Cocina al Fondo
Restaurant · San Juan
658 C. San Juan, San Juan, 00907, Puerto Rico
Highlights
Nestled in a charming old home, Cocina al Fondo delights with bold Puerto Rican flavors, top-notch service, and a cozy garden ambiance.
Nestled in a charming old home, Cocina al Fondo delights with bold Puerto Rican flavors, top-notch service, and a cozy garden ambiance.
"After shutting down her Miramar restaurant when the pandemic hit, chef Natalia Vallejo returned with a bigger space at Cocina al Fondo, where she quickly earned a James Beard Award. A charming renovated house with an ample backyard provides a stunning setting for her updated, vegetable- and seafood-forward takes on Puerto Rican cuisine, skipping over well-known staples like mofongo to focus on deeper cuts. Vallejo serves a terrine of beet and goat cheese with toasted bread, pastelillos (or empanadas) filled with pumpkin, ají dulce (a local sweet pepper) fried tempura-style, buñuelos of mashed root vegetables, perfectly cooked catch of a day, a vegetarian pastelón, and much more on the newly expanded menu. Dessert, a cocktail list by Karla Z. Torres, and a thoughtful wine selection aren’t afterthoughts, but complementary to Vallejo’s cooking." - Paulina Salach Antonetti, Alicia Kennedy
"Cocina al Fondo isn’t a capital-F fancy spot, but its lively and energetic dining room and big backyard patio make it a great place to celebrate something special. Order a lot, and work through it slowly. Start with a cocktail like the mezcal-based La Maja with orange liqueur, pickled chili, and a splash of red wine before lingering over things like corn arepas topped with cheese and cherry tomatoes, and a perfect plate of roasted eggplant with minced lamb and dates." - adriana silva, tiffany yannetta
"Cocina al Fondo isn’t a capital-F fancy spot, but its lively and energetic dining room and big backyard patio make it a great place to celebrate something special. Order a lot, and work through it slowly. Start with a cocktail like the mezcal-based La Maja with orange liqueur, pickled chili, and a splash of red wine before lingering over things like corn arepas topped with cheese and cherry tomatoes, and a perfect plate of roasted eggplant with minced lamb and dates." - Tiffany Yannetta
"Natalia Vallejo of Cocina al Fondo in San Juan, Puerto Rico was named Best Chef in the South." - ByLi Goldstein
"Natalia Vallejo, of Cocina al Fondo in San Juan, became the first James Beard Award winner from Puerto Rico with her win in the best chef: South category." - Hillary Dixler Canavan
