You didn’t think my food pics would end after the food tour, did you? Nope. Despite the awkwardness that is pulling out my big camera at the dinner table, I managed to snap a few shots of some memorable meals and drinks from our week in San Juan, Puerto Rico. If you’re staying in Santurce, I’ve got a few restaurant recommendations. And if you’re just a food voyeur (hey, no shame) then you can just look at these photos…
Lunch at Tresbe
Remember that hip, bright yellow, re-purposed shipping container in our neighborhood? That’s Cafe Tresbe and it’s a good pick for a quick, outdoor lunch. Charlie and I went overboard ordering one of the cheapest items on the menu: empanadillas.
I have no idea why these are known by a different name than just empanadas as they seem to be the same thing, but they’re basically fried pockets of goodness… well, assuming you choose the right filling. (I don’t recommend the lobster, I do recommend the cheese and onion.) Like empanadas – the delicious, affordable bane of my existence in Argentina – they are folded differently depending on what they contain. Other options here are shrimp, conch, chicken, and stewed beef. They were all served with a sweet passionfruit hot sauce.
Mom continued her fish taco streak with a couple more of them at Tresbe. Patrick opted for the pork.
The Fanciest – Jose Enrique
Named one of Food & Wine’s best new chefs and having his restaurant visited by José Andrés, chef José Enrique’s restaurant of the same name has become extremely popular. José Enrique is located just outside La Placita in Santurce and always draws a crowd. From tourists to neighborhood locals to executives having after-work drinks, we were warned in advance that there would be a line. Luckily, we were able to get in without waiting (by a miracle, according to the hostess) when we arrived at the little pink house just around 5:30 PM.
We’d just been planning to put our names in, but she told us we’d have to hurry up and sit. Mom ran off to find Patrick and Charlie who had just discovered the 3 x $5 Medalla Light happy hour special at a nearby bar. (No worries, they snuck me a beer into the restaurant and I drank it in the bathroom. I’m all about class, really.) They arrived, Patrick uttering the question, “So did we just bottle lightning?” Apparently so.
The concept is creative, elevated Puerto Rican food. Due to its popularity, the food ain’t cheap, but it is pretty fantastic. The fried pieces of pork we got as an appetizer were crispy and phenomenal, with lots of acid to balance them out. Between the four of us we tried the mahi mahi, brisket, skirt steak, and grouper (on top of polenta, Charlie’s choice and arguably the best dish of the night). The beef dishes were accompanied by traditional Puerto Rican sides of beans, rice, and crispy fried smashed plantains.
Crispy pork appetizer with pickled onions and fried plantains
As it got darker and the drinks kept coming, my food photography skills subsequently declined. Apologies.
Very tender brisket
Mom’s mahi mahi
That Place Across the Street – Farmacia Americana
There was no place that took care of our collective needs on this trip more than the Farmacia Americana located on Calle Loiza, conveniently across from our airbnb. It had everything from an actual pharmacy (duh), toiletries, and school supplies, to ice, snacks, beer, water, and a kitchen with a deli counter! (It was like the Food Lion deli in my hometown that serves hot local specialties, just Puerto Rican.)
Charlie ordered what he deemed to be one of the top five sandwiches of his life here. For Puerto Ricans, they make a hell of a Cuban sandwich. They use the fresh loaves of pan de agua which are ubiquitous around town to make this giant sandwich – and yes, one is definitely enough for two people. They also wrapped the sandwich up in tin foil and stuffed it in a paper bag, which keeps it hot while you transport it straight to the beach for lunch.
Needless to say, after discovering these Cubans, we all ordered one to take out with us on our last beach day.
The view of the Farmacia from our balcony. Sorry for the lack of daytime fotos.
This was also a convenient and cheap place to pick up breakfast pastries. SO. MANY. QUESITOS. And they sold these fluffy, light pastries filled with beef. Like a breakfast meat pocket. I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life to use that phrase.
I also opted for one of the $6 lunch specials written on the dry erase board in front of the Farmacia’s kitchen counter each day. Albondigas con salsa, served with rice and beans of course. Not beautiful, but so much food, and it hit the spot. As I waited for my lunch to be prepared, I felt good about my choice after hearing a few locals order it too. It seemed to be the most popular choice after, oddly enough, corned beef.
Oh man, I just googled it and Puerto Rican corned beef is a thing – it’s like a specialty. Who knew?!
Told you it wasn’t pretty. I liked the sauciness of the beans. I like sauciness in general.
Drinks in Old San Juan
I’m going to stray from Santurce for a brief second, mainly because I have some great photos that I need to share. (Hey, they’ve gotta go somewhere.)
First off I have to admit that sadly, I did not have a piña colada, Puerto Rico’s national drink, the whole time I was visiting. True story, it was born in San Juan – the bartenders at the Caribe Hilton and those at Barrachina restaurant argue over who created the drink first.
We did try out some other cocktails though. After our food tour, Charlie got a really snazzy looking mojito at a wine bar in Old San Juan; we were enticed by its rooftop terrace (what can I say? it’s one of my favorite architectural attributes). But first, we had some refreshingly cold beers in a revolution-themed hipster bar on the floor just beneath it. They were playing some electronic music that Patrick really enjoyed – seriously, he got the Spotify playlist from the bartender before we left.
Beers!
And of course, we had our fair share of beers. Thank goodness that the owner of our airbnb thoughtfully left us a cooler we could load up and take to the beach. The ever-present national beer of Puerto Rico is Medalla Light, which I say tastes like the love child of a Natural Light and Corona. I didn’t hate it.
BUT HEY PUERTO RICO, WE NEED TO HAVE A CHAT. WHAT’S WITH THE 10 OZ. CANS?! I’m guessing it has something to do with the heat… maybe like the reason we drank so many Coronitas in Mexico. I’m not a fan of this. Oh and especially because they aren’t cheap either. The other main alternative was Coors Light (hey, I guess it’s better than Busch Light?).
Beer by Puerto Rico // Accessories by Pura Vida Bracelets (free shipping, guys!)
Beach Bars and Whole Fried Fish
Our neighborhood in San Juan had no shortage of dining establishments, you know, aside from the Farmacia. We checked out quite a few of them within a stone’s throw of our apartment.
More mojitos were had at Mango’s, a somewhat cheesy beach bar located near Ocean Park Beach, but with a solid happy hour special that Charlie and I discovered on our first night. I tried a coconut mojito while Charlie tried an almond mojito upon the recommendation of our server. Weird, but very tasty. Our appetizer of pork spring rolls went great with all the booze too. We also had tequila shots and Coronas… ehem, it was happy hour after all. 2 for 1 okay?! My vacation, my rules!
We also hit up the La Cueva del Mar for lots of seafood, and Patrick got one of the best meals I tasted in Puerto Rico: a fried whole red snapper. It was giant, but so light that he was easily able to eat it all. The meat was almost sweet.
Coconut mojito at Mango’s // Patrick’s whole snapper from dinner our first night at the Santurce location of La Cueva del Mar
Low Key Puerto Rican at Molini’s
About-to-fall-on-our-faces-tired, Charlie and I left La Placita early Saturday night and headed closer to home before eating dinner. Molini’s is a small, traditional Puerto Rican establishment on Calle Loiza. With entrees on the cheaper side and the best service we had the whole trip, it’s a tiny place with a chalkboard menu. The waitress patiently explained all of the dishes to us, as most of those food terms weren’t within my Spanish vocabulary.
I tried out the sancocho, a stew of plantain, yuca, corn, and beef – maybe some potatoes too, hard to tell with all those starches of varying textures. Kinda like a Puerto Rican beef stew. And for about $7 it came with rice and was extremely filling, even if it was a bit strange for a hot night. Not a fancy dish, but tasty. The waitress also provided me with some super spicy house-made hot sauce that came in an old pint liquor bottle.
Sancocho
Excellent Peruvian Food at La Chola
AND THEN WE FINALLY HAD CEVICHE!
Obviously Peruvian, but found on lots of menus in San Juan, we waited to order ceviche until we were at La Chola, an actual Peruvian restaurant less than a block from our apartment that came highly recommended. They don’t have air conditioning, but the food, good prices, and the freshness of the fish made it beyond worth sitting in the heat.
You know how when you’re unsure of your surroundings, or the place you’re eating, or the quality of the establishment, or when you’re eating raw fish like ever, and you just keep waiting for that weird fishy bite or gross texture that’s just going to ruin everything and make you stop eating, go home, sulk, and wait to be sick? (Oh, is that just me?) Yeah, that moment never came here! And thank goodness! The ceviche at La Chola was not scary like that at all.
This was fresh, fantastic, citrusy ceviche, and the texture and quality of the fish was just perfect. Maybe the best I’ve ever had.
Oh yeah, and they had pisco sours – delicious
Arroz con mariscos. Charlie’s. Lots of cilantro. Very good.
A sweet fish and shellfish stew over trifongo, a combination of mashed ripe and green plantains (in contrast to the ever popular mofongo, fried and smashed green plantains).
I really liked this place. We didn’t get around to visiting until our last night in town, but I would have eaten here multiple times had I known of its greatness. With a small menu containing several types of ceviche and rice dishes and a great pisco sour, I could have come back until I tried everything. The quality was just that impressive. Ignore the lack of crowds (which is usually a bad sign – it kicks into gear later) and the weird decor; the reviews of this place speak for themselves. Believe the hype.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to eat too many meals outside of Santurce. I hear there are some pretty swanky places in Old San Juan, but after a long day of beaching it we usually weren’t in the mood to stray too far from home. When choosing these restaurants, we relied on the advice of our airbnb hosts and food tour guide, and as it usually works out, word of mouth was definitely the way to go. Narrowing down where to eat is usually a painfully difficult process for me (ask Charlie) and it was made easy by just following the suggestions of locals (thank God).
Your pictures are beautiful! Now I’m hungry.
Really pays to use the good camera. Thanks mom!
You had me at empanadillas. And you got me again at bathroom beers. Oh my gosh, I have become the most obnoxious person to eat meals with since I started blogging. I haul my big camera with me everywhere now and take pictures of every plate. People do tend to stare at me but it really does make a world of difference. That picture of the Cuban sandwich makes me want to not be a vegetarian anymore. Just kidding, but it does look delicious!! Perhaps there’s a fake meat version of that somewhere? 😉
Justine recently posted…6 Awesome Places to Get Your Eat & Drink on in Boulder
Haha, man I really wish I came up with the phrase “bathroom beers.” Sometimes I feel like the big camera at the table makes me look more important than I am, and sometimes I think it makes me look like a super nerd.
Funny you say that. I was recently at a restaurant in Boulder and the waitress gave us such good service. She thought I was writing a review because I had my camera out! But in reality I’m just a super nerd who wanted to write a blog post.
Justine recently posted…Moving to Cambodia…First Impressions
I had my first ever empanadilla earlier this month here in Pittsburgh from a Puerto Rican food truck and I am hooked. Although like you, I also had no idea what they were even though I’m a Spanish speaker and thought myself to be kinda well-versed in the Latin American foodie department.
I go gaga over pisco sours-not enough places here make them! But this whole post is top notch-I’d die a happy death if it was with a good cubano and a mojito. The coconut one looks delish!
Julie recently posted…Costa Rica-a study abroad retrospective (part 2)
Yeah, so maybe that’s just what Puerto Rican empanadas are called? This was actually my FIRST pisco sour! But you’ve been to Peru recently right?! (I’m checking out your posts right now.) I’m trying to get there soon! I do love egg white in my cocktails.