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Michelin-starred, Puerto Rico–born chef Juan José Cuevas operates this successful fine-dining restaurant in San Juan's most striking hotel, built in 1919 by the Vanderbilt family. The international dishes—served prix fixe or à la carte—change seasonally and emphasize local ingredients. The main dining room overlooks the Atlantic Ocean; elegant and sophisticated, it is large yet intimate, with Brazilian-tigerwood tables spread out to allow for privacy and comfort. Dark wood floors and three striking chandeliers with drooping pearl shells are other decor features that evoke the Gatsby era. You may find a sashimi trio of hamachi, scallops, and tuna; local honey-roasted duck breast; or cochinillo ravioli with burrata and caramelized eggplant on the menu. For pairings, choose from more than 200 wines, or take advantage of the champagne table service.
1055 Av. Ashford, 00907, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Focus on organic, locally grown ingredients
- Prix-fixe and tasting menus
- Elegant setting
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch
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The Cortés family has been making bean-to-bar chocolate for more than 90 years, and, in 2013, they opened Puerto Rico's first "chocobar" to share their passion. The walls in this vivid, modern space are decorated with ads from the 1950s, original chocolate-bar molds, a timeline of chocolate, and two flat screens showing the chocolate-making process. From pastries and breakfast sandwiches to panini and tapas, the chef integrates chocolate into every bite without overpowering. Bonbons, chocolate bars, and even chocolate soaps are available for sale. People from all over the metro area flock here for weekend brunch; arrive early to avoid a long wait. An upstairs gallery offers a glimpse of the family's personal collection of contemporary Caribbean art.
210 Calle San Francisco, 00901, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Chocolate incorporated into many dishes
- Breakfast specialties and pastries
- Locally made chocolates
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner weekdays
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This family-run restaurant in the heart of residential Miramar is known for its traditional comida criolla. It feels more like a home than a restaurant, so it's a great place to just sit back, relax, and enjoy your meal. The menu, written on a chalkboard, changes often and features local fruits, vegetables, and seasonal fish. Favorite dishes include aguacate relleno con salmorejo de jueyes (crab-stuffed avocado) and chillo fresco with mojo isleño (red snapper with a sauce of tomatoes, olives, and green peppers). The old photos of Miramar, vintage furniture, and colonial architecture will surely transport you back in time.
605 Av. Miramar, 00907, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Excellent, friendly service
- Old-fashioned dishes like crab-stuffed avocado
- Great drinks and sangria
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues., Reservations recommended
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$$$ | Santurce |
Dining at chef Natalia Vallejo's restaurant in the heart of Santurce is a magical experience. The restored home is simply yet tastefully decorated and leads to a large outdoor patio in a lush and vibrant setting. The small kitchen churns out tasty Puerto Rican dishes with seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. The James Beard nominee and her friendly staff will make you feel right at home.
658 Calle San Juan, San Juan, n/a Puerto Rico, 00907, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Award-winning chef
- Creative Puerto Rican cuisine
- Charming outdoor patio
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
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Peter Schintler, the U.S.-born owner-chef of Old San Juan's hippest—and finest—restaurant, apprenticed with Raymond Blanc and Gordon Ramsay. His dishes incorporate local and organic ingredients, and his cuisine is influenced by both California and French styles of cooking, resulting in complex flavors and strong aromas. Yellowtail is served with lemongrass and compressed watermelon while the pork cheeks are served with a peach-poblano marmalade. For dessert, indulge in the Millionaires ice cream, topped with honeycomb and shaved truffles. You can build your own four- to six-course tasting menu, perhaps choosing wine pairings from the excellent list, and the restaurant accommodates vegetarians, vegans, and those with dietary restrictions. The sensual, minimalist, orange-and-white decor features high-back chairs and cushioned banquettes that are comfortable and modern.
317 Calle Fortaleza, 00901, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Varying prix-fixe menus
- Exceptional service
- Excellent wine list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun., Reservations essential
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$$ | Santurce |
A career working with top chefs and a successful catering business prefaced chef José Santaella's namesake restaurant in La Placita marketplace. The menu is dominated by tapas, and favorites include the ahi tuna skewers, goat-cheese quesadilla, and morcilla (blood sausage) fritters. The neighborhood is anything but chic, but the restaurant is packed every night with well-dressed socialites, trendsetters, and the "who's who" of Puerto Rican society. The decor is rustic yet elegant, with exposed walls, Edison light fixtures, an interior garden, and a sparkling, tropical bar. Chef Santaella fuses local and international ingredients to perfectly execute Puerto Rican nouvelle cuisine. The cocktail bar is one of the best on the island, so don't leave without trying one of the concoctions by Santaella's mixologists. We can't get enough of the Perfect Lady! Their new rooftop, Azotea, opens on Sundays.
219 Calle Canals, San Juan, n/a Puerto Rico, 00907, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Small plates of nouveau Puerto Rican specialties
- Trendy ambience
- Great cocktails
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch Sat., Reservations recommended
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$$$ | Santurce |
Driven by local ingredients and seasonality, chef Francis Guzman’s dishes are culinary delights (think: California cuisine with Puerto Rican and Caribbean influences). The service is fantastic, and the wine list and cocktail menu are strong—anything with mezcal is a particularly good choice. Start with the roots salad with roasted beets and horseradish or the almojábanas (a type of cheese bread) with candied papaya. If there's a crudo on offer, order it without hesitation. Reservations are strongly recommended.
1413 Av. Ponce de León, San Juan, n/a Puerto Rico, 00907, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Farm-to-table-focused menu
- Fantastic crudos
- Excellent service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues. No lunch, Required
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Located behind a pawn shop, Acapulco doesn't have the most inspiring location, but you should seek out this tiny restaurant for some of the best Mexican food in Puerto Rico. The tacos and guacamole are always made from scratch, and the owners pride themselves on authenticity: you won't find iceberg lettuce or a chimichanga slathered in cheddar here. Instead, expect delicious tacos al pastor, with meat carved from a spinning rotisserie in an open kitchen, and equally tasty cochinita pibil (slow-roasted pork). Many dishes are topped with pickled onions, cilantro, fresh pineapple, and radishes. The margaritas are great, and the juices couldn't be more refreshing. The staff is friendly, and all speak perfect English.
2021 Calle Loíza, 00911, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Delicious tacos and guacamole
- Friendly service
- Excellent margaritas made with fresh juices
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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Standing discreetly just off Avenida Ashford, Ali Baba turns out delicious, meticulously prepared Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food, thanks to its Turkish chef-owner. Given how unpretentious this small place is, the presentation is surprisingly elegant. Start with hummus, served with steaming, homemade lavash (flatbread), or the grilled cheese with fresh herbs and tomatoes. Entrées include an iskender kebab drizzled with browned goat butter, and moussaka, served beneath a warming flame. Sandwiches and vegetarian options are also available.
1214 Av. Ashford, 00907, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Tangy, smooth hummus
- Iskender kebab
- No reservations
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun., Reservations not accepted
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Under the direction of noted chef Ariel Rodríguez, one of the city's more celebrated restaurants is popular with the local elite for its old-school, fine-dining atmosphere and its international cuisine with strong French influences. A prix-fixe menu is available with or without wine pairings. Begin with a classic cocktail like James Bond's Vesper Martini, or chat with the sommelier, who can help you choose one of the roughly 300 bottles on the list. Local works of art decorate the walls of the formal dining room, giving it a lively, modern touch. Brunch is served on Sunday.
801 Av. Ponce de León, 00907, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Well-executed European cuisine
- Sunday brunch
- Superb and extensive wine list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner Sun.
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Huge platters of delicious comida criolla are constantly streaming out of the kitchen here. Low prices and a family atmosphere ensure that this longtime local favorite—located near the DoubleTree on the border of Condado and Santurce—is always packed. The extensive menu includes everything from grilled skirt steak to seafood-stuffed mofongo to barbecued ribs. Save room for one of the local desserts, such as flan or tres leches cake. Breakfast is also popular. Note that service, while friendly, can sometimes feel a bit rushed or distracted.
1600 Calle Loíza, 00911, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Large portions
- Family-friendly atmosphere
- Breakfast
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Located at the end of Calle Loíza, this family-run restaurant specializes in Roman dishes. The open kitchen turns out dishes like spaghetti carbonara, penne puttanesca, and bucatini all'amatriciana.
1059 Calle Loíza, 00911, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Roman-style dishes
- Italian comfort food
- Carbonara
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Chef and owner Brahim runs this French bistro in Old San Juan that's loved by locals. Crab cakes, duck à l'orange, steamed mussels, and veal shank can be found on the small but tasty menu. A popular brunch is served on Sundays.
313 Fortaleza St., 00901, Puerto Rico
Known For
- French cuisine
- Sunday brunch
- Relaxed, neighborhood feel
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
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As you might guess from the name, the music is as much of a draw as the food at Carli's. The genial owner and host, Carli Muñoz, toured for a number of years with the Beach Boys (note the gold album on the wall) and plays nightly with his jazz trio, often accompanied by singers and musicians who happen to drop in. Inside the skyline-dominating Banco Popular building, this intimate supper-club bistro has elegant tables scattered around the room and a bar made of black Italian granite. Have a seat indoors or on the outdoor out on the patio, and dine on such fusion specialties as pumpkin and shrimp risotto, filet mignon with wild mushroom sauce, or blackened ahi tuna with Cajun spices.
Calle Recinto Sur at Calle San Justo, 00901, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Live jazz
- Caribbean-style tapas
- Classy ambience
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch
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Celeste is Puerta de Tierra's first upscale restaurant. Chef and proprietor, Sebastian Sarda, alongside his wildly talented team, serve some of Puerto Rico's most creative dishes with quality ingredients. Order everything on the menu at this wine and seafood bar, you won't be disappointed.
200 Calle Pelayo, 00901, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Funky wines
- Locally caught fish
- Creative cuisine with seasonal menu
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.–Thurs.
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Modern light fixtures, exposed walls, and repurposed decorative accents give Cocina Abierta one of the coolest decors in Condado. Chef Martin Louzao prepares eclectic, multicourse omnivore, pescatarian, and vegetarian menus. Grilled Spanish octopus terrine, duck-confit-stuffed mofongo, and ripe plantain carpaccio brûlée with tuna tataki are house favorites. Vegetarian options might include roasted butternut squash soup or mushroom ceviche Peruvian causa. Behind Cocina Abierta are Atelier, a cooking school, and Oriundo, a pop-up restaurant also headed by chef Louzao.
58 Calle Caribe, 00907, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Tasting menus
- Octopus terrine and mofongo with duck confit
- Great wine list
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This casual, no-frills restaurant in the residential section of Old San Juan serves some of the best comida criolla in town. The short menu is packed with flavor, featuring favorites like roasted pork, rice and beans (which pair perfectly with the homemade hot sauces), empanadas, tostones, and homemade sausage. The sample platter, big enough for two, will leave you stuffed and with a great understanding of the cuisine locals are so proud of.
200 Calle Sol, 00901, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Comida criolla
- Roasted pork with rice and beans
- Sample platter big enough for two
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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Tasty sandwiches and burgers are available all day long at this small joint. The onion smasher comes with two beef patties, finely shredded onions, and cheese on a warm brioche bun, and specials may include a perfectly crisp, chicken-tender sandwich or a decadent pork belly with fried egg and sweet-and-sour chipotle sauce. Order at the counter, and grab a seat overlooking the street, or get your order to go and enjoy it at Ocean Park Beach.
1802 Calle Loíza, 00911, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Burgers
- Tater tots
- Excellent sandwiches
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The airy courtyard and the comida criolla are among the draws at this local, come-as-you-are restaurant—the perfect spot to end a workweek or a long day of sightseeing. The menu consists mostly of American and Puerto Rican fare. Save room for the homemade flan, which melts in your mouth.
102 Calle San Sebastián, 00901, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Typical Puerto Rican specialties
- Homemade flan
- Casual atmosphere
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Here, the wines are reasonably priced, and the menu is varied, with favorites like osso bucco, beef carpaccio, grilled octopus, lobster risotto, and Wagyu-and-foie-gras dumplings. Portions are large, service is excellent, and brunch is served on weekends.
6150 Av. Isla Verde, 00979, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Affordable and varied wine list
- Large portions
- Weekend brunch