A Week in Puerto Rico - Some of My Favorite Spots to Eat

We spent a week in Puerto Rico last winter with good friends - a few days in the northwest corner town of Rincon and a few days in San Juan - enjoying the sunshine and visiting with Mr. UR's college roommate. It was a low key, chill week with some beach time, doing some touristy things and eating some good food. To be fair, we ate in our condo some but we ate out most nights.  Here are some of the highlights of what - and where - we ate: 

Cowboys Cantina & Outside Grill, Rincon

We had a group of 6 eating here at this popular steak house/bbq restaurant in Rincon. Known for their steak and ribs, we started with the Queso Frito del Pais Con Salsa de Guayaba - Puertorrican fried cheese with guava sauce - and worked our way to entrees and dessert. (If you know me, the dessert is always going to be Key Lime Pie if it's offered!)The food was delicious and the company wonderful. Note: reservations are highly recommended and seating is outside. When you're done get your photo wearing one of their cowboy - or cowgirl - hats!

Fried cheese with guava sauce -Yum!

If it's on the menu, I'm going to order it!

El Viejo Almacen, San Juan

This was my favorite of the whole week. An Argentinian restaurant located in Old San Juan, it's in  a beautifully restored building with chandeliers and patio dining. We dined here with Mr. UR's friends daughter and boyfriend and were not disappointed. I chose their specialty, the risotto, and it was out of this world delicious. We shared wine and dessert amongst us and everything was perfect.  I highly recommend El Viejo Almacen if you're looking for something a little more upscale, but not too much, in Old San Juan.

The best risotto I've ever had

Annie's Place, Combate Beach, Cabo Rojo

This cafe is located on Combate Beach and we ate here on our day trip down to Cabo Rojo. It was raining buckets and we had a difficult time finding a place to eat. So phones came out and we picked Annie's Place- and I'm really glad we did. It's a cute little place with good Puerto Rican food, good views and open air dining. Perfect little lunch spot for us. 

Not a bad view - even in the rain

Casa Islena, Sandy Beach, Rincon (twice)

Just down the street from our condo on Sandy Beach is Casa Islena Hotel and Restaurant. It is oceanfront and the restaurant sits around the pool. They serve brunch and dinner - we went for both on different days - and it is true tropical dining. 

There's live music around the pool, good food and views of the ocean at dinner. Fish and meat are from the island with veggies from local markets. The menu includes salads, fish of the day, burgers and surf & turf along with ceviche and tostones as appetizers. 

Sweet bunuelos for dessert

Brunch was just as delicious - I splurged with the croissant french toast - which included burgers, spanish tortillas and mimosas for those that want to celebrate at brunch. 

Croissant french toast - just as good as it looked

I highly recommend Casa Islena's restaurant- it also looks to be a fun beachfront stay on Sandy Beach. Note that there are no reservations taken and tables are first come, first serve.

Abracadabra Cafe, San Juan

We had brunch at this cafe located in the Santurce neighborhood of San Juan. Magic themed, it has a full bar menu and was full of locals, not tourists. My Mallorca sandwich - brioche bun dusted with powdered sugar with thin sliced ham and cheese - was delicious. Only downside - it can be quite busy overwhelming the staff, it seems, and it took awhile to get seated. So go here if you've got some extra time, not if you're in a hurry.

The delicious Mallorca sandwich

I would be remiss if I didn't mention one of my absolute favorite meals we had but it wasn't at a restaurant. Our friend's girlfriend - who is Boricua- made us her specialty tostones (my absolute fave when in Puerto Rico), ceviche and other island specialties. Delicioso! It was very sweet of her to cook for us and we really appreciated it.

I'm most definitely not a food blogger. Or even a foodie. Some might say my tastes rival that of a 4 year old. But part of traveling is trying local dishes or new restaurants so I like to highlight a few unique spots to eat. Hope you enjoyed seeing a few Puerto Rico spots to eat -and drink!

How about you? Do you enjoy trying local restaurants when traveling?