On a recent visit, writer Pamela Dittmer McKuen got to make the rounds of a variety of food and drink establishments, leading her to creating (and share with Real Food Traveler readers), her roundup of the best food and drink in San Juan Puerto Rico that she experienced. 

Save this article about some of the best places to get food in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Pinterest to keep it handy. Photos by Pamela Dittmer McKuen. Graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.

Puerto Rico is well-known for sugary beaches, energetic music and endless sunshine, but the Caribbean Island is a great culinary destination as well. Whether you prefer eating indoors or outdoors, upscale dining or street fare, your palate is sure to be pleased in Puerto Rico. Use my best culinary experiences to inspire your next itinerary.

Old San Juan Walk and Taste Tour through Spoon Tours

The best way to discover any city’s culinary culture is by signing up for a food tour. I’ve done it in several locations that were new to me, and I highly recommend them. In Puerto Rico, I booked the Old San Juan Walk and Taste Tour with Spoon tours, a local tourism company that delivers authentic cultural experiences through food.

Our small group of eight met up at the Plaza Colón (where the statue of Christopher Columbus towers overhead) in Old San Juan with a charming and personable guide, Pablo. He led us along the iconic blue-bricked streets and shared the 500-year-old city’s history, architecture and gastronomy. It’s a myth that the pavers, called “adoquines,” were discarded ballast from inbound Spanish ships as is commonly reported, he told us. The city imported and paid for them from English iron smelters in the late 1800s.

We made several stops at local, independently owned establishments for generous tastings that left us with full stomachs and happy hearts. Take a look:

Chocobar Cortés

Everything and anything chocolate awaits at Chocobar Cortés restaurant and bakery. The fourth-generation Cortés family incorporates fair trade chocolate into nearly all its recipes. Expect to see chocolate catsup and chocolate rum martinis, plus Cortés-branded chocolate bars.

We were treated to a creamy cup of hot chocolate and a full-size hot ham-and-cheese breakfast sandwich on a brioche bun dusted with powdered sugar–and a healthy side of carrot chips.

The restaurant walls are decked with murals and posters, a reference to the Cortés family’s affection for and support of the arts. Visit the upper floors to view their collection and works by emerging artists.

A hot ham and cheese breakfast sandwich and carrot chips on the side from Chocobar Cortes. 

Filtrado PR

You can’t be blamed if you don’t find Filtrado PR coffee bar on Calle San Francisco Street right away. There isn’t a flashy sign to draw you in, only a small white-and-yellow symbol of a double-decker coffee maker. The interior is equally modest, save for the geometrically tiled floor.

Coffee service at Filtrado PR is definitely not grab-and-go. Each cup is precisely brewed to order with just-ground Colombian coffee beans and brewed pour-over style. Excellence can’t be rushed.

It’s a sign you’ve reached Filtrado PR.

Deaverdura

Deaverdura is a non-touristy eatery that specializes in authentic Puerto Rican food. Our main course was mofongo, but we had to make it first! It’s all part of the Spoon experience.

Mofongo, an iconic dish of Puerto Rico, lays claim to a heritage of enslaved West Africans. It’s a literal mashup of chicharron, chunks of crispy fried plantain, shredded pork shoulder, softened butter and garlic. Our guide handed each of us a wooden mortar and pestle and passed around one ingredient at a time to add to our mixtures.

When we were finished, we loaded our plates, adding dollops of rice and beans our server provided, along with a fruity rum cocktail.

Mofongo, an authentic dish of San Juan, served with rice and beans at Deaverdura.

Hungry for more? See how Oil Down in Grenada is made.

More of my best food and drink experiences in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Distrito T-Mobile Entertainment Experience

Dining options abound at the lively Distrito T-Mobile in the city’s Convention Center District.

Within the vast entertainment and experience complex are grand hotels, restaurants, musical and digital entertainment, art installations, movie theater, boutique shops, sound stage and lounging spaces. The convention district is centered by a sprawling Instagram-worthy pool where dramatic water-and-light displays are choreographed to music.

I indulged at La Burguesía, a colorful joint known for upscale burgers and gourmet milkshakes. My “this isn’t your daddy’s cheeseburger” (that’s the actual name) overflowed with layers of melty Swiss and cheddar cheeses and was liberally smeared with a yummy garlic aioli. The “truffle trouble” fries, dusted with parmesan, were a tasty companion.

“This isn’t your daddy’s cheeseburger” from La Burguesia.

Casa Bacardí Distillery Tour

One of the most popular excursions in Puerto Rico is a guided tour and tasting at the renowned Casa Bacardí. Family-owned for eight generations, Bacardi is the largest rum distillery in the world. By the way, they pronounce the name “bah-car-DEE.”

Your behind-the-scenes tour begins with a welcome cocktail prepared by a talented mixologist in the open-air pavilion. Then, as you ride a trolley through the beautifully landscaped grounds, you’ll learn the rum-making and aging processes, family history, and how to become a master rum blender (spoiler alert: it takes 10 years),

Your guide will also explain how the fruit bat, viewed as a symbol of family unity and good fortune, became the official corporate log. Now that you know, take another look at the pavilion, and you’ll see how the architecture resembles a spread-winged bat.

During the tasting portion, which includes a chocolate pairing, you’ll savor several styles of diverse and premium Bacardí rums and hear about their unique attributes. The Bacardí Reserva Ocho, for example, inspired by a family recipe from 1862, is a sweet golden sipping rum that makes a fine Manhattan, Old-Fashioned or other spirit-forward cocktail.

Your last stop is the artfully appointed gift shop, where you can buy souvenirs and premium Bacardí rums that are not sold anywhere else.

The rum tasting experience at Casa Bacardi.

Hungry for more? Get the origins and recipes of Pina Coladas in Puerto Rico.

Wicked Lily At The Tryst

A popular hotspot for both tourists and locals, Wicked Lily offers distinctive beachfront dining and live music. It is located at the Tryst Hotel in the trendy Condado neighborhood.

The restaurant is commended for creative contemporary cuisine infused with Peruvian and Puerto Rican flair, particularly seafood. The beverage menu includes an international wine list and specialty cocktails, like the Tryst Colada made with aged Bacardi rum.

I feasted on the miso-marinated swordfish, made all the better by the calming rhythm of lapping waves on the beach.

Miso-marinated swordfish on a bed of quinoa at Wicked Lily at The Tryst.

Restaurante Hipi Cache

On my last day in San Juan, I hired Pepeko Tours for an excursion beyond the city. Ruben, my guide, regaled me with stories of Puerto Rican history and culture, some of which related to Spanish colonialism and some to modern day. He talked about famous Puerto Ricans like rapper Bad Bunny and several Miss Universe winners, and he took me to a quiet scenic beach where the locals spend their leisure time.

For lunch we stopped at Restaurante Hipi Cache, an open-air roadside eatery where the parking lot was a tight squeeze. Ruben seemed to know everyone there.

According to the robust menu posted on the front of the building, mofongo, seafood and grilled meats are specialties of the house. A retinue of cooks worked quickly over flames and fryers. I watched as one of them oversaw my chicken empanada to a perfect golden brown. It was the size of my palm. And delicious, just like everything else I tasted in San Juan.

Empanadas being cooked at Restaurante Hipi Cache in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

To learn more about traveling to San Juan, Puerto Rico, visit their website, here.

-Story and photos by Pamela Dittmer McKuen

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