What to eat and drink in San Juan

15.12.2024 - 08:53 / lonelyplanet.com / Isla Verde

Dec 14, 2024 • 7 min read

Many visitors may be surprised to find out that when it comes to food, San Juan truly has it all. 

This hasn’t always been the case. When I was growing up in the sprawling metropolitan area throughout the ’90s and early 2000s, the options were mostly limited to Puerto Rican, Spanish and Caribbean fare, along with our beloved – and ubiquitous – Chinese restaurants.

The Chinese presence dates back to at least the 1890s, when a wave of Chinese laborers came from Cuba to Puerto Rico to help build the Carretera Central highway, with restaurants soon opening to serve them.

While there’s no official count, Puerto Rico is today home to some 250 to 600 Chinese restaurants, and you’re sure to find something delicious in all of them. 

Fast-forward 100 years, when the craft-beer-and-cocktail explosion of the mid-aughts attracted young entrepreneurs looking to spice up San Juan’s culinary scene.

The result? On any given day in San Juan, you can eat a typical Puerto Rican breakfast, move on to French pastries, have Korean or Japanese for lunch, and get dinner at a Middle Eastern or Turkish joint.

Such variety is only one reason to make it to the city for a decadent long weekend to take in all it has to offer.

To get a proper taste of the city’s robust food offerings, these are the places where I would take you.

Located on the cobblestone Calle Luna in Old San Juan, La Carreta Mercado Local is a gorgeous restaurant with the high ceilings typical of 16th-century Spanish colonial architecture and wooden windows that seem transplanted from a country manor.

The Puerto Rican fare here – with unique takes on such breakfast staples as plantains, avocado, tropical fruits like guava and sweet breads – makes this one of my favorite places for brunch. Because of its popularity, the restaurant does not offer reservations, so get there early to secure a spot inside or on the patio. 

A favorite of mine is the bandeja jíbara, a plate piled with traditional local staples like perníl, rice and beans, bacon, avocado, a fried egg and sweet plantain.

Another favorite is La Carreta’s modern take on the very traditional Mallorca sandwich, which features traditional semi-sweet dessert bread filled with scrambled eggs, bacon and smoked Gouda, then dusted with confectioner’s sugar. The menu changes seasonally, so check out its Instagram feed to whet your appetite. 

Bistro Café started in Isla Verde in 2011, in a humble space close to the beach, and has since expanded to two locations in Miami.

The approach to breakfast here stands out, with gigantic plates filled with combinations like the omelet Monaco (with shrimp, spinach and feta cheese) and strawberry-shortcake pancakes.

Some of their drinks double as desserts, like the