Plaza del Mercado de Santurce

The market hall at Santurce opened in 1910 and still works as one in the mornings: stalls of mangoes, plantain, root vegetables, herbal remedies sold by weight, and a fish counter at the back, with lunch counters serving mofongo and stewed meat to people who work nearby. Then in the evening, particularly on Thursdays and Fridays, the streets around it fill and the whole square becomes an open-air party, with music from every doorway and food stalls running until very late. The transformation between the two is complete and worth seeing from both ends. The surrounding blocks carry much of San Juan's street art.

History

The government chose the site for a market in 1910, and the building had kiosks and produce stalls on the ground floor and the butchers and meat market upstairs, along with business spaces that included doctors' offices (Wikipedia, La Placita de Santurce).

What to look for

• The morning market - produce, herbs and a fish counter in the 1910 hall.
• The lunch counters - mofongo and stews inside the market.
• The evening street party - Thursdays and Fridays, spilling over the square.
• Santurce murals - large-scale street art through the surrounding blocks.

When to go

Mornings for the market itself, which winds down by early afternoon. Thursday and Friday evenings for the street scene, which starts around eight and runs very late. Sunday is quiet. The murals are best walked in daylight.

Before you go

The evening scene is a drinking crowd and gets very loud and very crowded, which is either the appeal or the reason to avoid it. The surrounding blocks are patchy and worth ordinary caution after dark, with a booked ride rather than a walk back. The market itself is small and takes half an hour.

Nearby

The art museum is a few blocks away; Condado beach is ten minutes.

Key facts