El Batey

Top choice in San Juan


If Hunter S Thompson's ghost wanted to relive his Rum Diary days, this is where you’d find him. Unashamedly crusty, the walls of this cavernous drinking den are covered in graffiti. The dim lighting will have you groping in your pockets for spare change to light up the suitably retro jukebox, between rum shots and beer chasers.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby San Juan attractions

1. Catedral de San Juan Bautista

0.05 MILES

While San Juan's cathedral is smaller and less flamboyant than many Spanish churches, it retains a simple elegance. The first church on this site was…

2. Plazuela Las Monjas

0.05 MILES

This pretty little park faces the Catedral de San Juan Bautista. Its ironwork benches and shade trees make it a good place for people watching, especially…

3. Plaza de San José

0.06 MILES

This small cobblestone plaza is dominated by a statue of Juan Ponce de León, cast from English cannons captured in the raid of 1797. It's a popular spot…

4. Iglesia de San José

0.09 MILES

What it lacks in grandiosity it makes up for in age: the Iglesia de San José is the second-oldest church in the Americas, after the cathedral in Santo…

5. Edifico de la Diputación Provincial

0.09 MILES

Originally constructed as a marketplace in the mid-1800s, this neoclassical building now houses offices of the Department of State of Puerto Rico along…

6. Casa Museo Felisa Rincón de Gautier

0.1 MILES

This museum, an attractive neoclassical townhouse, was the longtime home of San Juan’s beloved mayor, Doña Felisa. She presided over the growth of the…

7. Plazuela de la Rogativa

0.1 MILES

This diminutive gem of a square with lovely views over the bay is home to an interesting, stylized bronze sculpture of a former bishop of San Juan and…

8. Palacio de la Real Intendencia

0.11 MILES

The imposing Palacio de la Real Intendencia sits on the western edge of the Plaza de Armas. Built in the 19th century, this neoclassical beauty houses the…