These New Rooftop Restaurants Are the Coolest Way to Enjoy San Juan, Puerto Rico’s Dining Scene
San Juan, Puerto Rico’s Caribbean weather happily lends by itself to out of doors activities—miles of seashores, the open-air museum that is Outdated San Juan, and the avenue art of Santurce, to name but a handful of. Even so, pandemic instances and decreased potential within dining places exposed the dearth of al fresco dining alternatives throughout the capital’s metro place. And because zoning rules discourage street sheds and beachfront tables, some savvy restaurateurs sought artistic approaches to embrace the outdoor.
Their clever option: why not appreciate food stuff, consume, and San Juan’s sights from a bird’s-eye view? These not long ago-opened rooftops, every overlooking some of the most effective scenes of San Juan, are now some of the capital’s most coveted reservations overall. Listed here are the very best rooftop eating places in Sunshine Juan, Puerto Rico, which have become warm places for savvy visitors and locals alike.
All listings featured in this tale are independently selected by our editors. However, when you reserve one thing by way of our retail backlinks, we may perhaps receive an affiliate fee.
Kumo
Neat rooftops are the signature of the O:stay Selection of inns. Cascading waters, spectacular structure, and lagoon views are the attract of Condado’s O:reside Boutique Lodge and O:LV Fifty 5. But their most recent property, Isla Verde’s Aire de O:live, stands aside for two motives: beautiful beach views and wonderful Japanese-encouraged cuisine from chef José Miguel Meléndez of local favourite Yoko. Kumo, which indicates “cloud” in Japanese, was the initially piece of the resort to open up in December 2021.
Overlooking a huge swath of sand, the cafe offers 1 of the island’s most picturesque perches to appreciate dishes this sort of as crispy sushi rice wrapped with tuna, brushed with eel sauce and topped with foie gras. Cocktails, these types of as the origami—aged rum, mezcal, allspice, falernum and orange bitters—are equally elaborate and alluring. It is a perfect partnership, as effectively as a entire-circle moment for O:are living founders (and spouses) Loisse Herger and Fernando Davila, who coincidentally went on their 1st day on the quite identical rooftop throughout its earlier incarnation 15 many years back. About 20 of the 80 resort rooms will be refurbished and completely ready for occupancy by summer season 2022, when the remainder of the lodge will open in 2023 Kumo, in the meantime, can be savored seven times a week.
Cuarto 16
Telling the host at Casita Miramar that you have a reservation at Cuarto 16 feels like uttering a solution password. They will mumble into a headset, then lead you up a stairwell wherever the conventional trappings of the hacienda-like cafe give way to a clandestine warren of rooms, open kitchens, bars, and finally a tranquil garden terrace over just one of San Juan’s busiest enclaves. Planters of herbs, pots entire of flowers, cascading vines and swaying palms induce diners to really feel considerably taken out from the town. And although the speakeasy addition could possibly welcome company in the identical method as its downstairs sibling—with a complimentary root vegetable soup and huge discs of bacalao fritters—the relaxation of the menu diverges from the standard Puerto Rican choices of Casita Miramar.
