Birthday dinner? San Juan, PR

[lmuller]

Hi,

We are traveling to San Juan next month and the night we arrive will be my BF's birthday. Is there a restaurant nearby that overlooks the water and has a beachy feel? If not, where else is recommended? We like good food that is not overly fancy and would prefer a relaxed over a stuffy environment. We will be traveling to the Isabela area later in the week so recommendations in that area are appreciated as well!

[jl0328]

My BF and I just returned from PR. Unfortuantely we had trouble finding restuarants with a waterview or beach feel to them...so odd for an island. Anyway, we had 2 amazing dinners during our week stay.
The first was at Niche (http://www.nicherestaurant.net). Definitely splurge on the lobster over risotto. Hands down the best lobster we've had in all of our travels. Their housemade cocktails were delicious too!
The other restaurant, which came reccomended by the GM at Niche, was Jose Enrique. Every dish was better than the next. One word of advice - get there early! We arrived aroudn 6 and by 7 there was a 2 hour wait. Unfortuantely we were heading to Fajardo to do a late night Biobay tour so we missed out on the desserts..they looked amazing! The table next to us confirmed they were worth the calories!
Enjoy your trip!

[lmuller]

Thank you! Are those restaurants beachy or not? I couldn't tell from your posting. Where are they located?

[jl0328]

No, unfortuantely neither of the places I listed are beachy.
Niche is located in Condado beach at the Arcadia Hotel. The restaurant is very romantic and sits on the hotels water supply - you can see the water thru the clear "bricks" in the floor. We walked from the Renaissance which took about 15-20 mins each way. They offer valet parking.
Jose Enrique is around the corner from the Sancture market - just on the other side of Rte 26.
Neither will disappoint!

[cleobeach]

Where are you staying in San Juan?

We stayed in Old San Juan last month and didn't find any waterview/beachy feel restaurants in the old city (I like that type of place too)

We had a good meal at Aquaviva but it was very crowded (it is a popular place)

The Patio restaurant at El Convento is lovely, elegant without being stuffy.

[lmuller]

We are staying at the Hilton Caribe but will have a car and are willing to drive a bit.

[cleobeach]

Driving and parking in Old San Juan looked like a nightmare so you probably can find someplace great without the hassle. Hopefully someone else chimes in!

[Skateboardmom]

I was also looking for a good not exspensive restaurant in Old San Juan. We'll be stopping there on a cruise for the afternoon/evening and would like to know where to go.
Thanks