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Came straight from the airport to try this place whose claim to fame is their Piña colada, but ended up in love with the Churrasco. Our server was kind and helpful. Unfortunately we couldn't get mojitos because they were out of mint...the Pina colada made up for it though! Creamy and full of rum. Red snapper was a little dry but the limes made up for it. Churrasco was melting in my mouth with every bite. I recommend coming here early maybe for lunch! Dinner is a vibe though! Perfect for pregaming.
Barranchina is definitely a must visit for the sake of the history and the creamy pina coladas! They also have a beautiful patio to enjoy your drink, but unfortunately it was a rainy day so they were not seating outside. The food was okay, nothing standout but I also only had a couple light bites so I can't speak for the full menu! It is indeed a very busy spot so prepare for a wait but also, the drinks make it all worth it in the end so would totally stop in after or right before a meal.
Honestly, was a bit disappointed with the piña coladas here. We added it as a must do on our trip since it's the inventors of the piña colada but they just seem like the ordinary piñas you get on beach vacations. They don't make each one fresh it's already made and just poured. A bit too icy with no unique flavors for my taste. I feel I've had better ones at resorts. It's definitely popular and you can take the drinks to go rather wait in line to be seated. If you want to check off a historic "landmark" then visit otherwise if you want to go for a good piña, I'd go elsewhere.
We heard Barrachina was the birthplace of the piña colada so stopped in while we were walking around Old San Juan. Naturally, it's very touristy. We sat at the outdoor bar in the courtyard, which was very nice! There were several frozen cocktail machines with piña coladas stirring. The bartender assured us that their piña coladas are never watered down with ice. Honestly, it was really good (and he made them strong!) However, your drink is definitely dependent on the bartender that helps you so can certainly be hit or miss. We weren't super inclined to try the food or sit inside. Definitely worth trying while in Old San Juan. You can even get a piña colada to go.
Love the venue that makes you feel like you're outside but protected and comfortable. Server was kind and effective but quite slow to get drinks and orders and food. Was there on a Thursday night and it was busy but for water... seemed like an opportunity. Pina colada was great! Refreshing! Then we got the app for four and we had six people...still too much food so maybe opt for a smaller size. It was just ok. Hard to manage with all fried things. The fish was outstanding, corn nuggets great, the other stick thing was good but the mofungos were a pass. Needed seasoning and sauce. Then I got the grouper island special. Also a pass. The sauce was fine but it made the fish soggy. Perhaps if it was separate then things would taste better? Beans were good also. This wouldn't be my first choice back because of slow service and the food but for drinks, I'm in!
This is the first meal I had in San Juan, and it was a little underwhelming. The service was great, food was a little pricey but as expected in a touristy area. Pina Colada was the star of the show, amazing, rejuvenating, refreshing pina colada. The special sampler left a bit more to be desired. Most of the things were good but some items on the plate were slacking in flavor and were carried by other elements of the dish like the empanadas were amazing.
We stopped by Barrachina because of it's legacy as the "birthplace of the piña colada." We got coladas as well as some calamari for the table. The coladas were very strong (I think all the rum was all at the bottom), but it tasted great. Calamari tasted fine as well. Definetely more of a touristy spot but enjoying the outdoor seating while sipping on coladas was a nice experience. Service was very fast, considering how busy it was when we got there in the mid-afternoon.
This is such a beautiful restaurant and located in a nice area in old San Juan Puerto Rico. Stopped by after having lunch at Raices and wish i wouldn't have. I wish i would have planned to eat here and another day at raices as the food looked really good. However we came for the Piña Colada and it was good. I will def be returning
Home of the original piña colada, Barrachina is a must visit in San Juan! We decided to stop by for an app and drinks on a Friday and had to wait 30 minutes to be seated. We all ordered piña coladas and the corn fritters to share. The fritters were delicious! Perfectly sweet with a tasty spicy sauce on the side. The piña colada's were strong and refreshing! Definitely worth a try!
I came here to try out there infamous pina coladas... we came in the late morning/ early afternoon. The line was almost out the door. My only interaction was with the hostess whom seem to be a lil flustered with the line... But the pina coladas are amazing and when I'm back in town I'll for sure stop for one every time... read more
2 months ago
We enjoyed the shrimp and pork mofongo. We love the sauce it comes in and basically licked our plates clean. There was a long line waiting to get in, but I asked if there was room at the bar, and was able to immediately sit down and order food. The waiter was even kind enough to give our neighbors recommendations on what beaches to visit. read more
I was in Puerto Rico with my girlfriend recently and this place was definitely on our list of places to go and especially considering how much we both love piña coladas and with them being one of two places in PR who claim to have invented it we had to see which one was better. We strolled in late one evening but soon came to find out that they were about to close but they said we could go to the bar and get a couple to go. So we walked up to the bar and tried to order two piña coladas but the bartender wasn't paying attention to us so I was like, Hey!(loudly) to get her attention and said, We'd like to order some drinks to go. She seemed angry and was rude. So she showed us both sizes and told us the price of them. So we chose and ordered. She poured our drinks and handed them to us and my gf gave her the CC and signed the bill. We went to walk away when I looked at the receipt. I said, she overcharged us by a lot hoping we wouldn't notice it since we were leaving and sadly after telling us the price to our faces. I told my gf since she used her card and we walked back in to tell her. She said, Oh, I'm sorry I made a mistake. Umm, no you didn't. Smdh! She refunded us and we left. Regardless of that crappy situation I will say the atmosphere was very nice inside and outside. I wish we would have got there earlier so we could have experienced this place more and enjoyed their food too. The piña colada was very good, but not as good as the one at the Hilton Caribe(my opinion). It is more liquidy than creamy and tasted more pineappilly(not a word) lol Either way it was still very good and I'll definitely be coming back to have more the next time we are in San Juan, but hoping the rude bartender won't be working this time. Check them out and have a piña colada for me :) read more
3 months ago
This little hidden gem is amazing. The food OMG that's all I can say 10 out of 10.... We went for lunch service great and staff were very friendly. Family friendly outdoor seating as well as indoor dining . read more
3 months ago
Service was exceptional. And the piña colada is worth it. It wasn't milky and just the perfect amount of pineapple and rum read more
1 year ago
I was a little nervous based off the reviews because our dining experiences thus far have been exceptional. But while we did have to wait and the server forgot my order (she was sweet so I didn't mind), the food was 100% worth the wait! It's a little touristy but a must stop for the "home of the Pina colada". I had the salmon which was excellent. My husband and in laws had the skirt steak which they said was really good. The kitchen also had an off menu kid meal - chicken fingers and fries. All in all, it was a tasty experience - and for a reasonable price. Edited to say- like most businesses here, there are not much in the way of vegetarian options - and definitely no vegan - so I had fish. The server assured me the beans were not cooked in beef or pork. read more
Piña coladas, mofongo, y un poquito de calor infernal We were drenched after walking the calles of Old San Juan under that hot Caribbean sun -- like, ¿dónde está el A/C, por favor? But salvation came in the form of Barrachina: birthplace of the OG piña colada and our mid-day oasis. There was a wait (of course... island time, mi gente), but we made the most of it. Snapped pics by the colorful walls and Instagram-famous doors, pretending we were in a Bad Bunny video. Total main character energy. When we finally got seated, the vibes were on point. Buzzing but chill, tables spaced out just enough so you're not bumping elbows or hearing about someone's messy vacation hookup. I went straight for the mofongo with shrimp and lobster -- and Dios mío, it slapped. Garlicky goodness, saucy perfection, and seafood that tasted like it was caught just for me. Paired with a cold piña colada? Heaven in a hurricane glass. Service was friendly but on that Puerto Rico tempo. Not fast, but who's rushing when your drink tastes like a beach day? Come for the colada, stay for the mofongo, leave full and slightly tipsy with 12 new photos of yourself posing like a reggaetón star. ¡Wepa! read more
3 months ago
Service was friendly & welcoming. Server was great at explaining the menu. The pina coladas were awesome as well as very reasonable. Well worth our visit. We went in the early afternoon & seated immediately. We did not feel like it was a tourist trap at all. Highly recommend. read more
6 months ago
We ordered the half appetizer sampler & garlic shrimp. Everything was very good. The garlic shrimp and empanadas were standouts. Grouper fritters were great too. Everything was great, even the stuffed plantains. Javier provided excellent service. I think we had gotten the best waiter. The only downside is the hoard or tourists. You must get here at least fifteen minutes before opening to avoid the lines. I almost forgot the piña coladas. Supposedly, this is the birthplace of the drink, and they are indeed fantastic here. read more
Barrachina was recommended to us as a must try as the inventors of the pina colada. For the drinks alone, they earn a 10 out of 10. They were the best pina coladas we've had. The food (mufongo and stuffed plantains) left a lot to be desired. It came out incredibly fast and was just okay. Not the best food we've had during our trip. read more
The service was friendly and mostly efficient. As sit down, they asked for your drink order and when they left for water, we asked for the Pina colada. That's what everyone is here for! The drink was strong, sweet, and delicious. I noticed later ours was missing the pineapple and ours a bit more watery than others I saw. We ordered the red snapper, kan kan pork, and chicken mofongo. The red snapper was fried with garlic and salt, tasty and on the salty side. It had a good flavor. Note that the menu says it is a certain price but that is the starting weight at 24 oz. We ended up paying for a 34oz and about $15 more. The waiter should have conveyed the message earlier. The kan kan pork was perfect and an excellent portion size. Soft and crispy with some parts overly dry. The mofongo was delicious and slightly on the dry and salty side. Not bad but not the best I've had. It really depends on your preference. Overall, service was friendly but average and some extra information about pricing would have been nice. Definitely a place to go to once and order smaller portions! Portions are huge! read more
9 months ago
Ehhhhhh, I came only for the pina colada. I knew it was going to be sweet so I got a extra shot. Yea, way too sweet but it was about the experience. The bartender was a lady and she was kinda rude. This didnt help the overall experience. I probably won't be back but I did give it a shot, on to the next read more
8 months ago
My brother and his wife came here on their honeymoon in July and when we came down for a cruise, we asked where they ate. They said Barrachina wasn't to be missed - and they were correct. We both had grouper (we didn't have time or else we'd have tried the paella too). Grouper was phenomenally cooked - I had the creole sauce and my love had the butter and garlic. The plantains were perfect, and she loved the beans and rice. We also got the Puerto Rican delights appetizer and enjoyed the fried yummy bits. The weird part for me - I don't like coconut at all. Don't drink piña coladas anywhere. But I drank two here and would have stayed for more if we'd had time. They do the thing properly. When in PR, we'll definitely come back. read more
1 year ago
Drink Of course I went for the Pina Colada but having tried so many I've come to the conclusion that this was good but not as good as others. It is on the sweeter side if that is your preference. Service They stay pretty busy and there was a wait both to enter the restaurant and even to order the drink to go. The people making the drinks were slow and kind of off putting. They weren't the friendliest. There was already a long line and they let people cut the line making the process even longer. Ambiance The indoor outdoor eating area was nice to see and made the space spacious and hospitable. The people we met while waiting were so much fun and made the wait tolerable. read more
1 year ago
The space: love the vibes of this open air restaurant. The patio is fun! We thought it would be a long wait considering the line but they got us back pretty quickly. Several people in line weren't waiting on a table but a pina colada instead so they formed two lines to smooth things out. The food: barely average. I ordered the grilled shrimp with veggies and beans. The beans were really the only thing memorable about this meal; they were pretty good. Otherwise the shrimp was rubbery and the veggies seemed like they were from a bag and were too crunchy. I did enjoy the non-alcoholic pina colada. Service: our waiter was kind and gave us lots of extra time to view the menu while we were chatting away. Unfortunately they could not split our checks more than three ways so that was a bit of a pain to divide up six checks. read more
4 months ago
Do not get food here. It was borderline inedible. I got stuffed plantains as my appetizer and shrimp monfongo as my main. The plantains in the appetizer was extremely hard although the chicken stuffing in it was pretty tasty. The monfongo was terrible. It was extremely stale and had no redeeming qualities. I'm happy that this was one of the last restaurants I went to because if I wouldn't have had it before I would've thought I hated mofongo. The Pina coladas were ok. It's nothing special outside of the fact that this was the place that invented Pina coladas. Doesn't really taste special and they don't do anything cool/interesting to it. I got alcohol in mine and they pretty much just dump a shot of rum on top. The service was pretty bad as well. Our waiter disappeared throughout the meal so we were forced to have another waiter try to track him down for us. In his defense, we did finish eating a little early because we hated the food. The outdoor chairs are pretty uncomfortable too due to the hard plastic they cover them with. Some of the corners kind of stab you in the leg. read more
Had to pop in for the infamous pina coladas! They did not disappoint!! We tried one with and one without rum, both were delicious, although the virgin one had a better frozen consistency. For lunch or dinner, I'd recommend the chicken mofongo! The shredded chicken was juicy and accompanied the mofongo well. The appetizer sampler was also fun to try. The wings, croquettes and sorullitos were tasty. I will say the outdoor bar area was much nicer than the indoor seating. It would've been nice to enjoy the nice weather outside. Overall, I'd come back for the pina coladas! There's a separate line if you just order drinks, whereas the lunch dine-in line took about 1.5 hours. Come here to try their infamous pina colada!! read more
6 months ago
We were just here a few days ago. The food was delicious. The pina colada was great and it was a fun place. Lots of tourists do visit so be ready. The service was excellent and the ambiance fun. read more
5 months ago
6 months ago
The food was amazing as well as the service. There was a line but it was worth the wait. The flank steak was so soft and tender! The presentation, staff and and restaurant were worth the wait. read more
Barrachina has become a bit of a tourist trap for its claim as the place where the pina colada was invented. Nonetheless, I still think it's a must to have a Pina Colada ($8.96) here. It's one of those places you need to go at least once in your life. We also had lunch here and ordered the Mega Sample Platter ($29.95) and Mofongo Flank Steak ($20) to share. The sample platter included chicken wings, chicken tenders, tostones, empanadas, and croquettes. Some items had 3 pieces while some had 4, so a bit uneven to share. Although it was nice to try everything, the best thing here was the wings and croquettes. Everything else was a bit on the dry side, but the sauce helped. We also had to try the mofongo dish while in PR. It turns out I'm not really a fan of mofongo as it was bland and chunky, so really needed the meat to give it some flavor here. Overall, food was just OK but you're really here for the pina colada anyways. Unfortunately it was raining when we came, but the outdoor patio is perfect to enjoy a nice pina colada here. read more
6 months ago
I ordered a whole fish. It was over cook, dry and served luke warm. They up charged me to a larger fish from 24 oz to a 32 oz, the problem was the fish was not a 32 oz fish. Avoid this tourist trap. P.S. They make you get up and walk to the bar if you pay with an American Express card. AVOID!! read more
2 years ago
We came here on a Monday afternoon and after waiting in line for several minutes to talk to the host; we were seated immediately in their patio. Our server was very welcoming and friendly. To start, we of course had their famous Pina Coladas. They were so good! For lunch, I ordered the Monfongo de Pollo and it was so delicious! The chicken was tender, juicy and seasoned very well. The base was also flavorful and tasty. Portions were great for the price! The ambiance was nice, as well. I would definitely come back the next time I'm in Puerto Rico! read more
5 months ago
We stopped by Barrachina just for drinks -- had to try the original piña colada at the place where it all began! Service was quick and we grabbed a seat on the outdoor patio, which was a great spot to relax. The piña coladas were perfectly sweet and hit the spot on a hot day. Would definitely come back just for those again! read more
The creator of the pina colada! A must visit when in Puerto Rico and the pina coladas were 10/10. I tried many during our trip in PR and this place was definitely the best. The food is ok here, next time I'll only come for the drink and you can take it "to go". Service was fast, and friendly. They have an outdoor patio, but it was way too hot and humid so we sat inside with the air conditioning. read more
5 months ago
2 years ago
Look. Are you here to get this place off of your bucket list? Most likely. Is the pina colada good? Yes. Are there a hundred places around PR where you can have equally good pina colada? Also yes. During my visit, I tried pina colada and a mojito. They were good, don't get me wrong. However, you can get the same experience next door. There is nothing distinct about this spot. For the food, I had shrimp stuffed tostones. They were objectively mid and the tostone texture was very hard. PR has so many great food spots that the food here was underwhelming in comparison. It's not bad, you're probably ordering it as a chaser for your alcohol either way so it doesn't matter. The patio outside where we sat was nice and pretty. read more
7 months ago
Very interesting experience, you wait in a long line to get written down for a reservation. We had a 30 minute wait on top of the line wait. However, if you want a pina colada to go you can walk up to the bar and wait in the to go line. (Sometimes that may be chained up because the line is too big.) Our server was very personable, but not attentive at all. The pina coladas we ordered were delicious, about 8.50$ a piece. We ordered the puerto rican sampler, which was not too impressive. The corn things were our favorite. read more
6 months ago
The service at Barrachina was amazing! Our server Javier was very helpful and informative. He recommended the mahi mahi with a delicious coconut sauce. The ambiance of the restaurant was beautiful. We sat outside in the patio and enjoyed two Pina Colada's! read more
1 year ago
Amigos y familiares, ¡necesitan escucharme! Si están en San Juan, ¡deben venir a Barrachina! ¡Corran, no caminen! Ok let me stop practicing my Spanish but yall have GOT to come to Barrachina. This is some of the freshest fish I've ever tasted, the Mofongo was top tier, this is the first pork chop I've ever seen that came with the chicharrone still attached - AND was STILL tender and juicy! And they also claim to be the originator of the piña colada and I can't argue. It was (by far) the freshest and best tasting piña colada I've ever had on any continent. Perfect blend, perfect balance of flavors, strong enough to not need two, but mellow enough to sip casually and enjoy. Blended drink perfection folks. The setting is scenic, nice family style ambience, the service was fast and friendly despite arriving with a party of 7, I would give this place 6 stars if that was allowed. I will not leave San Juan without making a stop here from now on. read more
We had satisfactory service, no complaints. The coconut calamari appetizer was very good, small serving size though. The frozen margarita was half melted when we got it, and the piña colada was fine. The Grouper entrees were both delicious though. The plantains were amazing. Other than that the place had a cool authentic vibe, which saved it from getting lower than a 3 rating. read more
Famous for their piña colada, it did not disappoint. Pineapple forward and quite refreshing on a hot day. Grouper bites were lightly breaded and tender. Service was quick for how busy the place was. Family friendly atmosphere was able to handle large parties as well. If the lobby is busy make sure to put your name in at the front desk to expedite your wait time! read more
6 months ago
Stood in line for 25 minutes for a Pina colada to go. People that were sitting at the bar were getting waited on way before us. Only 1 bar tender working. Horrible service and staffing! It was the best pino colada.... read more
We had a great meal at Barrachina! Keep in mind that if you don't have a reservation, there may be quite a long wait! We put ourselves on the list around 3 PM and waited roughly 45 minutes for a table, which we were told ahead of time, so it was no problem! The food was good and the restaurant is very beautiful, with reasonable prices! read more
More info about Barrachina
C. de la Fortaleza 104
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00901
Directions
(787) 725-7912
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http://www.barrachina.com/
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