I joked that we apparently came on this trip just to eat, because we ate - a lot! And for good reason, we were surrounded by excellent restaurants and unique eating opportunities in San Juan - many just a block away from our AirBnB apartment.

The apartment had a small and hot little kitchen, so we ate out for all of our meals. Just a few blocks away, we had delicious Venezuelan arepas, Kasalta (a local bakery), Bocca (amazing Italian), Rashi (Japanese Ramen), and so much more. In Old San Juan, we had an amazing pizza at Pirilo Pizza Rustica. Not to mention a food truck (near the cruise port) that had all of the traditional fried Puerto Rican foods.

Restaurants:

Pirilo Pizza Rustica

Bocca Osteria Romana Santurce

La Preña

Kasalta

Burger & Mayo Lab

Coffee is a huge part of the Puerto Rican culture. There’s even a laundromat with a coffee shop in it! We took a tour at Hacienda Muñoz to learn more about how coffee is produced and to try a locally grown coffee. This was a super informational experience and I’m so glad we decided to go ahead rent a car during our stay. We were really able to get out and explore a lot more. You just have to drive like you know where you’re going and island driving is always a little wild, so buckle up for the ride!

San Juan is full of interesting history, particularly religious history. There are several very old churches that are interesting spots to visit in Old San Juan.

Two particularly interesting churches were the San Juan Cathedral, which houses the body (a relic) of St. Pius and has it on display. The second was the Parroquia San Fransisco de Asis, which has a catacomb, a relic, and a cross saved from a shipwreck. The hours this church is open is not very well advertised, but we were able to get in on a Monday afternoon.