Decent spot for food even though it is pricier than other places we tried. The staff were very friendly. We had the alcapurrias, empanadillas, and the mofongo. The alcapurrias were very greasy. The empanadillas also tasted good. I tried the mofongo with shrimp in garlic sauce. The mofongo was good, but not the best I've had in San Juan. Overall, a decent spot to grab food. read more

Had some of the best mofongo at Cafeteria Tropical. We tried a few, including one with chimichurri, but the chicken mofongo with garlic sauce was easily the best I've ever had. We were staying at the Caribe Hilton and came here for breakfast a few times. Service was noticeably slower when sitting outside, but once we moved indoors, we were served almost right away. Definitely worth a visit for the food alone! read more

Cafeteria Tropical - Bistec Mofongo - Cafeteria Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Me and my boyfriend stopped in here on a whim as it was walking distance from our hotel (caribe Hilton). I'm so glad we did! As a person growing up visiting Puerto Rico every summer, I was craving authentic hole in the wall Puerto Rican food and found it here! The food was made to order so you can taste the freshness of each dish. I am so happy I got to get my fix of local cuisine while also being walking distance. It was a huge win! read more

Cafeteria Tropical - Shrimp mofongo con salsa criolla, bacalaitos, Arroz mamposteao, and pizza pastellios - Cafeteria Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Ambiance was amazing Service was sweet and quick So glad we found this place Food tasty and filling read more

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The empanadas at Cafeteria Tropical are a must-try!They were crispy on the outside, flavorful and perfectly seasoned on the inside, and tasted so fresh. Definitely one of those spots in San Juan where you can stop in for a quick bite and end up wanting to come back for more! read more

Good food but slow service. Close to the hotel we stayed at. Authentic food and vibe. read more

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Alright this place was freaking Aweosme. Everything we had here was 10/10. I got a Cuban sandwich for breakfast and easily the best Cuban sandwich I've had on some really perfect fresh baked bread. Went back to try their "Best Pina Colada in San Juan".. and wow it literally was the best Pina Colada I've ever had in my life. So went back one last time for a snack, got their beef empanadas and their carnitas quesadilla. The empanadas were also best empanadas I've ever had and the quesadilla was pretty great too... Overall the Cuban sandwich and empanadas won me over, it's a good place to grab a beer and relax. Will def return. read more

Cafeteria Tropical - The best pina colada ever - Cafeteria Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Awesome place!!! Ate there probably 5 times in 3 days and consistently terrific service and food. Great little stop

We've been starting our day here since arriving at the Caribe Hilton across the street. The coffee is EXCELLENT and the menu is much friendlier price-wise than the hotel options. My only criticism is that they open later than most other options (8am) but they are also one of the only options a short walk from the hotel. Friendly service although it original comes off as a slightly gruff atmosphere. Also a great little shop to buy beer by the bottle and carry back to the hotel. 3 beers here is the same as 1 beer at the hotel bar. read more

First day in PR, mofongo is my first meal. I went with the fried pork and the local lager. Really friendly service and excellent food read more

Cafeteria Tropical - Fried Pork Mofongo - Cafeteria Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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‍ LOCAL WINNER!!! Located across the street from the Caribe Hilton, this place is super duper casual and clean. First of all, this is not a "Cafeteria", it's a casual restaurant serving great Caribbean classics EXTREMELY WELL. This place is a FIND for hearty food priced right with generous portions - the big plus is that all of the Staff/Kitchen workers are kind and happy! YAY, I Puerto Rico!!! Places like this are why I keep returning here... ‍ ‍ Apparently they're open for Breakfast , gotta try that but I went there for lunch at around 1PM and sat under their covered patio that gets a nice breeze from the ocean nearby. Their Roasted Chicken TO GO comes with a choice of side dishes, order the DELICIOUS Yellow Rice with Gandules (Pigeon Peas) and Sweet Plantains, it even comes with Bottled Water or a can of Soda! (NOTE: Avoid their beans if you don't eat Pork or Red Meat). And Foodies: The Roast Chicken here is NEXT LEVEL GREATNESS!!! It's priced right and the portion is GENEROUS, don't ya just love THAT! Many customers around me were ordering Mofongo's (mashed plantains or cassava cups) with fresh Shrimp or Chicken , they all seemed pretty happy. This place is makes fresh homemade food EVERYDAY!!! Stews , Meats , Salads , Healthy Smoothies (I don't think that they call them that, FYI) but boy oh boy is this team dedicated to filing your belly with delicious home-cooked eats!!! On Uber it's known as "Tropical Souvenir and Liquor Store" so take note if your Uber-ing from nearby Condado or Miramar. Go to head there today for breakfast, and find out their hours, the sleuthing continues!!! Hoping to post more pictures later. You can dress as you wish here but FYI, no one walks around here without a shirt, or, wearing just a bathing suit so, be respectful, the Puerto Rican people have so much to teach us regarding how to live with JOY! You can TASTE the JOY in this food, I'm convinced that it's prepared with LVE!!! Credit cards accepted, take out not a problem, walk to nearby Escambron Beach or at the nearby park just before you enter this street and have a picnic. For those who like a beverage with their meal, this place, which goes by MANY names has everything you need including non-alcoholic Piña Coladas and such. Say hi to Bey-Rohn-Ee-KAh (Veronica) and Manuel, everyone here is nice! The kitchen is slammed but you'll be rewarded with a great local experience with the beach breeze keeping you cool! read more

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A hidden gem across the street from the Hilton Caribe. Excellent service and great local food. Better puna colada than the Hilton! We walked out of the hotel crossed the street for a great meal and friendly service. Don't miss this place. read more

The food was tasty, 10/10. The service was good; our waiter was friendly and kind, but waiting over 30 minutes for the food was long. At least the food was delicious! We ate outside, and it was nice to people-watch. read more

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Cafeteria Tropical was such a good find on our trip to Puerto Rico! It is conveniently located right across the street from our hotel, so we basically ate there every day! Besides, who wants to pay hotel prices for mediocre food when you can get authentic Puerto Rican dishes for a fraction of the price?! We've had the mahi-mahi tacos, grouper, sandwiches (Jamon, Huevas, y Queso) and numerus other items. All were really good and the price point was prefect! We've also had their coffee - which once again, was really good! Service is quick and friendly. You can sit inside or outside. I like to people watch, so my preference is outside. Also, there is a bar/liquor/convenience store right next door you can get items and enjoy on-site. IF we stay close by again, you can bet we'll be here (probably on the daily). read more

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Friendly staff and good food. Real Puerto Rican dishes. Fresh cooked and great small back street cafeteria with a ton of personality. Manuel was fantastic and answered all of our stupid tourist questions. Right off the road so I would avoid during high traffic times but since it is a backstreet it may never get bad. read more

This place had mediocre food with bad portions. The service was great and love the outside dining. However, the food was lackluster and just not up to standard. read more

Excellent fish tacos. The hot sauce really kicked up the flavor. It's still finding its staffing legs, but I have high hopes. read more

Cafeteria Tropical - The fish tacos for lunch were awesome. - Cafeteria Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Beware of your server. We went for breakfast and our server , JC, was great - prices were reasonable, food was decent. Bill was brought, tip added, credit card swiped and receipt given. Lovely. Went back for lunch as it was so close to the hotel and we have little kids. We had Gabriela as our waitress this time. Food was ok, but not all of the meal brought at the same time. She didn't check on us during the meal either. I asked for the check. She came back and said $55, and though I thought it sounded high, given the honesty from this morning, I thought my math was maybe off, and handed my card (my bad). She swiped, punched something into the machine and walked off. Something didn't sit right and I waited around and asked for a receipt. She printed it, handed it to my husband (not me who paid for it or asked for the receipt), and then walked off. When I looked, she'd added a 20% tip. I don't mind tipping, but to take a tip in that manner? Dishonest. Needless to say, we won't be returning. read more

Like many others, we walked there from the Caribe Hilton. Best Cuban sandwich I've ever had!! Great Empanadillas and so cheap to eat there! Super staff and that feeling like you're eating with family!! Highly recommended! read more

I've been to Puerto Rico three times now, and this might be the best meal I've ever had on this beautiful island. I ordered the fritas encebolladas, arroz y habichuellas, y maduros. The beans were full of flavor. Rice was properly cooked, not too sticky, and balanced the habichuelas well The maduros were great, not over ripened, cooked well without burning them. The fried pork was an explosion of flavor. Single handedly the best thing I've had to eat in a long time. Very well seasoned, great crust in them and still very juicy. Service is great - polite and prompt, prices are very fair, and much cheaper than most restaurants I've seen in condado and specially the hotel. If you're staying at the Caribe Hilton, come have all your meals here (breakfast was great too) Thank you for an amazing meal. You just made this island a little more special. read more

Came here based on the recommendation of a friend. You order at the counter and then you can sit at a table inside or outside. Or you can get your food to go. I ordered the fried pork chunks. It came with beans and rice and lettuce and tomato. I also ordered a side of sweet plantains. Plus a pina colada. All of that for less than $20. Bring cash because they don't take credit cards. The food came out quickly. The gentlemen working were friendly and helpful. The portion sizes were very large. The beans were amazing. The pork was a bit dry but still tasty. Loved the sweet plantains. The pina colada wasn't super sweet. Great meal at a much better price than the hotel we are staying at. read more

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Cute little spot near the Caribe Hilton. It's connected to a convenience spot. They play music there so you can sit back and enjoy yourself if you'd like. We ordered some steak/shrimp and tostones to go. Food came out pretty quickly. The food was alright. I preferred the steak over the shrimp. The sauce the steak was in was very flavorful. Tostones were good too. read more

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Excellent food and service. We were a group of 3 adults and 2 bigger kids. We tried lots of different items and especially liked the pork stew, the "sandwich" and the coconut flan. The waitress was lovely and explained the menu and her favorite items. I highly recommend this restaurant if you want to try some great Puerto Rican food. read more

You will love this down to earth little spot. The team will take good care of you. Good food at great prices. Great service with lots of energy by the staff. Will be back tomorrow read more

Excellent servicios! Staff was very friendly and accommodating Food was delicious Definitely would come back read more

Sort of a hole in the wall breakfast/lunch place I only stumbled upon because it's across the street from our hotel. Caribe Hilton. Certainly has much more decently priced options than our hotel!! They have a variety of breakfast and lunch options all decently priced. Portions are a little smaller than expected but I'm probably looking at it from an American (stateside) view...where we overeat and portions are huge. Service was friendly but kind of slow. I would come back though. A little bit of seating indoors and outdoors. You can order to go, too. read more

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Amazing lunch and dinner. Sandwiches were delicious on good crunchy crisp bread. The tostonies were not greasy and cooked to perfection.. The best fish I have had all trip. Don't miss this jewel.. We were staying across the street. We were not impressed with the food. It was overpriced and not good at the hotel. I had Mofongo at multiple places around OSJ and this was as good or better than any other. read more

Cafeteria Tropical - Cafeteria Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

We stumbled upon this place while staying across the street at the Caribe Hilton and I'm so glad we did! At first glance we just thought this was a souvenir shop (the signs outside say "Tropical Souvenirs") but then we noticed people hanging around outside with drinks... The hotel food was just OK and expensive, but here you can get authentic Puerto Rican dishes done well for a much more reasonable cost. We had empanadas and mofongo, and a couple of other small appetizers. Drinks were on point (tamarind mojito for me) and our server was SO friendly. Definitely skip whatever the hotel has to offer and make your way over here for a great local meal. read more

Cafeteria Tropical - Empanada - Cafeteria Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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We would have had gone here every day if open, but was closed a few times I tried. Delicious breakfast sandwiches and coffee. Great local fare. read more

The fried snapper here was the bomb! Highly recommend. Also had breakfast here everyday, very reasonably pricing, especially vs. The hotel. read more

Cafeteria Tropical - Fried snapper - Cafeteria Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

We went our first day of vacation and what a disappointment. Service and food were abysmal and can't believe we spent what we did (and I regret leaving a tip). It's like they are bothered when we ask them for anything and they could care less if we were there. The food must have just been warmed up. We got the dufungo, cheese croquettes, cheese quesadillas and chicken dufungo. The dufungo was hard and tasteless. I'm sure it tastes better other places but def turned us off of trying any more authentic PR food. All the food needed more seasoning - we had to dump the sauce on it to taste like anything. Needless to say, we didn't go to the place again. read more

WORST WORST WORST DONT COME！！！！ Super super super super slow service. Sat there for 30 mins, asked twice when can we order then finally they figured out we haven't ordered yet. Then waited another 45 mins while seeing people came way behind us finished their food but we got nothing. Worst experience ever. Don't come. read more

Nice little place to eat. Great breakfast and coffee. Service has always been nice. The waiter made me a special drink that turned out to be very nice. The mofongo is made fresh to order and is very good. Also like the mango hot sauce. read more

Cafeteria Tropical - Mofongo with chicken - Cafeteria Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Excellent food. Excellent service. Great variety of authentic Puerto Rican cuisine as well as

Great food place. Especially if you're staying across the street at the Caribe Hilton Great service. Great environment and flavor. Highly recommended. read more

At the advice of our snorkel guide (who said this is the only place the guides get lunch), we got the special of the day and delighted in every bite. The service was personal, welcoming, and made me want to come here again and again. read more

Cafeteria Tropical - Pork special and chicken special. Both were amazing. - Cafeteria Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

This place is so great I ended up eating here twice in one day. Ordered the cubano, sweet plantains and a small coffee. The coffee is basically jetfuel, in the best way possible, small but packs the punch you need. The cubano was huge and filled to the brim with meat, mustard, and pickles. The bread was nice and toasted. The plantains came piping hot and were sweet but not overly sweet. Highly recommend this little restaurant, you can sit inside or outside with a view either way. read more

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Day 2 of my San Juan trip and I have finally found some really good Mofongo. I got it with their garlic chicken... and it was perfect! We also got their empanadas, they were really good, beware though, they are huge!! They are more of a meal than an appetizer. They are convenient located across the street from the Hilton Caribe, much more affordable and authentic then eating at the hotel! read more

Cafeteria Tropical - Really cute and comfortable seating, the front is open air and you get the sea breeze coming through. - Cafeteria Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Had the Mahi Mahi fish tacos and they were amazing. This little hole in the wall sits next to the Caribe Hilton and is wonderful. Seems a little iffy since they're a restaurant, souvenir shop and liquor store, but yum. Will definitely be back! read more

Cafeteria Tropical - Mahi Mahi tacos - Cafeteria Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Great little dine in or take place with a small convenience store attached. Super good piña coladas.