For Dan’s birthday trip to Puerto Rico, his one wish was to head to Juncos, Puerto Rico for lunch at Bacoa Finca + Fogón! While it was almost an hour away from our hotel and I had never heard of the restaurant, we booked a car and made reservations weeks in advance for a Sunday morning lunch! And good thing I made the reservation, because Bacoa Finca + Fogón is really popular.
Dan and his sister at Bacoa!
Dan and I really enjoy our food and drink, and we think that Puerto Rico has some of the best in the United States! I’ve compiled a list of some of our old and new favorites – be sure to check them our if you find yourself in lovely Puerto Rico!
Old San Juan. In addition to good food, its also gorgeous!
Jose Enrique is certainly my and Dan’s absolute favorite restaurant in San Juan. I wrote about it at length here. I won’t rehash my entire post, but Jose Enrique is an excellent restaurant with upscale, delicious Puerto Rican dishes in the Condado area. Make a reservation in advance. Don’t miss it. You will thank me.
A recent meal at Jose Enrique.
Not the best picture, but the BEST fried steak! Circa 2013, but its still on the menu from time to time .
El Jabrito is a classic Puerto Rican restaurant in Old San Juan. If you read guide books, El Jabrito will likely come up. Nothing super fancy or expensive, just quality, local food. You will find tourists and locals here lining up for dinner (as there are no reservations). We’ve visited a couple times, most recently in April 2021, and will return. Definitely go with a Puerto Rican dish, and don’t forget the pitcher of sangria!
Beef turnovers made of fried plantain with local sauces!
Shrimp in garlic sauce!
New year, new vacation bank! Yes, it’s that time of year again. Time to plan your 2022 getaways and vacations. Last Spring, me, Dan, and Dan’s sister took a five day trip down to Isla Verde, Puerto Rico to celebrate Dan’s birthday! The trip was easy, fun, and the perfect few days away from New York City. If you are planning a similar trip this year (which you should!), here’s a summary of our lovely trip.
Palm trees in Puerto Rico.
Isla Verde, Puerto Rico is a gorgeous strip of beach located just outside of San Juan, Puerto Rico in Carolina. While technically in Carolina, Isla Verde is extremely close to San Juan and nearly borders San Juan’s international airport. For this reason, Isla Verde often lumped into San Juan vacation speak, often referred to as the best beaches in the San Juan area. I cannot vouch for the validity of this statement, but Isla Verde is gorgeous, much more so than the Condado area if you are looking for beaches. And beaches were exactly why we decided to stay in Isla Verde. Aside from beaches, Isla Verde has numerous restaurants and tourist activities, but we ventured into San Juan for most of our non-beach activities.
Beautiful Isla Verde!
Happy New Year to readers of this blog! I wish everyone a happy and healthy 2022 filled with travels near and far! I am starting this year’s blogging by sharing one of Dan and my favorite restaurants in the World – Jose Enrique in sunny San Juan, Puerto Rico!
San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Dan and I keep a running list of all of our favorite restaurants around the World, and Jose Enrique in San Juan, Puerto Rico always makes the list! Introduced to us by one of Dan’s college friends, we first dined at Jose Enrique in 2013. Still raving eight years later, Jose Enrique was just as good as we imagined, albeit in a new location! Now in swanky Condado, Jose Enrique is located in a somewhat unimpressive looking building without a sign (a carry over from before). Inside is pretty casual, with a few paintings scattered around.
Interior of Jose Enrique.
When I was in Polignano a Mare earlier this year, I spent the better part of a day exploring Puglia’s largest city, Bari! I had always heard that Bari is a run-down and dangerous city but to my surprise, it was not at all! Bari is an adorable old school Italian city with lots of character and charm. I would absolutely spend a few nights here on another trip! Since we didn’t have much time in Bari, here are some photographs from our afternoon. I’ll link the places we visited below!
Bari. Lots of Italian pride!
The most adorable elderly lady watching over the piazza.
Il fruttivendolo.
We saw the most gorgeous wedding.
And we ate the most delicious meat and cheese platter.
Loved these awnings.
Also loved these old buildings.
Una donna italiana making pasta on Arco Basso, the famous street for pasta!
Teatro.
A beautiful church, seemingly around every corner.
All the deli meats.
Wine from the proprietor’s own vintage at Le Sagagliozze.
Gorgeous greenery and flowers.
Gentile gelato.
Old school.
Homemade orecchiette – the pasta of Bari – at Le Sgagliozze.
Cool courtyard.
Fresh fried polenta from Le Sgagliozze.
Felt great to be back on European trains. Ciao, Bari!
Veloservice Tours and Rentals: Strada Vallisa, 81, 70122 Bari BA, Italy. We booked the street food tour, which, unfortunately, turned into a combination walking tour and cooking course. The tour was very disjointed and not what we expected (or booked) at all. Book with caution.
Gentile: Piazza Federico II di Svevia, 33, 70122 Bari BA, Italy. Open daily from 11:00 – 1:00. The gelato shop we visited – delicious! There is also a location in Brooklyn – 253 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249.
Le Sagagliozze: Largo Albicocca, 70122 Bari BA, Italy. Closed Monday. Open other days until 22h.
Trenitalia: Italian local train service. You don’t need to pre-book your tickets but if traveling from Polignano a Mare like us, check the schedule because there are some quick trains and others that take about an hour. Downloading the Trenitlian app is very helpful.
Acro Basso: The famous street for the pasta making! You can buy from the ladies, but you can only bring it back to the US if its dried (i.e. not fresh).
We took the train to and from Polignano a Mare for only a few euros each way. Our afternoon in Bari could be easily recreated on your own by just walking around the old town (15 walk from Bari’s train station).
