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Score: 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Unrated

364 Calle La Fortaleza, Old San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico 787/977-3886

Cuisine: Asian Price: $12 to $20

It's not hard to find this little restaurant -- it's the one with crowds milling about on the sidewalk. If you can stand the wait -- as you undoubtedly will, since reservations aren't accepted -- then you'll get to sample chef Roberto Trevino's Latin-Asian cuisine. (For the best chance of avoiding a line, come when it opens at 6 PM.) The platos (plates) are meant to be shared, so order several for your tables. Favorites include pork-and-plantain dumplings with an orange dipping sauce, smoked-salmon pizza with wasabi salsa, and lamb spareribs with a tamarind glaze. The dining room, all done up in Chinese red, resembles an opium den. Reservations not accepted. AE, MC, V. Closed Sun. No lunch.

259 Calle San Francisco, Old San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico 787/722-0658

Cuisine: Cafes Price: $8 to $12

You can't miss the gorgeous stained glass on the facade of this local landmark, which was established in 1903. In the window you'll see piles of freshly baked pastries. Inside there's a long counter with salmon-colored stools and a wall lined with booths of the same interesting shade. It's extremely popular in the morning -- particularly on Sunday -- but it's open until 8:30 for lunch and dinner. All this even though the food is only average and the grumpy waiters give the appearance of having worked here since the day it opened. AE, MC, V.

202 Calle Méndez Vigo, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico 787/832-0565

Cuisine: Cafes Price: Under $8

This popular bakery, open daily from 6 AM to midnight, is a good spot to try one of the city's trademark delicacies, a brazo gitano (literally "gypsy arm"). These gigantic jellyrolls are filled with anything from guava to lemon to sweet cheese. You can also find another famous local product here, Fido's Sangría, made from the closely guarded secret recipe of Mayagüez resident Wilfredo Aponte Hernández. There are also tasty pastries, freshly baked bread, and a selection of sandwiches. AE, MC, V.

Numero Uno Guesthouse, 1 Calle Santa Ana, Ocean Park, San Juan, Puerto Rico 787/726-5010

Cuisine: Caribbean Price: $12 to $20

For the ultimate tropical dining experience, make a beeline here, the only city restaurant that offers outdoor seating on the sand, just steps away from the ocean, though it's also possible to dine indoors in air-conditioned comfort. The contemporary Caribbean menu is as memorable as the alfresco setting; daily specials might include blackened salmon glazed with a Mandarin honey sauce or Jamaican jerk shrimp and coconut corn arepas with guava coulis. AE, D, MC, V.

381 Hwy. 2, Km 84, Hatillo, Puerto Rico 787/898-3495

Cuisine: Caribbean Price: $8 to $12

Halfway between Arecibo and Hatillo, this diner is packed with locals, especially on weekends. You can sit at the curvy counter or at one of the cozy booths. A favorite dish on the long menu is carne mechada (stuffed pot roast). Breakfast is also served starting at 5 AM. AE, MC, V.

280 Calle Sol, Old San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico 787/725-8375

Cuisine: Caribbean Price: $8 to $12

Sanjuaneros have favored this casual, family-run restaurant for years. The conch ceviche and chicken fricassee are among the specialties on the menu of comida criollo dishes. The back porch is filled with plants, and the dining room is filled with fanciful depictions of life on the street outside. The ever-present owner, Pedro J. Ruiz, is filled with the desire to ensure that everyone is happy. Reservations not accepted. AE, MC, V.

Rte. 333, Km 6.5, Guánica, Puerto Rico 787/821-0505 Ext. 76

Cuisine: Caribbean Price: $12 to $20

Puerto Ricans drive for miles to reach this restaurant in the Copamarina Beach Resort. You won't find such creative cuisine anywhere else west of Ponce. The kitchen takes traditional dishes and makes them something special; take the free-range chicken with cumin and thyme butter, for example, or the grilled pork chops with pineapple chutney. A standout is the risotto, which surrounds tender mussels with rice flavored with saffron, basil, and tomatoes. The elegant dining room looks out onto well-tended gardens; if you want to get closer to the flora, take a table outside on the terrace. The only disappointment may be noisy children, who tend to run in and out. Reservations essential. AE, MC, V.

2 Calle Rosa, Isla Verde, San Juan, Puerto Rico 787/791-7474

Cuisine: Caribbean Price: $12 to $20

In the heart of Isla Verde, this restaurant attracts a young, hip crowd. The menu is something old, something new. Puerto Rican favorites are jazzed up, so that the skirt steak is served with pumpkin risotto and the grilled pork is covered with a guava glaze. The bar is a great place for a beer in the afternoon or for cocktails before heading to the clubs. AE, MC, V.

1018 Av. Ashford, Condado, San Juan, Puerto Rico 787/721-8111

Cuisine: Chinese Price: $8 to $12

Chinese restaurants can be found everywhere in San Juan, but this one is worth a special trip. Don't be disappointed by the dining room, which has little personality. Every bit of creativity goes into the food. As you might guess, it's heavy on the seafood, with dishes like fish with ginger and scallion or fried shrimp with crispy minced garlic. There are plenty of meat dishes as well, including shredded duck with spicy bean sauce. (If you can't find it on the menu, look under the heading for chicken.) There's a dim sum menu with nearly 40 different choices, and a sushi bar with enough selections to put other places to shame. Make sure to take a look at the beautiful view over the Laguna del Condado. AE, D, DC, MC, V.

San Juan Water & Beach Club, 2 Calle Tartak, Isla Verde, San Juan, Puerto Rico 787/728-3666

Cuisine: Contemporary Price: $12 to $20

The dining room spills onto a terrace fronting the ocean, whose the steady breezes are as much a part of the dreamy scene as the muted-orange lighting and cream walls. This place is all about sensual pleasures, so it's no surprise that the descriptions of many of the dishes sound a bit risqué. (A plate with three types of marinated fish is named, quite simply, "Threesome.") Appetizers such as roasted pumpkin soup with lemongrass foam and crispy wild mushroom dumplings are seductive but overpriced. Artful entrées include chicken breast stuffed with eggplant puree and a pan-seared sea bass with sea-urchin butter sauce. AE, MC, V.

Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, 299 Av. José de Diego, Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico 787/721-6194

Cuisine: Contemporary Price: Over $30

Chef Wilo Benet is clearly the star here -- a plasma television lets diners watch everything that's going on in his kitchen. The Puerto Rico native artfully fuses Caribbean cuisine with influences from around the world. Veal is served in a swirl of sweet-pea couscous, for example, and beef medallions are covered with crumbled blue cheese and a red-wine reduction. The regularly changing menu is a feast for the eye as well as the palate, and might include perfectly shaped tostones stuffed with oven-dried tomatoes, or mofongo topped with saffron shrimp. A changing selection of paintings wraps around the minimalist dining room -- the restaurant is, after all, inside a museum. It's in Santurce, just south of Condado. AE, MC, V. Closed Sun. and Mon.

Rte. 995, Km 1.8, Vieques, Puerto Rico 787/741-2175

Cuisine: Eclectic Price: $12 to $20

This restaurant is not a shack -- but it's close. It's in a delightfully ramshackle building on a one-lane road winding through the hills. The dining room is inches from the pavement, but it's unlikely a single car will pass by while you're enjoying your meal. Chicken, beef, and seafood are grilled to tender perfection. The restaurant is justifiably famous for its weekly barbecue night with a steel band, but there's usually some good jazz or island rhythms on the sound system. The restaurant is on Route 995, off Route 201. Reservations essential. AE, MC, V.

367 Calle Tetuan, Old San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico 787/722-3330

Cuisine: French Price: $20 to $30

With black-and-white floor tiles, wood-beamed ceiling, and floral-print curtains, this two-story restaurant evokes provincial France. It has been under the same management since 1969, and with all that experience the service is smooth. Daily specials augment a menu of stellar French classics, including breast of duck with a cassis glaze and veal with a mustard cream sauce. If you want to go all out, there's the huge chateaubriand for two. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun. No lunch.

356 Calle La Fortaleza, Old San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico 787/977-8141

Cuisine: Indian Price: $8 to $12

This little gem sits square in the middle of Old San Juan's up-and-coming restaurant row, known locally as SoFo (South Fortaleza Street). The menu, which combines Indian and Caribbean flavors, has traditional dishes such as tandoori chicken and inventive surprises like beef tenderloin in a casava purée. The jewel-tone interior invites you to linger, and many patrons do so for an after-dinner puff on an Asian water pipe. AE, MC, V.

105 Calle Cristo, Old San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico 787/722-5481

Cuisine: Italian Price: $20 to $30

This colonial-era house has been transformed into something out of ancient Rome. But did those Romans ever feast on appetizers like foie gras on a bed of white onions or marinated salmon with chives? As good as these are, the main courses are even better. The ravioli stuffed with chicken liver, spinach, and black truffles are a wonder, as is the pork filet with thyme and blueberries. The extensive wine cellar, housed in the former cistern, is sure to contain the perfect complement to your meal. Everything here is discreet, from the entrance (just an awning over a doorway) to the service. MC, V.

207 Calle San Justo, Old San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico 787/722-3261

Cuisine: Latin Price: $12 to $20

Dating from 1848, La Mallorquina is thought to be the island's oldest restaurant. The menu is heavy on such basic Puerto Rican and Spanish fare as asopao (a stew with rice and seafood) and paella, but the atmosphere is what really recommends the place. Friendly, nattily attired staffers zip between tables agains peach-colored walls and beneath the whir of ceiling fans. AE, MC, V. Closed Sun.

Rte. 3, Km 41.3, Barrio Juan Martín, Luquillo, Puerto Rico 787/889-5770 or 787/

Cuisine: Mexican Price: Under $8

Burritos -- 15 different kinds, including the non-traditional "soy meat" -- are the specialties of this casual Mexican restaurant. Combo plates let you taste a bit of everything, from tacos to enchiladas. Everything is washed down with oversized margaritas, of course. Those who eschew tequila can try the house sangria or a vintage from the unusually varied wine list. AE, MC, V.

El Convento Hotel, 100 Calle Cristo, Old San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico 787/723-9621

Cuisine: Spanish Price: $20 to $30

You could make a meal of the small dishes that dominate the menu at this tapas restaurant. You won't go wrong ordering the sweet sausage in brandy or the turnovers stuffed with lobsters and passing them around the table. If you're not into sharing, there are five different kinds of paella that arrive on huge plates. There's a long, lively bar inside; one dining area overlooks a pleasant courtyard, whereas the other takes in the action along Calle Cristo. Even if you have dinner plans elsewhere, consider stopping here for a nightcap. AE, D, DC, MC, V.

1106 Av. Magdalena, Condado, San Juan, Puerto Rico 787/721-9049

Cuisine: Spanish Price: $20 to $30

The smell of chef Jesus Ramiro's imaginative Castilian cooking fills this sea-green dining room. Ramiro is also known for his artistic presentation: flower-shaped peppers filled with fish mousse, a mix of seafood caught under a vegetable net, roast duckling with sugarcane honey, and, if you can stand more, a kiwi dessert sculpted to resemble twin palms. AE, DC, MC, V.