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 Need advice about dining in Puerto Rico? I'm here to answer
your questions about Puerto Rican cuisine and restaurants. E
mail me at
info@prcb.org.
Barbara Tasch Ezratty
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Q: I only have one day in San Juan… Ship arrives in the morning and my flight back home is 8-ish. Where should I go for breakfast, lunch and maybe an early dinner and still get to see some sights?
A: That’s an easy one: Stay in the Old City! Go to La Bombonera for breakfast; it’s just a few blocks up from the piers. An old San Juan institution, La Bombonera has been around for more than 100 years. It’s got a long counter and tables along the other side. Prices are stuck in the 60s, (cheap by today’s standards). The food is basic, but good. Bacon and eggs with a side of toasted pan de agua (local bread) and a chocolate caliente (hot chocolate) is a breakfast that barely dent budget, and you’ll feel like a local during the whole experience.
After breakfast, tour El Morro, the many-leveled, fascinating fort (entrance up the hill on Cristo Street.) When you’re ready for lunch, come back down Cristo and stop at El Convento hotel. Their patio restaurant, El Nispero, is a lovely place to rest over a drink and a sandwich. Or, you might wander over to the Parrot Club, on Fortaleza Street, where the Spanglish menu will put you in the Old City mood. Spend the rest of the afternoon shopping in Old San Juan and have an early dinner at any of the many restaurants you’ll pass along the way. Al Dente, the oldest Italian restaurant in San Juan has a dynamite menu and is open for dinner from 5 p.m. It is on Recinto Sur Street, across from the parking lot named for the city’s former beloved and dynamic mayor, affectionately called Doña Fela. Then, allow a half hour to get to the airport for your homeward flight.
Q: I’ve heard a lot about Puerto Rican cooking. Can you direct me to some restaurants where I can sample this cuisine?
A: Oh, that’s a piece of cake! Here’s three off the top of my head: Ajioli Mojili, on Ashford Avenue in the Condado, is perhaps the fanciest. In an old mansion, with views of the lagoon behind it, Ajioli Mojili is an award-winning choice (as a four-time winner of the Tables Magazine Chef’s Hat Award, it’s in the Tables Magazine Hall of Fame!) Beautiful ambiance, great menu, attentive service, not to be missed.
La Casita Blanca is on Tapia Street, in Santurce. Very popular, traditional menu, and moderately priced. Least expensive of all is La Fonda el Jiberito on Sol Street in Old San Juan. Popular, traditional menu, charming room.
Q: Point me to the steak houses! I’ll be in San Juan for a week and I’m a meat and potatoes guy!
A: This will be your lucky week. We’ve got wonderful steak houses serving prime Porterhouse, rib eye, New York Strip and the local favorite, Churrasco.
Where to start? There are the local versions of stateside options: Morton’s of Chicago, in the Caribe Hilton hotel; Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in the InterContinental Hotel; The Palm Steakhouse in El San Juan Hotel and Outback at Embassy Suites.
At the Ritz Carlton, you’ll find their own delicious Prime 787.
We also have great Argentinean steak houses: the popular Che’s in Ocean Park serves the most incredible churrasco (skirt steak). The full size literally does not fit on the plate; they have to bend it under. Have it with their delicious salsa and some rice and beans or and you’ll never want potatoes again!
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Editor Barbara Tasch has been a
restaurant reviewer since 1992; is publisher of the magazine
Tables: Puerto Rico's Guide to
Great Dining; and has a weekly radio show (AM 1030)
interviewing chefs and talking about the island's restaurants.
She will tell everyone who listens that Puerto Rico is the
Culinary Capital of the Caribbean.
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