The Oneco Farmer’s Market is a unique shopping plaza located in East Bradenton.

It’s home to a huge variety of vendors selling produce, dry goods, retail items, and more – but the best feature (in my opinion) is the variety of multicultural restaurants located around the perimeter of the market.

All of the restaurants located here are independently owned, and the market serves as a starting point for many new businesses. There’s space to enjoy your meals in the market’s dining area, or you can order your food to go.

Recently, I spent a week visiting the various eateries and trying dishes that would be difficult to find anywhere else. Here are some of my favorites…

Restaurante Guatemala

Restaurante Guatemala offers Guatemalan specialties as well as Latin American food. Here, I started with Tamarind Water, which I decided to try even though I never liked the fruit very much. Turns out, this is one of the most delicious fruit drinks I’ve had. I definitely recommend it!

I ordered a Barbacoa Beef Huarache consisting of the unusual oblong masa piled high with refried beans, onions, meat, queso fresco, and salsa. Huaraches are named after the shape of the masa which resembles the elongated oval shape of the Mexican sandal by the same name.

I asked for a side of their house-made hot sauce which was made from red chiles. Even though the huaraches originated in Mexico City, Guatemalans have adopted it and placed their own combinations on it. I’m glad that I went with this option, but Restaurante Guatemala also has many more dishes to offer such as Caldo de Gallina (hen/chicken soup), Mojarra Frita (fried fish), Chuchitos (Guatemalan tamales) and Menudo (tripe).

Panaderia La Unica

Panaderia La Unica is a bakery that offers many traditional Latin pastries such as Pan de Elote (cornbread), Pastel de Tres Leches (three milk cake), Gusanitos (sweet bread), Conchas (seashell shaped sweet bread), Buñuelos (cinnamon fritters) and Torrejas (sweet bread).

I ordered a Mil Hojas when I visited. A “mil hojas” or “a thousand layers”, as the literal translation suggests, is a pastry made of a thousand (not really) very thin, crispy filo dough layers with sweet cream between the layers.

It’s ridiculous how rich and delicious it is. This one was also about twice the size of any I’ve had before. I’m looking forward to tasting many more of their delicious, authentic pastries.

Mexi-Perú Kitchen

Mexi-Perú Kitchen offers Mexican and Peruvian dishes. I was there early enough to order breakfast, which starts at 7:00 am and runs through noon. Their breakfast menu includes a number of combinations of eggs, plantains, banana pancakes, frijoles, and avocado.

I ordered the Huevos Rancheros which is one of my favorite Latin breakfast dishes. The Huevos Rancheros are served with frijoles refritos, tortillas, queso blanco and salsa ranchera. This is a large and flavorful meal.

They also have a Burrito de Desayuno (breakfast burrito) complete with 3 eggs, chorizo, onion, mozzarella cheese, and salsa ranchera; Chilaquiles which consist of a fried tortilla, crema, cheese, 2 eggs, avocado and frijoles refritos and Desayuno de Mamá (mom’s breakfast) including 2 eggs, bread, meat and a side of your choice. 

The lunch menu includes authentic dishes including Ceviche, Carne Asada, Churrasco, Lomo Saltado (sirloin steak), Pescado Frito (fried fish), Camarones a la Diabla (spicy sauce shrimp), and Chaufas. Chaufas is a Peruvian specialty with a Chinese influence from the 19th-century influx of Chinese immigrants to Peru. It’s a combination of fried rice with vegetables, eggs, and chicken. It’s definitely on my list of items to try on my next visit!

Haydee’s Restaurant

Haydee’s Restaurant was my last stop, and it features Honduran cuisine. They have an incredible selection of Honduran Baleadas. A baleada consists of a flour tortilla filled or topped with mashed frijoles refritos, crema, queso blanco, and can also carry a number of toppings like avocado, eggs, meat, or plantains. Some of the options on the menu include a Baleada Simple which has all the standard toppings and plantains, the Baleada de Salchicha (sausage) finished with grilled sausage, the Baleada de Chorizo with Spanish chorizo, and the Baleada Especial with all the toppings including egg, avocado, and meat.   

I ordered a Pollo con Tajadas or Pollo Chuco, which was that day’s special. A literal translation would be “knifed (or sliced) chicken” because of the way that the chicken parts are punctured with a knife before deep frying them. This technique multiplies the crunchiness a million times over.

After deep frying the chicken, it is served with layers of fried green plantains, shredded cabbage, tomato sauce, chismol (similar to pico de gallo), mayonnaise sauce (similar to Yum Yum Sauce), and pickled vegetables. You can forget traditional fried chicken after you’ve tasted this.

Other notable menu items include Chuletas con Tajadas (pork chop), Pastelitos Hondureños (fried meat pies), Catracha (fried tortillas with frijoles refritos and crema), and Sopa de Caracol (snail soup). 

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The Oneco’s Farmers Market is located at 5108 15th Street E. Bradenton, FL 34203
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Open 7 Days a Week 7:00 am- 8:00 pm
(Individual businesses may have different hours)