We have been to San Juan, Puerto Rico numerous times. It is one of our very favorite places to eat and drink, especially thanks to some restaurant recommendations from local friends. Last weekend, we returned for a long weekend simply to escape the cold. Given that two of our favorite restaurants are permanently closed (Jose Enrique and Celeste), I had to find some new restos! I came across Manzana de Java in my research and then saw that it was one of Bad Bunny’s favorite restaurants. Sold. I booked a reservation several weeks in advance and could only get the first seating of 6:30 PM.

La Manzana de Java, literally translating to the Java Apple, is located in Santurce on a quiet street. It’s truly a whole in the wall with only 20 seats. Hence, the difficulty in securing a reservation. La Manzana has 3 seatings nightly, the early seating (5:30, 6:00, and 6:30), a regular seating (7:00, 7:30), and a late seating at 9:00 or 9:30. Tables are grouped in groups of 2 or 4, and it could be difficult to have a much larger party here without renting out the whole restaurant.

The menu is modern Puerto Rican with a South Asian twist. They work really well together. And, the menu changes pretty regularly, including nightly adjustments. It is split into small dishes, large dishes, sides, and desserts. Our waiter recommended 3 – 4 dishes between 2 people, excluding dessert. There is also a small beverage menu, with cocktails and nonalcoholic digestifs or “elixirs”, as well as wine by the bottle and glass.

We each began with an “elixir,” which is a very cool name for a cocktail (or mocktail). I ordered the Juana Negroni, which was quite delicious. Dan ordered a hot Pineapple Tisane. We split a bottle of wine that was made with Tannat (which we were excited to see on the menu!). The wine was only $38 per bottle. It was pretty good.

We selected two small courses, a main, and two sides for our dinner. The first to come out was the Asopao. It was simply described to us as having Caribbean lobster in it. The dish was presented  in a small dish, and turned out to be a hot rice soup made with chunks of Caribbean lobster (a swap out for the evening from a fish), coconut milk, and lemon grass. I was not totally sure about this, but it was super tasty. I really enjoyed this soup and finished it. The presentation was also 100%, with the soup being split into two coconut style dishes and served with a wooden spoon. Our waitress also brought out a small plate of tostones, as she said they paired well with the Asopao. She was correct.

The second small plate that we ordered was the chicken skewers. And this one was much more interesting that it seemed on the menu! The chicken appeared to be baked in a slightly sweet sauce and was served on sugar cane skewers that were entirely edible. The skewers were paired with a thick and insanely delicious peanut sauce. There were 3 skewers per order, and we almost finished them all. The presentation here was also very well done.

Our two sides dishes came out at various points during our meal. The first side we ordered was tostones, which are generally twice fried, smashed green plantains, resulting in a crispy, chip-like dish that is a bit soft on the inside. These, however, were made with breadfruit, and I think they were better than the original (the internet seems to agree with this thought). Tostones are incredibly easy to find all over Puerto Rico. These were perfectly seasoned with brown butter, rosemary, roasted garlic, and lavender.

We also ordered a standard rice and beans order, which was really well prepared, tasting very Asian inspired.

For our large course, we selected the Bistec. This is a deep fried beef tenderloin. It was topped with an egg, scallions, shallots, and starfruit vinegar. And, it was incredible. It reminded me a lot of a fried beef filet that we first had at Jose Enrique back in 2012 (ish). The dish was certainly large enough to share, even between 3 people, and it was super tasty. 10/10.

While we had plenty of food at this point, of course we needed dessert. I selected the Cheese Flan, and Dan sweetly agreed with my choice. I am not usually a fan of flan, but I am a huge fan of cheese desserts, especially ones made with Puerto Rico’s Ausubal cheese. Good restaurants in Puerto Rico frequently make desserts with Ausubal cheese. The below is a photo of the flan, topped with nuts and a cream made from the Ausubal cheese. When I tell you this was excellent, know that I am not lying. It was SO good.

All in, we had a really great dinner at Manzana de Java. We will return assuming we can get a reservation. Definitely put this at the top of your list if in San Juan and make a reservation really early.

STEAL OUR DINNER

Manzana de Java: 105 Cll Pomarrosa, San Juan, 00911, Puerto Rico. Open for dinner Wednesday – Monday for dinner 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM. Open for lunch from 11:00 AM Friday and Saturday. Open for lunch on Sunday from 12:00 PM. Closed Tuesday. Reservations absolutely necessary. I would also make clear that this is NOT in Old San Juan. It is probably about a 20 minute drive from Old San Juan.