A list of our favorites in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Where to Stay
We didn’t want to spend a month in Old San Juan since it seemed not as “local” as we prefer to be. We were in a modern AirBnB just a few minutes walk from most things–restaurants on Calle Loiza, the Condado Beach, and all of the trendy places in Santurce. While it was an Uber ride to Old San Juan, that was ok for us since we didn’t go there all the time.
Eating Out
Vianda: New, farm-to-table, Puerto Rican fusion dinner. If it’s on the menu, get the Tom Kha soup. Plan ahead for reservations.
Casita Miramar: A quirky building with tables tucked into odd places, serving an elevated take on traditional Puerto Rican dishes. Your meal starts with a sampling of soup and a codfish fritter, and ends with a shot of rum with coffee beans.
Lote 23: An open lot with permanent food trucks. Our favorite was the mufungo from El Cuchifrito, with an honorable mention of the roasted pork (pernil) sandwich from Pernileria Los Proceseres.
Deaverdura: Reasonable prices, traditional Puerto Rican fare, fresh juices.
Kasalta: A counter-service restaurant for all times of day, including notable local and international pastries.
Chocobar Cortes: Touristy but delicious. All things local chocolate–cocktails, hot chocolate, and even real food.
Coffee
Hacienda San Pedro: An artisanal coffee family makes their coffee in the mountains, and has a few cafes on the island to sell their products.
Café Comunion: Serious about their coffee. Good quirky deck out back.
Don Ruiz: 4th generation family growing coffee and serving it in a historic location in Old San Juan. Cafe is small, and it can get pretty crowded.
Cocktails
JungleBird: Delicious tiki drinks and snacks
La Factoria: A collection of bars inside of bars. From cuban dancing to chill wine bars, after featuring on the World’s 50 Best Bars list for years, this is certainly a place to visit.
Groceries
Pueblo: Slightly more expensive, but a WAY better experience than SuperMax. If there’s one near your stay, check it out.
SuperMax: Closest to our house, but regardless of the time of day you could count on a checkout line that took longer than your entire shopping trip.
Food on the road:
Eclipse: If you find yourself on a road trip west of San Juan and want a gorgeous lunch stop, this is your place. Right on the beach; delightful.
Lechonera El Rancho Original: Get yourself some tender roasted pork with super crispy skin.
Lechonera El Mojito: Juicy pork and passionfruit mojitos!
Luquillo Food Kiosks: There are 50 kiosks along the beach. I’ve tagged one to help you find it, but roam them all (its only a block or so) to pick the one that speaks to you.
Tours
Spoon Experience: There are two major food tour companies, and this is the one we chose. We really enjoyed it–and our guide, Pablo, answered questions for us even after the tour.
Airbnb Architecture Tour: So much information and passion for the history of the city!
Ron del Barrilito: Just a short Uber ride away is this small batch rum distillery. Visit the hacienda, learn the history, drink the rum.
El Yunque: This tropical rainforest is on everyone’s “must do” list when they visit San Juan, and for good reason!