Sweet Spot: Sonia Rican Restaurant

Island: Puerto Rico

When galloping gourmet Anthony Bourdain ate at this Playa Jobos spot, he declared, "Food tastes better when you're not wearing shoes." It's a common reaction to the Sonia Rican, which features a smattering of tables, a salsa-pumping jukebox, and a view of locals shredding the waves (and occasionally rescuing gringos caught in a treacherous rip tide). Work off your meal with a stroll down the beach to El Pozo de Jacinto, a surfside blowhole where, according to local legend, a farmboy named Jacinto lost his cow. Visitors are urged to yell Déme la vaca ("Give me the cow") to make the water surge.

Average price of beer: $2.25

Meal Ticket: Entrées, $5–$27

Vibe: Surf shack, complete with a littering of boards

Stumbling Distance to Nearest Hotel: ½ mile to Sol y Arena

Most ordered: Mofongo (fried green plantains loaded with shrimp or lobster and doused in sofrito)

Contact: 787-872-0808

*6: Elements in the signature piña colada (pineapple juice, coconut cream, rum, a secret ingredient, ice, umbrella)

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Photograph by Julien Capmeil for Condé Nast Traveler