What a great food experience!!! Casita Miramar easily earned a spot in my top 2 restaurants I've…read morehad the pleasure of dining at in Puerto Rico when it comes to quality food and an overall amazing experience. The restaurant itself is absolutely beautiful, and the service was excellent from beginning to end,from the hostess to the servers and bussers. Our server, Jeffery, was amazing! He was energetic, professional, attentive, and you can genuinely tell he takes his position seriously. I loved that! We were greeted with complimentary sopa de plátano and bacalaítos, and I was NOT expecting to love them as much as I did. This was by far the best sopa de plátano I've ever had. I never thought I could fall in love with a soup, but here we are! (I ordered a whole extra regular size bowl )The bacalaítos were another surprise because they're normally not something I order or even particularly like--and I've tried quite a few in my life--but these were absolutely delicious. My S/O and I shared the churrasco with arroz mamposteao, along with a side of avocado salad and majado de viandas. Everything was a straight 10/10. Not one disappointment on the table. They also make an amazing Rojo Pico, which was the perfect addition to the experience. 100% recommend Casita Miramar. Don't overthink JUST GO! Beautiful atmosphere, excellent service, and most importantly, genuinely delicious, quality Puerto Rican food. This place absolutely deserves the hype and its spot in my top two!

The workers were honestly the sweetest. the environment is so welcoming and calm…read more although i wasn't very happy with the food. i went with my family and we found the food very bland and overpriced!! my mom LOVES cooking and she could tell when frozen beans are served to her. the food tasted old and the rice look like it was reheated from days ago.. definitely might be a tourist trap. the aesthetics are beautiful but isn't worth the price. on the good side, they sell natural juices and the parcha juice was the best i ever had!!

We ended up dining at Refran for dinner our first night in San Juan and it did not disappoint. Our…read moreserver was so sweet and attentive. We ordered the bacalaitos (codfish fritters) as an appetizer and the mofongo with shrimp (and another with pernil). The bacalaitos were perfectly fried, not greasy. The mofongo was the best mofongo I had in San Juan! It was full of flavor and the shrimp was the perfect compliment. My son housed their rice and beans. My husband ordered the tres leches cake. It was probably the best tres leches I've ever had. We'll definitely return next time we're in San Juan.

A very small restaurant with absolutely authentic Puerto Rican food with about 10 tables or so,…read moreabsolutely do not miss this place! So what do you get by coming here? You get the real deal, real Puerto Rican dishes, with the greatest flavors and fair prices. Unless you prefer playing overpriced, find dining restaurants with average Puerto Rican food, which there are plenty of in the area. I'm not able to emphasize how small this restaurant is, it's located right along the main walking strip in Coronado Beach. Maybe 10 tables or so. No reservations walk up wait in line if you have to eat and leave. Not only will you eat the best tasting food during your trip, but probably also pay the least amount of money. We went here twice! Their rice and beans recipe is probably what it's all about! We got grilled shrimp and skirt steak over rice and beans and honestly, I could've had it all week long! This little gem local place is not to be missed! Highly recommended!

Food and service was great! Desert is a must! The cheese flan is the best I've had in a while!!!read more

When planning my first trip to PR I scoured tiktok for food recommendations! And this place was…read moreremarkably noted as Bad Bunny's favorite restaurant, and I understand why! The service was immediate & so welcoming! The restaurant had a very homey feel, like you know someone's family recipes are being used. The food was 10/10, hands down, everything was absolutely delicious! The sangria - to die for! Loved every bit of it! Def a staple if you plan on making the trip!!!

Absolutely -- I'd make it feel like a genuine "we ate GOOD" review, especially since this was…read moreduring your bach trip: SO delicious! We came here during my bachelorette trip in Puerto Rico and everything we ordered was amazing. The food was fresh, flavorful, and genuinely some of the best we had on the trip. The chicken, rice and beans, plantains, avocado, everything hit. Even the drinks were so good. We ordered a little bit of everything for the table and there was honestly not one thing we didn't enjoy. Such a great spot for authentic Puerto Rican food and definitely somewhere I'd come back to whenever I'm in PR!

The food was amazing. There were five us. We had empanadas for appetizers that we shared…read more My companions were not thrilled with the drinks. I had a water bottle, which was not remarkable. Three of us ordered whole snapper. We were not disappointed. One of us ordered jerk beef mofungo. We were quite content. The yellow rice was quite tasty. The atmosphere was that of family restaurant. It was nondescript and high volume. Value for the meals.

Kept seeing a bunch of reviews on how amazing this place was and honestly it's up there…read more To start off, I'm not really a sweets guy so my take is going to be a little off from the general public. We were able to snag a reservation but for a late time which was about an hour and a half before close. The service was super great but one thing I wished they mentioned that the bottled water was going to be a $40 charge lol. Makes sense for any upscale restaurant though. Should've mentioned we wanted tap so fair warning, ask cause you WILL get charged haha. We had a group of 10 and for how big the group was, the food came out pretty fast. I don't think we ever had a time between drinks to entrees where we were waiting for food to come out. We got the watermelons mojito for drinks since it was the most raved about. It was good but personally nothing crazy for me. 8/10 score on that. We also curry popcorn chicken, the ahi tuna lollipops, the empanadillas and the goat cheese quesadillas for apps and honestly overall 9/10. This is where I don't like the sweetness part of this meal. The empanadillas were what I was most excited for but it was more sweet then savory which sort of lose my appetite a little. I think if you like that kind of taste then it's going to be good. It wasn't a bad taste at all. Just too sweet for my liking. The curry popcorn chicken was good and the lollipops were great. Again, nothing crazy. The goat cheese quesadillas was good as well but again, too sweet for my liking. Now on to the entree, they didn't have the porkchop since we came late so I ended up getting the porkchop belly dish. When it came out, it looked amazing but then I got a whiff of it and smelled cinnamon. That's when I was sort of disappointed. It was like eating pork but tasting Cinnamon Toast Crunch and as said before, it tasted great but too sweet for me. This one was way too sweet to where it seemed like a dessert item. I just had poor luck and got one of the one items that were sweet. This doesn't tank the rating down whatsoever because I also should've read it had cinnamon. It would've been great if they made a dipping sauce or something to pair it with and not have it on the pork belly itself. I got to try other dishes my friends got which were good as well but I wish I got to try something else. If I came back I would try the sold out item which was the pork shank or the sea bass. I know for a fact the sea bass was amazing. Had a bite of it and thought "I'll come back for that" Overall, 10/10 experience and nothing bad about the place but gotta try different items when I go next time. I understand the hype now

WOULD recommend (dinner). Stopped by during first night in Puerto Rico, we had a reservation around…read more9pm so we were able to see the festivities associated with La Placita. I suggest doing reservations at least 3 weeks in advanced if you want to time that you want especially during peak days like Fri, Sat, etc. When we came in, the staff were very hospitable to us. This establishment has was very intimate, well lit; upon entry the music was a bit loud but then became manageable for casual conversation. We saw a good amount of large parties as well so they have good reputation for celebratory outings. We started off with drinks, ordered the Paper Plane, was very sour but wasn't bad in my opinion (Rating: 7.1/10), but the Perfect Lady on the other hand, was amazing lavender goodness, I don't think I have had a bad lavender drink yet from any place I have had so glad they kept the train going (Rating: 9.0/10). Next, for appetizers we ordered the Empanadas, that have different flavors everyday. The day that we came, the flavor was BBQ pulled pork, which I personally absolutely loved. Crispy, not hard exterior, hot and fresh (Rating 8.8/10). For the entrees, we ordered the Tacos De Mero Empanados (Fish Tacos with Chipotle Coleslaw) and the Milanesa De Pollo. The fish tacos were definitely the best dish at the table, came with 3 tacos that had rich flavors, ordered from the "Daily Specials" section of the menu (Rating 8.4/10). Next, the Milanesa De Polla was a large, breaded chicken breast that was honestly good for multiple people, came with side of arugula and cherry tomatoes with light dressing (almost nonexistent to be honest). It came with a sauce on top, like an aioli that wasn't bad honestly. This dish was a good safe option if you aren't sure what to get (Rating 8.1/10). I wanted to originally order the Pastelon De Amarillos but they were out of stock of that dish during the visit. Overall, Santaella offers pretty extensive menu with foundations of a high quality restaurant. Their service during our visit was definitely top of the line, no complaints. I just wished they had more than 2 single use bathrooms as the line definitely added up which could pose an issue for guests with urinary urgency/frequency. Pricing also wasn't horrible, was able to get a full course dinner for 2 for under $150 so can't really complain, just check their menu before going if you want specifics. They also have Rooftop Sundays at Azotea for those who are interested in their alternative dining setting. This place was good nonetheless and I would recommend it, is right in between fine dining and casual making it good for those dressier date nights.

If you're looking for the best asopao on the island... your search stops here…read more I've never had something like this before. The flavor was ridiculous in the best way possible, the shrimp was perfectly cooked, and the tostones were notably fresh. 10/10- you MUST go. Out of all of the gumbo variations I've had from countless regions, Puerto Rico's is my favorite. Particularly from La Cueva Del Mar. Our server, Nicole, was an angel. She is SO SWEET. She made the experience even better!!! It was packed and very loud at 7pm on a Thursday, which is a nonissue for me, but if your party prefers a quiet meal, be mindful of timing.

The good: Convenient location, valet parking, lively but not overwhelming environment, good music,…read moreand good drinks which is a plus. Food is usually good. The Meh: I liked this Cueva del mar in calle loiza but this experience was subpar. Prior to even ordering, I asked if their famous fish tacos would have the same coleslaw with their special sauce intermixed like it's been since 2007, but in recent visit on Dec 2025 was not the same. He stated he understood. When it arrived, the cole slaw was dry, not the same famous fish tacos i've been used to for years unfortunately. It was unnecessary for the waiter (male in his 50s with black ivy cap) to insist to try to prove me wrong stating that "it's always been this way and i've worked here for 15 years" when my mother and i have had these fish tacos since it opened originally in guaynabo circa ~2007. Mind you, i am bilingual and overheard the waiter talking to the kitchen. Their solution was to bring sauce on the side. My partner ate 1 fish taco, I ate none. When we left the establishment, the waiter went outside to stop my fiance. The waiter never approached me to apologize directly por el mal rato. I also found it extremely distasteful to have to overhear an employee (brunette) on her break (or otherwise) with her foul language near our toddler. We'll just have to stick to another location that treats customers better.

I ordered the medium friend red snapper, delicious…read more Service was ok Ambiance was nice family owned restaurant

Came here at the recommendation of my Uber driver. Happy to say that it did not disappoint. There…read morewasn't anything on my dish that I disliked. It tasted very much like someone's grandmother was in the kitchen making this food. It's no surprise that this place gets packed. If you want delicious Puerto Rican comfort food then come here. The pork dudes were delicious, I couldn't pretend to dislike it if I tried. The gravy of course was great and helps make the rice even better. Although I'll admit that the rice while good was a bit lacking. The flan on the other was the best flan I've had in a long time. Perfect way to end the meal. A must if you're in the area.

Look, were we at an alcapurria spot ordering pastelillos? Yes. Do we regret it? Absolutely not…read more We got one each of vegetariano, cebolla y queso, pollo, and guayaba con queso. The vegetariano was mid, but the other three? No complaints. But honestly, the food is only part of the story here. The vibe is everything. Salsa playing, high energy, warm service. We rolled in late and hungry, looking for sweet refuge from La Placita crowds, and they welcomed us like we belonged there. The music started out mixed, but at some point it shifted to Contra La Corriente front to back. We were enjoying our pastelillos, singing along to No Me Conoces, minding our own business when... el apagón. Not the whole Placita, just a couple spots including this one. The staff didn't miss a beat. Flashlights came out, mood lighting appeared, and nobody rushed us. We finished our food. We paid. We left happy. 5 stars because some experiences are bigger than the sum of their parts. This was one of them.

This is not a polished, Instagram-perfect restaurant and that's exactly the point. That's why I…read morelove it so much. Tucked inside La Placita de Santurce, its a small, casual, almost hidden spot that's usually packed with locals. Think plastic chairs, outdoor tables, music playing and a constant flow of people coming in for a quick bite or drink. Feels more like a neighborhood hangout than a restaurant. I've been coming here for years and this is what I've learned, take it from a local. For a quick bite, alcapurrias are a MUST -- especially beef or crab. Also the "pastelillos" are amazing-- corn beef, chorizo, morcilla... Everything freshly made to order. Now, if you want to sit down and enjoy an authentic Puerto Rican meal, here are some of my favorites: chuletas fritas, chicharrones de pollo, bistec encebollado and carne frita-- of course with a side of rice and beans or tostones for the win. Bottom line: you come here for flavor and authenticity, not comfort. Enjoy

I don't write reviews often, but this experience was absolutely worth taking the time to write one…read more All I can genuinely say is WOW. And honestly... how is Cocina Abierta not Michelin rated?! I decided to do four courses, and every single one was incredible. I started with the Crudo de Salmón Hawaiana with mango pascual, watermelon radish, and hibiscus flower. Then the Robalo al Horno de Leña with coconut beurre blanc, salicornia, and tamarind. For the main course, the Mofongo de Pato Criollo with duck chicharrón, duck and shiitake broth, and guava hoisin. And dessert was the Café with requesón, pâte à choux, and carambola. This was one of the most dynamic meals I've ever had. Every course was completely different, yet everything felt intentional, creative, and incredibly well-balanced. The flavors, textures, presentation, and creativity were on another level. What made the experience even more special was knowing that the ingredients are locally sourced and thoughtfully incorporated into the menu. You can genuinely taste the care that goes into every dish. And the hospitality? Unforgettable. From start to finish, the entire experience was exceptional. Cocina Abierta absolutely blew me away. This is the kind of meal you remember long after you leave, and I will 100% be back. If you're in San Juan and looking for an unforgettable dining experience, go here.

PHENOMENAL This is…read morenot just a restaurant, this is a dining experience. This is upscale elegance in a relaxed environment. This is global techniques blended with locally sourced Puerto Rican ingredients. From the moment you walk in, you feel welcome. I was there to celebrate my birthday (a reservation is a must). I asked if I could be seated in a different section of the restaurant, and even though they were packed, they said absolutely and found me a lovely seat in the bar area. The staff is knowledgeable and attentive. I suffer from severe food allergies but wanted to experience their tasting menu. My server spoke to the chef directly and then took the time to walk me through every option. I TRULY appreciated that they did not take anything off the menu but rather told me how they could adjust for my allergies. That is very rare and so very much appreciated that they went that extra mile for me. I highly recommend the tasting menu. It's 5 courses and they give you 3 options to choose from, within each course. And for the price ($85), a great value. Everything was delicious but I highly recommend the Breadfruit Gnocchi, Rainbow Runner Crudo, and Criollo Duck Mofongo. Chefs kiss! What I also noticed was, even though they were insanely busy, they didn't make you feel rushed. The invited you to savor the experience - which I did. Next time you are in San Juan, make a reservation and go. You won't be disappointed!

We visited at the recommendation of a friend and WOOOOOOW. This was my favorite dining experience…read morein San Juan...maybe all of PR. The high quality preparation combined with the classic tastes of the island... mwah chef's kiss. LB and I ordered apps and split and entree. There was sooo much food and it was all so delicious. Our server was a DELIGHT and made it feel like we were dining with friends. Love the ambiance. The location. The menu. Put this high on your list of things to check out

Farm to table Puerto Rican food, James Beard winning chef. Highlights for me were the appetizers…read moreand cocktails. The buñuelos de malanga and the longaniza empanadas were excellent. The Funk Fashion was an interesting take on the Old Fashioned. My wife ordered a few other cocktails which were also very good. As for main course dishes, My lamb fricasse and the rice with rabbit were delicious. The only reason I'm taking off a star is because it was hot af. Seating is mostly outdoors. Interior seating is very limited so expect to be seated outside. The patio is very nice, but there is little to no breeze so it gets very hot. My parents went earlier in the year when temperatures were lower than they are this summer and they experienced the same. My suggestion is wear light breathable clothing: shorts, skirts, open toed footwear. Maybe bring a personal fan. Overall, a must foodie destination.