Showing 1-21 of 21 results
-
Ajili-Mójili
The waiters wear hats and the reception displays aromatic cigars from the Dominican Republic, so leave your sandals and singlet in your room and venture out to this classy Condado classic. Housed in one of the neighborhood's few remaining eclectic mansions, the menu is high-end comida criolla - such as island-style pork loin with mofongo (mashed plantains) - while the atmosphere is refined and romantic. Expect discreet service and sky-high prices.
-
Aquaviva
Cerviche's the word at Aquaviva, the third of SoFo's trendy restaurant trio and owned by the same company as Dragonfly and the Parrot Club. Designed with an arty water/sea-life theme - all turquoise blues and brilliant whites - the house specialty is seafood, in particular the cerviches, with plenty of patrons rolling in just to savor an appetizer with a pre-dinner cocktail. Often packed to the rafters, Aquaviva was invented with the word 'hip' in mind.
-
Barú
Very popular with food lovers and martini drinkers, Baru doubles as a nightspot as well as a trendy restaurant. Dishes include 'yuccafongo' (yucca made like a mofongo ) with shrimp, beef carpaccio with basil essence or the mahimahi topped with crispy onions.
-
Café Amapola
Ah the view! Watch crashing surf lash the pastel-colored shantytown of La Perla as you perch on the upstairs terrace at Café Amapola. Welcome to Old San Juan's only oceanfronted eating establishment, an unpretentious café-cum-restaurant that sells memorable homegrown coffee and tasty criolla -spiced appetizers. Take a seat bar-side and the waiters will impart a whole host of insider knowledge about where to go and what to see island-wide.
-
Casa Dante
Casa Dante is a family-run restaurant that serves more variations of mofongo than one would think humanly feasible. All are delicious, and you can stick to fajitas or enchiladas or a basic steak, if that's what you prefer.
-
Chayote
Named for a flavorful island vegetable, Chayote is situated in the understated and none too trendy Olimpio Court Hotel. But, with its robust criollo cooking injected with French, Hindu, African, Spanish and Central American flavors, the restaurant easily trumps the sometimes iffy rooms. International celebrities have been spotted among the traditional wicker and contemporary art furnishings here.
-
El Burén
If you rate intimacy over elbow room, inhale deeply and pull up one of the 24 chairs at this stylish purple and tangerine bistro. As trendy as it is tiny, El Burén offers an eclectic menu with distinct Puerto Rican flourishes, with food delivered to your table like art on a plate. Check out the lamb, prawns or lobster.
-
El Patio de Sam
This legendary Old Town staple overlooks San Juan's oldest square and a statue of Ponce de León, who looks on jealously as drinkers down cheap margaritas and tackle juicy burgers with hungry relish. Part of the San Sebastián nightly music fest, there's glimmering neon on the inner patio along with live Brazilian jazz music at weekends.
-
El Picoteo
One of El Convento's culinary highlights is this terrace tapas bar that could rival anything in Andalusia. Perennial favorites include tortilla, meatballs, garlic prawns, garbanzos and various cheeses. If you're after something more substantial there's also pizza and paella washed down with sangria. Suspended above the hotel's central courtyard the ambience at Picoteo is terrific and, during the afternoon, the canned music is punctuated by the familiar clack of dominoes.
-
El Popular
The vintage El Popular lives up to its populist name with huge portions of delicious comida criolla .
-
Advertisement
-
Hacienda Don José
Condado on the cheap - it can still be done. Indeed, the Don José is more redolent of a Mexican beach bar than a plush tourist trap. Waves lash against the rocks within spitting distance of your pancakes and huevos rancheros, and busy waitresses shimmy around the tiled tables and colorful murals. If your swanky hotel's all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet has worn you out, drop by here for a little bit of local hospitality.
-
La Bombonera
The old-fashioned coffee machine hisses like a steam engine, career waiters in black trousers appear like royal footman at your table, and a long line of seen-it-all sanjuaneros populate the lengthy row of bar stools, catching up on the local breakfast gossip. It shouldn't take you long to work out that La Bombonera is a city institution: it's been around since 1902 and still sells some of the best cakes in town.
-
La Fonda El Jibarito
Welcome to the neighborhood, hermano . El Jibarito is the kind of salt-of-the-earth, unpretentious place that you should reserve to sample your first mofongo or arroz con habichuelas (rice and beans). A favorite of local families, in-the-know tourists and passing New York Times journalists, the meals are simple but hearty with good pork and prawns, or plantains smashed, mashed and fried just about any way you want. Pull up a pew and chow with the locals.
-
La Mallorquina
A must for historically-minded food buffs, or food-minded history buffs, La Mallorquina is the grande-dame of Old San Juan eateries: its been around for 150 years, quite a feat in the musical chairs of Fortaleza Street and its surrounds. It's worth a gander, if only to have a drink at the immense slab of mahogany that is the bar. Should the smells from the kitchen tempt you to stay, try the house specialty, asopao, a rice broth stewed with all type of herbs, seafood or meat.
-
Parrot Club
The menu's in Spanglish, the decor's a lurid mix of orange, blue and yellow, and the waitress could quite conceivably be sporting a pink wig. Welcome to the Parrot Club, where Puerto Rican politicians wind down and enamored gringos live it up. Until the Parrot's opening in 1996, the concept of SoFo didn't even exist. But, with its caustic blend of live jazz and tasty 'nuevo Latino ' cuisine, this restaurant quickly set new standards and spawned the ultimate in neighborhood chic - an acronym.
-
Patio de Nispero
Every great Spanish-colonial hotel has its shady courtyard and the one at El Convento is the home of the deliciously cool Patio de Nispero, so named for the 350-year-old Nispero tree that resides in its midst. You can enjoy breakfast and lunch here or, even better, escape the hot sun-bleached streets to savor a coffee or an icy mojito during the lazy siesta hour.
-
Pikayo
Wilo Benet is the island's very own Gordon Ramsey (without the expletives), a celebrity chef par excellence who has uncovered the soul of Caribbean cooking by infusing colonial era Puerto Rican cuisine with various African and Indian elements.
-
Ramiro's
In the subjective battle to find San Juan's best all-round restaurant, Ramiro's is often in the running. Situated in the heart of rejuvenated Condado, the flavor here is Spanish with New World infusions. Expect guava sauce with your lamb, avocado with your crabmeat and banana chutney with your halibut. Ambience is elegant and reservations are a good idea.
-
Taquería Azteca
If you're in the area, this unfussy Mexican place near the university does burritos, nachos and empanadas muy rápido with all the right ingredients. A great place to meet tomorrow's literati.
-
Uvva Restaurant
Almost lost among Ocean Park's whitewashed villas lies one of San Juan's most understated culinary treats: an intimate vegetarian-friendly restaurant right on the beach. The menu at this eatery in the Hostería del Mar changes frequently, but tofu, brown rice and onion dishes with a side salad are always there or thereabouts.
-
Advertisement
-
Zabó's
Over in condo land, this older colonial-style villa hints at something different. The variations continue inside in an intimate restaurant-cum-bar where trendsetters sup on martinis and gastronomes tuck into creative dishes such as mango and curry rice, and rosemary pork chops with garlic merlot sauce. There's music some nights, everything from Latin jazz to Flamenco.
Showing 1-21 of 21 results
