Oceano, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Nancy and I took a flight to San Juan early on December 26, and arrived well before our room was ready.  We dropped our coats and suitcases, and strolled around the Condado area, where we were staying.  We decided to give Oceano a try for lunch while we waited.  Good choice.

Oceano is in a modernist three story building right on the beach.  It’s all straight lines, white concrete, glass, and steel.  It’s full of young, thin, and fashionable people — very chic with a touch of ritz.  My kind of place.  Not only did they let me accompany Nancy inside, but they sat us right on the edge of the open deck, overlooking the beach.

Nancy had salmon over quinoa, and I had the spicy shrimp flatbread.  Nancy loved the salmon, also the quinoa, which had been cooked in a broth and gussied up with minced something — Nancy didn’t offer me a taste, and I was fully occupied with the shrimp flatbread I had ordered.  The shrimp were abundant, very fresh, and tossed with a salad and some very thinly sliced hot peppers, probably cayenne.  It was very good.  Welcome to San Juan.

We went back to Oceano for a sunset drink before dinner on our last evening in San Juan, and had the coconut shrimp appetizer with our drinks.

Again we were seated right on the edge overlooking the ocean.

Again, the service was great, friendly, and welcoming.  Thanks, Juan (our waiter).  Usually, coconut shrimp are fried, and the batter usually overwhelms the shrimp.  These were peeled steamed shrimp, tossed with coconut, a ginger dressing, and micro greens.

Delicious.  (As so often is the case, the photo was taken after some shrimp had disappeared.)  It was lovely.  A view of the ocean, pink-tinted clouds, a nice glass of wine, some excellent shrimp, and Nancy with me.  I have a great life.

If you find yourself in or near the Condado, stop by Oceano.

***

And while you’re at it, click “follow” on our front page to receive blog posts in your email box.  Or bookmark us and check in from time to time.  If you’re planning a trip, you can “Search” the name of the destination city, state, or country for good restaurants (in Europe, often close to sites, like the Louvre or the Van Gogh Museum, that you’ll want to visit in any event).  Comments, questions, and suggestions of places to eat or stories to cover are very welcome.  And check out our Instagram page, johntannerbbq.

Advertisement