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香港六合彩即时开奖 has partnered with San Juan-based travel community to provide comprehensive guides, curated lists and insider tips for your next trip to Puerto Rico.

Riding a wave of culinary excitement and an emphasis on local ingredients and cultural heritage, the restaurant scene in Puerto Rico is thriving. 

Over the past few years, Puerto Rico鈥檚 farmers and restaurateurs have echoed the island鈥檚 resilience post-Hurricane Mar铆a, especially in San Juan, one of the Caribbean鈥檚 most vibrant culinary centers. From world-class gastronomic temples to no-frills storefronts serving home-cooked staples, a progressive spirit imbues the city's acclaimed chefs, who fuse the island's rich cultural legacy with modern cooking techniques. 

Here is our guide to some of the best restaurants in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Marmalade

Best for tasting menus and award-winning wines

Located on Calle Fortaleza in Old San Juan, the world-renowned Marmalade put Puerto Rico on the foodie map. Celebrated chef , an Iowa native, draws on the island's diverse heritage to deftly blend indigenous and international ingredients. 

His prix-fixe menu features playful, socially conscious riffs on classic Caribbean fare, best paired with selections from the award-winning wine list or expertly crafted cocktail menu. Popular dishes include pasture-raised beef tenderloin and pesto-drizzled swordfish with local heirloom tomatoes. If you鈥檙e vegetarian or vegan, Marmalade always has plant-based options.

1919 Restaurant

Best for a memorable fine-dining splurge 

In the elegant Condado Vanderbilt Hotel, 1919 is one of the most acclaimed fine-dining destinations in the Caribbean, thanks in no small part to the culinary genius of chef Juan Jos茅 Cuevas, an alumnus of the Michelin-starred Blue Hill in New York. Cuevas is also a farm-to-table pioneer on the island, sourcing local ingredients wherever possible. (Case in point, the Vanderbilt Hotel鈥檚 eggs all come from Puerto Rico farms). 

You can鈥檛 go wrong with the sous vide salmon, vacuum-packed and slow-cooked in a water bath to preserve natural flavors, then given a twist according to the season. For an unforgettable dining experience, opt for the chef鈥檚 menu accompanied by sommelier-selected wine pairings. Plush leather seats, mahogany tables, crystal chandeliers and sweeping Atlantic views lend poise and formality to the ambiance.

Medium close up shot of woman and man eating food
Puerto Rico is one of the Caribbean鈥檚 most vibrant culinary centers 漏 Thomas Barwick / Getty Images

Vianda

Best for exceptional locavore fare 

This innovative Santurce restaurant is the passion project of husband-and-wife team Francis Guzm谩n and Amelia Dill. Both made their way through the cutthroat world of New York City鈥檚 fine-dining scene, including stints at the Michelin-starred Blue Hill and restaurants. Now that they run their own restaurant at Vianda, you can expect a sleek minimalist space that draws a posh and vivacious mix of visitors and regulars every night. 

Vianda's farm-to-table (and vegan-friendly) menu channels the island鈥檚 rich culinary heritage, and critics and locals alike wax poetic over the sourdough tostadas and ra铆ces locales (local roots), an inspired appetizer with beets and vegetables. (The restaurant's name means root vegetable). The must-try dish is mariscada, a gourmet reinvention of traditional Puerto Rican mofongo, combining the much-loved mashed-plantain staple with mussels and shrimp and topping it with seared salmon. In addition, they serve a contemporary take on the Puerto Rican seafood dish bacalao, pairing cod with a coconut broth and kimchi fried rice. 

Throughout Puerto Rico, Guzm谩n is renowned for both his culinary brilliance and his philanthropy. As San Juan emerged from COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, he dedicated much of his time to helping out-of-work chefs, creating a pop-up series of culinary events. 

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A large wooden shovel pushes a pizza pie into a wood-burning stove.
The growth of food halls in Puerto Rico gives visitors a chance to walk, browse and sample dozens of culinary specialties 漏 Mint Images / Getty Images

Jungle Bird

Best for Asian-fusion small plates and wild tiki cocktails 

Located in the heart of the neighborhood Santurce is Jungle Bird, owned by Roberto Berdec铆a of La Factor铆a. The bar鈥檚 kitchen, Jungle BaoBao, is helmed by James Beard semifinalist Paxx Caraballo Moll, who combines indigenous Ta铆no ingredients, like sweet chili, dragon fruit, cassava and red beans, to create delectable Asian-Caribbean fusion dishes.

The hyper-seasonal menu changes regularly, underscoring the former artist鈥檚 commitment to all things local; expect to feast on house-made kimchi, raw snapper with fresh mango and his signature 鈥渆noki bloom鈥 鈥 crispy mushroom clusters topped with togarashi and saffron. Though the menu regularly changes, Jungle Bird is consistently good at providing vegetarian and vegan-friendly options.

Jungle Bird is also known for DJ-spun live music and tiki-style cocktails, such as Frida鈥檚 Visit to MoMA, a fruity tequila and cacha莽a-based concoction, and the Saturn, made with London gin, passion fruit and lemon. 

A woman wearing a pink jacket over a shiny pink top holds a martini glass while smiling on a balcony at night.
At San Juan鈥檚 most stylish and popular rooftops, prime time is sunset, as creative mixologists work their magic to shake and stir potent cocktails 漏 Jim Arbogast / Getty Images

Raya

Best for a unique take on a grilled cheese sandwich 

Mario Pag谩n is one of Puerto Rico鈥檚 most famous chefs 鈥 in addition to owning multiple restaurants in San Juan and spearheading his own catering company, he鈥檚 appeared on Food Network's Next Iron Chef 鈥 and his latest venture finds a suitably sleek setting inside the award-winning O:LV Fifty Five hotel in Condado. (It's small and super popular, so be sure to reserve at least two weeks in advance.)

Every item here is exquisite and resembles an edible painting. Menu staples include wasabi morcilla grilled cheese, made with blood-sausage focaccia, and tuna poke 辫别驳补铆迟辞, puffed rice topped with tuna sashimi and drizzled with soy.

Lote 23

Best for food hall style sampling 

Leading the charge for Puerto Rico鈥檚 growing love for food-hall-style restaurants, Lote 23 has become an institution in the revitalized Santurce district. Foodies can walk, browse and graze on more than a dozen culinary specialties, ranging from pizza and tacos to ramen and creative burgers. 

At , you can try Venezuelan-style arepas at Sorte, wood-fired pizza at La Paz Pizza, and piragua (or Puerto Rican-style shaved ice) inspired cocktails at PiraRum. There鈥檚 plenty of outside space and picnic tables for visitors to relax. 

These 5 San Juan souvenir shops highlight Puerto Rican culture

Closeup of a Puerto Rican dish - mofongo- which is comprised of mashed plantains topped with shrimp.
Chefs love to put their own spin on classic Puerto Rican dishes such as mofongo 漏 TinaWang / Getty Images

El Jibarito

Best for no-frills authentic dishes

With a family-friendly ambiance, salsa music drifting in from the courtyard and simple decor 鈥 vinyl tablecloths and fluorescent lighting 鈥 this quirky restaurant offers a distinctly Puerto Rican dining experience.

The homestyle comida criolla here is widely considered the best on the island, and the hands-on owners celebrate Puerto Rico鈥檚 diverse culinary influences, turning out authentic fare infused with Spanish, African and Ta铆no flavors from a small but capable kitchen. Popular cooked-to-order dishes include tostones (fried plantains) and mofongo with red snapper.

Top 5 day trips from San Juan 

La Alcapurria Quem谩

Best for snacking on the go 

Just a 15-minute walk south from the oceanfront at Condado, is a no-frills locale serving up Puerto Rico鈥檚 beloved street food snack, alcapurrias 鈥 deep-fried fritters made from plantains (or grated yucca) stuffed with flavorful beef, pork or fish. You'll find several iterations at this colorful Santurce pit stop, but the bestsellers are beef and crab. The kitchen also delivers on traditional homestyle entr茅es, including carne guisada (traditional beef stew) and chicharr贸n de pollo (crispy skin-on chicken).

Mercado La Carreta

Best for a history-soaked brunch in Old San Juan

An upbeat go-to spot that鈥檚 less than a 10-minute walk from the famed Catedral de San Juan Bautista, provides a great base for exploring the old-school charm of Old San Juan. 

Grab a table overlooking stately Plaza de la Barandilla and choose from a budget-friendly yet flavor-forward menu of brunch classics, like beer-battered chicken and waffles, and jibaro platters with pork, rice and beans and amarillitos (sweet fried plantains). The restaurant also carries specialty coffees from award-winning local producer Gustos Coffee.

Kasalta

Best for famously delicious breakfast and baked treats

For years San Juan locals have cherished local bakery in Ocean Park, a neighborhood east of Condado, as the go-to place for casual yet classy Puerto Rican, Cuban and Pan-Caribbean all-day fare, including breakfast. Then when then鈥揢S President Barack Obama made a stop here in June 2011, this local favorite suddenly became world-famous.

While you鈥檙e not always guaranteed to find celebrities and dignitaries at Kasalta, this is certainly a good spot for people-watching. You can also enjoy delicious and affordable treats like the ham-and-cheese mallorca, a flaky brioche-like bread stuffed with ham and cheese and topped with powdered sugar. 

Willy鈥檚 Pinchos

Best for classic Puerto Rican street food

Throughout Puerto Rico you鈥檒l find pinchos, skewers of marinated chicken (or occasionally pork) closely related to Mediterranean meat kebabs. Plenty of stands, carts and hole-in-the-wall shops offer pinchos, and towns like Luquillo have become famous for their kioskos selling hot and fresh pinchos. However, if you can鈥檛 wait for the entire drive to Luquillo, you can find mouthwatering pinchos much closer to San Juan at . 

Located in the suburb of Guaynabo, about 20km (12 miles) south of Old San Juan, Willy鈥檚 Pinchos is an unassuming spot that has perfectly cooked pinchos that will likely have you craving more. Willy鈥檚 Pinchos also has a full bar and frequent live music.

Note that Willy鈥檚 sometimes has issues processing credit cards, so bring cash.

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