PUERTO RICO DINING

Don't leave Puerto Rico with a taste of the island's distinct cuisine, a blend of Spanish, African, and Taino Indian elements into dishes that will have you ordering more. Start with an appetizer of tostones, fried plantains, or empanadillas, little meat turnovers. Other Puerto Rico dishes include asopao, a chicken and rice soup, and mofongo, fried plantains mixed with fried pork rinds and seasoned with garlic. Save room for flan, a wonderful custard, or our favorite, tembleque, a custard made with coconut milk and sprinkled with cinnamon.

You won't go thirsty during a Puerto Rico stay; the island offers some of the Caribbean's best rums, Medalla beer, and stout Puerto Rico coffee.

La Mallorquina
Old San Juan
787-722-3261
Dress code: casually elegant
Reservations: no
$$$
Since 1848, this casual eatery has offered fine Puerto Rican cuisine: paella, fried rice with shrimp, chicken asopao, and even Puerto Rican-style beef tenderloin.

La Dorada
Condado
787-729-3184
Dress code: casual
Reservations: no
$$-$$$
Puerto Rican cuisine is also the specialty of this casual restaurant that features many seafood dishes. Choose from broiled halibut, red snapper in lobster and shrimp sauce, rice with squid, lobster asopao, or mofongo stuffed with seafood.

The Parrot Club
363 Fortaleza St., Old San Juan
787-725-7370
Dress code: casually elegant
Reservations: suggested
$$-$$$
This fun restaurant has a tropical courtyard and a definite Caribbean feel. The menu features a wide array of Latino dishess with a twist, from ceviche to blackened tuna.

Su Casa
Hyatt Dorado Beach Resort
Dorado
787-884-0047
Dress code: casually elegant
Reservation: required during peak season
$$$
Dine in an authentic hacienda, the former home of Dr. Alfred Livingston, the owner of the plantation on which the Hyatt Dorado now sits. You can dine on a balcony or in a romantic courtyard, surrounded by the Spanish Colonial style of this 1900 home. The restaurant, which features Puerto Rican and Spanish dishes, is open for dinner only during peak season.