When I was in Puerto Rico, I had an epiphany. I was trying to figure out this whole blogging thing, and I needed to find my niche. Or at least one of them, anyway. After reflecting on my experiences and what I really enjoy doing in my travels, the top answer was glaringly obvious. I love connecting to other vegans all around the world, and the way I do that is by finding a restaurant on HappyCow and heading straight there. This is the first of many vegan foodie guides, and it happens to be about my time on La Isla del Encanto. ¡Salud!
Bori Vegan
This is the mothership of veganism in San Juan. This place serves real, fresh ingredients with delicious flavor and unforgettable sauces. I got the taco trio, and it had this heavenly mix of beans and veggies with their signature “sexy sauce.” It had just the right amount of each flavor, and I left feeling satisfied and light instead of stuffed. The staff here are so much fun and are so personable. My grandma and I had such a great time just chatting with them and sharing parts of our lives. I know Bori Vegan will be my first stop once I leave the airport on my next trip to San Juan!
welcome to vegan heaven! 
interior wall art
La Repostería Vegana
This is an adorable little vegan bakery in the downstairs of Bori Vegan. The baker sells fresh, homemade cakes and other desserts every day. She is so sweet and we had a great conversation with her. The cakes we got and ate later were so, so good! Be sure to stop by for a chat and get yourself a slice of cake for the road. You won’t regret it, even if your waistband does!
Punto de Vista
I’ve gone on and on about this place, and with good reason. I got their veggie mofongo twice, along with an order of Puerto Rican rice. Both times, the meal was absolutely delicious. Located in Old San Juan, this place should be a stop for any traveler coming to the city. It’s a veg-friendly spot, so bring your omnivore friends along! I mention it in my Old San Juan travel guide, and I mention it again here because it’s just that good. From the food, to the happy hour mojitos, to the amazing service and gorgeous rooftop patio, this place is a winner every time!
Cuatro Sombras
This is an adorable coffee shop in a couple of locations around Old San Juan. The baristas are so nice and helpful, and they make the best soy milk latte I’ve ever had. No joke. I only ordered soy milk lattes because I like that the milk flavor doesn’t overpower the taste of the drink, so I’m not positive that they offer more plant milks. I highly recommend just getting the soy milk unless you have an allergy, because their baristas work pure magic with it! They also appear in my post about Old San Juan because I think any coffee drinker should give this place a visit when in Puerto Rico. For all those that work from their laptops like yours truly, there’s a courtyard and a separate area in the back of the shop if you want more space to set up your laptop and get work done!
Bili
This place is so amazing, I don’t even know where to start. I touch on our experience here in my post about staying at El Blok in Vieques, but I wanted to wait until now to dig deep. We headed down the street from our hotel to this place when our front desk manager recommended it. I let the staff know I was vegan, and our waitress offered the black bean appetizer. This dish has a black bean dip, with plantain and yuca chips sticking out of it and a fresh avocado veggie blend on top. It was so, so delicious! The only ingredient that makes it vegetarian originally is the avocado cream, which I requested to have switched out for just fresh avocado instead. Yum! I’d go back to Bili in a heartbeat. The staff are like family, and treat their clients as such, too. I missed them and their amazing food as soon as our meal was over. You’ll regret it if you don’t go here!
That’s it for my Puerto Rico vegan foodie guide, for now at least! When I visit again, I’ll update this post as I try more places and experience more vegan food. Keep an eye out for my next vegan foodie guides from different destinations. I have the feeling that this will be the start of something both beautiful and delicious!
In the rest of my Puerto Rico series, I give a general travel guide, share my fave spots, give my advice on where to stay, and talk about my incredible experience in Vieques.
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