

Garcia’s play with flavors and tradition shines through the menu. He said they make their achiote oil in house, which adds a nostalgic layer to the complexity of Puerto Rican flavors. 

The tembleque, a coconut pudding or custard, is vegan-friendly as he doesn’t add dairy to it. The filling for the pastelillo de guayaba is made with red wine and it sets into a jelly, which adds textural contrast to the flaky pastry of the dessert. 

And for those who want a quintessential dish, they can order El Cacique which includes arroz con gandules, pork, tostones and a pastel — which is not a cake. A pastel in Puerto Rico is a plantain-based masa wrapped in plantain leaves and is boiled until cooked. It commonly includes pork and olives as a filling, although some people get creative and add garbanzo beans or raisins, which can be divisive.

Garcia said he went to a butcher to instruct them how to cut the pork for the chuleta can can to ensure they have it available at the restaurant.

“Our liquor license should arrive in a few weeks and we’re looking forward to adding a full bar with Puerto Rican rums,” Garcia said. “If the Medalla brewery opens in California, we’ll be able to sell Medalla here.”

Aside from the plan to sell Medalla Light, which is the most ubiquitous Puerto Rican brew on the island, they will be pouring and serving a diverse array of cocktails and bites including coquito, sangria and smoked drinks. People will also be able to add liquor to their house-made lemonades and juices.

Batey’s soft opening was the last week of September and they have their grand opening slated for Saturday, Nov. 16. Batey Puerto Rican Gastronomy is located in the Oracle Wetmore Shopping Center, 4230 N. Oracle Rd.