A Boston-Space Information to Guava Dishes and Drinks at Native Eating places

While fresh guavas are not The easiest to find in Boston, guava dishes and drinks can still be enjoyed in abundance at restaurants and bars across the city and beyond. The taste of ripe guava is often described as floral and tastes a bit like a cross between strawberry, mango and pear. Thanks to the high pectin content in the fruit, it is an ideal fruit for making jams and other preserves as pectin acts as a natural thickener when heated. This means that guava dishes can be found all year round and in many different ways.

Here’s a guide to some excellent Boston-area dishes and drinks that highlight guava: guava and cheese empanadas, guava cocktails, dishes with guava barbecue sauce, and more.

Empanadas and other treats wrapped in batter

El Oriental de Cuba, 416 Center St., Jamaica Plain, Boston
Buenas, Bow Market, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville
Peka, 304 Washington Street, Brighton, Boston

A selection of empanadas from Buenas at Bow Market, including guava and cream cheese.

Guava and cheese is a popular pairing where the saltiness of the cheese cuts through a very sweet guava jam.

At Jamaica Plain’s El Oriental de Cuba, which offers an all-around great menu, empanadas with guava and cheese are offered as appetizers. (The restaurant is part of Jamaica Plain’s exemplary Caribbean food scene, and the Cuban sandwich is a must-try.)

Buenas – the empanadas-and-more shop at Union Square’s Bow Market and soon with a sibling, Super Bien, at Brighton Speedway – has a rotating menu, but there’s often a guava empanada stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in Buenas’ reliably delicious dough. (It’s almost always available frozen and makes its way onto the fresh menu about every two weeks.)

And while it’s not an empanada, los tequeños de Christy – tequeños are Venezuelan cheese sticks – at Brighton’s Latin American restaurant Peka are cheese wrapped in puff pastry and served with a guava-lime dip. It’s a perfectly flaky start to the restaurant’s tapas section of the menu.

cocktails

Flower Bar, 295 Washington St., Brookline Village
Coquette, Omni Boston Hotel, 450 Summer St., Seaport District, Boston
Mariel, 10 Post Office Sq., downtown Boston
Gustazo Cuban Kitchen, 2067 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge; 240 Moody Street, Waltham
Citrus & Salt, 142 Berkeley St., Back Bay, Boston

Coquette’s Martinique Smash Cocktail with Martinique rum, pineapple, guava, coffee and lime.

Guava cocktails are growing in popularity in Boston, and most guava drinks are accompanied by rum: try the Bocadillo Sour from tropical cocktail destination Blossom Bar, adorned with a delicious sliver of guava paste; Coquette’s Martinique smash, which is as beautiful as the restaurant’s decor; or the frozen guava daiquiri or guava mojito at Mariel, Coquette’s older Cuban-inspired sibling on Post Office Square.

If rum isn’t for you, there’s always Gustazo Cuban Kitchen’s Gin-Based Guava Blossom Cocktail or Citrus & Salts Guava Margarita.

Grilled and other juicy meats

Orinoco, 477 Shawmut Ave., South End, Boston; 22 Harvard Street, Brookline Village; 56 JFK St., Harvard Square, Cambridge
Gustazo Cuban Kitchen, 2067 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge; 240 Moody Street, Waltham
Casa B, 253 Washington Street, Union Square, Somerville

Guava Glazed Baby Back Ribs at Gustazo in Cambridge.

Guava pastes and jams are sticky and sweet, making guava an excellent base for grilled dishes.

At Latin American restaurant Orinoco, which has three locations, the mini costillitas dish features slow-steamed baby back ribs with a guava barbecue sauce and a side of yucca fries. There is also another guava dish: a Spanish flatbread with guava jam, goat cheese, arugula and fig glaze.

And back to Gustazo Cuban Kitchen: In addition to his outstanding cocktails, Gustazo serves baby back ribs off the bone glazed with guava, accompanied by palm and pineapple puree, pickled beets and crushed peanuts.

At Casa B in Somerville’s Union Square, which has roots in Spanish-Caribbean cuisine, the small menu is packed with guava dishes. The restaurant adds guava to the tomato sauce for its albondigas (meatballs), and they also have a queso frito (fried cheese) with guava sauce, as well as choripan – chorizo ​​with guava puff pastry and guava sauce.

Dessert and sweet treats

The Old Havana Cuban Restaurant, 349 Center St., Jamaica Plain, Boston
Daniel’s Bakery, 395 Washington St., Brighton, Boston
Manoa Poke Shop, 300 Beacon St., Somerville

Guava cake from Manoa.

It goes without saying that guava is a delicious ingredient for desserts. The Old Havana Cuban Restaurant on Jamaica Plain knows this well, with guava cheesecake and guava churros on the dessert menu.

In Brighton, Daniel’s Bakery offers a delicious guava and cheese danish (essentially a breakfast dessert) and Somerville’s Manoa Poke Shop offers a perfect slice of guava tart with heavenly guava cream cheese frosting.

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