Our flight was delayed, so by the time we landed in Puerto Rico it was already dinnertime. After dropping our bags at the Airbnb, we headed straight out into the streets of Old San Juan to find something to eat.
We had initially set our sights on Deaverdura, a Puerto Rican restaurant just around the corner that seemed like the perfect place for our first meal on the island. There was a long line outside, though, and when it got close to 8:15 pm and we realized they closed at nine, we decided to call it. It didn’t seem realistic.
On the way to Deaverdura, we had passed Deshistoria: Birra & Empanadas, a place that immediately caught our attention. It’s more bar than restaurant, but the atmosphere felt right, and beer and empanadas sounded exactly like what we needed, so we went in.
We started out sitting at the bar, but a table opened up almost right away. The bartender ran through the evening’s empanada options: chicken, beef, chorizo, and, if we were willing to wait a few minutes, freshly made mushroom empanadas. We ordered one of each, along with a Bruma, a local beer, and a cocktail called Taina, which the bartender recommended. The cocktail was perfectly fine, but it was the combination of cold beer and hot empanadas that really worked. The empanadas were excellent, and we ended up ordering a second and then a third round. By the end of the night, only the chicken ones were left.
There were four different sauces on the table: Regular, Guanabana, Mango y Piña, and Aguacate. Our favorites were Regular and Mango y Piña, both of which paired especially well with the chorizo empanada, which turned out to be the clear favorite that evening.
At one of the other tables, a birthday was being celebrated. The group had brought over a cookie with candles from Drunken Cookies across the street, and when it was time to sing, the entire bar joined in. A great bar, a warm, lively atmosphere, and really good empanadas. I can’t imagine a better way to start our trip in Puerto Rico.
Deshistoria: Birra & Empanadas, 150 C. de la Cruz, Old San Juan, San Juan 00901, Puerto Rico
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