Café Manolín Old San Juan

On the Grid : Café Manolín

"For more than 70 years Café Manolín has been a local star where local food or “Comida Criolla” is concerned. Its old school “diner-esque” atmosphere is warm and welcoming. No pretentious dishes on its menu, just good old delicious and affordable Puerto Rican food. My favorite dish is “Bistec Encebollado”, or steak and onions with rice/ beans and tostones (fried green plantains). If you are in the mood for a real Puerto Rican place, Café Manolín is a must." - Ana Jovane Serrano

10 Essential Puerto Rican Foods and Where to Try Them - AFAR

"A popular San Juan restaurant known for hearty mofongo—mashed green plantain combined with garlic and pork cracklings and typically topped or stuffed with meat or seafood and finished with a garlic- or tomato-based sauce." - Jessica van Dop DeJesus, Chloe Arrojado

The Best Mofongo in San Juan: 15 Spots to Try | Eater

"For more than 70 years, Café Manolín has been making exquisite, affordable, well-loved food on Old San Juan’s Calle Justo. Don Ernesto Ruíz opened the restaurant in 1942, before selling it to his brother Manolín Ruíz, who in turn passed it to current owners Annie Rivera and Tomás J. Molina. Loyal customers come for the traditional mofongo de camarones — with pieces of chicharron dotting the surface and bursting with shrimp in garlic sauce — often paired with other house specialties like medium-rare steak with chimichurri, or fried chicken straight out of the fryer. Get your order with a beer, and finish off your meal with a cafe con leche, or cortadito, made just the way Grandma likes it." - Gabriela Torres

"Café Manolín, San Juan by Ana Jovane Serrano. For more than 70 years Café Manolín has been a local star where local food or “Comida Criolla” is concerned. Its old school “diner-esque” atmosphere is warm and welcoming. No pretentious dishes on its menu, just good old delicious and affordable Puerto Rican food. My favorite dish is “Bistec Encebollado”, or steak and onions with rice/ beans and tostones (fried green plantains). If you are in the mood for a real Puerto Rican place, Café Manolín is a must."

The Perfect Long Weekend in San Juan, Puerto Rico | Condé Nast Traveler

"Café Manolín, a 1950s institution serving simple Creole food to a mix of locals and visitors."