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    El Quenepo

    4.1 (271 reviews)
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    El Quenepo Photos

    EL QUENEPO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Pear salad
    Sarah R.

    Perhaps the fanciest food I've ever had on Vieques! Drinks were all very good and the food was all excellent. My small criticism was perhaps the fish dishes were a tad salty but nothing a swig of their cocktails could not remedy. Loved sitting by the front and enjoying the beach breeze. A great experience!

    Grilled Octopus
    Lisbeth M.

    This is a fine dining reataurant where the food, service and ambiance were on point. The menu offered a beautiful variety of unique seafood, meat and vegetarian dishea carefuly and and beautifully presented. My favorites were the the grilled octopus, the skirt steak and the creme brulle and carrot cake were delicious. Highly recommended

    Grilled pulpo appetizer - out of this world good!
    Sheridan S.

    The best meal we had in Vieques - do not miss this. Everything was absolutely delicious, I wish we could go back and try more of the menu. Don't miss the goat cheese cheesecake for dessert. The service was also top tier - our waitress was kind, attentive and had great recommendations. The restaurant is calm, dim, perfect for a date night and a nice getaway after a long day in the sun

    Octopus - so amazingly tender
    John S.

    Definitely the best food we had in vieques. The food has a Michelin feel to it, I'd say more so of a modern spin on the dishes itself. The service was great, honestly probably the best in Puerto Rico. Our waitress was polite, and compared to all the other restaurants we went to in PR, actually felt like kind and attentive service. We started off with the pan seared octopus, and wow, top three octopus/pulpo dish I've ever had. It was perfectly cooked and tender, and came with great sauce. Next we had focaccia bread - I was hesitant to get this, but this blew us away as well. You could very much taste the tomatoes/seasonings on the top portion of the bread. The bread itself was so soft, honestly have no idea how they pulled this off - some of the best focaccia I've ever had as well. We ended with the goat curry masala. We are Indian and were not expecting a super Indian dish, but the flavors came out quite well. The goat was tender, and the sauce basically melted in your mouth (seemed like a slow cooked spinach with sauce), and it had paneer as well. It came with rice, and had a dollop of great tasting yogurt to balance out the acidity. Just a phenomenal twist, and honestly surprised this came from vieques, given it's a much much smaller island. We finished with the goat cheese dessert, and this was probably our mistake. We never really get it, and we thought it was ok. But overall it wasn't too sweet, and actually ended the dinner quite pleasantly. The ambiance was nice, but feel like they could potentially improve this a bit. I definitely would recommend for anyone staying in vieques. Props to the staff/chef/owner!

    The metal shard/ staple was at the bottom of this bowl.
    Courtney E.

    Well. I'll be short and sweet. There was a metal shard (probably from a can they opened) in my soup, and the waiter didn't bother to remove it from the bill, nor send a manager to us, nor did they offer any sort of compensation. I repeat- a large staple sized metal shard in my soup. $14 soup, at that. After asking them to remove it, they did. But the damage was done at that point. Was the rest of the food and drinks decent? Yes. But this restaurant is banking on one time tourist visitors and don't care to provide basic customer service or recovery after an issue like this. If this issue had been handled well - a manager speaking to us, apologies and offers to replace it with something else, or another item offered on the house.. things would be different. We all make mistakes. But el quenepo did not handle their mistake in a forgivable way.

    Travels great
    Carla C. F.

    Food travels well, trust me I fainted. I went with my boyfriend for dinner and unfortunately I fainted ( health problems, but everything is Gucci ). We had the chance to try the pear salad, the octopus and beef tartar and everything was delicious. So going back yo the fainting part, they were the sweetest with me. Very calming and very attentive We had to eat the main courses back in the hotel, for obvious reasons, and let me tell you, it was amazing. We had the filet mignon and the seafood pasta. Flavors were very rich and well balanced. The meat was very tender, and perfectly medium rare. The pasta had just the right amount of seafood and so fresh. Highly recommended

    Dessert cocktail menu
    Emma R.

    Let me say the only reason I'm giving it 4 and not 5 stars is that it just wasn't fully my vibe. A little too fancy for me. I like a little cooler more down to earth vibe, especially when I'm on an island or if it's fancy I also want it to be super trendy. If you want more classic upscale island vibes though this is for you 100% and you won't be disappointed. Food was delicious. Swordfish had an incredible mix of spices including a curry type sauce and mango slices. Tuna tartar was also fresh and delish. The creme brûlée was *fire* - no pun intended - and the bread sticks they served with them were such a unique touch. The dry rose wine I had was a bonus! Overall great experience, good service, no complaints. Pretty lighting coming in at our 5:30pm reservation but no real view and I think I saw an upstairs patio spot so I'd request if possible!

    Fried fish
    XiaoYi L.

    Delicious fusion foods in a very good neighborhood with welcoming people. Food quality is beyond expectations

    Swordfish
    Is A.

    So... this time we went, the menu had drastically changed. Appetizers were very nice. Octopus was fork tender and such a delicious flavor. Just the right amount of crisp on the outside. The focaccia bread was also pretty good and thoroughly enjoyed the tomato balsamic jam it came with. Very yummy. Swordfish plate was out of this world! The fish itself was so tender and juicy. Not dry at all. Just amazing. The rice was good but when u mixed it with the curry pineapple and the spicy siracha sauce on the plate - oh wow! Amazing! The black grouper was also tasty. Very flavorful with just the right amount of soy sauce to soak into the rice. Very tasty but small portions. Prices were very very upscale but totally understand why. Glad we tried it. But prob won't be coming back until the menu gets more "local" again.

    Filet mignon

    Delicious food, creative and tasty drinks, quick service, friendly staff, very cute place with open air dining. The ambiance was perfect with nice lighting, decor, and music loud enough to enjoy but still have a conversation. We had the opportunity to eat here a couple times while we were visiting Vieques. I do recommend making a reservation because they stay consistently busy. We tried a few different plates over our two visits: Sea Bass with ravioli, swordfish, filet mignon, shellfish sautee, ceviche, one of their soup of the night, which was a cream root vegetable soup and it was incredible, and may have been my favorite bite. The filet mignon was also fantastic and another favorite of ours. Although, everything was delicious, the drinks we had were the Pelirojo, very light and refreshing, the Lolita, delicious tropical cocktail, and the espresso martini, which was excellent sweet end to our meal. We will definitely be back, couldn't ask for more when it comes to island waterfront dining.

    Sicillian Shellfish Sautee Braised Goat Masala

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    Excelente ambiente, la comida es un poco cara pero el sabor es exquisito. Tiene tragos con muy buen sabor. El servicio es excelente.

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    RIVA - Desert

    RIVA

    5.0(7 reviews)
    69.5 km

    Came here with my husband for my birthday dinner with a reservation. This place is located inside…read moreFairmont El San Juan Hotel.. fancy restaurant! The menu includes a five course prix fixe menu for $115 per person. The ambiance was nice but I think they could modify the inside of the restaurant. It felt like I was dining in a conference room. However, every single staff member and the service here was 100% amazing-- they even offered me a cashmere scarf to borrow since I was cold. You don't get that kind of service anywhere! First course was started off with canapes served with buttery soup and their warm selection of breads with sea salt and butter on the side. There were also some light bites that were brought to us to salivate our palates, which included a bite-sized everything bagel and cream cheese, a small item topped with tobiko, and a bite sized salted caramel pastry. Second course, I had the Hamachi Crudo and my husband had the hand-cut beef tartare. The hamachi crudo was very fresh. The beef tartare blew me away. It was half cooked and mixed with truffle egg dressing. Ugh it was like a party of delicious flavors. The beef tartare was probably my favorite out of all the dishes! Third course, we had the seafood risotto. There was ample amounts of lobster, shrimp, and calamari in the dish. Only complaint was that there was some bits of lobster shells in the risotto but hey, that's how you know it is super fresh and it did not come straight from a can. Fourth course, I had the sea scallops and my husband had the filet mignon. Both dishes... amazingly good! The scallops had a perfect sear and tasted very fresh. The filet mignon was not chewy and cooked to perfection. There was a crispy layered potato served on the side that was also very flavorful of butter. Fifth course, I had the citrus panna cotta and my husband had the flourless chocolate cake. Both desserts was a nice cherry on top of our meal. Needless to say, this place was nothing short of amazing. My husband and I will definitely be 100% returning!

    Seriously, just go. This is delicious, beautiful, and thoughtful food. We looked forward to every…read moredish. Combined with the ambiance and a really great staff, it was an experience that just kept getting better. Super happy to have found Riva. Will come again next time we're in town.

    Photos
    RIVA - Don't like bananas, but this... I'm going to get it every time.

    Don't like bananas, but this... I'm going to get it every time.

    RIVA - Deep-fried arancini - Delicious

    Deep-fried arancini - Delicious

    RIVA - 2 arancini with Parmesan

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    2 arancini with Parmesan

    Coral Sea Cafe & Restaurant - Salmon with caper cream sauce, salad, and potatoes with a rum punch to drink. Very good food.

    Coral Sea Cafe & Restaurant

    4.0(31 reviews)
    87.9 km

    We just got in from San Diego. So we were starving Im glad we came here the food was great and so…read morewas the service! The rum punch was also a go. Really nice cool seating with cover patio!!

    This restaurant is kind of tricky to get to. It is located in the Mill Harbor Condominiums, in the…read moreback near the pool. You have to past a gate guard, park, walk towards the office, cross a little bridge and take a little walk to get here. I had go call them to guide me in. Once you get here though, it is worth it. It has a nice set up with bar seating, an indoor dining area, and outdoor covered patio seating. It is a very low key spot that runs daily food specials. The staff there is very friendly. Even though the condos has a decent sized parking lot, I had difficulty finding a spot. I was able to get one though after someone had left. They have a full bar with televisions above it playing sports. The dining area overlooks the pool and the patio seating is along the condo's lake. It is very intimate and chill. Their menu is somewhat compact and includes pasta, steak, shrimp, fish, burgers and chicken. I ordered the the blackened salmon with mashed potatoes and a side of plantains. My meal also cam with a Caesar's salad and I got some lemonade to wash it all down. It took about 15 minutes. My salad was first. It was fresh and pretty good. The salmon was also delicious along with the potatoes. Come to think of it, the plantains were pretty good too. I really enjoyed my meal. I would just keep in mind though that drink refills are not free. I was not aware of that until after I got my bill. No biggie, I just wish I would have known before hand. Outside of that, my meal was thoroughly enjoyable and the atmosphere was amazing. I recommend checking this place out.

    Photos
    Coral Sea Cafe & Restaurant
    Coral Sea Cafe & Restaurant - I ordered a "lime in the coconut" frozen drink and we had the fried pickles as an appetizer.. both were delicious!

    I ordered a "lime in the coconut" frozen drink and we had the fried pickles as an appetizer.. both were delicious!

    Coral Sea Cafe & Restaurant - Rum punch and a strawberry daqirui

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    Rum punch and a strawberry daqirui

    Beach Side Cafe - Crispy Thai Cauliflower Bowl.

    Beach Side Cafe

    4.2(91 reviews)
    75.9 km
    $$

    My buddy Chad had told me about this place and said we were definitely going to stop by there. To…read morebe honest, I had forgotten about it and was super excited when he said hey. We're heading to Beach Side Cafe! Located right on the waterfront, this place has some of the most spectacular views of the ocean that I've ever seen in my life. I mean, come on! We're in the Caribbean. You would expect an absolutely amazing view, and this place delivers! Of course, you can't really have a good meal without some sort of rum drink.. and they have got you covered no matter what you want. They have a good diverse menu of drinks, the staff is super friendly and willing to help you out to decide what poison you want to try, and everything hits on all cylinders. For food, I went with the Smashburger which was huge. Now I've had a lot of smashburgers in the day but this was a lot of meat. The double patties were thicker than a normal Smashburger so it was like the equivalent of four smashburgers in one. Cook to perfection, andiIt comes with fries, but I upgraded to the Caesar salad for a couple bucks more. Let me tell you sometimes you got to be healthy and this Caesar salad made me feel like I was doing my part. We were fortunate enough to be there when the sunset, take a look at the pictures and you'll see what I mean. Mean. Food almost got cold while I was standing there gawking at the beauty and Majesty of the sunset here in the Virgin Islands. You would be hard-pressed to find a better place to dine and watch the landscape. Bottom line? How could you not go back here again? The food was great, the staff was friendly and amazing, the drinks were on point, and you couldn't get a better location. Run, don't walk to this place!

    Love this quaint beach cafe. Service is extremely nice. The food is delicious. I loved loved the…read moreBang Bang shrimp. The drinks are good and the best part is the sunset view. This is part of an excellent hotel which I recommend highly.

    Photos
    Beach Side Cafe
    Beach Side Cafe - Bang Bang Shrimp  $20

    Bang Bang Shrimp $20

    Beach Side Cafe - I mean, really? Could you imagine a better place to have a meal with this kind of you?

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    I mean, really? Could you imagine a better place to have a meal with this kind of you?

    El Quenepo - caribbean - Updated May 2026

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