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Pilao Bakery Cafe

3.7 (40 reviews)
Open • 6:00 am - 9:00 pm

Pilao Bakery Cafe Photos

PILAO BAKERY CAFE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Dogs allowed

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Recommended Reviews - Pilao Bakery Cafe

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Reviews With Photos

James R.

If you are really hungry, this is one place to go. The French toast is about 2" thick. Each plate is enough food for two. Workers are polite and eager to help. They have indoor and outdoor seating. It was not noisy. Great food.

Vivian W.

We come here in the afternoon for a rest stop after all the walking. The place is nice inside, few tables with people chatting quietly. We had some coffee and one pastry with strawberry jam, it's not bad. The atmosphere is nice, and the lady at the counter is patient and helpful.

Breakfast tacos
Amanda E.

Friendly people. I ordered the chicken and waffles, was told they didn't have waffles but pancakes, I went with it. I got waffles. Portion was huge- way too much food. Husband got breakfast tacos with no veg, got veg...so a bit disappointed.

William C.

Modern vibe inside and out. Comfortable place to relax from the heat. Cortadito was a little bitter, but next time I will be sure to order it with sugar. Fresh juices are fantastic, especially the Passion Fruit juice. Prices are reasonable for being so conveniently located to the cruise port. The bilingual baristas were very nice and promptly filled orders for patrons. I would absolutely go back for the convenience, vibe and comfort. So much more on the menu and in the cold cases to try.

Steph C.

Nice coffee shop & bakery conveniently located in old town a few blocks from the cruise port. Stopped in for their fresh juices which hit the spot on the hot day. Juice is kept cool in a cold case but ask for a cup of ice in the side to really cool it down and cut down on the natural sweetness of the juices. The grapefruit and passion fruit juices are fantastic. Service team is very nice and friendly which really made it a great place to cool down.

Sunny side eggs with sausage links and buttered bread
Matthew F.

The Cuban sandwich was good and filling. Everything complemented itself from the cheese to the pork to the ham. Nothing was dry which is what I dislike about a Cuban sandwich. 7/10 The regular two egg with toast and sausage links, I mean it just tastes what I described. Nothing really standout or was a let down. 5/10 The glaze donut was good, nice and cloudy soft. The glaze on top of it was average not too sweet. It was savory. 5.2/10 The caramel latte was good nothing out of the ordinary. 6/10 For the service you go up to the counter and order. The food took about 30 minutes ish because it was one lady making all the food and there was people ahead of us as well. I wasn't too worried but if you are in a hurry wouldn't recommended since it's in old San Juan and a lot of tourists around. The ambiance was cozy and not loud which I enjoyed.

That's Jane in the background and dirty dishes.

We arrived to the location after a tiring walk from our hotel with heavy bag packs as we are getting ready to depart to go back home. We were hoping we would get a nice breakfast and great and inviting customer service just as we have experiencing at other locations, however, I quickly was disappointed at Jane's (cashier) service as she lacked smile, customer service and friendliness and instead made us feel rushed into ordering some items that we were not happy with as she was short as I asked questions about items on the menu. In addition, when I asked about drinks she vaguely and in general named the drinks (e.g., frappe, espresso, coffee) as she looked away as if I was just one of those customers that did not know what they wanted. First of all, the QR code menu only has about 5 or 6 items (see pic) and it does not list the drink items offered. The chalk board simply shows general items (see pic), thus not giving you choices or specialty items they carry. The pastries do not have a name, hence you have to ask questions when you make it to the register causing a line to form because you have to ask questions. The tables were dirty and from the time we were there, I didn't see anyone come by and clean the tables for others to sit. We had to clean our own table so that we can sit down and eat. In addition, plates were sitting by the trash bin and not cleared. I typically do not write reviews, however, I felt this time I felt the need to do so. I my self have not worked in the restaurant business, however, I have worked in retail and learned that providing great customer service invites customers to continue coming to your restaurant/store. I always try to put myself in a waiters/waitresses and cashiers place because I myself although not currently in the retail/restaurant business have to provide great customer service and provide feedback to the staff I serve. I hope this review serves the owner to provide customer training to the staff so they learn how to treat customers and maybe make recommendations to help the line move quickly as well as providing a more detailed items they carry to sped up the checkout process.

Hats Light fixtures
AnneShey N.

Found this local bakery near by our hotel. I like that it is just few mins walked where we stayed while in OSJ. The food was good, we ordered their signature sandwhich; the pulled pork with lettuce, tomato, mayonise and some chicaron. The pork has good flavor on it. I also had a pastry, not sure what it called but it has some cheese and guava jam inside. This sweet pastry is perfect match with the Puertorican coffee.

Holly W.

Someone suggested Pilao as a bakery to try while in town. It was around 3pm and they were sold out of a lot of authentic PR pastries. We settles for Tres leche and a vanilla caramel cake in a jar. The jars were cute, glass, tied with a wooden spoon by a little rope. My daughter was impressed but has never has tres leche. I found the cake hard and not my cup of tea.

Churripepper sandwich and an iced mocha coffee
Janet R.

The food was delicious, staff is friendly, sandwich and coffee was amazing! Will definitely be back when we come to visit again!

Nikk T.

Good food, nice portions, made to order! Wish we had gotten another sandwich to go! My son raved about how good the food was and I totally agree... we were in a rush and stopped in for a quick bite and was wowed. We got a sandwich and it came with kettle style barbecue flavored chips, a passion fruit juice and the last cinnamon roll.

Trent L.

Let me start off by saying this small cafe is in San Juan Puerto Rico, it's located in a small town they call old San Juan that's filled with other small businesses on cobble stone streets close to ports where the cruise ships dock. I'm only given 3 stars because I didn't see enough to give more,we ordered a small pastry to find out it was not very fresh, kind of hard when we broke it apart and tried to bite into it,they had a water container in which it seemed like something they brought from the store and filled it with water,we were thirsty but didn't want to take any chances because we had no idea where this water was from ( tap water possibly). It was very clean inside ( sorry not pictured) but the outside store front was very bright and inviting ( pictured below ). I would say if in San Juan again I would give them another try!.

Cafe latte
Holly V.

Every time I come to San Juan , I have to stop here to get my coffee and their bake goods ! Love this place !

Cute lighting and wall decor

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4 months ago

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2 years ago

A bakery with very little bakery. Skip it Not worth the walk we had a donut and soda

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2 years ago

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5 years ago

We had a chicken rollup and a steak sandwich and both were delicious. Coffees were very good. The pastries were 4/5.

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6 years ago

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5 years ago

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6 years ago

Delicious pastries y coffee with lovely service. Will be back to try more on the menu.

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5 years ago

Extremely long wait for coffee and food. Breakfast was just mediocre, not worth the wait or the price.

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7 years ago

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7 years ago

Horrible service and donuts are stale coffee is not good and they took 30 mins to make one unpleasant coffee and gave me a stale donut

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Café Cuatro Sombras - 8oz Latte

Café Cuatro Sombras

4.4(623 reviews)
0.2 km
•$$

Local coffee roaster tucked into a beautiful old San Juan building -- high ceilings, exposed wood…read morebeams, and an arched menu board that gives the whole space a warm, artisanal feel without trying too hard. Grabbed an iced latte and an iced tea to go: the latte was smooth and well-balanced, not over-roasted like a lot of tourist-zone coffee shops nearby, and the iced tea was refreshing after walking the cobblestone streets. The menu keeps it simple -- espresso drinks, paninis (Cuatro Sombras, Yauco, Viejo San Juan), open toast with avocado & egg or salmon, and a solid breakfast lineup with guava butter toast and dulce de papaya oatmeal that lean into the Puerto Rican flavor profile. Loved seeing local sodas and juices in the fridge case alongside the usual water and La Croix. Staff moved efficiently even with a small crowd at the counter. Good spot to duck into for a quality coffee break in Old San Juan -- feels like a real local roaster rather than a chain, and the space itself is worth a look even if you're just passing through.

Stopped by this cafe after reading it was a stop on a local food tour. Per the food tour reviews,…read morewe had to try the croissant with ham and cheese and guava butter which did not disappoint! The cafe itself is small but we were able to find seating anyways. Service was somewhat confusing... you have to order at the counter and then wait for them to call your name. They called our names a couple times but were not ready each time leading to our confusion. We ordered a latte and the croissant and both were delicious! Would definitely come back for this croissant!

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Pilao Bakery Cafe - bakeries - Updated October 2026

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