1. Delirio
Photo © Zain Deane
My vote for most romantic restaurant in San Juan is Delirio, a tucked-away spot in Miramar which the average tourist has probably never heard of. What sets Delirio apart? Four things:
- The setting: located in a hundred-year-old house, Delirio gives you a choice of environments. You can dine in the lush gardens, the sumptuously red-accented main dining room, or, if you really want to pour on the pampering, the private room where the chef will personally cook for you and your date.
- The food: eschewing any one cuisine, the central theme of Delirio's menu is the blending of minimal ingredients in a perfect culinary marriage.
- The service: in a word, flawless.
- The wines: an impressive variety of Spanish wines, blends and varietals.
787-722-0444
2. Panza
Photo © Zain Deane
As soon as you walk in, you can tell that Panza, the restaurant of the chic Chateau Cervantes Hotel, was designed to please the eye and impress its guests. Soft marble and wood furnishings, graceful decor designed by celebrity designer Nono Maldonado, and the intimate space all speak to an exclusive experience. But the visual appeal places second to the excellent and sophisticated cuisine.
Continuing the Don Quixote theme of the hotel, Panza's menu reads like a book: appetizers are known as prefaces; the list of tapas falls under the heading of essays; main courses are contents, and dessert, of course, is the epilogue. The food spares no expense in quality and finery, and the dishes are as creative as they are decadent.
787-289-8900
3. Ajili Mójili
Photo © Zain Deane
Located in fashionable Condado, Ajili Mójili is one of the most popular restaurants in Puerto Rico, but it has enough tucked away niches to give even the most introverted couples a bit of privacy. Everything about this place puts at the top of just about any dining list in San Juan.
Many believe Ajili Mójili to be the standard-bearer for fine Puerto Rican cuisine, and the restaurant does its best to present the island's specialties in more elegant trappings. Sure, it might be a bit heavy; okay, maybe there'll be a bit more garlic than you want; it doesn't matter. Once you taste the food, chat with one of the friendly sombrero-sporting, suspender-clad waiters, and breathe in the warm atmosphere, you'll be happy you came.
787-725-9195
4. 311
Fortaleza Street has some of the best restaurants in the city, but only one of them made it on this list: Trois Cent Onze, or 311. Unlike its flashier, hipper neighbors, this French stalwart maintains a quiet elegance and a serenity often bereft in the frenzy caused by the popular eateries in Old San Juan's most popular dining destination.
The restaurant also keeps to itself when it comes to its cuisine; that is, it is strictly and purely French, rather than a fusion of Puerto Rican and Mediterranean flavors. If you want to go the extra mile, opt for the vintner's dinner, in which the chef will pair a different wine with each course. In Old San Juan, 311 is refreshingly far from the maddening crowds.
787-725-7959
5. Ostra Cosa
Photo © Zain Deane
Ostra Cosa makes no excuses for its menu. All you have to do is read the disclaimer: "We are not responsible for increments of passion. Please direct your claims to your partner." This restaurant definitely caters to the more humorous romantics: even the menu emphasizes dishes with reputed aphrodisiac qualities. (As seafood is the main ingredient here, you can guess that oysters are rather popular.)
Jokes aside, the food is tasty and fresh, if not brilliantly inventive, and the pleasant courtyard makes for a lovely setting, if not the fanciest on the island. The casual, funky and fun vibe make this a place where you may have to work to wipe the sly smile off your face when you place your order.
787-722-2672
