Yesterday I talked about the streets of Old San Juan, but what about the EATS? Like I mentioned back when we ate a traditional Japanese meal in Kyoto, I’m no food blogger. I get too embarrassed & hungry to take good food pictures. But, the food was so delicious in San Juan that I had to Snapchat it along the way and share it with y’all here today. Here are 9 things you must try when staying in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Chocolate for Breakfast

Ok, maybe not for breakfast, but you just must give Chocobar de Casa Cortes a try.

The morning before our flight back to Connecticut, we couldn’t find many restaurants that sounded delicious and were close enough of a walk from our hotel that we wouldn’t get very sweaty, but Chocobar was open. Yep, at 8 a.m..

We couldn’t not order hot chocolate, so Mark had the Forteza 70% dark chocolate, I had the Puertoriqueno, and Tobias had an Americano (not pictured, it had marshmallows like we drink them in the U.S.)

Mark’s was SO rich and thick, it tasted like cake batter from the “Mexican Chocolate” cake my Meemaw and I used to make when I was growing up. Mine was made with evaporated milk and came with cheese.

Pan de Mallorca

For my main dish, I ordered a ham and cheese sandwich on Mallorca. Between now and your trip to PR, you can read all about Mallorca and a recipe to make it at home on this Puerto Rican foodie blog. Basically, it’s sweet, soft and supple bread with powdered sugar sprinkled on top.

Needless to say, we left the island more sugared up than ever!

Something Presidential

After I started snapchatting away during the trip, a friend of mine suggested we go to Kasalta Bakery. I had seen it online and overlooked it, but since she recommended it, we stopped in on our way to the El Yunque Rainforest on the third day.

President Obama visited Kasalta in 2011, when on a politcal visit to the island, and ordered the Medianoche: a sandwich of pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, mayo and mustard on a sweet bread.

Basically, I saw that President Obama ordered the medianoche, so I bought the medianoche.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl26jPOd904]Thanks, Obama. It was delicious.

Piña Coladas

You’d think that a piña colada would be just about the same anywhere, but our first ones, at Barrachina, a restaurant recommended by Mark’s Puertoriquena co-worker, were different than I had ever had before.

In place of ice, they use frozen coconut and pinapples. So it has a different texture than others.

Mofongo

The dish I read most about when researching Puerto Rico was Mofongo. It’s a fried plantain mash that can compliment any main dish. I had mine with seafood

and Mark ordered his with snapper.

Merro

This sandwich from The Mezzanine at St. Germaine will be replicated soon at home, no doubt. It’s a grouper sandwich with cilantro mayo on pita and it was everything.

Helados

You’ve just got to give that guy with the ice cream cart your money. The treat is somewhere between sorbet and ice cream, and so refreshing. Tobias ordered Mango and I, coconut. Pro tip: mix those two flavors for a divine treat.

Street Food

Mark speaks zero Spanish, but he went over to one of the food carts near Darsenas Square and pointed away at whatever piqued his interest. My favorite was this fried plantain thing with beef inside.

A few more Piña Coladas

Or a guava mimosa or two.

You’re on an island vacation, after all!