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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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$$$ | Santurce |
A career working with top chefs and a successful catering business prefaced chef José Santaella's namesake restaurant in La Placita marketplace. The menu is dominated by tapas, and favorites include the ahi tuna skewers, goat-cheese quesadilla, and morcilla (blood sausage) fritters. The neighborhood is anything but chic, but the restaurant is packed every night with well-dressed socialites, trendsetters, and the "who's who" of Puerto Rican society. The decor is rustic yet elegant, with exposed walls, Edison light fixtures, an interior garden, and a sparkling, tropical bar. Chef Santaella fuses local and international ingredients to perfectly execute Puerto Rican nouvelle cuisine. The cocktail bar is one of the best on the island, so don't leave without trying one of the concoctions by Santaella's mixologists. We can't get enough of the Perfect Lady! Their new rooftop, Azotea, opens on Sundays.
219 Calle Canals, San Juan, n/a Puerto Rico, 00907, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Small plates of nouveau Puerto Rican specialties
- Trendy ambience
- Great cocktails
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch Sat., Reservations recommended
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$$$ | 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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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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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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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 vegan and vegetarian dishes. It's also popular for breakfast, which is served until 3 pm.
407 Calle San Francisco, 00901, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Breakfast
- Variety of vegan and vegetarian choices
- Street-side dining
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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.
Calle Norzagaray at Calle Beneficiencia, 00902, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Locally grown coffee
- Light bites
- Historic location
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
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Caficultura prides itself on its full coffee bar, its mimosas made with fresh juice, and its all-day breakfast and brunch menu (try the coconut-milk French toast with pineapple jam and coconut shavings). Numerous vegetarian options are available, especially at lunch, when you'll also find many delicious gourmet sandwiches and heartier dishes. The building is beautifully restored: distressed concrete walls meet an old, Spanish-style, wood-beamed ceiling—hanging from it is a magnificent antique chandelier. Customers skew young and intellectual, with students, professors, and museum-going tourists in the mix. The wait might be long, but the youthful staff is always friendly.
401 Calle San Francisco, 00901, Puerto Rico
Known For
- All-day breakfast
- Beautifully presented lattes
- Outside seating
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
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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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After a day at Playa Escambron, grab a bite and a beer at this hole- in-the-wall joint, where a tiny kitchen rapidly custom-charbroils burgers. You might want to order two, as they're small, like sliders; regardless, you can top them with Roquefort, cheddar, or American cheese. The sweet-potato fries are tasty, too; add a side salad for $1 more. This place is always packed with locals, so there might be a wait to get a table, but the turnover is quick.
402 Av. Muñoz Rivera, 00901, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Cheap burgers
- Local favorite
- Sweet-potato fries
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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
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Although it recently moved from Santurce to Condado, the restaurant of chef Jose Enrique—who's been nominated for the prestigious James Beard Award multiple times—remains popular with locals and visitors for its elevated Puerto Rican cuisine. The setting is casual, and the menu is ever-changing, though it always includes carne guisada (a local beef stew), fritters, and a catch of the day.
1021 Av. Ashford, 00907, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Focus on locally grown produce and other ingredients
- Ever-changing menu
- Celebrity chef
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon., Reservations not accepted
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Parmesan-crusted tacos are the draw here, with favorites including the fish, pulled pork, or vegetarian-friendly falafel versions. Pair yours with a margarita or mojito, and sit outside on the small terrace. Breakfast service starts at 8 am, and brunch is offered on weekends.
1104 Av. Magdalena, 00907, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Fish tacos and margaritas
- Prime people-watching from the terrace
- Breakfast and weekend brunch
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This local bakery is always buzzing with locals and tourists. Display cases are full of luscious pastries, including the quesito (cream cheese–filled puff pastry), and sandwiches include the medianoche, made famous when President Obama ordered one while campaigning. For dinner, dive into a fish dish or paella, or do like the locals and make a meal out of savory Spanish tapas.
1966 Calle McLeary, 00911, Puerto Rico
Known For
- Great baked goods, including cream cheese–filled quesitos
- Medianoche sandwiches
- Sometimes curt service