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Where to Eat and Drink in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, According to a Local Guide

Restaurants + Bars
by Krystalyn Laura Rey Hipolito Mar 28, 2024

If there’s one thing I always try to do when visiting a new destination, it’s take a food tour. While visiting San Juan, Puerto Rico, I went on a walk-and-taste tour hosted by The Spoon Experience to explore Old San Juan and learn about the history of Puerto Rico while getting deliciously acquainted with Puerto Rican cuisine.

The Spoon Experience, which is available to guests of the San Juan Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino via Marriott Bonvoy experiences, is a culinary walking tour that’s hosted daily at 10 AM and only allows groups of up to 12 people to ensure an intimate experience. Led by a local guide, my small tour group met at Plaza Del Quinto Centenario by the only totem pole on the island, which was about a 10-minute Uber ride from the San Juan Marriott Resort.

Luckily, the weather was clear for our entire four-hour tour, but travelers to Puerto Rico should expect humidity much of the year. Whether you take a guided tour or follow in the footsteps of The Spoon Experience on your own, here’s where to eat in Old San Juan — dress for the weather, slip into some comfortable shoes, grab a hat and sunglasses, load up on sunscreen, and, above all else, be sure to bring your appetite.

Start the day with coffee and sweet rolls

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Photo: Krystalyn Laura Rey Hipolito

Cafe Don Ruiz serves an assortment of coffee and breakfast options. My group tried the cafe’s signature coffee, which blends green and roasted beans, alongside mallorcas, Puerto Rican sweet rolls that are traditionally topped with powdered sugar. The fourth-generation family-owned cafe is small but charming, with plenty of seats for small and medium-sized groups, and milk alternatives are available to dairy-free coffee drinkers.

Cafe Don Ruiz: Cuartel de Ballaja, Calle Norzagaray Esq. Beneficiencia, San Juan, PR 00901, Puerto Rico

Cool off with a cocktail (or mocktail) and ceviche

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Photo: Krystalyn Laura Rey Hipolito

Next, The Spoon Experience took the group on a short walk to Hotel El Convento for a watermelon mojito and ceviche. (There are non-alcoholic drinks and mocktails available, as well.) The ceviche is made with a passion fruit base and mahi mahi, and it’s served with yucca root chips. Originally a Peruvian dish, ceviche is widely enjoyed in Puerto Rico and pairs well with a refreshing mojito, especially on a hot day.

Hotel El Convento: 100 Calle del Cristo, San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico

Dig into hearty Puerto Rican plates

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Photo: Krystalyn Laura Rey Hipolito

My favorite restaurants to try are hole-in-the-wall mom-and-pop shops like Deaverdura Restaurant. The unfussy and very popular eatery serves filling, flavorful dishes such as savory roasted pork with rice and beans, which is made extra punchy with the addition of the cilantro-lime chimichurri sauce. You can also order a white-rum-based cocktail here with one of three fruit juices as a mixer: acerola (a small cherry-like fruit), guanabana (a sweet-and-sour fruit with a tropical flavor), or tamarind. Deaverdura takes no reservations — and it can get busy with a line out the door — but it’s one restaurant that’s worth the wait.

Deaverdura Restaurant: 200 Sol St, San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico

Get a taste of mouthwatering mofongo

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Photo: Krystalyn Laura Rey Hipolito

Another short walk away from Deaverdura is Juanes Restaurant where you can sample one of Puerto Rico’s signature dishes: mofongo. Mofongo is typically made with fried green plantains mashed together in a pilon (wooden mortar and pestle), with broth, garlic, olive oil, pork skin, and spices. It can also be made with other bases, but we were served a plantain-based mofongo with chicken on top — and it was impossible to resist.

Juanes Restaurant: 201b C. Tetuán, San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico

Satisfy your sweet tooth

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Photo: Krystalyn Laura Rey Hipolito

Last but not least: dessert. We ended our tour at Señor Paleta, a popsicle parlor with an assortment of flavors to choose from. There are dairy and non-dairy options available, ranging from chocolate to different fruits. I tried the pistachio paleta (a milk-based popsicle) although the watermelon flavor was definitely calling my name. Best of all: If you find yourself craving paletas even after you’ve returned home, the shop makes deliveries to the US — you can order bundles of six, 12, or 20 paletas to tide you over until your next trip to San Juan.

Señor Paleta: 153 C. Tetuán, San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico

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