Eating and Drinking Our Way Through San Juan, Puerto Rico with Spoon Food Tours – Part 3

by Janis on December 22, 2013

While in port during a cruise on the Seabourn Pride, we took a private food tour around San Juan with Paulina Salach, the owner of Spoon Food Tours.

After visiting Delavida Restobar and Plaza del Mercado in Santurce, and enjoying Peruvian food on Loiza Street, the third part our private tour with Paulina focused on walking through Old San Juan.

As we walked, Paulina (left, in photo above with Mr. Jones) shared some of the history and interesting facts about Old San Juan, much of which is surrounded by a 42-foot-high stone wall.

This skinny building, located at 101 Calle Tetuan, is called La Casa Estrecha (The Narrow House). It is only 5 feet wide inside.

The cobblestone streets of Old San Juan are blue stones cast from furnace slag. The stones arrived from Europe as ballasts on Spanish ships.

Built more than three centuries ago as a Carmelite Convent, this historic building was converted into the luxurious boutique Hotel El Convento in Old San Juan. Inside is a beautiful open courtyard with two restaurants: the open-air Patio del Nispero restaurant is downstairs near the hotel’s century-old nispero fruit tree, where bartender Luis Flores makes the best mojito in San Juan.

Upstairs, the El Picoteo features authentic Spanish tapas and unbelievably delicious desserts. This was our third food and beverage stop on our Spoon Food Tour with Paulina.

Since it was warm, we opted for the iced version of coffee con leche.

The dessert sampling included flan and Tres Leches cake. Both were luscious!

Here’s a closer view of the Tres Leches cake. Magnificent!

After that rich dessert, it was time to walk again. We headed to Castillo San Felipe del Morro, better known as El Morro, a historic fort and lighthouse that is now a national park. While it was dark by now, Paulina shared the history as our group took a few photos.

Our next stop was Cuartel de Ballají¡, a military barrack that houses the Museo de las Americas. At night, the lighted courtyard changes colors. One minute it is blue.

Then, suddenly it is hot pink and purple.

This was the end to our official Spoon Food Tour.

Paulina, however, offered to show us one more place in Old San Juan on our way back to the ship.

At the corner of San Jose and San Sebastian streets, we stepped into an unmarked bar called La Factoría at Hijos De Borinquén. It was a laid-back bar serving hand-crafted cocktails and beers.

But inside the bar, Paulina led us through a non-descript door, into an artfully-decorated, two-room, hidden wine bar.

In addition to a list of interesting wines by the glass or the bottle, this wine bar featured unique art made completely from wine corks on its walls.

A glass of chilled rose here was the perfect end to a fun-filled, interesting and delicious day exploring San Juan with Paulina.

Whether you are in San Juan for a few days or only a few hours during a cruise ship stop, we highly recommend exploring the city with Spoon Food Tours.

Check out the earlier part of our adventure with Spoon Food Tours here:

Do you have a favorite “foodie” destination in San Juan? Please share in comments below.

Other posts on San Juan and food tours in other cities that you may want to check out”;..

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