THE Famous La Factoria club of where Despacito, Heart Break, and other songs were filmed here. When…read morein Puerto Rico, this is a must. AMBIANCE: Parking: Welcome to Old San Juan, it get get pretty busy - best to carpool or do public transportation. Seating: Indoor seating or private cabana set ups for groups. Room for a total of 100 people. Feels: Welcome to Old San Juan, a mix of touristy and culture. The spot itself is popular for locals and tourists. As for the space itself, what's unique about this spot is this place isn't just one bar. It's actually a series of connected rooms (about 6-7 different spaces), each with its own vibe - speak easy, dance, casual, house, live music and more! I'm surprised each room can contain it's sounds while maintaining its own energy. It feels like a speakeasy maze meets nightlife experience. Dim lighting, vintage touches, and just enough chaos in a good way. DRINKS/EXPERIENCE It was such a fun night, not sure what I ordered but there is an abundance of flavors as every room has different selections. But popular drinks if you're looking for guidance - lavendar mule, espresso martini, a classic mojito. They got the classic to your well-crafted cocktails. Some spots provide food while others is sip and chill or sip and dance. CUSTOMER SERVICE: Fast-paced but solid. Staff keeps up with the crowd and still manages to be engaging. TL; DR OVERALL: 4.5 Stars! Good choices, reasonable prices, and a vibe like no other. As a gemini that can be quite indecisive, I enjoyed this spot - especially with its multiple options. This is more than a bar - it's an experience. A spot where the night can go longer than expected. TIPS: * Walk through ALL the rooms--you'll miss half the experience if you don't

Amazing. Seemed a little intimidating at first with fancy vibes but it was great. Bar tender was…read morekind and helpful. Honestly the Paloma was o e of the best I had all trip. Pricy but the atmosphere was worth it. Seemed to be cool people upstairs but we sat at the bar. Bouncer frisked only young men, which was hilarious as it seemed to surprise the white dudes, lol. Music was a highlight. 90s hipster stuff, we asked about it and it is a custom playlist. Velvet Underground and the like

Service was awful and slow for them to not be busy. Waited an hour for food and when it came out my…read moreorder was wrong. The food was ok. The fried grouper was pretty good.

Douglas' Pub was so much fun!!…read more After a long day of hiking we just wanted a night out for drinks and some pool. Some friends recommended us this place so we decided to go. This is not a fancy place. It's a small spot with a couple pool tables upstairs and a very crowded bar downstairs. We mostly have beers and different shots. The jellyfish shot is a MUST!! (See video). It's an experience for sure. After making it look like actually jellyfishes they set it on fire and you drink it... WHILE ON FIRE. Would totally come back and try mojitos!! ESPAÑOL ¡El pub de Douglas fue muy divertido! Después de un largo día de caminata, solo queríamos una noche para tomar algo y jugar pool. Algunos amigos nos recomendaron este lugar, así que decidimos ir. Este no es un lugar elegante. Es un lugar pequeño con un par de mesas de billar arriba y un bar muy abarrotado abajo. En su mayoría pedimos cervezas y diferentes shots. El jellyfish shot esa súper recomendado! (Ver video). Es una experiencia. Después de hacer que parezca que en realidad son medusas, lo prenden fuego y te lo bebes ... TODAVIA EN LLAMAS. Volvería totalmente a probar los mojitos !!

Hole in the wall bar but the service, atmosphere, personality, and drink prices more than make up…read morefor whatever this place my look like at first glance. I was pleasantly surprised with what I found here when I walked in. Had a great time and was amazed with how cheap the drinks were as well. 4 local beers (medalla light) and a Dewars (Scotch) was only $8!!!! Winner in my book Friendly people and great staff. I will definitely be returning.

The owner of Gracias Skate Shop recommended this spot for drinks and good vibes. I love the variety…read moreof chichaitos in different flavors and the artwork in the bar. Definitely stop by for a quick break or if you plan on exploring San Juan.

I'm not a big beer guy. But, a few years ago at número uno they had this beer con parcha (passion…read morefruit) that I really enjoyed. So, we are walking around old San Juan and I'm like homie I need the first drink we can find! Enter La taberna lúpulo. First, dude servicing the bar was extra cool. Just friendly and engaged and didn't act like we just business, but friendly. I wasn't even planning on drinking beer. But my homie was like what do you recommend and he poured a sample of some blonde ale and... wheat ale con parcha!! I was like o snap let me have a glass of that. Fire!! I wouldn't call it sweet, but it has that hint. More importantly it was fresh and not funky. I personally find tap beer is usually not fresh tasting and tend to prefer bottles or cans when I drink beer. But that was not a problem here. Tasted brand new and delicious. The location is unbeatable, in the heart of old San Juan. The decor was fun and eclectic. I'm a fan of the elephant personally due to my old school ties with elephant size productions. Oh and it was super inexpensive. It was like $4-$5 a beer iirc. Which is crazy for a trendy neighborhood like this (La factoría around the corner). Great job to the staff at Lúpulo. Highly recommended.

A fine place to stop for lunch. The food wasn't bad, but wasn't anything special. We tried a beer…read morethat I'd rate pretty highly, but it was just something shipped in from the states. The staff was nice enough but far from attentive.

If you're looking for the perfect dive bar experience in Old San Juan, this place absolutely nails…read moreit. From the moment you walk in, you feel the vibe. It's small, loud, a little gritty, and completely inviting--exactly what a true dive bar should be. The walls are covered in graffiti and stickers from years of visitors leaving their mark, and honestly, that's part of the magic. You can't help but look around and smile at all the personality packed into such a cozy space. One of my favorite details? Look over to the right corner of the bar and you'll spot what looks like a vintage cash register straight out of the 1800s. Then right in the middle of the bar you've got the modern point-of-sale devices. The contrast is hilarious and perfect--old-school charm meeting modern bar life. There's a pool table, plenty of seating for such an intimate spot, and yes, a restroom inside (always appreciated in Old San Juan!). But what really makes this place stand out is the service--the staff is fantastic, welcoming, and they pour seriously strong drinks that are also refreshingly affordable. This is the kind of place where you come for one drink in the afternoon and suddenly the whole evening disappears in great conversation and good vibes. If you're wandering the streets of Old San Juan and want authentic dive bar energy, great drinks, and a place full of character, this is absolutely a must-stop. Highly recommend.

Always a good time here. Love the grunge vibe. The Pina Batida was delicious! Service was friendly!read more

Killer pizza in an old school Puerto Rican spot. Kids loved…read morethe pizza. Wife smashed a sangria. I enjoyed a couple local beers.

It was well worth the wait!!!…read more My son wanted pizza and my wife and I wanted to walk around Old San Juan. This was the most popular pizza spot with the highest reviews. A brief aside: If you're driving here, expect a mess. Coming from SoCal, we make forays into DTLA and deal with similar stresses -- one way streets everywhere, dense traffic, extremely limited parking, pedestrians everywhere (many intoxicated and stumbling into traffic), potholes/construction, police closing lanes without reason, and stray cats running through the streets. Ubering here may be worthwhile! We had a 45 min wait, likely exacerbated by Spring break in PR. We used our free time to walk Calle de la Fortaleza -- very beautiful. They called my cell phone when the table was ready (don't forget to turn off your Spam blocker!). The interior is very unique and the place was buzzing. Service was slow, even by PR standards, and our waitress was the worst in the restaurant. She said little, brought us bottled water when we asked for tap, and never came back to check on us. We flagged other waiters for other incidentals like napkins and for our bill. The garlic knots and pizza were great. The pepperoni pizza was 10/10, with a fluffy crust but crispy otherwise. The Margherita pizza was average -- the tomato was sliced too thick and undercooked and the dough was soggy. In spite of some hiccups, the place was really good and I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt that a second trip would be better -- other tables had good service and the other waiters were very helpful. I'm still not sure if we were give bottled water because we were gringo tourists and they figured they'd up charge us or if it was an honest mistake.

The food was delicious. The staff was 100% amazing. They just made the entire experience perfect…read more My cousin and I sat at the bar and talked to the bartender and the server. It looked like they were having fun at work and they made our experience very enjoyable and entertaining. I learned that the bartender sings opera so definitely ask him about that lol! An absolute must visit next time in Puerto Rico! Decorations, lights, music - perfection.

Awesome spot; so glad we wondered in. Low key, great views, fantastic service and the food (tapas)…read moreand dranks were awesome! Must do spot for a low key and relaxing snack and drink while in the heart of San Juan.

There is no food but bar service is excellent. If you're a little lonely for the US this is the…read morespot for you. The young Puerto Rico bartender speaks excellent English. Nice mellow dimness.The playlist is 70's and up. And it's air conditioned Highly recommended for a break from the heat and good conversation.Great service, good ambiance.

Amazing! We came this way looking for "Don Pablo's" but found out TJ's has taken over the vacation…read more We were on a cruise and wanted to find something away from the tourist traps to have a good time - this exceeded expectations. Our bartender (TJ), but not the TJ it's named after (hilarious story, be sure to ask him!) took amazing care of us. This is easily the best time we've had on our 7 day cruise. This man and this bar are incredible.

It was our last night in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and to be honest, we hadn't been completely…read morethrilled with some of our previous restaurants experiences. We decided to give it one more chance for our last dinner -- and I'm so glad we did. The food was amazing. We genuinely enjoyed every single plate we ordered. Everything was flavorful and well-prepared -- no complaints at all. The staff was great and very attentive throughout the night. And they even had a good spicy sauce! I have Mexican friends who love their food extra spicy, and this sauce definitely delivered. The vibe was tropical and beautiful. It's located right by the shore, so you get a nice view while you eat. It was the perfect way to end our trip. Honestly, we loved it. You must try their chicken Chicharron And Signature Stuffed Mamposteao!

My wife and I arrived on a cruise ship and were looking for some authentic PR food. We didn't…read morerealize that most places that were recommended close early on Wednesday's, so we ended up here which is close to the cruise ship. There was no wait for a table, but it took a good 10 minutes for the waiter to even come to our table. Drinks took about 5-7 min, which isn't bad. We ordered dinner and the wait began. 20 minutes after we ordered, my wife's dinner came out, but mine didn't. She finished her food in about 10 min, my dinner still hadn't arrived. We waited another 30 min (1 hour after ordering) and my meal still hadn't come out. Our waiter never checked on us, never offered us more drinks, never apologized for the wait. After the hour, I walked up to our waiter and told him we were leaving. They did remove the food that never arrived but they didn't seem the least bit apologetic. For a first impression of Puerto Rican service and quality, I would never recommend this place.

Grear ambiance, vibes, drinks, and service. Love it!…read moreRecommended for locals and tourists.

I first discovered La Grieta approximately two years ago during a brief stop in Old San Juan. The…read moreatmosphere and warmth of our initial experience was so great that I made it a deliberate mission to find it again when visiting recently. We were thrilled when we finally walked through the door again after wracking our brains to remember our favorite spot in Old Town. Upon entering, we were greeted by a young woman who, mentioned it was her very first day as an assistant to the bartender. Despite being brand new, she was warm, engaged, and genuinely welcoming, excited for us that we had made it back after several years, and impressed with our efforts. Shortly thereafter the bartender on duty approached us mid-conversation, visibly irritated. When I mentioned that we hadn't yet decided on drinks but were being well taken care of in the meantime, she interrupted sharply to bark at us that she was the bartender and the ONLY one who could help us. The tone was unwelcoming enough that after a moment, my companion and I determined that we would prefer to move on and left without ordering. The atmosphere is truly special, and it deserves to be matched by the experience guests receive at the bar. Our experience was simply not the vibe that night, and I truly was disappointed FOR the new hire who was doing what she should in engaging us until we could be served. I sincerely hope to return on a future visit to San Juan and to rediscover the experience that first brought me back to La Grieta.