In recent years, Puerto Rico - and San Juan in particular - has commanded a growing reputation as the culinary hot spot of the Caribbean. World-renowned chefs at vanguard restaurants prepare dynamic Nuevo Latino cuisine - a twist on traditional criollo cooking, with an emphasis on fish, fruits, tubers and dark rum sauces or marinades with tropical ingredients. You’ll also find every manner of ethnic food in the capital, including Indian, Thai, French and even Romanian.

Criollo fare, however, is still the staple of the Puerto Rican diet. Meats are mostly served with rice and red beans (habichuelas) or tostones - medallions of mashed, fried plantains. Sofrito - a sauce made from cilantro, onions, garlic and peppers - is used to season many dishes, as is adobo, a mixture of garlic, oregano, paprika, vinegar and oil. The food is typically tasty but much of it is starchy and fried in animal fat, and pork is far more popular than fish outside of the major cities.

The system of state-sanctioned restaurants, called mesones gastronómicos, presumably ensures a standard of decency among participating restaurants (most of which serve traditional criollo food), but the quality can vary widely. For a list of these establishments, contact the Country Inns Central Information Office (tel 800/866-7827) or pick up a copy of Que Pasa?.

Budget travellers can fill up at cheap rice-and-beans joints all over the island or seek out savory criollo staples like asopao de pollo (stewed chicken) and plátanos (plantains) or lechón asado (roast pork) and mofongo (a ball of crushed, fried plantains and seasonings), sold from trailers or the backs of pickup trucks. Reposterías are also a good bet. Found in San Juan and in strip malls islandwide, they have some of the island’s best coffee, along with breakfast postres - slightly sweet pastries filled with meat or cheese; they also sell soups, tortillas, seafood salads and fresh bread. Note that in all but the best restaurants, fresh vegetables are hard to come by, but supermarkets like Pueblo usually carry a good supply.

Coffee in Puerto Rico is strong, served black or with heated milk (café con leche), and very sweet. Look out for signs for refreshing coco
frío - chilled coconuts punctured with drinking straws. While not as common, fresh-fruit drinks made from mangos, papayas and oranges (known as jugo de china) are also available. Not surprisingly, rum (ron) is the national drink, as Puerto Rico is the world’s largest producer of this sugarcane-based liquor; more than twenty brands are distilled here. The locally brewed beer is Medalla; Presidente, from the Dominican Republic, is also popular.

For the most part, tap water is safe to drink. However, it’s wise to avoid it after storms and instead stick with bottled water, which is widely available. If in doubt, ask the locals.

Amadeus Calle San Sebastian 106 . Excellent nouvelle Caribbean cuisine served until 2am to a hip crowd in a handsome, eighteenth-century brick and stone building; try the dumplings with guava sauce and arrowroot fritters or the smoked salmon and caviar pizza. Entrees US$10-26.

Butterfly People Café Calle Fortaleza 152 . Inexpensive quiches, salads and sandwiches with a tropical twist, and fresh fruit juices; walls covered with framed butterflies.

Café Bohemio Hotel El Convento, Calle de Cristo 100. Cheap way to experience El Convento - seventeenth-century nunnery turned five-star hotel. Good spinach and ricotta crepes or ceviche in tequila sauce. Live music Tuesday through Friday after 9.30pm. Entrees US$9.50-14.50

Café Mallorca Calle San Francisco 400. People line up at this eatery for its famous pastries and hot chocolate; also on offer is good café con leche, fruit salads, pancakes and eggs for breakfast, and criollo staples for lunch and dinner. You can eat well for US$5-10. Closes at 7pm.

Café Zaguán Calle Tetuan 359 . Cosy, attractive expat hangout, with indoor and outdoor seating, offering tasty ceviche, soups and wraps, and excellent pulled pork quesadillas with papaya salsa. Open until midnight Tues-Sat. Entrees US$15-32.

Dragonfly Calle Fortaleza 364. Spinoff of the Parrot Club (same owner), offering Nuevo Latino with an Asian twist. Wonderful halibut ceviche with ginger, coconut milk and scallions, and Moo-shoo Mongolian beef wraps. Live music Tues, Thurs & Sat until midnight. Entrees US$12-25.

La Bombonera Calle San Francisco 259 . Century-old institution for morning pastries, excellent coffee, sandwiches and criollo classics like rice with squid or marinated roast pork and fried plantains. Open daily 7.30am-8pm.

La Fonda del Jibarito Calle Sol 280 . This reasonable bistro-style restaurant is as popular with local bohemians as with tourists, and the lamb stew and goat fricassee are excellent.

La Mallorquina Calle San Justo 207. Expensive for criollo fare, but the atmosphere fits the bill. Established in 1848 and run by the Rojos family for about a hundred years, it is reputedly San Juan’s oldest restaurant. Try the garlic soup and lobster asopao.

Parrot Club Calle Fortaleza 363. This requisite Old San Juan experience is pure Nuevo Latino, and the inspiration for many other restaurants. A chic crowd dines on impeccable dishes, while listening to mellow live Latin jazz. The house special: rare tuna broiled with dark rum and orange essence with yucca and cassava mash. Entrees US$18-29.

Yukiyú Calle Recinto Sur 311 . Chef Igarashi’s sushi is reputed to be Puerto Rico’s best. Pricey cooked dishes - seared on a teppanyaki grill - are also plentiful and very good.