Wow! This came as a referral from a friend and it does not disappoint. The apps are so yummy. The…read morearancini are so good I could have eaten a dozen. The garlic bread was fine, not as good as the arancini. If you are hungry, get the chicken parm, my god it is the largest portion I have ever seen! I ate one of the 3 cutlets they served. Most times when a place gives a ton of food it is ok, well this was fabulous. Super thin, light breading that remained crispy and just the right amount of cheese and sauce. The pizza was good as well. For dessert we had a well portioned flowerless chocolate cake which was paired with some vanilla bean ice cream. Divine! We sat in the restaurant portion near the secret door to the speakeasy so take your pick on what vibe you prefer. The wait staff were super helpful and responsive. We bought the kitchen staff a round for fun. Great experience, I recommend swinging by if you are in the neighborhood.

Super impressed by this spot! We were SO happy that we got to sit in the speakeasy for dinner,…read morebecause it was exactly the kind of vibe we were looking for! The food was all delicious, and reasonably priced at huge portion sizes, particularly the chicken parm! The pasta was homemade and the sauces were so good. The weakest things were the burrata and the meatballs. Everything arrived to the table quickly, especially the drinks! We would totally come back on a future trip and will be recommending to others visiting the island.

I loved everything about this place. It is a classic family Italian restaurant like I haven't seen…read moresince I was a kid. Everything we had was absolutely delicious. I shared the 6 hour Neapolitan sauce and the pistachio pesto gnocchi. Both were wonderful. We had the eggplant parm appetizer and it was the best I have ever had and I have had many different eggplant parms.. For dessert we had pancetta and tiramisu. Both lived up to the standards the rest of the meal had set. I can't wait to come back to Puerto Rico so I can enjoy their delicious food again. Thank you for a wonderful evening.

We were celebrating our 46th wedding anniversary. Special night. Wrote it on the reservation. No…read moreacknowledgment of our celebration. You can definitely do better. We ordered a bottle of Fiano (a wine we really enjoy and was on the menu). They didn't have it. We settled for Chardonnay. It was good. We asked for bread. They didn't have any!!! (What? An Italian restaurant with no bread?) not a great start. Having said all that, the rest for our food was amazing! The arancini and the eggplant were exquisite. I ordered the steak (yeah I know) but it was amazing. The sauce, the potatoes. Just delicious. Our guests had the lasagna and my husband ordered the pizza. They were very satisfied with their meals. The ambiance is quaint. Old Italian. Clean. I would train servers to know what's available and what's not. Prevent from ordering and being disappointed. In addition, if you don't have bread and make pizza, you have bread. You can make it out of pizza dough in a pinch for those who ask. Italian red sauce without bread... it's a big miss. If your equipment is broken, buy the bread. I think they should have given us the dessert based on the misses. Nonetheless, the entrees were very good.

Got a beer at the bar and take out fish empanadas along with a vegetarian pizza. Great empanadas,…read morepizza was good but no asparagus as advertised. Not a big issue for me but why not just say, no asparagus today is that ok? I would have said no problem.

We had a really nice dinner here although it was a last minute walk in…read more The service was excellent -- our waitress was attentive, friendly, and kept everything moving smoothly throughout the meal. One thing I appreciated was the drink menu. They have a surprisingly good selection of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options. I ordered the zero-proof mango daiquiri, and honestly, it was incredible. Easily one of the best NA cocktails I've had in a while. My friend ordered an Aperol Spritz, which unfortunately fell a little flat by comparison. For appetizers, we shared the sampler basket. The absolute standouts were the fish empanadas and the crab croquettes. Both were packed with flavor and easily the best things we ate all night. For the main course, he ordered the tuna. It was good, but a bit overcooked for our taste. If you're coming here, see if you can snag a table upstairs. The space overlooks the Marriott and has a tropical, open-air vibe that feels very San Juan and really adds to the experience. Overall, I'd describe the food as good, with a few standout dishes (seriously, order the fish empanadas). The combination of solid food, great service, a fantastic mocktail program, and a beautiful atmosphere makes this a place worth visiting.

We stayed in San Juan for a night before our cruise. Wandered around and found this place. Got…read morevery lucky that we did! Food was TREMENDOUS (I highly recommend the Focaccia bread and the Petto Di Pollo!). Service was outstanding. Made for a wonderful evening.

I came here to celebrate my birthday because I wanted to try something different from the…read moretraditional Puerto Rican food. I was excited for the experience, but I do want to be honest. The place still look very fancy, but I've been fancier places... First, it is definitely on the pricey side. We ordered three pastas, three appetizers, three drinks, and 2 Fiji waters bottles -- and were also charged for the birthday cake. The total came out to almost $400, service fee of $50! which was surprising. While the staff was amazing, attentive, and very kind (I truly have no complaints about the service), the food unfortunately didn't match the price point. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't memorable or worth what we paid. Overall, great service -- but for the cost, I expected more from the food. Also be prepared cause they took over two hours to bring the food out and I had reservations as well

Downloaded Yelp just to properly review this place; the ambiance was fantastic, the service was…read morebeyond incredible and the food absolutely phenomenal, I'm still dreaming of the Tiramisu and the Carbonara!! I'd rate this place 20 if I could!! It's a gem and I will definitely be returning soon

Awesome and cute little restaurant, would definitely recommend calling at least an hour or more in…read moreadvance to reserve a spot. The food was great; the portions were about medium sized, not too big or small. We didn't order appetizers, but it would probably be the perfect amount of food if we did. Our server was so nice and the environment was really peaceful for a full restaurant. They were playing calm indie music. If you're looking for Italian in Old San Juan, this is a great choice, even for picky eaters.

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!

The concept of cooking with locally sourced ingredients in their natural cycles is appealing and…read morewas finely showcased in the five course tasting dinner. It really brings to live, in the best possible way, the concept of "less is more." I enjoyed every single dish I had (some pics below) and the night's wildcard cocktail on offer was triumphant!

Via Appia was definitely the culinary highlight of our trip! I had the chicken involtini and…read morelinguini with oil & garlic! We went based on the "favorite restaurant on the island" recommendation from a lovely snowbird couple we met beachside. The patio was both lovely *and* lively. (Request it) And service / servers were part of the experience - I loved the way they seemed to have been doing this together for forever. Don't let "Deli" in the name fool you. Reserve a table now ! Via Appia was amazing!

We had an amazing meal with our amazing friends . Had clams posilippo and mussels , calamari fritte…read more, veal parmigiana, salads and several styles of pizza. Service was outstanding. Friendly , quick and a nice constant flow of food . The atmosphere was all about nice family eatery. Bar was fully patronized and everyone was having a good time. Smiles on everyone's faces ..

This Italian restaurant had good reviews so we decided to be heck it out for dinner. It was so…read moregood. The restaurant had some nice dinner lighting and tables that allowed cozy conversations. Service was excellent. Our server walked us through the specials and the menu to help us decide what to order. Husband went with carbonara and I chose the penne pasta. They were excellent choices as we shared our meals with each other. I loved the pink sauce on mine. It was a bit lighter than just red or white sauces. Portions were generous but not obscene in the amount of food. We shared the mixed green salad which was a great way to start the meal. The salad was huge! Splitting was a smart choice. They don't have glasses of wine on the menu but do have house options available. I had the cab and it was delicious. Husband wanted a nonalcoholic option which they didn't show in the menu. Instead, they asked if he wanted sweet or sour, and if there were any flavors he particularly enjoyed, and they created a unique mocktail for him. So fun. This was a great stop. We are so happy we found Ombra.

The food was great BUT…read more.. We made a reservation for 8:45, when we got there our table wasn't ready and they asked us to wait at the bar. No one greeted us. The "bartender" just kept walking by us, wish we could have waited 15 minutes with a drink. When we were finally set, our service was very dry. Not welcoming at all. He ran down the specials with no emotion or suggestions. Just another day at work. We got a glass of white wine, which was chilled and refreshing, but we had to ask for water since no one offered to fill our empty cups at the table. Decoration? Even though, we sat waiting for our food for about an hour.. we finished our glasses of wine. No one asked us for a refill. We started to ration our water to drink with our food. Sip by sip. We KNEW he wasn't coming back. We ordered two apps and two mains. So delicious!! The pasta was actually so good! The sauce was amazing and the wheel of cheese with the truffle, incredible! After our food was dropped off, NO ONE came by to make sure everything was ok, or if we needed anything else. No water, no wine, just pasta. We watched the other waiters bring waters and dessert to other guests, but we were just left forgotten in the middle. Everyone has a bad day. But we watched him take shots with other tables, clean up tables, walk past us a ton, until we finally made eye contact and he offered another drink. Ha! We just asked him for the check. By this point we were just disappointed. And he cleaned two more tables and finally brought us the check.. and now he got chatty. Ok. We were really wishing for a different experience. Specially for the style of restaurant they're portraying to be.

Killer pizza in an old school Puerto Rican spot. Kids loved…read morethe pizza. Wife smashed a sangria. I enjoyed a couple local beers.

It was well worth the wait!!!…read more My son wanted pizza and my wife and I wanted to walk around Old San Juan. This was the most popular pizza spot with the highest reviews. A brief aside: If you're driving here, expect a mess. Coming from SoCal, we make forays into DTLA and deal with similar stresses -- one way streets everywhere, dense traffic, extremely limited parking, pedestrians everywhere (many intoxicated and stumbling into traffic), potholes/construction, police closing lanes without reason, and stray cats running through the streets. Ubering here may be worthwhile! We had a 45 min wait, likely exacerbated by Spring break in PR. We used our free time to walk Calle de la Fortaleza -- very beautiful. They called my cell phone when the table was ready (don't forget to turn off your Spam blocker!). The interior is very unique and the place was buzzing. Service was slow, even by PR standards, and our waitress was the worst in the restaurant. She said little, brought us bottled water when we asked for tap, and never came back to check on us. We flagged other waiters for other incidentals like napkins and for our bill. The garlic knots and pizza were great. The pepperoni pizza was 10/10, with a fluffy crust but crispy otherwise. The Margherita pizza was average -- the tomato was sliced too thick and undercooked and the dough was soggy. In spite of some hiccups, the place was really good and I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt that a second trip would be better -- other tables had good service and the other waiters were very helpful. I'm still not sure if we were give bottled water because we were gringo tourists and they figured they'd up charge us or if it was an honest mistake.