Nice place , attentive staff and simply good Mexican food. House chips and salsa have great heat to them. A flavorful Caldo Tlalpeño to get the appetite flowing and ready for some tasty carne asada tacos on corn tortillas the way they should be ! read more

Aurorita - Carne asada tacos ! - Mexican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Aurorita is a ICONIC Mexican restaurant in Puerto Rico. I have been going there since I was little. We have see how it has grown the Food is always very good amy fav are the carnita tacos and the ensalada norteña y el chihuahua nachos. Service is very fast and busy but good. The ambiance is loud and always busy at peak times. Only thing if you order to go please don't leave with out checking your order they always forget the green pique which btw it is really good read more

We had a good time. The atmosphere is similar to a cafeteria. The salsa and chips were good, the salsa was medium spice. The queso was very good. We had good service and the food came out relatively quickly. The manager was checking on us. I will definitely go back. read more

My boyfriend grew up here and raves about this place so we decided to grab lunch here before heading out of San Juan. We were greeted right away and served chips with salsa which were nice. Our server was super attentive and brought us waters right away. We went with the 1/2 order of Chihuahua as it's one of their signature dishes which is chips topped with cheese, refried beans and chorizo. My boyfriend enjoyed these but they were way to greasy for me. I asked if they had enchiladas with salsa verde and they indicted they did not which was a bummer and a little surprising since they had enchiladas suizas on the menu. I decided to go with the combination number one which was a taco and tostada. I was under the impression that the taco would be a soft corn tortilla with the meat and some onions and cilantro but it was a hard taco and again very greasy. The guacamole was bland and made with a normal avocado which makes the guac watery. Maybe I'm too picky but I prefer hass avocado for guac since it's creamier. The tostada was fine and was pretty much what I was expecting. Unfortunately, I would have to say this was a one and done type of place for me. In my opinion there's better places. read more

Viernes 29 de septiembre de 2023 luego de una espera para poder almorzar pude llegar aquí. Local amplio con buen estacionamiento más valet parking. La comida mejicana no es mi fuerte pero desde que empeze a probar los fish tacos pues eso es lo que pido y saben muy bien. Servicio excelente y un ambiente de camaderia y familiar. Aunque se llena todo el mundo se ve hablando y pasándola bien. Execelente opcion para almorzar read more

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I've been here since 2015 and honestly reading the latest reviews I was a bit skeptical. But behold the food is still amazing! It's simple, so if you want your sauce and crema etc you just ask and it will be there. I got the crispy shell tacos w/ pork and they were juicy and good, it's simply pork, lettuce and tomato, so if you want to add additional flavors you have to request it. I also ordered the frozen margaritas and those were generously made with some good tequila . Also I asked for some tres leches for dessert and it was buenísimo. Reminds me of a home made tres leches so I give it a 10/10. Now if you want an epic tres leches you can check my other reviews but this place is still great the service was also good so enjoy your birthdays, date nights and causal dines here! read more

Aurorita - Tacos w/pork in a crispy taco shell and a frozen margarita with a salt rim - Mexican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Aurorita is one of the OG Mexican restaurants in PR. It's a local favorite, an institution. Prior to the pandemic you could walk in at anytime and find it busy to insane (where you have to yell to have a conversation). Come on the weekends and you'd find mariachis playing Mexican favorites and taking requests. I saw a young woman puking here guts out on the sidewalk during happy hour. Fun place to be. Their margaritas are famous. I'm not much of a margarita drinker but it gets top remarks from my family and friends. Of course, this doesn't all translate to Aurorita being the best Mexican food, just the most popular. Well, maybe it's the best amongst the traditional Mexican restaurants. Those would be the ones that adapt their recipes to fit the local palate. You get that all over the world, btw. It's a smart move. And the popularity of the restaurant supports that. I've always liked them too. They put out a consistent product that is decent to good. I can't really complain. However, it's not my 1st or 2nd choice when I want Mexican food. Lately, there has been a new crop of Mexican joints popping up that don't try to fit the local palate. They resemble more closely the flavors you'll find in Mexico or CA. When I want Mexican food, those are the places I'll turn to. But every now and then a trip to Aurorita is nice. This last time (Friday of last week) I went with my wife. It was our date night and we wanted a nice dinner without our kid. Unfortunately, we hadn't made reservations anywhere and everywhere had long wait times, due to the 30% capacity restrictions (covid times). After driving around for nearly an hour we were running out of time... curfew. We ended up at Aurorita. We were literally the last party they allowed inside. We had margaritas, the queso fundido, the steak and shrimp fajitas, and tres leches for dessert... and it was all good. A solid 3-3.5 stars. read more

Excelente comida. Ya las margaritas no saben igual. La última vez tuve que devolver la mía con pena porque me encantan! El lugar está siempre lleno y por eso el ruido se torna insoportable! read more

The food here was really good. My partner and I got two dishes with chicken and we were impressed with the flavor! Lots of food for a solid price. Guacamole was ok. Beans were amazing read more

Aurorita - Chilaquiles con pollo - Mexican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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EL MEJOR RESTAURANTE MEJICANO DE PUERTO RICO (best mexican place in Puerto Rico)! Servicio es excelente, comida es deliciosa y precios son bastante rasonables. Las margaritas son las mejores que he probado. 20/10, 100% recomendado!! Great service, food is excellent, prices are reasonable and the margaritas are the BEST. 100% recommended!!! read more

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Take out tacos are stupidly packaged so what you get when you get home is a mess of wet corn tortilla with everything else all over. No way you can eat it by hand. And even with fork its a mess. Surely there is a way to fix this but they haven't for the past 20 years i have been going and hoping for new packaging just to find still the same shit. read more

We have been eating at Aurorita's for over 40 years, from when it was a long hallway taco stand. The location is the same but the restaurant has expanded and taken over the corner. Always great food and service. Never disappoints. The chalupa's are the best...no other restaurant even comes close. read more

The more I come here, the more I like it. Every time is a great experience. We always have a fun time. The atmosphere is great and the service is always top notch. This time around, the queso fundido was amazing. It is always delicious but tonight was even better. read more

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Friday night are busy time everywhere. Place was packed. We were about to go somewhere else, but its being more than 2 decades since our last visit. We walked two minutes, waited to be seated like 5, and in less than 2 minutes we had our appetizers and the free nachos. This is 5 stars for service in my book on a Friday night. The melted cheese with chorizo is highly recommended. They can do it in different combinations like with jalapeño. The piña colada was great, if you like a sweet frappe this is it. The rest of the food was average. The noise was a bit overwhelming, lots of groups and families. The had a group of Mariachis which is the cherry on top. If you don't mind this factor, then you can survive and enjoy the experience and great service. read more

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I have been going here for 11 years. The foos sucks. It really does. If you know anything at all about REAL Mexican food you will agree. It is incredibly loud. I gave it one star since the ritas are good. If it were not for them this place would be empty. read more

From the moment we sat down it was amazing. I've been homesick and craving Mexican food and Aurorita's excelled my expectations. Service was great. Recommend the margaritas and the res My boyfriend and I left super content. read more

Este review lo dejo con ánimos de que Aurorita no se dañe. Levo visitándolos por más de 30 años. Lamenté cuando cambiaron la receta del chihuahua hace muchos años. Ahora regreso después de casi un año pq vivo en EU y cambiaron la receta del refrito (con cubitos de chorizo en lugar de como lo sirven regularmente), el guacamole soso, el burrito más pequeño y no tenían el pique verde. Muchos meseros pero todos hablando entre sí. Tuve que pararme a pedir la cuenta después de esperar un largo rato y no me trajeron el refresco que pedí al final. Aurorita es una fórmula probada, no había que cambiarle nada. Espero puedan hacer los ajustes necesarios. read more

The food here is fresh mex I have tried many dishes and all have been great. The service is amazingly fast so pace yourself what ever you order will come blazing fast. The ambiance is fair a little noisy. You can't leave without trying their margaritas! A must visit! read more

Este lugar nunca me decepciona! Lo más que me gusta es su delicioso Refrito, que al parecer lo preparan con ajo rostizado. Uf! Delicioso...

A most have is the margarita, great taste and good amount of tequila. All its food is good, no way to go wrong. Superb customer service by staff. read more

Not sure what "Mexican" food is doing in Puerto Rico because I assume there are few real Mexicans in Puerto Rico. "Puerto-Mex" is nothing like Ameri-Mex in Cleveland and it is not made by Mexicans. I ordered the nachos with white cheese - pretty gnarly. I then ordered the Chilaquiles Estilo Puebla and it was pretty darn gross too. The "tortilla" chips were not tasty and they were all wilted and wet. Yuck. Observing what the others ate and gathering their feedback, they too felt that Aurorita is off-base when it comes to imitation Mexican food. A friend ordered the Tortilla Soup and wasted no time denouncing it. I guess I'll pass on "Mexican" next time I'm in PR. My wife and her father, both native Puerto Ricans, were pleased with their meals, despite having eaten the best Ameri-Mex Cleveland has to offer at Cozumel. When I eat Mexican food in Cleveland, Ohio, I wear whatever. But in PR, people get dressed up to attend Mexican establishments. My friend and I were taken aback by the uppity crowd and silly food. Also, the armed parking lot attendants almost scared us away. And the bill? Too pricey for crappy fodder. When in PR, eat PR food, not "Mexican". But if you must eat Mexican, go to Marguerita's instead, the food is better, albeit pricey. At least they get Chinese and sushi right on this beautiful island. read more

Aurorita - These nachos weren't all that great. - Mexican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Just heading back to our hotel room and decided to stop to have a beer, young man that was working there was pretty busy on his phone so it took him a while to put it down to wait on us but I did like the atmosphere, looks like a fun place. I would have to try to go back another time. read more

Aurorita - Mexican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Pretty tasty, large portions, super fast service. All were super nice. Tasty margaritas, no complaints. read more

Aurorita - Mexican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Have been a customer for over 20 years. Excellent service and great ambiance. My favorite meal is the Chicken fajitas. I had a Caldo Talpeño for appetizer and it was great as usual. For dessert I had a Flan de Queso and it was delicious! I highly recommend Aurorita to anyone visiting Puerto Rico! Thanks for everything! Until My next trip to Puerto Rico! read more

While I am not a big fan of Mexican food I can honestly say that Aurorita's is the best Mexican restaurant I have been to in Puerto Rico. The food is of very good quality and the service is usually very good. I have eaten there many times, I usually have the Chihuahua (Nachos with cheese though good quality cheese, not the fake yellowish stuff) for starters. And for the main dish I have tried the Burrito Suizo (Pork, chicken or chesse with refried beans and guacamole). The place is good for casual dining as well as family dinners, dates and large group dinners. The drinks are also very well prepared, I highly recommend the margaritas. Aurorita's also has a "fast food" version of the restaurant available for quick order and pick up on the opposite side of the building's entrance. Have not tried it very often but it is an option for when you don't have the time to sit down and eat inside although the "fast food" menu is not necessarily the same as the full restaurant menu. read more

Aurorita - Mexican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Food: -Burrito Carnitas Suizo Elefante: Believe it when the name is called Elephant. This burrito is huge! I literally had it for 3 meals. It came with shredded pork, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream topped with Swiss cheese and tomato sauce. The burrito was not bad but not great. It was a little on the bland side. I wish it was spicier with less sour cream. I like sour cream but this was wayyy too much, which probably took away from other flavors in the burrito. It came with a side of nachos but it was literally like 8 small pieces. I had to ask for more. Around the burrito was refried beans, more carnitas, and guacamole. 3/5 - Queso Fundido con Jalapeno: melted cheese with jalapenos, onions and bacon bits. This appetizer tastes good, but it was very difficult to eat. The cheese was melted but still pretty solid. It takes teamwork to eat this. You can't dip the chip in the cheese. It has to be pulled and peeled off and placed on the nacho chip. The cheese gets even tougher when it gets cooler. We just gave up mid way and didn't finish the cheese. 3/5 Service: The employees were friendly, but not attentive. They didn't notice when our water cups were empty. We had to frequently ask for a refill. 2/5 Final thoughts: The food was okay at best and the cost was a little on the higher end. I probably wouldn't come back here since there are so many better options. read more

I'm with Tim on this one. It's odd how they send you to the back to order out. I wasn't greeted at all when I came in. When someone finally walked up, I asked if I can order to go, she pointed me to go around back. The back felt like it was for the less fortunate compared to the front. Dirt and messy. I tried to order a burrito, the lady explained to me the burrito only comes with beans and meat or a supreme burrito that has lettus, tomato, and guagmole. I asked for a carnitas burrito with veggie and just rice no beans. She said let me ask the kitchen. I was surprised she had to ask if they can do that...more baffling is she came back saying they can't, the burrito is too big and can't fit the rice. I gave her that look and she was a little surprised herself that they can't do it. So I said ok, I just want a carnitas burrito with veggies NO BEANs with a rice on the side, please. I also order the carnitas mole enchiladas. She placed my order. I came home and guess what I got. A carnitas burrito with BEANS, unbelievable. I didn't even get a side order of the rice I asked. The only reason why they are getting a star is that yelp won't let me rate a business with ZERO star. I'd go to the taco maker down the street before I come back to this place, or taco bell. read more

Aurorita - Mexican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

If you like Mexican food this is the right place. Auroritas has been around for ever. The "refrito" is great, "queso fundido" great, tacos great. Ive tried everything on the menu and i like it all. Margaritas are amazing!! You can have them frozen but if you think you can handle the tequila.. I suggest the "escarchada" Their quality is consistent so this is a place you can count on for good food. It is usually crowded but the staff is great and they are quick serving food. If you visit PR and want to get out of the tourist area for great Mexican food this is your place! read more

Fantastic restaurant! Some of the greatest service I've had in a long time, anticipating my needs and sometimes fulfilling them without asking. Food is absolutely delicious--highly suggest the refried beans!! read more

The best carnitas ever. Most everything is good here but the carnitas are what you come here for.

This is my first time in Puerto Rico, but not my first restaurant, so we know the service did not have to be this terrible. We knew it was off when we came in and were served one bowl of chips with no refill, but from there we waited 10 minutes to order, 20 minutes for our food, and eventually what led to us having to dramatically flag down one of many waiters that were passing for our check. Once we received our check, we then proceeded to wait 20 minutes for someone to come get our money. By this time, we were upset, and spoke to someone about the long wait. I would hate to pull the race card, but it was obvious all the other tables were receiving faster service (white and latino) instead of us black girls. We shouldn't have had to wait forever for service while we watched other tables be asked if everything was okay. As far as my food, the chicken was dry. read more

Came to Aurorita twice during my week stay in Puerto Rico, it was that good! The free chips and salsa are delivered immediately after you sit down and the servers are very attentive throughout the entire meal. For my first time at Aurorita, I ordered the half order of steak fajitas. The steak was seasoned nicely and combined with a delicious array of peppers and onions. I liked that it came with refried beans and guacamole with additional chips. For the second time I visited, I got the half order of carnitas, which was almost like a fajita dish complete with tortillas, guacamole, refried beans, and tomatoes. The pork was seasoned quite nicely, nothing too overbearing and it was juicy. Finished with the chocolate cake, which was too soggy/wet for my taste. However, the ambiance is definitely more local-leaning and the food really is delicious. I agree that the food is definitely more catered to Puerto Rican tastes, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing! Would recommend to anyone in the area. read more

It seems some people have a problem with the "Mexican" food here, the reality is that it is not authentic by any means, nevertheless quite yummy. Stay away from the chicken, it is dry and not very savory, on the other hand the carnita pork is very good. Top dish is: Burrito Suizo Elefante Carnitas, can't get enough of it. The hot green sauce is very good and so is the Caldo Tlalpeño. read more

Service 3/5 AVERAGE The place was LOUD. I don't mind the noise so much but the waiter got my order wrong THREE times because he kept mistaking me and my friend since we are both chinese. It's not that difficult, we don't even dress the same and we are different in size and height. Our hairstyles are even different. I have wavy hair and hers was in a ponytail. We sat opposite of each other. COME ON MAN!! I'm giving it an average because it was busy and I'll let it slide for him because of the noise. LONG WAIT!!! Food/Condiments 2/5 BAD I ordered the Burrito Elefante which was tasteless, had a lot of MEAT. The whole thing was MEAT with no flavor. The tortilla wrap was not cooked enough, tasted pasty. The guacamole had no taste either. Even Pollo Tropical burrito tastes WAY better. Price is cheaper than most places. My burritto was $15 including taxes. Huge portions. Probably take me 3 days to finish. The green salsa was very spicy but the chips were good and crunchy. Bathroom 2/5 BAD Horrible. No paper and there's an awesome TV in the bathroom and changing diaper station but rather than invest in something useless like a TV they should keep the bathrooms more clean. The trashcans are open so basically you have piles of used toilet paper piling up with god knows what fumigating in the air. No one cleaned it out. There was no air circulation in the bathroom either. VERY UNHYGIENIC. Cleaner than an outhouse but I expected more from a nice restaurant like this. Drinks 5/5 EXCELLENT cheap magaritas during happy hour til 9pm just for Cinco de Mayo. You can order them with salt or no salt. The magarita on the rocks is strongest. So people come here for the $3.50 drinks to mask out the awful food they serve. I didn't try it but my roommates said it was good. $10 magarita regular price Entertainment 5/5 EXCELLENT Good marachi band to serenade you on your birthday or just serenade you on request. Although we had to wait a while for them. The music was good and it was funny to watch my roommate be serenaded Payment 3/5 AVERAGE They let you do separate checks. However, we had to go up to the computer one by one and tell the waiter again what we ordered. No group service charge. We pay up at the front. The cashier was REALLY FAST. She was on a roll!! Parking 5/5 Valet parking that is very close to the restaurant. We felt safe parking there and the attendant watched our cars. read more

Great little joint to meet up in large groups. The Mariachis come out around 7. Drinks are a little pricey but the ambiance is well worth it. Food is good but not great. read more

I ordered the Chicken Burrito Suizo Elefante and had the best Mexican meal of my life!! It tasted like heaven. I've been thinking about it ever since, it was so delicious! I will 100% go back to Auroitas next time I'm in San Juan. The atmosphere was very nice and the service was professional. It was really cold in there so bring a jacket! read more

This may be my absolute favorite Mexican place in Puerto Rico. Great portions for your buck & a fresh taste, in every plate. Recommend it 100%. Best of all, CONSISTENCY in all their plates. They even have Mariachis on the weekends. Tell everyone about this place! read more

Best Mexican place in the island. It is a staple of Puerto Rican culture because of how many years this place has been around.

Kinda good parking spot. Great main course but the desserts are awful. The crust on the cheesecake tastes like grease of a frying pan. Will not recommend desserts here. read more

Terrible food, even worse service, very disappointed and a waste of money The chicken was bland and dry stuffed inside with no sauce When we said something to the server after he said he doesn't get the chicken for that reason and we should have just ordered plain cheese.... But when we asked if we could have cheese enchiladas they said no The margaritas were a bad lime mix- good thing o didn't like it as they never offered a second one read more