If there was one restaurant I would recommend in San Juan for fine dining, it would be Bodegas Compostela. The food there is fantastic and the proprietor is super friendly.
During our last visit to San Juan, Mr. Sazy Rock and I wanted to try the fine dining scene. Local chefs recommended that we check out Bodegas Compostela. I am glad they did.
The cuisine is Spain Spanish, which we adore. The owner, Rey, and his and chef partner are from Galicia near Santiago de Compostela. That is why they called their restaurant, Bodegas Compostela. It has been around for 33 years.
The Scene
The place is small-ish, so make sure to make reservations. When we visited, the crowd looked like local rich folks although we also saw a few mainland US tourists and local and foreign business folks (they were wearing suits). The atmosphere was lively but not loud.
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| The Scene. |
The Food
- Warm soft bread and olive oil from La Rioja, a wine region in Spain.
- Crispy leg of suckling pig (Cohinilla Confitado y Crujiente) - it was so tender and crunchy and rich, i.e., one only needs a small amount because of the meat's creaminess. The baby green beans were crisp and fresh as well.
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| Cochinilla. |
Here is the Cochinilla in slo-mo because why not.
- Cartucho (a type of snapper from really deep waters in the northern part of Puerto Rico) (catch of the day) - it was perfectly flaky, light and fresh. Rey showed us a picture of the fish before it was cooked, and it was bright red and fresh.
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| Cartucho. |
- Jamon Iberico (complimentary) - Rey was kind enough to send us a complimentary plate. The jamon maker was Cinco Jota (better than Fermin, which is what we get in the mainland US).
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| Jamon Iberico de Bellota. |
- Pulpo a la Gallega - we could not really go to a Spanish restaurant with a chef and proprietor from Galicia without ordering the region's specialty. So, we ordered this delightful octopus dish (boiled for 20 minutes then grilled) that was tender inside and had a nice crunchy char outside, with paprika, olive oil and sweet local peppers.
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| Pulpo a la Gallega. |
- Croquetas - stuffed with bacalao or cod, which we were told were cured from the Basque region. Rey said that the region makes the best cured cod. I tasted the cod at first bite. It was crunchy outside and soft inside.
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| Croquetas. |
- Ribeiro - we tried a wine that was biodynamic and apparently, only 5000 were made. The grapes were grown in soil that had a lot of granite so it tasted minerally and crisp.
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| Biodynamic wine. |
- Blueberries and hazelnut tart with vanilla ice cream - tart and sweet. Very tasty.
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| Blueberries and Hazelnut Tart. |
The Service
The service was friendly. Our server was not pushy either. We said we were full but she offered to come back in 10 minutes if want dessert so let us digest, which I appreciated. It reminded Mr. SR of being in Spain because of the great wine list, unpretentious food, great service and not trying to upsell more expensive items.
They were also very helpful and called us a taxi at the end of the evening.
The Price
It was not a cheap meal. But, we did order a lot and I don't begrudge them any penny.
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| The Menu. |
The Verdict
I definitely recommend Bodegas Compostela if you want to eat at a fine dining restaurant while in San Juan. Although it is not like, say Azurmendi or Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, it is still a pretty good fancy and enjoyable meal.
What fine dining options do you recommend in San Juan, Puerto Rico?
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