We were so happy to come across the "birra y empanadas" awning while walking around Old San Juan during our 2-day stay. They have a $5 drink menu including beer, wine, mixed drinks, etc. Our first taste of their empanadas included their carne (beef) and pollo (chicken) options. In addition to these, they had some with setas (mushroom), chorizo (sausage), and espinaca (spinach). Since we stopped in on a Monday night, it was pretty quiet, but it seemed like there were a couple locals pulled up to the bar. The empanada case was continually refreshed as we sat and took in Desperately Seeking Susan on the bar TV, so no matter which flavor or what time you ordered, they were hot and fresh. In fact, we couldn't stop thinking about these empanadas... so the next day, before we called our cab, we walked over and literally waited outside until they opened their doors at 2:00 p.m. We sat on the front side of the bar this time and found the wide array of hot sauces! Anything you find in a honey bear is made in-house. We tried a bite with almost every sauce and fully enjoyed each one. The drinks and empanadas are definitely a great deal and I highly recommend stopping by for an afternoon or evening snack and beverage. read more

Charrua Bistro Cafe - Our favorite awning in Old San Juan! - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Service was great. Small bar with seating in front and a small back area. The empanadas de pollo were amazing! Drinks were good too - we had mojitos and rum punch, but they had tons of beer options as well. read more

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I really tried to love the empanadas here but the meat was too dry for our taste. It was also quite expensive, $4 for one. We got a local tip saying the deeper you go into the city, the better the empanadas are, but we gave into the tourist trap! read more

A hidden gem! And when I say hidden, I mean it. We literally didn't know the name of the restaurant. But we were so tired after walking around OSJ that we just wanted to sit down, have a coffee and a snack (and when I say snack, I only mean empanadas - when in Puerto Rico!) Sadly, the place didn't serve any coffee but they did have empanadas. We ordered two chicken empanadas and they were in the oven baking (yes!!!). Took about 10 min and we were served piping hot empanadas. And oh man, were they delicious. The meat was tender, well flavored and since they were baked, no greasiness. Our server also suggested the guava sauce and it added a spicy kick. It's a must visit if you're craving empanadas! One star off because I wish they also served coffee. P.S: Their restrooms are decorated in such a funky way, all those colorful tiles! read more

Charrua Bistro Cafe - Funky restroom! - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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The empanadas here were good! They were fresh, flaky, and flavorful. I got the chicken and beef. The chicken was moist and tender. I liked the beef one too! It was flavorful and cooked to perfection. However, I preferred the chicken empanada. Also, they have an endless selection of sauces. I really liked the cilantro and mango hot sauces. The garlic one was really good too. The ambiance is great. It is casual and homey. We ordered drinks and sat there for a while. The only thing that I would complain about is the service. The girl working there was slightly rude. When we asked for a spit check, she said, "No, you guys figure it out." read more

Charrua Bistro Cafe - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

This place makes one of the best Sangria's I had in San Juan... Just a little place that we happened on by chance. Prices are reasonable, decorations neat and the management is very friendly. Next time in Old San Juan will be back! I corrected the name with Yelp... Charrua Bistro Cafe hopefully they change it. read more

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What a find! Amazing drinks and food in the heart of San Juan. The inside is a bit cramped but that adds to the charm. I tried the cheese and mushroom and beef and bacon empanadas. Both were delicious! read more

When you can have a mojito or glass of wine for $5, and accompany that with spinach or mushroom empanadas for a good price each, you have a winning combination. You can also have pizza empanadas or chorizo and chicken as well, but as many switch to non-meat preferences, I'm so glad they have those choices. Trek around Old San Juan and then check this place out, sit at the bar, and see hem replenish their empanada batches as they sell quickly. Small place, cool vibe, unpretentious. Not far down San Sebastián Street. Enjoy! read more

Great Spot for a late night snack or everything in between! The empanadas are one of the best (outside of my mother's house) that I've ever had! My family is very big on oven baked empanadas, we prefer them over deep fried empanadas. We tried the chorizo, chicken, and mushroom and cheese empanadas. Our options were limited because we got there right before closing time. We ordered sangrias as our refreshment and took our emanadas to the plaza to eat. Let me tell you the mushroom and cheese empanada was a revelation! So unique but sooo good! For someone who has only had meat containing empanadas all my life this was truly a refreshing but delightful surprise! I will definitely recommend my mom try to make something similar because they were definitely my favorite from the ones I tried, maybe because it was so different! I should note that there might be a mistake on yelps part because the sign outside the restaurant does not say "Charrua Bistro." read more

Whatever you do, come to this place and get the empanadas!! Soooo good. I'm not even vegetarian and my favorite was the mushroom and cheese. My bf liked the beef and pesto best. So good. Omg. All of the staff. Amazing. Especially the owner Eduardo! Music was great. Even the other guests were great lol. I'm bringing some with me on my flight lol read more

Great staff, great atmosphere, great drinks and great empanadas. I've been to PR twice and came here twice both times. I just discovered the games the last visit. I continue to go back mainly for the empanadas - SO GOOD!!! read more

So I've had a very interesting experience here. I also believe their name on the awning is Birra and Empandas. So my BF and I stopped here a couple of days ago. He ordered a chicken empanada and I ordered a veggie one. The veggie one was still baking, but my bf started to eat his. As he was eating the power in the whole vicinity shut off. Needless to say, I was unable to eat my empanada. The bartender told me he didn't know how long it would be till the power came back on, so I left paying for both empanadas but I only received one. I was very disappointed. It was poor service, although it was no the fault of the restaurant for losing power. read more

Charrua Bistro Cafe - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Delicious empanadas, good beer, good service, and cool vibes! Highly recommend if you want a chill place to start, stop at, or end your night! read more

The sign outside says "Birras y Empanadas" so you know what to expect (beer and empanadas). They also have the happy hour specials and prices listed outside, too. $5 for mixed drinks. Fresh oven baked empanadas are only $3.50. There are 4 different flavors made daily- pollo, chorizo... they were being made fresh every 30 minutes or so while we were there. There is no ac, but comfortable sitting in here with lots of fans blowing. Great service/bartenders both nights we went here. read more

Charrua Bistro Cafe - Outside - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Our favorite place to hang out for beer and empanadas in Old Town. Great ambiance, near Plaza de Armas. read more

Charrua Bistro Cafe - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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One of the best bars in "el viejo San Juan" the ambiance is perfect, good music, great drinks and empanadas! Try the chorizo empanadas. The bar reminds me Madrid or La Havana, the owners are awesome, they are at the bar all the time. Highly recommended. read more

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So yummy & truly authentic! Loved it all! Tried all the empanadas with friends & enjoyed every one :) read more

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Stop in and get a $3.50 empanada! Minimal bread stuffed with chorizo, chicken, beef or spinach. Absolutely delicious. We came in and "A View to a Kill" James Bond movie was on wonderful worker sweet guy. Whoever said the staff were rude- well I bet they no longer work here. OMG on our way to another happy hour up the street. So happy we made this quick pit stop. Full bar. Nice spot! Healthy filling snack!!! read more

Charrua Bistro Cafe - James Bond was on with subtitles! Such fun. - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Closed? Door locked on a Tuesday afternoon. Out of business? Or just not the correct hours posted on Yelp!

This place is straight up awesome. Fantastic laid back atmosphere with very affordable prices. Stumbled into this bar after walking around the fort in old San Juan. We got a wide variety of empanadas and multiple rounds of drinks. All told the tab was 57 bucks after stuffing and drinking for 4 for more than 2 hrs. Great spot really cool. The empanadas were fresh and fantastic. Time to move to old San Juan. read more

Charrua Bistro Cafe - Da bomb - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

I stopped in for a quick bite to eat after a day of wandering Old San Juan. They totally don't kid with their name. It was beer and Empanadas, but it was oh so good. I had 3 empanadas and a mendela, and my bill was $8. Total win in OSJ! My husband ate at Subway that day (gross) and spent more then I did on his lunch. It was clearly a local place, which I prefer. Sometimes it gets hard to find homey feeling places when you're out of town, but this place totally fit the bill. It was a total oasis. read more

I completely forgot the name of the place, however my daughter Amanda did a search and found it, needed to review it. Hidden gem with oven cooked (NOT FRIED) empanadas de jeyes, flaky, flavorful so good and so fresh the drinks were also awesome, did not want to leave the place or Puerto Rico for that matter. read more

Used yelp to find this place. Stopped in for hopefully an authentic empanada and we were not disappointed! Took the recommendation to get beef and bacon and the skirt steak... Along with broccoli and cheese and chicken. The beef was amazing! Highly recommended! No menu... Just a great little bar with even better atmosphere read more

Soooo good. I almost don't want to give it a review so it stays local . I ate gluten for this place and I have no regrets.mojitos we're super tasty too read more

A friend asked me to meet here and it was pretty easy to find - but figuring out where we were meeting was the first tricky part. I had to google "Birra y Empanada" to discover the actual name of this place "Charrua Bistro Cafe". When I got there I saw clearly "Birra y Empanada" on the sign (Beer and Empanadas if you can't tell what that means), but never noticed the actual name anywhere. Regardless, the empanadas were great, you could see them baking them just behind the bar, and everything smelled of delicious empanada. Drinks were reasonably cheap as well. I had two pollo empanada, and they offered sauce/salsa to put on them as well (salsa just means sauce in Spanish by the way, if you go to a Burger King here and get BBQ sauce the receipt says BBQ salsa.). I concur with the other reviews as this is a hidden gem. read more

Good flavor. Dough had a very nice crisp to it. You got a good amount in each empanada. Would go back

Evrything was amazing from the empanadas to the service. Drinks where great and a good price. Highly recommend

This is my most favorite place in old san jaun. Bar tenders are friendly and atmosphere is layed back. The best empanadas in the world beef and bacon. Happy hour all day long. read more

Loved this place! It's small but has a cool atmosphere. Empanadas were by far the best we have had this trip! Chicken (kids loved and they were great the next mornin), chicken with cheese, chicken with mushroom and cheese (my favorite), chorizo and beef and bacon (tasted like a bacon cheeseburger). Cold drinks and great beer selection. I'll definitely return and will surely recommend! read more

Loved the service ! Personal and steak skirt empanadas were the best! But tried several and they did not disappoint!!

Excellent empanadas, fresh-made drinks for low prices, and warm service. This place has an effortless charm that speaks to the soul of Old San Juan but still feels young and edgy. Definitely worth a stop. read more

Baked empanadas for everyone--baked fresh! Love the spinach! Happy Hour all day, fairly price drinks, and a cozy atmosphere keeps me coming back. It's a quaint neighborhood joint that's diverse and friendly. Highly recommended. read more

Hands down my favorite bar in Old San Juan. $5 mojitos, homemade empanadas, and great service. Cute and very eclectic space. They are closed on Sundays but one of the only places open on Mondays. Locals are constantly popping in to take empanadas to go- which is always a good sign. read more

Empanadas and margaritas! Charming neighborhood bar with local flavor. Loved the chicken empanadas. Happy hour all $5 on select drinks. mojitos. pina colada. read more

Awesome find in old San Juan! Definitely stop by. Genuine good, friendly service. Loved it!

This quant little Café/Bar is a hidden gem in Old San Juan. The decor is welcoming and warm giving the local a homey ambiance. The spinach empanada was the highlight of the evening for sure. These baked empanadas are exploding with natural and delicious flavor. Will be coming back to try the other flavor combinations they offer. Just get there before they run out. read more

A must for $5 all day happy hours. The empanadas are delicious. Cool local atmosphere.

Not good...beer was warm and the empanadillas were cold and old. ..plus the owner was super rude and unaccommodating

Old San Juan was kind of dead on this Wednesday in April, but Charrua was packed and full of life. Yes, the empanadas truly are other-worldy, easily the best I've had. Mushroom-cheese, and beef-bacon were the two I tried. Seems to be the only food they have as well. Cool place. Hit the spot on a few levels. read more

Back again and just as good as I remember. Seriously the best empanadas I have found. My mouth waters just thinking about this place. Drinks are pretty good too. read more