Ultimate Guide to San Juan, Puerto Rico

To Katy and Fredo – Congrats on the big day, wish I could’ve been there to celebrate. Hope this guide is helpful ❤️

I spent September working and exploring in beautiful San Juan, Puerto Rico. Home to delicious food, rich culture, stunning beaches, and the sole tropical rain forest in the U.S. National Forest System – Puerto Rico is a must visit island.

Below you will find a quick guide filled with the best eats, nightlife, beaches and can’t miss excursions!

EATS

There are so many delicious, traditional dishes to try when visiting Puerto Rico. My favorite include:

Mofongo: fried, mashed plantains usually served with meat or seafood
Bacalaitos: fried salted cod fritters
Tostones: savory, green, fried plantains
Maduros: the ripe sweet cousin of the tostones
Pernil: Latin-American slow roasted pork shoulder
Piña Coladas: originated in San Juan and I promise they do taste better here 🙂

Where to try it:

Old San Juan

El Jibarito: 280 Sol St, San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico
This was may favorite restaurant for tostones – they drench it in this amazing garlic butter! Also a good spot to have a piña colada.

Barrachina: 104 C. de la Fortaleza, San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico
Slightly fancier place for traditional Puerto Rican dishes with a cozy interior.

Condado

Los Pinos Cafe: Ave Ponce de Leon, 659 C. Salva, San Juan, 00907, Puerto Rico
A classic spot recommended by locals and it is also open 24/7.

Cayo Caribe: 1451 Ashford Ave, San Juan, 00907, Puerto Rico
A great place for seafood and it is worth trying a few appetizers. I loved the codfish croquetas and the taquitos de ceviche.

Loiza

Acapulco Taqueria Mexicana: 2021 C. Loíza, San Juan, 00911, Puerto Rico
A good spot if you are craving Mexican food and they serve a wide variety of yummy margaritas.

Burger and Mayo Lab: 2016 C. Loíza Local A, San Juan, 00912, Puerto Rico
Typical burger joint serving up alcoholic slushies with gummy worms.

Quick Bites & Food Trucks

Lote 23: 1552 PR-25, San Juan, 00909, Puerto Rico
Cute area with lots of food stands / trucks serving up various cuisines.

SNWCHS: 1057 PR-25, San Juan, 00907, Puerto Rico
I never actually physically went here, but this was a frequent Uber Eats order from multiple people who stayed at my coliving. The house sandwich (El SNWCH) is so so good.

Kasalta: 1966 McLeary Ave, San Juan, 00911, Puerto Rico
Famous bakery with delicious sandwiches. My favorite was the Cuban. There is also a big picture of Obama ordering a sandwich here.

BEACHES & SURF

Condado Beach: San Juan, 00907, Puerto Rico
Beautiful beach, but definitely in one of the most touristy areas so it will likely be crowded. A good spot if you want to rent a beach lounger (usually around $5). There are also loads of bars around so its a great place for a chill beach day.

Playita del Condado: San Juan, 00907, Puerto Rico
This little beach is around the corner from the main Condado beach. It is a good spot to swim when the waves are too crazy at Condado. There is a break wall so it is much calmer. My brother and I spent a few hours snorkeling here when the main beaches were closed from dangerous waves.

Balneario del Escambrón: San Juan, 00910, Puerto Rico
Less crowded than Condado and still very beautiful. This is also a good spot if you have a hammock because of all the palm trees.

Isla Verde: Carolina, 00979, Puerto Rico
Another big beach. This is a good spot to surf. You can rent a board for 2 hours for $20 from (WOW Surfing School). They have the rentals right on the beach so you can’t miss it. Lessons are available too, and it seems like a perfect beach to learn since there is so much space.

NIGHTLIFE

Old San Juan
Old San Juan was definitely my favorite area to go out in. The streets are beautiful and the bars are filled with salsa dancing and tasty drinks. My favorite spot was La Factoria. I am sure you will see it on all of the nightlife lists for San Juan. Both locals and tourists meet here to salsa dance the night away. There are also multiple rooms with completely different vibes depending on what you are in the mood for. Near La Factoria you can also find plenty of other fun bars to stop in. But honestly, there were nights we only stayed in La Factoria, and I didn’t feel like we missed out.

La Placita
La Placita is the other part of the city we frequented. There are lots of restaurants, bars and clubs. From karaoke bars to techno clubs there is something for everyone. I recommend just walking around the square and trying out a few different places until you find something you like.

Speakeasies
I love a good speakeasy and there are a couple in San Juan that are super cool. One is located inside a restaurant called Tavola Condado Trattoria Local. You walk into the restaurant and there will be a vending machine which is actually a door. Open that up and you find a chic, cocktail bar. The other speakeasy, which unfortunately was closed when we tried to go, is in Vine | Wine & Cocktails. I did peek inside and it looks amazing so totally recommend!

MUST VISIT EXCURSIONS

Bioluminescent Bay

If you have been googling things to do in Puerto Rico, you have probably come across the bioluminescent bays. A bio bay is caused by single-cell marine plankton known as dinoflagellates that glow in a blueish-green color when disturbed. There are only 5 bays in the whole world, and Puerto Rico is home to 3 of them. This is why it is a must see! The most famous of the three is called Mosquito Bay located on the island Vieques off the east coast of PR. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make it out there, but I did visit the bay in Fajardo.

I booked a kayak tour with this company: https://kayakingpuertorico.com/ and I highly recommend. It was easily one of the coolest experiences I have ever had traveling and definitely my favorite in Puerto Rico. Plan your trip around the moon phases. The bigger the moon the less likely you are to see the organisms glow as brightly. Fortunately, when I visited the moonlight was minimal so the plankton was at its peak brightness. Having time to kayak in the bay and splash around in the glowing water was unreal.

El Yunque National Forest

El Yunque is another must see when in Puerto Rico. There are loads of spots in the forest that I am sure are amazing but the the spot below is such a hidden gem. The community manager at my coliving gave me the address and I cannot be happier we decided to go.

How to Get There
Originally, I was planning on just booking an Airbnb experience where they drive you to and from the park. Those are around $70-80 and obviously have a strict schedule with more touristy spots. So instead, we rented a car for around $30 for the day and drove to this address: Cascada Río Espíritu Santo. You will find multiple signs that tell you the road is closed – keep driving. I know it sounds sketchy, but I promise you it is worth it. Once you reach the spot there are waterfalls you can swim under and large rocks you can hangout on. It is sort of hard to see from the ground, but the climb is not bad at all. I went with both my parents and they didn’t have difficulty getting up. If you are lucky there will be local sitting at at the bottom who can help you figure out how to climb up, he also handed us each a beer and refused to let us pay.

The picture below does not do this place justice. Further up there is a waterfall and you can swim in the pools around it!

I hope this guide helps on your trip to PR. Let me know if you think I missed any must sees! If you are curious about where I am traveling right now – check out my “About Me” page and follow me on Instagram: @sliceoftina 🙂