Cafetería Mallorca (300 Calle San Francisco, Old San Juan) — The specialty at this old-fashioned, 1950s-style diner is the mallorca, a sweet pastry that’s buttered, grilled, and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. Wash one down with a terrific cup of café con leche. For something more substantial, try the breakfast mallorca, which has ham and […]
Bar Gitano (1302 Avenida Ashford, C-1, Condado) — Themed as a traditional Andalusian-style tasca, this extremely popular tapas bar is decorated with artwork created from Madrid bullfighting photographs. The marble bar and dark wood tables give an impression of casual elegance. The trendy crowd is always lively or borderline noisy, especially if there’s a soccer […]
Aureola (106 Calle San Sebastián, Old San Juan) — Facing Plaza San José, this colorful restaurant serves solid Mexican food at a reasonable price. Brightly colored sombreros hang from the walls, cantina music plays overhead, and a bowl of dried chiles decorates your table. It may sound a little cartoonish, but in fact the comfortable […]
Casa Bacardí Visitor Center (Bay View Industrial Park, Rte. 165, Km 2.6, at Rte. 888, Cataño,)– Exiled from Cuba, the Bacardí family built a small rum distillery here in the 1950s. Today it’s the world’s largest, with the capacity to produce 100,000 gallons of spirits a day and 21 million cases a year. You can […]
Parque Histórico Juan Ponce de León (Rte. 2, Km 6.4, Guaynabo) — In 1508, Ponce de León established the island’s first settlement here. The Caparra Ruins—a few crumbling walls—are all that remain of an ancient fort. The small Museo de la Conquista y Colonización de Puerto Rico (Museum of the Conquest and Colonization of Puerto […]
Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte (Universidad de Puerto Rico, Avenida Ponce de León, Río Piedras) — The Universidad de Puerto Rico’s small Museum of History, Anthropology and Art offers rotating exhibitions in three areas. Its archaeological and historical collection covers the Native American influence on the island and the Caribbean, the colonial era, and […]
Jardín Botánico (Botanical Garden)(Intersection of Rtes. 1 and 847, at entrance to Barrio Venezuela, Río Piedras) — This 75-acre forest of more than 200 species of tropical and subtropical vegetation is the Universidad de Puerto Rico’s main attraction. Gravel footpaths lead to a graceful lotus lagoon, a bamboo promenade, as well as orchid and palm […]
This district is where the University of Puerto Rico’s main campus is located (since 1903). With over 25,000 students, this vibrant center for learning is the life of this area. At the heart of Río Piedras lies the Avenida José de Diego, a one-kilometer pedestrian street with stores and shops. The Río Piedras Plaza del […]
Hato Rey is a former ward located in the northwest part of the dissolved municipality of Río Piedras. It now stretches over three wards of the municipality of San Juan: Hato Rey Central, Hato Rey Norte, and Hato Rey Sur. Because of its location, many Puerto Ricans travelling to Old San Juan must drive through […]
Petrus (726 Calle Hoare, Santurce) – the first significant entry into Santurce’s emerging art scene, Petrus, has been at the forefront of contemporary Puerto Rican art since 2003. A distinctive sculpture by Carmen Inés Blondet — large steel spikes coming out of the ground — marks the entrance to its modern, white building. The owner, […]