Even so, San Juan and its surrounding neighborhoods continue to be the island’s gastronomic epicenter. Cocina al Fondo, run by the 2023 James Beard Awards winner for Best Chef (South) Natalia Vallejo, is set in a refurbished traditional casita, or home, where you can dine on arroz con conejo (stewed rabbit rice) alfresco, amid a chorus of tiny coqui frogs. Her food is at once nostalgic and inventive, each dish rooted in island terroir. Orujo by Carlos Portela offers a rotating chef-driven prix fixe menu comprising upward of 20 dishes, typically presented by the chef himself, alongside wine pairings in a sexy little restaurant that’s as comfortable as a living room. Here, each plate is an homage to the island—from local calabaza pumpkin topped with shaved truffles to marlin crudo with passion fruit and amaranth. Orujo’s Portela, alongside the chefs at standout restaurants like Verde Mesa and Vianda, demonstrates a mastery of vegetables—a notable feat on an island better known for meaty fritters.
María Mercedes Grubb, meanwhile, is at the helm of newcomer Mamplé, an open-kitchen bar that serves classic Caribbean dishes with a French twist in an omakase format. There are scallops with sour orange and tarragon sauce meunière; white sweet potato pommes fondantes, and morcilla croquembouche (annatto gougères with blood sausage, local goat cheese mousse, and malta caramel). While these chefs embrace tradition, they also are primed for adventure, drawing on the influence and reach of international travelers.
Once out of the bustle of the San Juan metro area, the culinary options are ever expanding. Rincón—a hub for US expats and surfing enthusiasts on the west coast—is home to a growing local craft beer scene. Iconic beach beers like Corona are being overshadowed by bolder brews from the likes of Rincón Beer Company, which is known for its double IPAs and porters. Like many in the island’s culinary vanguard, brewmaster Jeremmie Vélez Rosario is dedicated to sustainability, using ingredients grown on-site for his new spot, El Co.lectivo, a no-waste cocktail bar and pizza joint.
Further south, in Mayagüez, rising star chef Luis Enrique’s restaurant Mamaya serves an island take on osso buco (pork, not veal), alongside bacalaítos—traditional salted cod fritters, typically served at roadside stands. In San Germán, Puerto Rico’s second oldest city, El Cubujón Bar makes a stellar rye whiskey old-fashioned, as well as island classic choripán (grilled chorizo sausage on super soft bread). And in Boquerón, on Calle Jose de Diego, the furthest southwest tip of the island, generations of local fishers sell the absolute freshest local seafood, including petite, briny oysters caught that day. Tradition and modernity live side by side from coast to coast: you don’t want to miss Guavate’s famed Ruta del Lechón or roast pork highway for classic crispy chicharrón, rice with pigeon peas, and mofongo—but if there’s one restaurant that truly reflects the island’s culinary hybridity, it’s Bacoa Finca + Fogón, a stunning open-air restaurant that’s tucked into the base of the El Yunque rainforest (you can even arrive by helicopter, if that’s your thing). The brainchild of Xavier Pacheco, Raúl Correa, and René Marichal, it specializes in wood-fire cooking brimming with smoke and sazón, conjuring the chefs’ Taíno and African ancestry with native plants from their on-site farm.
