Written by: Samantha
Should you find yourself in San Juan, Puerto Rico, do yourself a favor and take a food tour with Flavors Food Tours!
Our food tours take place in Colorado, but we love to explore other tours around the world! Here in the United States, we’ve taken tours in Santa Fe, Miami, Scottsdale, Austin, Palm Springs, and San Fransisco. Internationally, we’ve been on food tours in Playa del Carmen, Mexico; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Haarlem, Netherlands; Dublin, Ireland; and Barcelona, Spain. You might say we’re food tour junkies!
While in Puerto Rico during a Caribbean cruise, we hopped on their flagship food tour called “Flavors of San Juan.” This three-hour excursion was the perfect activity as it highlighted the sights and tastes of Old San Juan while being only a 10-minute walk from our cruise ship dock.
Our guide was Marjorie, and she was fantastic! She’s a native Boricuan (native of Puerto Rico) and knew a lot about the culture and history of this fascinating island that is now a U.S. Territory. Plus, she was funny and personable – great traits for any guide!
The food tour was structured like a progressive meal starting with breakfast followed by appetizers, the main course, and then finally dessert. At times the tour was interactive (who doesn’t like to play with their food?!), and we also had the opportunity to see a few historic monuments and even the famous “umbrella street.”
Here’s a recap of the destinations we visited and each respective tasting:
Most coffee shops do not have 150+ years worth of history, but Cuatro Sombras does! Today Cuatro Sombras is a very popular café in the heart of San Juan, but its story starts in 1846. Back then, it was common practice to grow coffee beans in the shade using the four following trees: pacay, guamá, guaraguao, and palo de pollo. Decades later after the original farm was shut down and then re-opened by a family member, it was named Cuatro Sombras, meaning “four shades,” in honor of the four indigenous trees.
This was a rare opportunity to drink coffee directly from the grower! Not only does Cuatro Sombras harvest their own coffee beans, but they also roast, grind, pack and serve their coffee at this quaint coffee shop. It was delicious!
They paired the Cortadito (espresso and warm milk) with a classic Caribbean breakfast – ham and cheese croissant with a layer of guava butter. Even though I am sure that my waist line would eventually catch up with me, that is is a breakfast I would readily consume daily!
To cleanse our palate between courses, our guide gave us passion fruit paletas from Señior Paleta. Full disclosure, I do have a slight obsession with passion fruit, so it was a very welcomed treat in the heat of the afternoon.
As we ate, our guide, Marjorie, took the opportunity to tell us about Puerto Rico’s history: its founding as the second oldest European-established capital city in the Americas, its fortified walls, its commerce (Puerto Rico means “rich port”), and especially its feral cats, which have their very own park. As we overlooked the city from high atop a city wall, we marveled at the beauty of the island and the surrounding ocean port.
While not the most photogenic, the fried Alcapurria was a delicious plantain fritter filled with braised meat, vegetables, and cheese. Marjorie provided two local hot sauces that tried our strength; they do like spice down in Puerto Rico!
The second tasting was grouper ceviche with lime, avocado, and red onion. It was tasty! The restaurant also featured an eclectic art collection and a small gift shop at the entrance with local souvenirs.
Calle Fortaleza, aka the Umbrella Street, in Old San Juan is a fun photo opportunity. To find it, walk down this main boulevard toward the Governor’s Residence. The street was actually closed, but we were able to stand at the edge to take photos.
Here’s where we got hands-on with our meal! Everyone was supplied with their own wooden mortar and pestle to mash their green plantains in order to make their own mofongo. Mofongo is a traditional Puerto Rican dish that typically features meat (in our case, spiced chicken), rice, veggies or beans, and a flavorful broth you pour over everything. As our entrée course, it was filling and delicious!
We were also served frozen piña coladas – my favorite island beverage!
With nearly 100 years of chocolate producing under their belts, Chocobar Cortés is a must-visit in Puerto Rico. While the original farm was located in the Dominican Republic, this bean-to-bar manufacture was moved to Puerto Rico shortly after. Their restaurant, which has been open since 2013, has been recognized as one of the top three rated restaurants in San Juan.
Marjorie told us how the early packaging of their chocolate bars contained cartoons, and this is how many older generations learned to read. They also popularized drinking hot chocolate before bedtime, which is still a tradition today.
Our tasting was “Quesito Cortés,” which were beautiful chocolate pastries filled with cream cheese. A satisfying end to our tour!
A food tour truly is a fantastic way to explore a city (even if it’s your own!). While every food tour is unique, they all celebrate the region’s local flavors, history, people, and art. We’re proud to operate the only food tour in Colorado Springs – come visit us when you’re in the area, and we’ll take you on a culinary journey you won’t forget!
Cheers, Samantha
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