El Plátanal has a few locations but since this one is conveniently close to the airport, we stopped here so my husband could get his lechón fix before our flight. The restaurant is decorated with you guessed it- plátanos, along with canvas paintings done by Puerto Rican artists and terracotta lamps hanging overhead. I wasn't super hungry, so I kept it simple: sweet plantains (Puerto Ricans say "amarillos"), a basic tomato and shrimp salad (and no, Caribbean folks don't add mayo to their seafood) and an avocado salad- because how can you not have avocado? My husband went all in with a plate of lechón and arroz con gandules. No complaints with our food. The amarillos were perfectly fried AND they were fresh, the shrimp were plump and tossed with diced onions and peppers in a light vinegar+oil dressing and my husband was very happy with his meal. Our only gripe was the service. Our main server was completely MIA and I had to flag down another server just to get things for the table. Her attitude seemed like she was bothered when we asked for a straw or asked if they had red onions available. Listen, I'm not here to make friends with servers anywhere period- but a little hospitality goes a long way. read more

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The food is always delicious. They have daily specials. The sangria is refreshing. The service is friendly and efficient. The ambience is relaxing. We love sitting outside with the breeze and fans. (Inside is too cold for my preference.) Love coming here! read more

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This place being 24/7 is very convenient when your hungry at any time. They have good tasty food and the place is nice and spacious. Came here at 2:30 in the morning and it was a great time. read more

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We stopped here right after landing at the airport. We were seated pretty quickly and noticed the restaurant was buzzing with a good vibe and a great crowd. The food took awhile to get to our table, but that is to be expected with made to order food. Everything tasted great and what we loved the most was having the Maduros in the rice which gave it that extra "umph" if you were looking for it! Buen Provecho! The kids loved it and talked about it our whole trip! If you are in this area, I highly recommend this restaurant! read more

El Platanal - Canoa con arroz con gandules - Caribbean Near Me - Carolina, Puerto Rico

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Found this place on Google Maps--hard to find something that was local open on a Sunday. Food was delicious! I ordered the mofongo with ropa vieja and a pina colada. Both were delicious and the serving size was great for the price. And then we headed out for the Bad Bunny show--a perfect night all around (and I'm still dreaming of the food/concert!). My phone was on its last legs so no pictures because it was off charging at an outlet at another table ;) read more

Off of a main road, but the place has nice green tall plants at the entrance giving tropical vibes , with indoor and outdoor dining, very inviting, there is outdoor parking. We came on a Friday evening around 7pm and there were people inside. We sat outside, the AC inside was strong and even from the outside you can see multiple tv (at least 6) playing the YES channel showing the baseball game. We watched the staff sing a fun happy birthday to a table with the Guido, tambourine, and small bongos. Our server was attentive and pretty quick with the drinks and appetizers. Drinks are good, bacalaitos (cod fish fitters) were round size and plenty (about 6) but do not have much cod in it --the taste was very light. Overall, the food is well portioned, hot, and tastes great. And the overall vibe was upbeat, friendly and family oriented. read more

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Went here for dinner and was not disappointed. Had a true, delicious Spanish meal, seating outside was very enjoyable and all the tvs around made watching the game feel so peaceful. read more

El Platanal - Margarita Corononita - Caribbean Near Me - Carolina, Puerto Rico

Fresh and delicious food! Fast and kind service. The ambiance is local laid back and loud, but it was great music! They spoke English very well! read more

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After La Placita we came here, it was literally 4 am. Service was a little slow but the employees were nice. And the food was really good. We got some apps, chuleta kan kan and a chicken milanesa that were all good read more

We arrived in San Juan late and this place was still open and on our way to our AirBnb. It is hard to enter the parking lot if you are coming from one of the directions as it is on the side of a highway with only one entrance. We were able to park right in fron t though and the place was lively at around 11pm. Our server spoke great english and was vey helpful in navigating the menu for us on our first meal in PR. We started with the Surtido, which was the appetizer sampler at the recommendation of our server. This was a great choice as it allowed us to try a variety of things. The fried cheese was the best followed surpisingly by the fired salami. I ended up going with the bistec for my entree and should have paid more to get the churrasco. The bistec was basically hamburger steak that lacked flavor in the sauce it came with. I thought it would be more like a steak, my mistake. Great energy and vibe here! read more

Very tasty food!!!! The restaurant was beautiful , clean , and service was good. Mojito was excellent aswell! We got a shrimp mofongo and one beef mofongo. Was it the best mofongo I ever had ? Probably not , but it was very tasty i just felt like it was missing something. The empanadas were good and the bocarones were just how i like them ! I had the El Pantano mojito and i don't know what was in it but it was not good at all. Luckily the server was nice and he didn't charge us for it. read more

El Platanal - Caribbean Near Me - Carolina, Puerto Rico

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Food was great service was amazing.. I'm here on vacation for the next 2 weeks and this is the 2nd place I've eaten and I was very impressed. read more

El Platanal - Caribbean Near Me - Carolina, Puerto Rico

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We went here twice during our time in Carolina and it was delicious. The service is fast and they can accommodate large groups. Don't be deterred by them being open 24 hours. read more

Had the fried fish and plantain fish was dull hardly no flavor. Margarita was excellent. The waitress had a very strong perfume that gave me an instant headache too strong for this kind of service industry read more

The service was slow - the food came lukewarm and the server was a very young man who was not trained properly how to serve the meals, he served over people's heads instead to the side of each client. Water spilled on table & floor and it took forever before anyone came to clean it - no napkins were offered to clean the table- there were 2 waiters for whatever reason - the first waiter said he had finished his shift and never left - the second waiter was fine, however, the order was not filled properly and the sandwich was not included. 30 minutes later the we were still asking where's the sandwich? I got up to speak to manager and told her about water on floor and that food was not coming, they finally cleaned the floor about 15 minutes later & not that well. The sandwich came out finally after the rest of us had already finished our meals & we're ready to order dessert. The manager came to the table and said something ridiculous like - "We are here at your service" No compensation for the extremely long wait & letting us sit in water for 20 minutes. I will never go there again. read more

Great food that feels like home. Staff was all welcoming and friendly. Relaxed environment and family friendly. read more

El Platanal - Beefsteak with onions - Caribbean Near Me - Carolina, Puerto Rico

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The food was incredibly flavorful and filled with variety. The service was very professional and very welcoming and the interior of the restaurant was very inviting, very culturally Puerto Rican and very comfortable. read more

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Lively restaurant for Puerto Rican food. Stopped in at 7pm on a Friday and it was packed. However, we waited just 10 minutes for a table to become available. Food was fantastic. I highly recommend trying the mofongo - deliciously prepared chicken (comes in other protein options) in a sauce served over rice. The mixed empanada appetizer was also top notch. Service was the only drawback. They certainly take their time and don't check in too often. If you need something, make sure to flag somebody down so you're not left waiting. read more

Excelente lugar !! Somos de Colombia y queriamos algo autentico Puerto Riqueño. El servicio fue super bueno y la comida ni se diga !!!!! SUPER RECOMENDADO !! read more

Great food and ample menu selection. Service was also great even when restaurant was full.

This location is opened 24/7 so while looking for a place to eat after landing in San Juan this was very convenient. Super close to our Airbnb which was a win. We sat outside and Theresa was amazing. She recommended some great dishes. Second time we went and sat inside with our other group, the service wasn't the greatest and the mofongo de pernil wasn't good very dry. I loved the aguacate relleno con ropa vieja this was delicious, the tostones were good. I asked Theresa for garlic for the tostones and I do wish the garlic sauce wasn't to pasty I'm not really used to it like that. I will definitely visit this location again. read more

Amazing food, fast service, nice clean decor. Will be going there again even though it was a chain style restaurant it felt like going to a single restaurant business where every customer matters and the experience through word of mouth is the life of the business. The food was also way better than some of the places my wife said were on TikTok for being good to eat at. read more

24 hr spot, local food. Everything's good, most entrees are a lot of food. Can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Tried several things including hígado encebollado. Even that was good. read more

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Oh my God! Adios Mios! There is a God! Hay un Dios! Cause this place is heaven! Porque este lugar es el paraíso! 24 hours too!!!??? Fresh food. Great ambiance. Portions are great. Did I say delicious??? I can't say enough. I'm at loss for words. I wish I found this place earlier. You will not be disappointed!, I will come back always. And the servers are deliciouso too!!! Paola & Yaolys read more

Stopped here for lunch on our way to our AIRBNB. Food was average. Quick and friendly service.

Great Puerto Rican food! It felt authentic (waitress spoke broken English, we were the only non-locals there for lunch on a Saturday) and the menu had an extensive selection of food. Ordered the bacalaíto appetizer (fried cod fritters) which were a little greasy but really good and a large portion (~8 fitters). The ropa vieja mofongo (pulled flank steak mofongo) and it was SOO good. The meat was incredibly tender and the flavor was amazing. It came with some salad and rice/beans on the side, which by the way, the beans were one of the best I had the past week in PR. The service is quick to seat you and take your order but the food was a little island time slow. We unfortunately had to take our food to go to get to the airport in a timely fashion lol. But worth it! read more

El Platanal - bacalaítos- fried cod fritters. - Caribbean Near Me - Carolina, Puerto Rico

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Food was delicious and service was exceptional!! Everything down to the drinks were on point. Casual but enjoyable dinner. Will definitely recommend to anyone in area... reasonably priced for families. read more

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Le estoy dando 1 estrella a este restaurante por el pésimo servicio que me dieron. Llegando al lugar, la host nos sentó y les tomó acerca de 20 minutes para que el mesero now preguntara si nos habían atendido ya. 20 minutos esperando y ni siquiera agua o menús nos dieron. Los meseros se podían ver detrás de la barra todos hablando e ignorando sus mesas. La comida estaba buena, pero un poco salada y las bebidas estaban aguadas.El baño no tenía papel para secarse la mano y ni siquiera una máquina par a secar las manos. No recomiendo a nadie ir a este lugar amenos que quieran desperdiciar 2-3 horas de su tiempo esperando a que le sirvan. read more

Food was amazing, service 10/10 love coming here when I come home to the island! Ambiance gives pr perfectly

The staff here are super friendly and the food is absolutely amazing. You definitely get your moneys worth.

Thank God for this place - our flight was delayed, leaving us hungry at 2am. We found this place open 24/7. The food was so good! The portions were massive here - I suggest everyone sharing. It's delicious too. We ordered the medio surtido, half size sampler to share. It had little of everything and it was very enjoyable. For main we ordered the chuleta Kan Kan woth rice and beans on side. It's a pork chop on bone. It's so crispy and such large quantity it's so good. The rice helped balance it out. For 2nd dish, we got the MR bacalao ensalado Verde and thought it was slightly salty. I love it so much. The space is fun, open, and really festive feel. I definitely recommend it. read more

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The portions are big and the food was reasonably priced. The crab rice (arroz con jueyes) was on the Monday special and was delicious. We were so hungry we forgot to take a picture. The medium sized snapper in the picture was flavorful and filling. As a side note the bathroom was clean which was a plus. read more

El Platanal - Medium snapper with tostones de pana - Caribbean Near Me - Carolina, Puerto Rico

Stopped here when I first arrived in PR, and the food was absolutely DELICIOUS!!!! Very flavorful and to the perfect temperature also open 24 my server was very nice and attentive! I will definitely be back! My plate was Chuleta kan kan. read more

Primera vez en la isla! Nos recomendaron este restaurante y me encantó todo lo que consumí. El ambiente es familiar y casual. Los camareros muy amistosos y eficientes. Regresaría sin ningún problema. read more

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Esta vez pedí por Uber eats la comida. Ordene dos cosas de su menú una fue una pechuga empanada con arroz y habichuela y el otro plato es una Trifongo con chuleta Kan Kan se tardo como unos 45 minutos cuando llego la comida está caliente y deliciosa This time I ordered the food through Uber eats. I ordered two things from the menu one was a breaded breast with rice and bean and the other dish is a Trifongo with Kan Kan pork chops took about 45 minutes to arrive. When the food was served it was hot and delicious read more

El Platanal - Pork chops Kan Kan/ Chuleta Kan Kan - Caribbean Near Me - Carolina, Puerto Rico

My friend and I ate here. Delicious fish! Seasoned well with excellent portions. The snapper was fried well. I ordered the turkey sandwich which was bizarrely made with plantains. I didn't eat the sandwich because I loathe plantains (not the restaurant's fault). The service was quick (although we were intentional and asked for quick service because we needed to catch a flight). All in all, I would recommend this place. read more

El Platanal - Red snapper, red beans and rice - Caribbean Near Me - Carolina, Puerto Rico

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Great food, ambience and service! The mixed appetizers dish had several cheese items like empanadas, fingers croquettes and queso frito itself. It came accompanied of a guava sauce that was pretty good. read more

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When we arrived we were promptly seated. I want to begin saying that their waitress was wonderful. She took our order promptly and addressed each question we had. The tables and the place were clean. Aside from the two plates pictured we had their "plátano" soup, and it was delicious. I loved how it was presented in a calderito. The food was not my favorite. When it arrived at the table, it wasn't hot. The "arroz manposteado" seemed to be really wet. While I ate it, it honestly was not good for me. Everything else was okay. I would return, but I'd probably try asking for something else. read more

El Platanal - Caribbean Near Me - Carolina, Puerto Rico

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Service was great! House made salsa was very tasty. Ordered the mofongo de ropa vieja, which was very flavorful and juicy! read more

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Not ideal for a tourist at all. They have a great vibe and aesthetic however the food is sub par. We got a Chicharron de Pollo with some Platanos as an appetizer and that was really good. Packed full of flavor. However the main course was not that great if you ask me. It was simply dry, specifically the Mofongo. Definitely flavorful but not somewhere that I would recommend. Language barrier is a thing since this is a Spanish speaking state however they do have employees that speak English. read more

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