La Placita de Santurce

The closest great meal to the villa is not on the beach, it is a few minutes inland. La Placita is Santurce’s 1910 market square, still a working produce market by day and ringed by the restaurants that made this the most interesting place to eat in San Juan. Come at seven in the evening and the square is lit, busy and easy. You can eat properly here, sitting down to whole fried snapper, mofongo with garlic shrimp, or slow-braised pernil, or you can graze between counters with an ice-cold Medalla in hand. The cooking runs from old-guard criollo to chefs who trained abroad and came home, and prices sit well below Condado’s waterfront. Weeknights are relaxed and you will usually walk in. Thursday through Saturday the square turns into a street party after nine, when the music comes on and the crowd spills out of the bars, so eat earlier if you want a quiet table. Go by taxi rather than driving, as parking is tight and you will want a drink. Ask Michael which kitchens are on form during your dates, since the lineup shifts and he eats here.