WHERE TO EAT
Prices given are an average per person for a three-course meal, excluding any drinks, unless otherwise stated
1919 Named after the year the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel opened, 1919 is overseen by chef Juan José Cuevas, whose fine-dining technique is applied to local ingredients such as goats’ cheese and swordfish, with monthly wine dinners. The interiors could be any luxury hotel (there’s a dress code of no shorts or sandals), but views straight over the Atlantic give a powerful sense of place. Four-course tasting menu £160pp. 1055 Ashford Avenue, San Juan, 00 1 787 721 5500, condadovanderbilt.com Celeste Expect fish plucked out of Puerto Rican waters by Gordon Ramsayapproved Anthony Elizo, cooked by Diego Martínez Tully and served by his brother Sebastián. Aged fish is a speciality – tuna with Meyer lemon, or red mullet with kombu and anchovy gel, with wine pairings from lesser-known producers. Rough-around-the-edges interiors lend a cool cachet enhanced by modern art. £96. 100 Calle Pelayo, San Juan, 00 1 787 403 4323 Chocobar Cortés Puerto Rico’s century-old chocolate brand has a café in Old San Juan that is a tourist attraction in itself. Chocolate is incorporated into almost every dish, from a chocolate and cheese toastie to serrano ham and dark chocolate croquettes and, of course, excellent drinks. £35. 210 Calle de San Francisco, San Juan, 00 1 787 722 0499, chocobarcortes.com Epicuro Culinary Center Most chef’s tables have a team behind the counter but at this relative newcomer it’s just Antonio Pérez creating, assembling and explaining accomplished dishes like halibut with black rice, baby clams and vanilla bouillabaisse to the 12 diners seated at a horseshoe bar around an open kitchen. Perez’s Dutch wife Sara pours an exceptional selection of European and US wines as well as a fabulous
Puerto Rican chocolate liqueur. Five-course tasting menu £97pp. 316 Avenida José de Diego, San Juan, 00 1 939 337 0700, epicuroculinarycenter.com Lechonera Los Pinos The mountains above Cayey, halfway between San
Juan and the south coast, are home to a stretch of 30 or so restaurants known as the Pork Highway. At this one, expect assorted chunks of whole roasted pig cooked over charcoal, from spicy Puerto Rican blood sausage and ribs to pork skin as crisp as treacle toffee. Weekends are best avoided, when San Juan arrives en masse for Sunday lunch. Mains from £6.80. Carr 184 km 27.7 Bo Guavate, Cayey, 00 1 787 286 1917, lospinosguavate.com
Mario Pagán Restaurant Local celebrity chef Mario gives native ingredients a European accent in dishes such as spiny lobster thermidor with shallot escabeche and yuca mofongo, while the likes of Brussels sprouts with smoked beets, queso blanco cheese and pine nuts offer a touch of fresh greenery if you’re suffering from fried food overkill. £80. 1110 Ave Magdalena, San Juan, 00 1 787 522 6444, mariopaganrest.com
Oriundo This dining room hidden within Cocina Abierta restaurant functions as a more experimental showcase for chef Martín Louzao. Six courses are themed around a single Puerto Rican ingredient such as the gajilete tomato, which might appear in a tartare of yellowfin tuna, a bolognese sauce with squid or cured with koji and turned into soup. Five-course tasting menu £80. 58 Calle Caribe, San Juan, 00 1 787 946 1333, oriundopr.com/pages/reservations
Rafi’s Slightly more formal than other kiosks in Piñones, Rafi’s has a menu and table service. Expect the fried classics of cocina criolla: crab alcapurrias and carne frita (fried pork), with three types of plantain (mofongo, fried or sweet), and rum and coconut water to wash it down. No-frills dining at its finest.
£30pp for a variety of dishes. 187 Carretera Piñones, Loíza, 00 1 787 253 0002