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I never eat fish. I just don’t. The last time I was made to eat fish was in an unfortunate situation where the guy I was on a date with had his father come join us, who was convinced that the best dish on the menu was a salmon pizza. The pizza came. I took a piece of the salmon and immediately decided that – yes, fish was not for me.

It wasn’t always this way. Growing up I was very experimental with food. I remember when my family went to London for a trip, my dad had me try some octopus and I was actually excited to try it.

So when did it all change? It was one fine sunny morning on holiday in the coastal town of Puri. We had taken a boat to go to a sandbank where all the fishermen were fishing and other people were chilling. My dad had wandered over to some fishermen bringing in the catch of the day so I naively went over to join him and the only memory I have of the rest of that day is watching a live fish’s head being chopped off and it still wiggling. That was the day I gave up fish. 

So it was a complete shock to me when I tasted one of my boyfriend’s tacos from an unassuming taco truck and found out it was fish tacos. Now I am not one to advocate for mass fish consumption. I have watched Seaspiracy and it makes me sick. But I am all for supporting local fishermen running small businesses. And which is why I want to introduce – MARLIN TUBEAU ON WHEELS.

Marlin Tubeau on Wheels is run by two Puerto Rican ladies who make the tacos, tostones and literally the best sweet guava pastelillo sprinkled with sugar. We never tried their ceviche because we loved the tacos so much that it was literally what we ate everyday but I checked the Yelp reviews later and damn the ceviche is supposed to be awesome. 

The food is so fresh you can taste the ocean in the fish. The tostones are served with a Puerto Rican sauce made with ketchup, mayo and spice if you want that goes perfectly with it. And the sweet pastelillo are so delicious – full to the brim with guava and cheese. Do cheese and fruit go together? The answer is yes!

The prices are very friendly for this place and clearly written at the front of the food truck. To those complaining about the prices being too high on Yelp – really? Are you that entitled? The ladies are running an amazing food truck with fresh catch and barely making profit and you want them to drop the prices? Go eat McDonalds shit if that’s how you feel. 

Why did I choose this as my gem for San Juan? Because it’s run by locals. Because it serves food that has been a part of this culture for centuries. Because it’s delicious as fuck. And because I got addicted to the pastelillos. 

There are some really good other restaurants in San Juan for sure but there is none that is this good and this cheap and serves the local cuisine that everyone on every budget can try. 

• Location : Calle San Juan Bautista 9 San Juan, Puerto Rico (Google Maps Link)
• Contact : Website, 787-319-1837