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.

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. 

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.

Tables on the terrace are hard to come by at this restaurant, one of the most popular in Condado. That's fine, because the glassed-in dining room is even more comfortable and has exactly the same view. Cuban classics such as ropa vieja (meat cooked so slowly that it becomes tender shreds) seamlessly blend local dishes with imaginative presentation. The shrimp has a coconut-and-ginger sauce, the halibut filet one of mango and orange liqueur. The restaurant claims to use the "original" recipe for its mojito, Cuba's tasty rum, lime, and mint drink. Live Latin jazz is played many nights. AE, MC, V. Closed Mon. 

This fine seafood establishment in the middle of Condado's restaurant row is surprisingly affordable. The grilled seafood platter is the specialty, but there are plenty of other excellent dishes, including mahimahi in caper sauce and codfish in green sauce. The friendly staff makes you feel genuinely welcome. AE, D, MC, V.

Like its namesake, the painter Joan Miró, this small restaurant draws its inspiration from the Catalan region of Spain, where the cuisine is heavy on seafood and hearty tapas. Prints by the artist hang on the walls, lending the dining room a colorful feel. Start off with braised chorizo and peppers, or steamed clams with garlic. Main courses include delicious lamb chops, as well as grilled tuna with anchovy and caper butter or codfish in a red-pepper and eggplant sauce. AE, MC, V.

Set in a plantation-style house, this elegant dining room sits on the edge of Condado Bay. Traditional Puerto Rican food is prepared with a flourish. Sample the fried cheese and bolitas de yautia y queso (cheese and yam dumplings), then move on to the gallinita rellena (stuffed cornish game hen). The plantain-crusted shrimp in a white-wine herb sauce is delicious, as is the paella overflowing with shrimp, octopus, mussels, chicken, and spicy sausage. Prices, however, are pretty high despite the quality. AE, DC, MC, V. 

Right on the main square in Isabel Segunda, this family-run restaurant may not look much like Spain, but it certainly tastes like it. The menu is heavy on the seafood, including a respectable paella. There are plenty of other dishes as well, including grilled shrimp and octopus simmered in garlic sauce. You won't see many tourists here, but it's packed with locals on the weekend. AE, MC, V.

At this longtime favorite huge platters of delicious comida criolla are constantly streaming out of the kitchen. The friendly service and low prices are why the place is always packed. The menu includes everything from grilled flank steak to seafood-stuffed mofongo to barbecued ribs. The selection of good local desserts includes flan and dense, moist tres leches cake. Breakfast is also popular. AE, MC, V.

Business executives come here for power lunches, but La Casona is also a nice spot for a romantic dinner. The restored Spanish colonial residence has well-appointed rooms and blooming gardens. The menu is based solidly in Spain, but has many creative flourishes -- start with the duck pâté or smoked salmon and move on to the duck breast in a raspberry sauce or the rack of lamb, which is first baked and then sautéed with brandy and fruit. It's in Santurce, just south of Condado. AE, D, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun.

Everything -- from the pastries to the pastas -- is delicious at this café on a quiet block in Condado. For breakfast there are wonderful omelets stuffed with fresh vegetables and imported cheeses. For lunch there are sandwiches -- from pastrami to king crab -- served on croissants, baguettes, or any other type of bread. For dinner try the grilled salmon or the chicken in white wine. AE, MC, V. 

In a restored plantation house surrounded by a quiet garden, this inventive restaurant seems as if it's out on the island somewhere rather than just off bustling Avenida Ashford. Make sure to order several of the tasty appetizers -- such as breaded calamari in a tomato-basil sauce -- so you can share them your dinner companions. Of the notable main courses, try the veal chops stuffed with provolone and pancetta, or the miso-marinated salmon served over lemony basmati rice. AE, D, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch Tues.-Thurs. or Sat.

Slightly off the beaten path, this chic eatery is definitely an "in" spot. The chef gives haute international dishes tropical panache. Starters include chayote stuffed with prosciutto and corn tamales with shrimp in a coconut sauce. Half the entrées are seafood dishes, including pan-seared tuna with a ginger sauce and red snapper served over spinach. The ginger flan is a must for dessert. The sophisticated dining room is hung with works by local artists. It's in Miramar, just a few blocks from Condado. AE, MC, V. Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch Sat.

Austrian-born chef Augusto Schreiner, a graduate of the Salzburg Culinary School, regularly wins awards for his classic European cuisine. The menu changes seasonally; some of the dishes commonly served are veal chops with roasted root vegetables and duck breast with bok choy. The angular lines of the dining room are softened by large bouquets of flowers. AE, MC, V. Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch Sat.

If you thought carpaccio was only made with beef, then you're in for a wonderful surprise. At Crú, one of San Juan's best new restaurants, a special carpaccio menu includes old standards like beef with truffle oil and Parmesan cheese, as well as new concoctions like halibut with fresh mango and cuttlefish with caramelized onions. It's all laid out for you on a bed of ice so you can choose whatever strikes your fancy. Main dishes include penne with porcini mushrooms and filet of lamb with eggplant. The dining room, like the rest of the Normandie Hotel, has some wonderful art-deco flourishes. AE, MC, V.

The food at this no-frills café is just as authentic and as tasty -- from the pizza to the veal and peppers to house red wine -- as its higher-priced paisanos. The outdoor-seating area looks out on Condado's busy Ashford Avenue, which is usually filled with people coming from and going to the beach. The wine bar next door has a bit more ambience. AE, MC, V.

You know the moment you walk in the door that this is the real deal. The first clue is the smell of grilled meat coming from the kitchen. The juicy flank steaks are indeed standouts, but so are the burritos and enchiladas. There's also a wide selection of margaritas, each one iced to perfection and served with a lime wedge. The decor -- paper streamers hanging from the ceiling -- will remind you of eateries in small towns all over Mexico. AE, MC, V. 

A 10,000-bottle wine cellar is just one of the draws of this Spanish restaurant. The chef is often honored in local competitions for specialties such as lobster with basil butter, medallions of lamb with raspberries, and duck with orange and ginger sauce. The paella is the best in town. The dining room is elegant, with crisp linens and gleaming silverware. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun. No lunch Sat.

The name of this restaurant comes from the Basque word for "blue," which also happens to be the dining room's dominant color. The menu here is mostly Spanish dishes, but Caribbean touches abound. The soup and seafood appetizers are particularly good, and a highly recommended entrée is chillo urdin de lujo (red snapper sautéed with clams, mussels, and shrimp in a tomato, herb, and wine sauce). AE, MC, V.

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