Many visitors may be surprised to find out that when it comes to food, San Juan truly has it all.
This hasn’t always been the case. When I was growing up in the sprawling metropolitan area throughout the ’90s and early 2000s, the options were mostly limited to Puerto Rican, Spanish and Caribbean fare, along with our beloved – and ubiquitous – Chinese restaurants.
The Chinese presence dates back to at least the 1890s, when a wave of Chinese laborers came from Cuba to Puerto Rico to help build the Carretera Central highway, with restaurants soon opening to serve them.
While there’s no official count, Puerto Rico is today home to some 250 to 600 Chinese restaurants, and you’re sure to find something delicious in all of them.
Fast-forward 100 years, when the craft-beer-and-cocktail explosion of the mid-aughts attracted young entrepreneurs looking to spice up San Juan’s culinary scene.
The result? On any given day in San Juan, you can eat a typical Puerto Rican breakfast, move on to French pastries, have Korean or Japanese for lunch, and get dinner at a Middle Eastern or Turkish joint.
Such variety is only one reason to make it to the city for a decadent long weekend to take in all it has to offer.
To get a proper taste of the city’s robust food offerings, these are the places where I would take you.
Breakfast
Located on the cobblestone Calle Luna in Old San Juan, La Carreta Mercado Local is a gorgeous restaurant with the high ceilings typical of 16th-century Spanish colonial architecture and wooden windows that seem transplanted from a country manor.
The Puerto Rican fare here – with unique takes on such breakfast staples as plantains, avocado, tropical fruits like guava and sweet breads – makes this one of my favorite places for brunch. Because of its popularity, the restaurant does not offer reservations, so get there early to secure a spot inside or on the patio.
A favorite of mine is the bandeja jíbara, a plate piled with traditional local staples like perníl, rice and beans, bacon, avocado, a fried egg and sweet plantain.
Another favorite is La Carreta’s modern take on the very traditional Mallorca sandwich, which features traditional semi-sweet dessert bread filled with scrambled eggs, bacon and smoked Gouda, then dusted with confectioner’s sugar. The menu changes seasonally, so check out its Instagram feed to whet your appetite.
Bistro Café started in Isla Verde in 2011, in a humble space close to the beach, and has since expanded to two locations in Miami.
The approach to breakfast here stands out, with gigantic plates filled with combinations like the omelet Monaco (with shrimp, spinach and feta cheese) and strawberry-shortcake pancakes.
Some of their drinks double as desserts, like the pumpkin cappuccino, which comes with a small tower of pumpkin pancakes and whipped cream as a topping. Head here with plenty of time to eat up, and digest afterward.
I’d start with the crème brûlée coffee – a super-decadent, dessert-like treat. The waffles are an excellent follow-up, their sweetness complemented by the saltiness of accompanying bacon and eggs.
There’s also an excellent selection of mimosas (usually two-for-one during brunch hours), or – if you dare – an almond-vanilla-espresso martini.
Coffee
Puerto Rico has the best coffee on Earth – and Boricuas will definitely let you know what’s good. I treasure Dosis Café in Santurce because of its coziness, its displays of artwork depicting native flora and fauna and its friendly baristas.
It’s also one of the few places in town (outside of chains like Starbucks) where you can enjoy iced coffee. The mocha iced coffee is to die for, as is the carrot mini loaf.
Just around the corner on the same street, you’ll find the small baking studio Lulo’s. As Chef Andrea’s commercial kitchen, it isn’t a sit-down place.
Yet you can buy a few choice sample desserts – and if you happen to come when they’re baking the crème brûlée cake, expect a rare treat.
Also in Santurce, Hacienda San Pedro makes traditional Puerto Rican coffee with beans straight from their farm in the mountain town of Jayuya. The hot lotte a cup you shouldn’t miss.
Lunch
Puerto Rican arepas differ from those made elsewhere in Latin America: here, they’re made with wheat flour, water, butter, salt, sugar and coconut. Traditionally made in the town of Fajardo and only found in the northeastern part of the island, they had been a craving hard to satisfy in San Juan.
Yet when La Preña opened in Calle Loíza, that all changed. This restaurant specializes in Fajardo-style flour-and-coconut arepas filled with a variety of ingredients.
My go-to order is the octopus arepa with cilantro and aioli, with the tripleta – filled with three meats, hot-dog chip, and mayo-ketchup – coming in a close second.
The vibe here is super-casual (think picnic tables) – but the place does get full around lunchtime, so prepare to eat on the go.
In the heart of Calle Loíza, Tresbé is a chic container-turned-restaurant where I like to stop if I have a bit of time and want to relax.
My go-tos on the menu of light fare are fish tacos, and the empanadillas (similar to empanadas) filled with beef, fish, chicken or cheese and onions. If you’re in the mood for a sit-down meal, I can’t recommend Panuchos enough.
Its walls decorated with stenciled sugar skulls, this Mexican restaurant serves up a Puerto Rican–Mexican fusion menu that combines the best of both traditions.
Accompanied by mashed malanga, the tender churrasco arrachera (skirt steak) will fill both your belly and your soul. And I never miss the chance to sip a coconut-and-sandía margarita.
Aperitivo
In Puerto Rico, having a beer or a drink after work is a regular ritual, as coffee shops tend to close after the traditional 3pm break.
When I’m looking for craft cocktails and a stylish ambiance, I usually head to Identidad Cocktail Bar in Santurce and order a Whiskey Coco, made with coconut milk, lime, chai tea, honey and cardamom.
The bar specializes in Caribbean cocktails – so I’d also recommend the creative “Sandia! Sandia! Sandia!” concoction, made with a black-pepper tincture and watermelon.
If I’m looking for a more casual, no-frills drink before dinner, Esquina Watusi is a standby. Modeled after a neighborhood bar of the old school, this is a place where you can sit outside, listen to some salsa and drink an ice-cold Medalla beer.
Dinner
The high-end dining scene in San Juan brims with options, and you won’t have to look far to find unique, farm-to-table restaurants serving elevated versions of classic Puerto Rican dishes.
One of the coolest such places at Casita Miramar, the nighttime outpost for the historic lunch spot La Casita Blanca, a few streets away.
If money isn’t an object, I recommend ordering the buñuelos – taro root and chorizo fritters – as an appetizer, and the goat as a main course.
This take on a traditional stew from the mountains is made, mouthwateringly, with braised goat in red wine sauce with carrots and potatoes. Since this spot is in high demand, reserve online ahead.
I head to San Juan Smokehouse in La Placita de Santurce when I want to have smoked, Southern-style BBQ with Puerto Rican flair on a budget.
The relaxed atmosphere is excellent for a shareable plate of ribs, Cuban pulled pork, brisket and chicken. The Moscow Mule, made with homemade ginger beer, is a great companion to all the smoky deliciousness.
Bar
San Juan’s bar scene has solid options that range from super-fancy to ultra laid-back. Whenever I’m in the mood for dancing, I go to El Nie Bar, which has an ample dance floor, and live DJs and bands playing everything from reggaeton to Top 40 pop hits.
If I want to dress up and sit down for a drink in a place with a speakeasy vibe, La Disquera – a Japanese whiskey bar with a focus on original cocktails – on Calle Cerra is the place.
In the heart of La Placita, Taberna Los Vásquez is an excellent place to dance to some salsa played by live bands.
La Placita is also a great place to bar-hop; make sure to try the excellent drinks at the various kiosks in this lively zone.
If you’re in the mood to hang out in Old San Juan, El Batey is an excellent dive bar where you can get cheap drinks and craft cocktails – no fancy attire required.
