Saipan’s rising go-to take-away resto/snack bar

Puerto Rico Bento has slowly become the go-to take-away restaurant/snack bar on the island these past few years thanks to its tasty home-cooked meals and reasonable pricing.

Owners Angelica and Tony Lastimado said they owe all their success to the family matriarch, Angelina “Angie” De Andre, who opened the hole-in-the-wall establishment in 2012.

“It’s a testament to the hard work of our mother who opened up the business and the support of her former co-workers and friends. Some people consider her as their mother because of the customer relationship that she established. We serve authentic Filipino food at an affordable price and the taste that you will think that you are in the Philippines,” they said.

Puerto Rico Bento is celebrating its 12th anniversary this month. (MARK RABAGO)

They also attribute the current buzz Puerto Rico Bento is generating to their current employees as well as loyal customers who continue to patronize their small restaurant and snack bar.

“Teamwork of everybody and serving food the way people on Saipan love them like our home-cooked meals is one of the reasons people keep coming,” they said.

A popular treat is their Filipino empanadas that come in pork, chicken, and ham and cheese.

“We’ve been known to serve the best Filipino empanada and Filipino delicacies here on the island offering different flavors that will satisfy your cravings.

The Lastimados are also relieved that the COVID-19 pandemic is over as it ravaged the local economy and thus did a number on Puerto Rico Bento’s potential earnings.

Puerto Rico Bento’s bestselling empanadas. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Owners Angelica and Tony Lastimado in a file photo from Puerto Rico Bento’s eighth-year anniversary celebration. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

“It was very hard. We did a lot of precautionary measures to make sure that we are on standard when it comes to COVID-19 protocols and by that we have to spend some items out of our budget to make sure we are all safe entering our restaurant. We also cut off our business hours if there are no customers just to save electricity and manpower. We struggled financially because we have to borrow money from our friends who have businesses too.”

Puerto Bento currently has a $50 special tray promo where that amount will get you a small tray of your choice of noodle dish, a small tray of fried chicken, and a platter of Filipino delicacies like cheese puto, kutsinta, lumpiang shanghai, vegetable lumpia, or empanada.

Puerto Rico Bento, who is celebrating its 12th anniversary this month, is located across the vacant lot before the U.S. Troop Store along Middle Road in Puerto Rico. It has a small dine-in place good for 12 customers and is open from 6am to 5pm. For more information or to order in advance, call (670) 322-0007 or (670) 285-0056.