Tasting Your Way Through Old San Juan

"Is there such a thing as Puerto Rican food?" wondered a colleague of mine one day, interrupting me mid-way through a rave about the many reasons to love Puerto Rico.

The answer is: Si, Si, Si! How does everyone not know this? The local cuisine actually tops my list of loveable qualities belonging to this exuberant, flavorful Caribbean island. (It's tied with other things, like the bioluminescent bays or the butterflies in El Yunque rainforest or the way that everyone, even the grandparents, dances salsa.)

Puerto Ricans are passionate about food—and while there are some expensive high-concept restaurants, the real culinary treasure is the abundance of modestly priced family-run eateries serving traditional favorites like lechon (roast pork), mofongo (mashed plantains mixed with anything from pork to veggies), frituras (fritters), and blood sausage. These unpublicized gems are everywhere from the tourist hub of Isla Verde to the hardly-developed island of Vieques...and in Old San Juan, they're around every corner. A newly launched but fantastic foodie walking tour, Flavors of San Juan, will take you to four restaurants in two hours—all of which are vetted by tour guide, founder, and former journalist Leslie Padró. Or you can opt to explore on your own... start with any of the following three eateries and you won't be disappointed.