Condado is the high-rise beach strip just east of Old San Juan, on a barrier sliver between the lagoon and the Atlantic. The neighbourhood developed in the 1920s as San Juan's first resort area and is the most polished part of the city — wide sidewalks, designer boutiques along Avenida Ashford, and most of the bigger hotels and casinos. The beach itself is decent but narrow.
If you are after good restaurants in a walkable strip and don't want to be in the historic core, Condado is the choice. It is connected to Old San Juan by the Dos Hermanos bridge and a fifteen-minute taxi ride, less by Uber. Avoid the section of beach near the Condado Lagoon at the western end — the currents are strong and there is no lifeguard.