If I can make this into a Yelp learned lesson, I hope others learn from my mistake turned into a great find. I saw a Yelp page for El Sabroso Lechón in the San Juan area. When we got there exactly to the location, the business was not there. My daughter asked me if I checked the review's and I said they were good. She said no, what she meant was, when was the last review and it was more than 5 years ago. Yelp in PR is not used as widely as in the contiguous US. Here if the last posted review is more than 2-3 years, I would double check to see if they are still around. Luckily there are several restaurants in the area and we found Chicharrón. Still Puerto Rican food, but well worth it. We finally got to have steak, like a ribeye. It was huge. Probably more than 16oz and trimmed the way I do it at home with large amounts of fat cap for better flavor. The Ribeye was under $50 which back home, the size would be well over $75. It came along with rice mixed with blood sausage crumbles that added so much flavor. Then we got a pork trio, also amazing. As usual we ordered the Chuletta kan kan and I think we got a slice so thick and so big it was a whole piece of a hog. Just that alone would have filled us up, but I'm a big back when on vacation. So we also ordered some tostones and stuffed avocado. The tostones we tried different was the bread fruit tostones besides the traditional plantain tostones. The bread fruit was very different but in a good way. The service was great. Thanks to my son who is our translator, we managed to not order something e didn't want. If I left it up only to my Spanish, we probably would be eating something we've never heard of. Highly recommend going to Placita, santurce and check out the night life and the many restaurants. read more

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I needed to take the time to write this review because people should know about our experience. We were a party of 10, and we were seated quickly, which we appreciated. Overall, the food was good. A few of the mofongos were a little dry, but the flavors were still good. Unfortunately, what should have been a great dinner was completely ruined by our waitress, the older lady with glasses. Throughout most of the meal, everything seemed fine. The problem started when it was time to pay. She repeatedly tried to pressure us into leaving the tip on the credit card. We politely told her we would be leaving a cash tip instead, but she became visibly upset. She even blurted out that we "better be good for her pockets," which was incredibly unprofessional. I have absolutely no problem tipping and always believe in rewarding good service. What I don't appreciate is being pressured or guilted into leaving a tip. Do your job well, treat your guests with respect, and appreciate whatever people choose to leave. That's how it should work. As we were trying to settle the bill and pay back the person who had covered the entire check, she constantly hovered over our table, huffing and puffing. She even brought the receipt back to us and pointed out what the tip "was supposed to be." It was uncomfortable, aggressive, and completely inappropriate. By the end of the experience, I was so disappointed that I almost wanted to take the cash tip we left and give it directly to the cooks because they were the ones who deserved the recognition. To make matters even worse, as we were leaving, one of the men in our party was standing near the restroom waiting for someone. The waitress walked up to him, said, "Move," and physically pushed him out of the way as she walked past. He handled the situation respectfully and didn't react, but no customer should ever be spoken to or treated that way. The food was enjoyable, but the service from the older lady with glasses ruined the entire experience. No customer should ever feel pressured, intimidated, or disrespected over a tip. I hope management addresses this so future guests don't have the same experience. read more

Review #1,054 Posted on 5.4.26 We came here for dinner on Thursday night April 23rd. This spot is located towards the back of the action at La Placita. We actually got sat right away, after that we waited for quite a while for pretty everything. Not completely sure of the reason, but I know it's hard to make money as a server if you're not turning tables. Food finally came out and it was ok. Dining area also couldn't accommodate a party of 14, so we had to split up to two tables of 7 & 7. I probably wouldn't go back here again to be honest, if the food knocked my socks off, then yes, but it didn't, so that doesn't make it worth the wait. read more

Stopped on a whim since this place hasn't been reviewed in a long time. We sat outside and it was nice! Waitstaff was friendly and attentive. Calamari and ceviche were really good. The ceviche comes in large chunks of fish which is not what we are used to but it was delicious. Husband liked his mofongo, my daughter and I had the pechuga rellena and it was delicious. The mamposteao rice was OMG. We all decided we could live off that if needed. Another person had corned beef nachos and they were delicious as well! Would def recommend. read more

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Another great recommendation from folks that live here. Came here for my Birthday Dinner. I was completely blown away and impressed. Service was fantastic, attentive, and had great conversation with other folks dining and working there. I had a smoked pork dish, sauteed with onions, over mofungu, a mashed, well seasoned plantain dish (similar to chunky, rustic mashed potatoes). I had a side salad. They made me a surprise rum cocktail for my birthday with whipped cream and a candle on top! Service was outstanding, welcoming and the food was to perfection. Best meal I've had in PR yet. Nice atmosphere. You can either dine inside or outside and people watch, or listen to the live music or watch people dancing on the Plaza. Highly recommend. read more

Chicharrón - Carne Ahumada con Cebolla en Escabeche Servido con Mofongo Smoked Pork Served with Pickled Onion and Fried Mashed Plantain - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Enjoyed our mofongo de carne con salsa de ajo (garlic). We were seated inside and served quickly despite it being around midnight. They had a small bar with about 4 barstools with people casually enjoying drinks. Really tasty food and very quick service! read more

Chicharrón - mofongo - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

I came here for my birthday trip ( 5 days ) I ate ( nachos with fake thick cheese vegetables that weren't diced and raw chicken ) this is the second night of me being in San Juan by the next morning morning of my birthday when I woke up I was in severe pain I had contracted Salmonella & Calprotectin. Vomiting , diarrhea/ bloody stool , sharp excruciating pains in my stomach loss of appetite , headache , fatigue , exhaustion etc eating here COMPLETELY ruined my birthday trip I was sick and unable to eat anything the next few days of my stay there. read more

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Food was disgusting! I wouldn't eat it if it was free. Steak was flavorless, sausage rice left a nasty taste in my mouth, and the stuffed corn beef was too salty. Very disappointing! read more

Chicharrón - Skirt steak with sausage rice - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Stumbled upon this place when visiting Puerto Rico and was pleasantly surprised. We opted to sit outside to enjoy the view and with the exception of a few stray cats, the ambiance was nice. Our waiter was attentive and the food as good. read more

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Food and drinks were amazing! Right by La Placita! The strawberry mojito was amazing! Light but sweet. The mofongo with the tomato sauce was flavorful and hot! The veggie mofongo included broccoli carrots onions and cauliflower and mushrooms! The steak mofongo was well seasoned and the croquettes were hot and crunchy. Service was excellent. read more

Chicharrón - Steak mofongo - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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We visited as a group of four and were seated quickly, but unfortunately that was the only part of the experience that went smoothly. After being seated, we were completely overlooked while three groups who arrived after us had their orders taken, received their food, and finished eating before anyone even came to take our order. We waited about 40 minutes just to place our order, then another 35 minutes for our food to arrive. When the food finally came, one meal was incorrect. A member of our group has a food allergy, and despite being told about it when ordering, the wrong dish was brought out. Instead of immediately correcting the mistake, the waitress asked if he wanted to try it before sending it back, which was concerning given the allergy. To make matters worse, when we received the bill, several menu prices didn't match what we were charged on the receipt. While the food itself was good, it wasn't worth the long wait, poor service, and pricing discrepancies. We left disappointed and wouldn't return based on this experience. read more

Stumbled upon this restaurant while walking around and I'm glad we did. We were a large party but luckily we didn't have to wait too long to be seated. The food and drinks were delicious. They did forget to bring me a sauce but it was fine since the food was so good. I highly recommend read more

Chicharrón - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Terrible!! They charged us extra $$ for all the drinks and water compared to the menu price. $3 for water when menu says $2.5, and over $2 for every single alcoholic drink compared to menu. read more

The evening started off well with our server Maritza. She shared some specials for the evening and we were excited to try some food as this was our first time in PR. We got the Croquetas with Chorizo and Risotto which were Underwhelming to say the least. I was expecting Atleast a chorizo flavor seeing as there was no actual meat inside of the croqueta. Disappointing. We asked her to ensure that we had gotten the right order and she said yes and that the chorizo was cooked into the Risotto...o too if that they were lukewarm borderline cold. We told her this also and she offered to heat them in the microwave for us. Disappointed. We tried a few different menu items. The margaritas and mojitos were Delicious. For entrees we tried the Grilled Octopus, and Chicharrón crusted Mahi Mahi over Malanga. Octopus was cooked well but lacked flavor. A chimichurri would have made this excellent. The Mahi Mahi was awful. Whatever the coating was that they used was sweet..like sugary sweet and can you imagine eating fish that tasted like it was dipped in sugar? Didn't eat eat. Ended up going with just Rice and Beans and was satisfied with that. Our server had become visibly irritated and began avoiding our table altogether. We were finally ready to close out and she brought the check and as we paid she reminded us of the suggested tip to leave. We paid for the meal with a card and decided to use cash for the tip (which was already MORE than the highest suggested amount). As we're paying Maritza is HOVERING over my friend as she's paying and reminds her again of the suggested tip. My friend says that we will pay the tip in cash again, hoping that will satisfy her. Once she finished with the Credit card machine she hovers over the table for Atleast a minute as we're putting on our jackets to leave and the cash tip is sitting on the table and she reaches across our personal belongings and snatched it. Again..disappointed. The drinks were good but I'd never come back to this place. read more

Chicharrón - Grilled Octopus (Pulpo) - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Food was horrible, the service was worse. We waited over two hours just for them to tell us when they were closing that they didn't have any empanadas left. The manager didn't care, he literally said sorry and walked away. The server was talking junk under his breath like we did something. I have been all over the world and never in my life experienced something like this. They bathrooms were a mess as well, water all over the floor and the toilet didn't flush. read more

Food is great and drinks are strong, but well flavored. We were seated outside which let us enjoy the festivities of La Placita while having dinner. Staff was very nice and service was fast. read more

Chicharrón - Chicharron, Octopus, Churrasco Passion Fruit Mojito - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

THE WORTS SERVICE AND RESTAURANT I HAVE EVER BEEN TO... they sat us down and made us wait over 40 minutes took two other tables order even though they came after us... we tried to be patient and the food took at least another 40 mins and it was wrong there was no compensation no "we are sorry this was not what you ordered" so my friend juste didn't eat. The check finally comes out and it has the wrong pricing extra stuff.. A MESS. The waitress is was passive aggressive ..save your time and your money. read more

Absolute worst service. We waited an hour and a half for food and no server checked in on us the entire time. The food was nothing special at all, and not worth the wait. Do not come here. read more

We took a chance on coming here and we are so glad we did. The location is fantastic, very busy with people walking and bars and music everywhere. The food was absolutely amazing. Definitely recommend going. read more

We had a bit of a wait since we came on a Saturday night. Otherwise service was ok but the food made up for it! I enjoyed my chicken and my husband enjoyed his chicharon. The portions are big but overall good experience! read more

Chicharrón - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Can't really review the service because our names were taken for a table. We waited, we were called because the table was ready and when we arrived the guy at the door told us they were "closed" it's 9 PM on Saturday night... The website states they are open until 1 am. Update: We are elsewhere and just happen to end up on the same street again... They are very much open 2 hrs after they told us they were closed. We knew this was a racist move from the beginning but glad it was confirmed. read more

Chicharrón - A picture of the"closed" restaurant at 11pm - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Started off a bit rocky with the slow service but that was repaired with the quality of the food. Drinks arent super strong but they tasted great so the quality is still there. Can get loud and busy due to the area but don't let that deter you. read more

My husband and I were recommended this restaurant by our uber driver. We were seated outside and shortly after our waitress brought us the QR code to scan for the drink and food menu. We ordered drinks, I don't remember the name but they were okay. The menu had a lot of different options, we ended up ordering the pork rinds with the house made hot sauce as an appetizer. Our waitress tried to talk us out of it and said they're hard to chew but we insisted. It was a good thing we insisted on the pork rinds, they were delicious and besides the tostones were the best thing we ate at the restaurant. The house made hot sauce was mild but really flavorful. Unfortunately, the man who brought out the pork rinds had to steal the hot sauce from guest who sat a couple tables away from us. After we ate our appetizer we returned the hot sauce to the other guest and waited a descent amount of time for our food. We ordered the paella de mar con tostones and it was barely edible. The tostones were the only good thing out of the dish. The paella was so salty it was nauseating. read more

Paola is amazing ! We trusted her to pick dishes for us and nothing disappointed! Everything tasted amazing and it all came out really fast! Definitely something for us to come back to (: read more

Chicharrón - Amazing - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

We were told to list our names (8:30pm) and they would call/text. Never received either. We had to inquire within and we were finally seated at 925pm. We placed our order and drinks. We received our first round of drink and placed our order but never saw the waiter again after that. When we asked how long the wait would be for our food (45 min waiting at this point) we were told that the food takes anywhere between an hour and a half or more. It is now 10:30pm and we are still waiting for our food and at least a second round of drinks to keep us occupied but nothing. I would not recommend! A full restaurant doesn't always mean good food, sometimes it means the people seated have been waiting forever! Update: so we finally received our food. Close to 11pm and here is what we received. An over cooked salmon and an over cooked steak! When we brought it up to the manager, he offered a garlic sauce for the salmon and was pretty upset that we complained about the steak. He was not friendly at all! Never again! read more

Chicharrón - Over cooked steak! - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Today I experienced the worst service and food. This was my first meal since landing in Puerto Rico, and it was incredibly disappointing. Not only did the food take too long to come out, but when it finally did, it was cold. The service was just as poor--the server was unfriendly and made us feel as if we were a bother simply for being there. I enjoy trying new places and understand that some experiences are hit or miss, but for the amount we paid, the service and food should have matched the standard. Unfortunately, this was far from it. read more

What a wonderful place! If you find yourself wandering around Santurce you'll find an area with lots of restaurants and only one obvious choice- Chicharrón! The food is SO good. Lots of amazing PR cuisine on the menu and a few options just for kids, too. The eggplant parmesan and mofungo were highlights. Our server was great. The ambiance was pleasant and there were nice and clean bathrooms. We definitely enjoyed the AC on a hot day, but there's plenty of outdoor seating. A good time had by all! read more

Chicharrón - Mofungo - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

I've always love Puerto Rican food. I travel to PR all the time but tonight, I've found a gem. Food is amazing. Portion is decent compare to other places. Ingredients are fresh. Must try the friend plantain and seafood paella, taste good Price is reasonable. NOT much tourists, so if you like more of local vibe, this is the place!!! read more

Chicharrón - This is the name of the restuarant. - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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I wasn't impressed with the chicken mofongo. It was very dry in my opinion. But ambiance was great. read more

Hi there! At the Placita so let's talk about this experience... I had el Chillo frito as you can see below; lovely presentation...Large fish, fresh however a bit saltycamarrones and salad, delish as was the tostones de panna (that's a must try). Husband, well that's another story... Ordered the filet that didn't look like a filet, nor had taste (bland). He took two bites, and off to the side it went. Our server, Mari, was very attentiveinquired what was wrong. Despite, my husband not wanting to complain, she brought over the manager and they were very courteous asking if he wanted another meal. Husband graciously refused. In any event they attempted to remedy the situation, our meal had a discount and Mari brought him over a complimentary drink. Despite his meal being all wrong, the attention and customer service was excellent. Everyone has "off days", maybe it was the chefs night to have a turn read more

Chicharrón - Chillo entero - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Party of 14. They sat us in. Little room In the back by ourselves. That was the best part of the meal. Server comes and takes drink orders and we hd a few mistakes. 2 of the people in our party changed their orders but the server did not catch it. Both drinks came for them. When we pointed this out she argued and said we wanted 2 drinks and did not take it a way. Some people never got drinks until we asked 2nd time. We were leery at this point if the food orders were going to be ok and of course they were not. Messed up quite a few orders and even got rotten pork chops. Worst experience I ever had in Puerto Rico. Walk on by and go to another place! read more

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Food was great, service was helpful and nice; chocolate cake was amazing!! Really please to see the range of mocktails available.

The food here was pretty good! Expect it to be busy and the food to take a while. I got the chicharrón de pollo and it was very flavorful and juicy. The tostones were a bit dry but overall our whole group was happy with the food and our drinks. It's a bit more expensive than other places in the area. read more

Chicharrón - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Do yourself a favor and do not stop to eat here. By far some of the worst service and food I've had. Upon arrival, they tell you sitting inside would take about two hours when they're clearly not full. Waiter was not tentative at all. Came every 15+minutes to check on table. Told us food was going to take longer than usual but apparently as everyone else has stated on previous reviews we waited an hour for our food, which seems to be normal for them. Once we got our food in the table, it was the worst food. High class price for mediocre service and food. McDonald does better than this...If I could put zero stars I would. read more

Went to this establishment last night and a waste of money. I got the grilled onion beef steak the steak was dry and chewy and onions were barely even caramelized, rice had hard undercooked pieces in it had to spit out a couple of times. My boyfriend got the nachos and they came out cold and it looked like they just flung a spoon with cheese and meat on it then added avocado and called it a day. Our total was $40, if you are looking for authentic food go to the establishments next door if they are open food has 0 flavor . However waiters were nice. read more

Our last visit in Puerto Rico recently had us craving some authentic Puerto Rican food. When in such a beautiful island with many great food options it's hard to choose one place. After some review this placed popped up and we decided to give it a try. We ordered the steak and rice , empanadas and fried green plantains. Pros- the food comes out quick ,great location in the nightlife area. Tons of bars and restaurants walking distance. Cons - food is pricey , long wait times , taste of food is off. We did enjoy our stay but I'm giving it the stars because the food did not taste all that great to be honest and transparent. read more

Chicharrón - Bistec encebollado - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Food wasn't great. It took way too long for our food to come out and the service could have been better.

Mofongo with shrimp was good that sauce was fire, mango mojito even better had to get another. Our waiter was friendly awesome person one dude at the front highkey had an attitude but everyone has those days right read more

This place is so good that I have eaten here several times over the last few months. Whether you sit and outside or inside table, service is great. Bartenders make drinks just right. If you visit for lunch, try the Alcapurrias and you won't be disappointed. My favorite dish is the ChichaBowl: a bed of white rice and beans, sweet plantains, avocado, pork rinds, and a protein of your choice (I went with chicken chicharron). If you want, you can substitute some items. read more

Chicharrón - ChichaBowl - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

I went to Puerto Rico on vacation and because the place next door was closed, we came to LA Chiccharon. To play it safe I went w chicken stuffed Avocado which only comes w rice. I ordered a side of beans and plantains. I ended up mixing the beans and rice w the Avocado and loving it. The chicken was tough but I ate a few pieces. And of course the sweet plantains were great. I also had a drink here that I loved. It's like a coconut mule. Chiche or something close to that. Hooooowever, my girls did not enjoy their meals. They ordered steak Caesar salads and there was none. Only one type of dressing for the garden salad. Steak was well done as opposed to med well. Egg on the sandwich was undercooked then over cooked and missing the original yolk. But it kept us out of the rain so that's good. read more

Chicharrón - Chicken stuffed Avocado, Sweet Plantains and Rice & Beans - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico