Restaurants in Puerto Rico:

(Click each picture to make it larger)

You’ll never see me review a restaurant on this blog. It’s just something that I will never do. I ate at some great restaurants while I was in Puerto Rico. None of them were expensive and none of them served hamburgers on their menu. My advice for eating restaurant food in Puerto Rico is, if you see a lot of locals eating there then go in, if there are a lot of people who look like they’re lost (tourists), inside the restaurant, then stay away.

I recommend (just from this trip):

Pito’s Seafood in Ponce, Puerto Rico.   We named our 13 year old chihuahua after this place so it’s my first recommendation. NO PICTURE FOR THIS ONE

Cabuqui in Ponce, Puerto Rico. New meets old in Puerto Rican cuisine

Cafe Manolin in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.   This is where the locals eat lunch in the busy city, it’s been there for 75 years so you can’t go wrong there. Traditional food, inexpensive, and you’ll hear great stories.

La Tarraya in La Parguera, Puerto Rico. Blue shell crab empanada, enough said.

King’s Cream Helados in Ponce, Puerto Rico. 12 different flavors of ice cream with natural ingredients such as, coconut, mango, rice, and almond. Definitely a must.

Notice a trend here? Spend a small amount of time in San Juan, it’s like flypaper for tourists.

There are a lot of other places you can find food that aren’t clearly marked. Like I said before, Panaderias serve food and you’ll find a few scattered home/restaurants. Street food and roadside highway food are also worth a try….however, if the stand or roadside food place looks empty then stay away, that is usually a sign that the locals won’t even eat there.

Side note: Don’t expect your food to get to you fast, anywhere. In Puerto Rico good food takes time and if you’re in a huge rush there is a Burger King on basically every corner so you can always go there if you’re in that much of a rush. Relax, have a Medalla or two, and listen to the fantastic music playing in the background.

(Click here for more of my Puerto Rico Travel Guide)

Eric