When you want an easy, reliable seafood lunch near the San Juan port, Cayo Caribe hits the mark…read more Our walking tour guide recommended this spot, and it ended up being one of the better casual lunches of the trip. It's located close to the cruise port area, making it an effortless stop if you're exploring Old San Juan. The vibe is straightforward and comfortable--think casual, sit-down seafood spot where you can relax, grab a drink, and not overthink the menu. It's not flashy or upscale, but that's part of the appeal. Just friendly service, cold drinks, and solid food. Service * Very friendly and welcoming * Easy walk-in experience * Relaxed, unpretentious atmosphere Food & Drinks * Standard beers and cocktails--perfect for a mid-day refresher * Seafood Fried Platter - especially the fried cod; crispy, flavorful, and well-executed * Tacos (Fried Shrimp & Fried Cod) - the standout; fresh, generous portions with crunchy slaw and spot-on sauce The tacos were the surprise hit--bright, crispy, and packed with flavor. Exactly what you want from a Puerto Rican seafood lunch. Verdict Cayo Caribe is a dependable, casual seafood stop near the port. Nothing overly complicated--just good service, fresh seafood, and a relaxed setting. A great lunch choice if you're in the area and craving fried seafood and tacos. Solid four stars.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND…read more We had the fried whole snapped it was excellent!! Also the beef empanadas were amazing. Great service and friendly. Inside the bar was playing Pickleball on the tv at the bar and we got to watch the finals.

I walked in almost at noon on a Tuesday and was surprised to find the restaurant nearly empty,…read moreespecially since the place next door was buzzing. I'll admit, the ambiance made me hesitate for a moment and wonder if that said something about the food. Turns out, I had nothing to worry about. I ordered the red snapper, and it was genuinely excellent. The sauce was the kind you don't forget: deep, flavorful, and perfectly paired with the fish. The fish was beautifully cooked - crispy on the outside while maintaining moisture. No overcooked meat here. Even the rice stood out, which says a lot. Everything worked together in a way that felt thoughtful and memorable. Despite having limited time on my Puerto Rico trip, this is one of those meals I'd actually come back for, maybe even order the exact same dish again. The flavors really stayed with me, and I already want to take them home.

Cayo Caribe was overall a 7/10 for us. The flavors were good, but my chicken and my husband's steak…read moreboth came out dry, even though they were seasoned well. The rest of the dishes we ordered were just okay. The service was a little slow, and it took some time for our food to arrive, although the staff was friendly. A standout for us was the avocado salad. They topped it with a generous amount of perfectly sliced avocado, beautifully fanned out across the entire top. It must have been a big avocado because it covered the whole salad -- fresh, creamy, and absolutely delicious. But the true showstopper -- the dish that stole the whole night -- was the empanadas. I am an empanada snob, and these were honestly some of the best I've ever had in my life. The dough was flaky, moist, and flavorful, and both the beef and chicken fillings were incredible. I would return solely for these empanadas!

Had lunch here went with about 25 people and the location was prepared. Food was amazing healthy…read moreportions and everyone raved about the quality of the food. The servers were on top of everything they did a great job!

After I landed in Puerto Rico it was pouring, so I didn't had a chance for days to go outside to…read moreenjoy anything. I landed in the afternoon & by the time I reached my hotel I can't wait to try some authentic food ! So from the hotel they recommended this restaurant. It wasn't that far, most probably could have walked but it was pouring outside lol..! I was very excited to try the Mofongo everyone told me to try while being in Puerto Rico. Obviously meat isn't halal so I have tried the shrimp one. I gotta say I didn't like it at all, highly disappointed! It was kinda sad & made me scared for rest of my trip to try Mofongo different place. The thing is everyone will not like everything they will ever try, just because I didn't like this dish doesn't mean I will not like anything else. I did like the dessert called Tres Le Che, yum! The price is on the higher side, so it made me little skeptic about rest of my trip. But I was on my first solo trip & simply thing like this will not scared me off ___ Customer service is great, place is big enough, decor is nice. Restroom was good. I stayed here for a while just to see if the rain stops so I can go somewhere near by to enjoy! They volunteered to take some pictures lol, and you know me it made me extra happy lol

I may be a bit harsh in this review, because I had been referred to this restaurant by friends and…read morefamily alike, and the experience was subpar. Great location in the San Patricio area. Parking can be a bit tedious but I lucked out with one right in front of it. Ambiance is nice and warm. Seems that there's some trend with some of these newer restaurants to make some sort of more private area for groups bigger than 8, as I saw at least one room that was separated by a glass door, assuming to drown out the noise. Appetizers came out quick. Had the sorullitos and the fried cheese. Sorullitos were okay - I've had much nicer ones. The guava sauce for the queso frito was very good. I will admit that the portion size was great. Main dishes were not spectacular. The stuffed mero with shrimp probably was the best tasting and presented. The kids liked their churrasco but their mofongo, just like my bifongo, was just dry. Very dry and tough in terms of texture. We had to order some garlic sauce so the kids would be able to eat theirs and there was an upcharge for that but it was either that or them not eating. My dish was not appetizing in terms of presentation - just looks like things were thrown around, and the taste was a bit bland. I had some arroz mamposteado as well which was better, but nowhere near expectations. Pretty place with upscale pricing serving subpar food. Would try again one more time to see if it was a one-off, but not holding my breath.

Sábado 17 de diciembre de 2022 almuerzo claro!!! Día de muchas gestiones y no puede faltar el…read morealmuerzo. Así que paramos aquí. Buen servicio y buena comida. Ambiente elegante

Went through on a recent trip to Puerto Rico and the food was amazing. The place is a little…read moredeceiving on the outside but just go in and I'm sure you'll have a good experience. We are having a little problem with the fact that I don't speak Spanish, but they found somebodyon the staff and they took over.

We came in about two hours before closing and were welcomed with great service and an even better…read moremeal. I started with the empanada de pollo, and wow, they did not skimp on the filling! It was absolutely packed with tender, flavorful chicken. Definitely a solid start. For my entrée, I had the Mero en salsa de coco, and it was divine. The sauce reminded me of a Thai-style coconut curry, with peppers and onions that added a little sweet heat. The fish was tender and melt-in-your-mouth soft. Pure comfort and flavor in every bite. On the side, I went with the arroz y habichuelas. It was solid, though I do wish the beans had a touch more salt or adobo to really bring out the flavors. Still enjoyable, just could've used a little extra seasoning to match the boldness of the main dish. Overall, a beautiful dining experience with rich, comforting flavors and generous portions.

I was on vacation and I came to the Outlets at Montehiedra with my family…read more There's a lot of great new additions to this area. While here, we decided to check out Cayo Caribe today and this is my Tell-All-Story. Cayo Caribe is a Mexican-based restaurant-chain that is popular in Puerto Rico. Some stateside mainlanders will know them as a "mariscos", which means that they focus most of their menu dishes on seafood or "surf & turf" with proteins primarily sourced from the ocean & some beef. At first glance, Cayo Caribe comes across as a brand-new establishment, that has just opened and is working on the kinks, but they've been around for years. Let me share my experience and explain. Upon entering, our waitress was kind & helpful. She greeted us and found us group seating pretty quickly. This was one of the pluses for the night. There was plenty of bar-seating, a few high-tables and smaller tables that worked best for couples. From my experience, even with booth-seating, our table was too crammed for the 4 of us; we were fighting for table-space and had to quickly clear our plating after each meal course in order to make room... not fun. I recommend that if you plan on coming here with a group, call in advance and have them combine tables to make space. Now for their service. My biggest gripe with my experience was the lack of communication in the service department, which led to a major inconvenience. After we got seated by the host, we were given menus and that was that. We sat down conversing & looking over their menu for about 20 minutes. In this time, I went to use the bathroom (which was very clean & well-kept) and returned to the table. I then waited around and nobody asked us if we even wanted water; not acceptable at all. The only saving grace is that their menu was filled with so many delicious options, we were occupied choosing what we wanted. I, literally, had to get up and walk back to the host and tell her "we are ready to order our food whenever you'd like to have us" - this is my nice way of saying "we haven't been helped yet, fix this". She apologized and got us a server. Jorgé, our server, was the highlight of our night. He was friendly, fast, knowledgeable and diligent. He 'rescued' me from having the worse dining experience of 2024. I ordered the mariscos sample platter for $19 and it was a great call. With a good portion size, we got a taste of their guava dipping sauce (another shining beacon of happiness) and we enjoyed it all. I ordered a carne paella and it was immaculate! I will have to note that the chunks of beef were huge, but one was really fatty with gristle. My mother also enjoyed her vegetable mofongo plate and empanadilla de bacalao (saltfish). Their coco arepas appetizer were amazing! These fluffy buns of heaven were perfect and combining them with the guava dipping sauce is highly recommended! Also, order a side of their sweet plantains, they complement most meals nicely. My uncle had the Mero en Salsa de Coco. This grouper fish plate was prepared tastefully and the sauce was also delicious. Unfortunately, my cousins fish plate, the dorado in capers sauce, didn't meet expectations; Primarily, because the fish was overcooked & tough. Overall, I enjoyed my meal here, but it almost never happened due to a lack of service. After reading some other reviews, I see this is an issue that plagues this business. I hope that can get a hold of this through training and better serve their customers.

My sister highly recommended this place. The staff were very friendly. We ordered cheese balls,…read morewings, the sampler and the tacos. We have a few drink. The food tastes great, but the wings were a little bit salty. The tacos were on point! For a restaurant that sits in a Mall, this place was amazing. This place was very relaxing.

This place was very busy. We had to wait about 30mins before entering they write down your name and…read moreit will be called based on table availability. Once we made it inside they had a long menu of different items. Was able to order and the food took some time to come out but with how busy it was I knew it would be a while. The food came out and it was fresh also hot just missing some hot sauce. The place is noisy with voices carrying which is normal. A recommended place to visit when in Old San Juan.

I asked a Puerto Rican friend for restaurant recommendations in Old San Juan. This was one of the…read moreplaces on his list. I checked the menu and decided to come here for dinner. They don't take reservations but we were gonna go early anyway. We decided that we'd get there at 5:30 PM and allow up to 30 minutes wait time. My friends got there a bit before 5:30 and were seated before I arrived. I got there a bit after 5:30 and there was a line of people trying to put their names down as I was walking in. They had already ordered drinks and an appetizer. We ordered another app and put in our entree orders. The bacalaitos took about 30 minutes to arrive. They were delicious. Not too salty which was great. The entrees took over 30 more minutes to come. I ordered the paella and it was delicious. My friend thought her mofongo was just ok. I tried a bite and it was kinda bland. The kids thought their entrees were ok. I thought they didn't make the right choices. Service was OK. Server wasn't really present as the majority of our time there was waiting vs eating. That was true for most patrons. Most people seated at tables were waiting instead of eating. Not sure if there was an issue that night. Either way, I'd say that it's still a good spot. You just can't come hangry or in a hurry.

Great service , great food.. very traditional food!!! Every time I visit San Juan, I make sure to…read moremake a stop here!!

First time visiting El Jibarito! What an amazing experience, delicious homemade food with lovely…read morestaff members. Even the locals come here of how good it is. You get tons of food for the price and would definitely come here again hands down. Feels like my fam is cooking back there in the kitchen haha. Highly recommend!

Outstanding food. Every bite was delicious. Definitely really popular lunch restaurant and filled…read morewith both locals and tourists. We arrived at 11am on a Monday because that's when we thought they opened. They actually opened at 11:30am, so we were 2nd in line at 11am. Once 11:30am rolled around, the line was very long. It's an old house that was transformed into a restaurant. It's pretty big in there and they have an upstairs as well. It really feels like you're eating in a Caribbean home, from the colorful tablecloth to the things on the tables. The menu is on a board, and they have a Spanish and English version. They give you a cup of complimentary plantain soup which was amazing. We also ordered the fried cheese app which came with a delicious guava sauce. For mains, I had the fried pork with tostones and my husband had the mamposteado (corned beef, fried eggs, and rice). My husband cleaned his plate, while I took leftovers back to the hotel (which we actually ate later because it was that good). They were out of tres leches that day, so we had the coconut pudding for dessert. It was my first time trying coconut pudding and it did not disappoint! For drinks, we had the passionfruit sangria. When we left, there was a very long line outside. Despite the line, they did not rush us out. Definitely recommend and would go out of my way to come back next time I'm in PR.

Keepin' it a buck! Eating here is like eating the ultimate home-cooked Puerto Rican meal…read more Rating places in Puerto Rico is tough. There are so many spots that are authentic and incredible, but La Casita Blanca stands out in its own lane. It's gotten more popular and touristy over the years, but that's because they've stayed true to who they are. The authenticity here hasn't changed, and that's exactly why people keep coming. This is the kind of place where the menu brings you right back to your upbringing. You'll find dishes like corned beef, tostones con bacalao, and other classics that just hit differently. And the vibe? It feels like family. Someone who looks like your aunt might be cooking your food, your cousin might be serving it, and everyone treats you like you belong there. Food-wise, everything we had was fire. One of the people I was with is basically an "aguacateologist," and even he said it was one of the best he's ever had. That alone says a lot. Chuletas fried to a perfect golden crisp. The pollo fricasé (pollo guisado, if you know, you know) was on point and even came in a little pot that made it feel extra homey. Arroz con gandules? Off the hook!!!! And to top it all off, they had salsa playing in the background... which honestly had me sold the moment I walked in. Disclaimer/Warning; There will be a line!!! And if you're lucky enough to get a table, sit back and enjoy every second of it.

The ambience is kind of neat when you first walk in with a bright colorful wall of straw hats in…read morethe lobby waiting area, a selfie station with a giant bear, and live music performances. Other than that the food and service are very average and prices are on the higher side. The mahi mahi appetizer bites were super dry, so I definitely wouldn't recommend them and steaks had quite a bit of fat.

We are from NY and came to visit my mother in law who lives in Dorado PR. I saw this restaurant on…read moreInstagram and told her I wanted to try it. The restaurant is very trendy. They have both indoor and outdoor dining. The waitress that we had was super friendly and patient. She answered all of our menu related questions. The food had delicious flavor and was seasoned nicely. All of us really enjoyed our meals so much so that we have already told other friends and relatives about it. We will definitely be back next time we visit PR.