La Perla

Everything in this place is soooo good! On our first visit we were greeted at the store with "Welcome to your vacation!". The cook/server/owner is a real inspiration, working full time, mother of several, working toward a law degree, and talking about putting out a cookbook.

. Do not just look at the menu and decide what to eat. Wait, be patient, and let her explain all your options. Then know that whatever you chose will be fresh, hot, and wonderful! My husband is a fan of the empanadillas, with either the meat or the pizza fillings. I have always enjoyed the canoa, a grilled plantain stuffed with seasoned meat and topped with mozzarella cheese and served with rice. The daughter was with us both times and our first visit she had the stew meat and pinto beans and yellow rice with corn and on our second visit she ordered the BBQ ribs and Spanish rice. There is a homemade hamburger I really want to try, along with her award-winning BBQ chicken. EVERYTHING we have had there has been just great.

The menu changes due to availability (the quesitos have always been sold out when we have been), and even the sweet tea is perfectly sugared. It is a little store on the main square of Elba, but it is well worth the drive to give your taste sensations a true vacation.

Cash only.