San Juan Restaurants

  1. Migas

    A newish boutique restaurant on Magdalena, Migas is high on the list of bar-hopping sanjuaneros . Some come for drinks (champagne mainly) and others for the food - miso-glazed salmon, classic French steak frites, spicy duck with orange glaze. Real lounge lizards, meanwhile, arrive just to hang out amid the sleek elegance and fashionable buzz.

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  2. Oyster Bar & Grill

    Rubbing up against the fancy joints in Isla Verde, the Oyster looks like a rather lackluster alternative. But step inside to taste the spicy crawfish and signature oysters and you could be in for a surprise. Surprise number two comes later on when a dance-happy, salsa-loving crowd hit the floor for a party that doesn't finish until at weekends.

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  3. Pamela's

    Right on the beach and right on the money, Pamela's is encased inside the elegant Numero Uno guesthouse. Diners sup wine and munch on scallops beside a teardrop-shaped swimming pool while the ocean crashes just feet away. The menu specializes in fresh ingredients plucked from the nearby sea - think jalapeño-ginger shrimp and seafood chowder - though there are surprise twists with everything from Asian to Puerto Rican influences.

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  4. 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.

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  5. 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.

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  7. Pepin's

    Once you've got past the rather draconian dress code here - no sandals, singlets, shorts, earrings, hats, or people under 25 - you can join whoever's left at this surprisingly popular tapas bar in the Punta Las Marías neighborhood, halfway between Isla Verde and Ocean Park. The tapas start at around US$5 and there's usually a fair smattering of expats.

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  8. 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.

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  9. 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.

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  10. Shogun

    Lots of Japanese restaurants line the Isla Verde strip. This is one of the most popular, serving standard fare like tuna, maki and California rolls, or specialty rolls that you can put together yourself or choose from the à la carte menu.

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  11. Sonné

    A Latin-fusion steakhouse with mood lighting and background jazz, Sonné is as much SoHo as SoFo which probably accounts for the extortionate prices, including around US$68 for a steak. Occupying a prime position on Fortaleza, it's one of the newest establishments in the ever-evolving San Juan culinary fest. Word on the street suggests it's a stayer.

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  13. Spanglish Café

    A homey hole-in-the-wall that does good business with the lunchtime office crowd, Spanglish Café is generally more Span than glish, so go with a decent phrase book and get ready to order your around US$6 set lunch with a few por favors and muchas . Try the Fricassee de Pollo or the pernil asado and don't forget to leave a propina (tip).

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  14. St Germain Bistro & Café

    Kudos to the chef for transforming the main course salads - so often the dullest dish on the menu - into something fresh, tasty and filling. Then there's the aromatic Puerto Rican coffee, the delicious paninis and the homemade cakes which can only be described as melt-in-your-mouth heavenly. Nestled on the corner of Sol and Cruz, the St Germain is a bright neighborhood place with down-to-earth service, interesting clientele and a distinct European feel.

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  15. Tantra

    For purists, eating Masala Dosa in Puerto Rico is probably about as incongruous as chomping on mofongo in Madras, but for those willing to drop the cultural blinkers, Tantra's adventurous 'Indo-Latin fusion' cuisine is actually rather authentic. It helps that the chef's from South India. It also helps that the restaurant's Asian-inspired décor, which places exotic lampshades among carved Buddha's, sets your taste buds traveling inexorably east. The pièce de résistance is the belly dancing that kicks off nightly at nine-ish.

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  16. 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.

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  17. Trois Cent Onze

    After putting all his creative energy into his food, French owner Christophe Gourdain presumably couldn't muster up enough energy to think up an original name for his formidable culinary extravaganza: hence Trois Cent Onze (311), the place's numerical address on Fortaleza Street.

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  19. 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.

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  20. Via Appia

    The good thing about Condado is that it still retains a smattering of family-run jewels among all the Starbucks and 7-Elevens. Via Appia is one such gem, a no-nonsense Italian restaurant where the pizza is classic and the gentlemanly waiters could quite conceivably have walked off the set of The Godfather . Munch on garlic bread or feast on meatballs alfresco, as the multi-lingual mélange of Av Ashford goes strolling by. There's a small store inside where you can stock up on wine or olive oil.

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  21. 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.

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  22. Zesty Bites

    Could this be the future of Puerto Rican fast food? Let's hope so. Organic salads, artisan yogurts, wraps, granola, oatmeal and the don't-leave-without-tasting-one smoothies, are just a few of the healthy but zesty treats on offer here. Positioned in the heart of the historic district, Zesty fills a gap in the market that few others seem to be tackling - ie fresh, delicious food served fast.

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