8 Best Restaurants in Old San Juan, San Juan

If you want to try local, single-origin, shade-grown coffee, this micro-roastery and café is the place to do it. Owners Pablo Muñoz and Mariana Suárez grow their beans in the mountains of Yauco on a hacienda that has been in the Muñoz family since 1846. The wooden planks lining the banquette are from coffee storage pallets, and red accents recall perfectly ripe coffee beans. Cuatro sombras (four shades) refers to the four types of trees traditionally used in Puerto Rico to provide shade for coffee plants. And although it's the delicious, medium-bodied brew that steals the show, there's also a small menu of tasty pastries and sandwiches.

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.

There's nothing more refreshing on a hot day than an ice pop from Señor Paleta. All the ingredients used to make these artisanal paletas are fresh, and many use local fruits. Choose from strawberry mojito, watermelon, coconut, dulce de leche, and more. The flavor of the month might be an exotic fruit like guanábana (soursop). The lines on weekends may be long, but they're well worth it.

A handful of tables spill onto a sidewalk deck adorned with tiny lights at this romantic, bohemian restaurant overlooking Plaza Colón. There's something on the international menu for everyone, including a good selection of gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian dishes. It's also popular for breakfast, which is served until 3 pm.

Tucked away in the corner of the old Spanish military barracks, Café Don Ruiz serves some of the finest coffee in town. It's sourced from a family-run hacienda in Yauco that's known for its handpicked coffee, grown more than 3,000 feet above sea level. The medium-dark roast is a favorite: well balanced with essences of chocolate, caramel, and citrus. The shop also sells fruit frappés, sandwiches, and crepes.

The specialty at this old-fashioned, 1950s-style diner is the mallorca, a sweet pastry that's buttered, grilled, and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. Wash one down with a cup of café con leche. For something more substantial, try the breakfast mallorca with ham and cheese. The menu also includes pancakes, egg dishes, sandwiches, and comida criolla. Waitstaffers are friendly and efficient, and most have worked there for years. It gets packed on weekends with locals, who consider it an institution. You pay at the counter on your way out.

The menus are handwritten, and the tables wobble, but locals in the know have favored this no-frills, family-run restaurant—tucked away on a quiet cobblestone street—for years. The bistec encebollado, goat fricassee, and shredded beef stew stand out on the comida criolla menu. A tiny back porch is filled with plants, and the dining room is filled with fanciful depictions of life on the street outside. Troubadours serenade patrons, which include plenty of cruise-ship passengers when ships are in port.

This lively restaurant is known for its waitresses in all-white campesina (peasant) dresses. It is a nostalgic portrayal of country life in Puerto Rico. Guests who may have seen it featured on various TV shows are willing to wait more than an hour for a table. Serving local comida criolla, signature dishes are the giant deep-fried kan kan pork chop, and mofongo with churrasco (marinated skirt steak). The garlic shrimp mofongo, served country-style in a pilón (pestle), is quite tasty. Drinks, including fruity frappés, come in tin mugs.