Puerto Rico’s best dive is surrounded by architectural landmarks and historic treasures, with your bar stool a literal stone’s throw from the Gothic San Juan Cathedral and the Caribbean’s most gorgeous Spanish colonial hotel. Graffiti and business cards cover its cracked walls, along with aging drawings of local legends who once drank here, but the open air windows overlook the beautiful facades and crowds along the Old City's prettiest street. The jukebox sizzles with everything from Sinatra to the Clash, Charlie Parker to Bob Dylan, but the conversation at the bar will undoubtedly get your ear. The chattering eccentrics on any given night may include idealistic painters, jaded political operatives, investment bankers falling down to earth, and beautiful University of Puerto Rico students just starting or about to finish their night. The spot is on the short list of favorite bars of any sanjuanero worth hanging out with and also attracts an eclectic group of world travelers. El Batey has been cool since Allen Ginsberg read poetry here back in the 1950s.