Charming little restaurant on the corner of two old streets, Calle de la Cruz and Calle del Sol, out in Old San Juan. We walked over after touring the castle landmark nearby at the edge of the little peninsula. It was a gorgeous day and the stroll was really pleasant
We were lucky and came right after a lunch rush session on a Friday afternoon and were able to get a seat as a party of two almost immediately. They actually ask folks to wait outside the restaurant, for better or worse, and if an employee happens to notice you waiting outside, they'll inquire if you want a seat
Their menu is on a blackboard that's a bit obscure in a corner- all in Spanish so it's quite an experience for non-spanish speakers to try to navigate through the options. Thankfully our waitress was very patient with us and had wonderful English and went through virtually all the menu items. After a bit of deliberation, we ironically ended up just going with the sampler platter (which if we would've decided in the first place we wouldn't have to have gone through so much consternation of not knowing what is what)
I picked up a Medalla with my meal and my wife got a pineapple juice. The beer was within expectations - but the pineapple juice was incredibly fresh, and sweetened with perhaps sugar cane as opposed to artificial sweetener. The sugars were much more delicate and natural tasting - very refreshing
The platter itself was more than enough for two people. We were still touring around the city and didn't want to be too full, but the portions were generous
It came with an assortment of Puerto Rican classics - most of which I can't really identify lol. But in my best attempt - slow cooked pork shoulder, blood sausage (which was delicious, very little 'gamey' scent), plantains with rice, fried plantains, these other little crispy things that were also great
There were these two sauces that were on each table too - one was a cilantro-olive-oil (?) mix, the other a spicy creamy sauce. Both sauces slapped. I preferred the spicy creamy one as it gave just enough kick to the meats. The cilantro based one was much more mild but also delicious with its own distinct flavor profile
If you're in the area and touring around Old San Juan, definitely stop by for a bite here. It's fresh, it's local, and at good price. It's a bit of a hassle to get into the Old City to begin with so I wouldn't recommend doing a trip just for this place
tldr; local little restaurant with comfort/classic Puerto Rican dishes. Absolutely worth a trip if you're in the area as it contrasts with the other much more tourist-y places in the Old City read more