Don Tako

We had an amazing meal at La Madre! We ordered the chicken tacos, chicken broth soup, chicken and…read moreshrimp fajitas, cheese quesadilla, fresh watermelon juice, and a watermelon margarita. Every single dish was excellent, flavorful, and perfectly prepared. The service was friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere was vibrant and welcoming. If you're looking for great Mexican food in Old San Juan, La Madre is definitely worth a visit.

La Madre in Viejo San Juan really hit the spot when we were all craving something other than hotel…read morefood--and specifically, good Mexican food. It absolutely delivered. The vibe was great, the food was fresh and well made, and the service was friendly overall. A fun bonus: we actually got to see the famous rock band Maná dining there, which was such a cool surprise! We ordered quite a bit--the chips and queso, chips and guac, hot sauce, tamale, rice and beans, kids cheese quesadilla, and veggie fajitas. The kids' quesadilla was a huge hit with our 5-year-old (who is a picky eater and devoured it). The veggie fajitas were decent and tasty, though for the price I would have liked a bit more on the plate in terms of sides. There was a small hiccup where cilantro was accidentally added to one of my dishes, and it did take quite a while for the corrected dish to come out, but they were very kind about it. That said, everything else was enjoyable and the overall experience was still very good. Overall, a great spot for solid Mexican food in Old San Juan with a fun atmosphere and fresh flavors.

Restaurant

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Marilyn's Place

4.4(99 reviews)

Best Pina Colada ever! Great service and ambience. Cool sidewalk seating with beautiful big plants.read more

If you're in San Juan, don't miss Marilyn's Place--especially if Alex is bartending. His Piña…read moreColadas are hands down the best I've ever had: perfectly smooth, flavorful, and unforgettable. On top of that, Alex's friendly, welcoming vibe makes the whole experience even better. A must-visit spot!

Inside bar

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Tijuana's Bar & Grill

2.7(100 reviews)

0.3 km

Felipe was welcoming from upon entering the establishment!…read moreHe made the specials on the drink menu clear. The window view seats are beautiful! Seats are comfy. The chips and warm salsa spoke to my soffit soul. The margaritas were magnificent! The chicken quesadillas were seasoned and filled with all that is good! My second time here still great as the first. I will be back!

I went to the Tijuana's in Carolina not too many customers and I had to wait two hours for soup or…read moreburrito and quesadillas never again

Patio

Guac

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El Parnaso

3.2(54 reviews)

•$$$

The food was outstanding. We ordered chicken nachos, shrimp tacos and empanadas. The best thing was…read morethe nachos to me for sure. The service was nice on point and we got to sit outside where the weather was amazing.

We were greeted very quickly, asked if we had any questions about the menu. I checked reviews…read morebefore we ate. Someone was here 2 hours before us and gave 5 stars. I thought the chips and salsa were a little greasy and not very fresh. We sat inside and it was very comfortable. The restroom was very small, but clean. There was soap but no paper towels. The waiter " Hector" was super friendly and accommodating. Overall not a bad experience my street tacos was fresh and tasty. The salsa was not very hot to my taste, but was very flavorful.

Chicken nachos

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Bar area

El Charro

4.5(62 reviews)

1.8 km

Visited Puerto Rico with my girlfriend and we stopped by this place. The food was amazing and the…read moreservice was even better. Rafael the bartender, was so kind and easy to approach. He shared stories with us, and welcomed us to the island. Will definitely be coming back!

My daughter was asking for tacos at every meal, so we made our way to the most obvious place to get…read moretacos -- a Mexican themed restaurant. The area is rough looking but parking was easy and the interior was open and comfortable. Staff were very friendly and bilingual. They offered free chips and salsa, but the salsa was mostly hot pepper without much flavor. At least it was free. I had the fajitas and they were good. They weren't served on a sizzling cast iron pan and the bell peppers and onions were undercooked. The guacamole was excellent and the serving size was massive! The tortillas were average quality. My daughter had an order of carne asada tacos and there were 4 street tacos, each topped with a nice slice of avocado. Overall, a good place if you want your Mexican food fix after days of mofongo.

Chips and salsa

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Seating area

Salty Senorita

3.7(35 reviews)

0.0 km

We stopped here while visiting Puerto Rico. The food was absolutely delicious, and the margaritas…read morewere some of the best we've had. Everything was fresh, flavorful, and came out quickly. What really made the experience special, though, was the service. The owners and staff were incredibly kind, welcoming, and attentive. They made us feel right at home from the moment we walked in and genuinely cared that we had a great experience. If you're looking for great food, fantastic margaritas, and friendly people, this place is a must-visit. We'll definitely be back the next time we're in Puerto Rico! The place is also very beautiful inside with nice art / decor!

I saved up all my pennies to do a one-week vacation to Puerto Rico just to see clear water with my…read morekids. It was the second-to-last day while I was there. Normally when I'm on vacation, I start to get a little homesick towards the end, but I decided to make the best of it. I wanted to try some tequila--even though I should've done a rum tour instead, but I didn't feel like being a pirate! So, I stumbled across this place, and the only thing that lured me in was the happy hour and the music. I was feeling a little down to leave the beach, so I figured the happy hour would make me happy, and that's exactly what it did. The decor made me feel as though I was right on the beach with my brown toes sinking in the sand, Ray-Bans catching a tan. The food was amazing, the staff was good, and of course, the drinks were popping. They normally say alcohol is a downer, but for me, it was the opposite! It brought me right up where I needed to be--3,000 feet in the clouds on my Frontier flight. The bathrooms were clean and, of course, the establishment was as well. I highly recommend this place. A good thing to know is that I didn't have to rush to the bathroom and my stomach didn't hurt after I ate. The food settled well, which means the food is clean and everyone is washing their hands! I hope my review helps you choose where to eat next! Branden-Lee AKA B L E E

Nice vibe, super colorful, clean, friendly

Beef nachos - that yellow stuff is sauce, not cheese. Very little cheese.

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Literal fish tacos on the vibrant walls of the fun Salty Señorita

Tradicion Quetzal

3.7(25 reviews)

Also known as A'Huevo, I was so happy to see Tradicion Quetzal! Mexican cuisine typically has a…read morehealthy amount of herbs, onions, spices, and even veggies. I desperately needed this after Mallorcas galore! Time is a bit fluid so they will open up a half hour late, but their happy hour deals run all night long, and every night. Some of the food will be fresh, and some will be less desirable. But I'm not mad I stopped here- Ya can't really beat two margaritas for $10 and two tacos for $7. The chicken is dry, so opt for the pork tacos. Request for the cook to go easy on the salt on every dish, especially with the fish.

And on our final night in Old San Juan, a bit weary of mofongo and filetes en ajillo, we…read moretentatively sought out what Yelp led us to believe is the area's best Mexican food. My partner is Mexican and I'm a world traveler who has eaten Mexican food cooked by Mexicans (partners, suegras, cooks, sister in laws, etc) for 14 years. I don't want to see yellow cheese and any sort of lettuce on my tacos. Like everywhere in San Juan, the atmosphere is rustic burned out bar, aka perfect. The woman running the front of the house was casual and friendly, and unlike some of our dining experiences here, prompt and attentive. We ordered the special mole enchiladas and alhambre, plus elotes, drinks and desert. The menu is something I would be excited to explore in the United States, lots of traditional dishes including several moles, birria, cochinita pibil, tacos, etc. It's southern Mexican cuisine, and when we learned the chef is from Puebla it made perfect sense. The food was excellent. After days without spicy anything (why does everywhere offer Tabasco?) we were excited to have three homemade hot sauces brought to our table. The mole was very special, and I've eaten like six kinds of mole in Oaxaca. Enchiladas with perfectly done vegetables covered half in white and half in the more traditional dark/mole Poblano. I wish I could recreate it over and over at home. My partner's food was also excellent, and everything we saw coming out looked great. So sad we can't come again soon.

Refreshing mexican cocktails... And how about a tequila shot in a jalapeno pepper!!!

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Aureola

3.1(105 reviews)

Was walking around San Juan with my kids looking for some place to eat while it's raining and every…read moreplace was busy. Came across this place, which was completely empty so was a little weary to go in but decided to try it cause we needed to eat. Best thing ever! I had the pork tacos. The pork was so juicy and moist and the ingredients were so fresh. My son had a cheese quesadilla and would almost say the quesadilla was tooo cheesy. My daughter had chicken fingers and french fries and the portions were huge. Best meal ever!

The salsa and chips was if you took the grocery store jar salsa and the guacamole was a paste. My…read morehusband ordered the beef quesadillas and the cheese wasn't even melted and they cut the tortilla was a "sandwich style" so it fell apart when he picked it up, who does that?? I ordered elotes and it was absolutely disgusting, the "cheese" they used to cover it tasted like corn meal. The most disappointing food. DONT EAT HERE!

Carnitas burrito BEST BURRITO I EVER HAD

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Guacamole

Callejeros

4.0(4 reviews)

I've wanted to visit this location for some time. I love Callejeros and this location is near the…read morepiers in Old San Juan.M. So you can take a stroll along the boardwalk before or after. There is limited parking in fron, but it's shared by all the businesses in that area. The other option are the nearby parking garages. The interior is very small. It is primarily outdoor seating. We finally got out chance to come here over the weekend for the Capital Festival, which celebrated Old San Juan's 500th birthday. Naturally, everywhere was jam packed. We were a group of 12 so there was no chance we would get a table. We had to go elsewhere. However, before we left, my wife and I ordered margaritas to go. They were quickly prepared and were on point, very good and refreshing. Hopefully next time we'll be able to sit down and eat. TIP: Lately, Callejeros has been offering taco and happy hour specials at their different restaurants. You can follow them on Facebook and or Instagram to find out when and at which locations.

The staff was super nice to include the cook! The food orders were amazing! Even out west coast…read morefriend commented how amazing the food was when comparing to South Cal! Definitely highly recommended!

Outside seating

Viva México

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Hundreds of millions of reviews are posted on Yelp, and our automated recommendation software works in the background to showcase the reviews that it …

6 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Ajay N.

0

35

131

2 months ago

We stumbled upon Don Tako after a walking tour through Old San Juan, and it ended up being one of the highlights of the day. We sat outside, which was surprisingly comfortable and perfect for a relaxed dinner after a long walk around the city. The vibe is easygoing, nothing overdone, just solid food and a welcoming setup. Our waitress was genuinely amazing--friendly, attentive, and gave spot-on recommendations. She pointed us toward the shrimp quesadilla, which turned out to be my favorite thing on the table. The birria tacos were also excellent--rich, flavorful, and absolutely worth ordering. It's one of those places you don't plan for, but end up remembering. If you're wandering around Old San Juan and looking for a good, unfussy dinner spot, Don Tako is an easy yes. read more

Victoria S.

0

3

3 years ago

The worst service I have experienced in all my years of dining. My family & myself had a beach day and I was wanting to try this place out. So we get seated and asked for a water and our server Louis offered lemonade but we kindly declined and asked for water a few alcohol beverages and the large guacamole. Then when ordering 4 birria takos Luis said the birria quesadilla was cheaper. And Luis came to our table with the "half" guac order instead. We all got the point and asked to speak to the manager as he was unapologetic. To say the least as a woman business owner and a minority in America I am so offended, shocked and disappointed for this experience and discrimination as a Mexican in a Mexican restaurant in PR. Do not recommend unless you look like you have money! read more

Co O.

74

24

3

4 months ago

I had a wonderful experience! The customer service was outstanding--staff were attentive, friendly, and made us feel very welcome. The food was absolutely delicious, full of flavor, and beautifully prepared. Everything exceeded my expectations. I will definitely be coming back and highly recommend this place! Thank you Nelly read more

Robert A.

1

5

15

4 years ago

Best Birria tacos in Old San Juan... ... I ordered second set. 3 for $5 cans of Madilla. One picture is all I need. read more

Harper M.

0

1

0

5 years ago

The food here is absolutely delicious, the service was also excellent. Would definitely recommend

Jenna I.

0

1

0

1 year ago

Best tacos ever! I would definitely walk 6 miles for them again! Just the perfect tacos.

Don Tako - mexican - Updated August 2026

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Burrito Social

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Hillary was our server, we came here for a late night snack while we were on our trip staying at…read morethe Marriott stallarios down the street. We got the mini nacho special. It was soooo filling and delicious! Happy we went here. It was a cute vibe too

We were famished after getting in from our flight and in need of some quick food that we could…read morecount on being good. Enter Burrito Social, which was walking distance from our AirBnB. We came in in between lunch and dinner so it was just us and we sat outside on their patio. They give you chips and this lovely salsa, which was absolutely delightful. I decided to have their pineapple margarita bc vacation, and I was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't expected to be blown away but it was indeed a very good margarita. Then for our meals we obviously got burritos. I got the barbacoa burrito and my partner got the chicken burrito. These are hefty burritos that have the usual fixings of a burrito inside plus french fries. What a nice add. We both really enjoyed our burritos and had leftovers to take back and enjoy later. It got crowded quickly once dinnertime hit. This is a great little spot to stop in if you're hungry and need a guaranteed good meal.

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Puebla

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Puebla is a cute, bright and cheery little restaurant & bar with indigenous motif and religious…read moreicons. There are two and four-top tables, but we sat at the bar. We stopped by for happy hour and the beer bottles are cheap! I think I had 3 Modelos, and I don't know how many Poe had since I returned to the hotel and came back later LOL. We kept the nice bartender busy. There are a number of food items too like tacos and apps. Chips and guacamole were pretty good. Puebla is worth a stop if you have some time to kill in the afternoon or evening.

Great quesadillas and burritos! The house margaritas were really strong as well :) Better than any…read moreMexican food I've had before.

Lupe Reyes

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The ambiance it was great. The service it was very good. A the food it was delicious.read more

The service was great, we sat outside to watch the LCD screens and listen to music. I tried the…read morechicken flautas, queso fundido and gringo tacos. For drinks I put a tajin rim around my tamarindo agua fresca. I would recommend the tamarindo if you like tamarind, the flavor is strong. Everything else was ok but I don't think I would come back. The queso wasn't a dip it was melted cheese with pico on top. Instead of picking up the cheese the chip would break because the queso was so thick. I believe the flautas could be made better with a sauce. The green sauce that came with the tacos tasted like an avocado smoothie. But all of the meat was seasoned well so that was a plus.

Panucho's

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Walking down Calle Loiza and we popped into Panucho's for dinner…read more We split the largest bowl of ceviche I've ever had as an appetizer. Very tasty. Then followed it with an order of shredded lamb tacos. Great food. Great service. Huge portions. We simply could not eat the third taco. Service was very good -- as it has been almost everywhere we've eaten in PR. Seriously.

The tacos are surprisingly good and on point…read more Grilled Grouper (Mero) with Cole slaw, crema Mexicana and their in house smoky chipotle salsa hit the spot - at $13.99 even better washed down with an ice cold Medalla Light ($4). I would come back to try the salmon tacos next time..... Friendly and attentive bilingual (Eng/Spanish) service.

El Charro

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Visited Puerto Rico with my girlfriend and we stopped by this place. The food was amazing and the…read moreservice was even better. Rafael the bartender, was so kind and easy to approach. He shared stories with us, and welcomed us to the island. Will definitely be coming back!

My daughter was asking for tacos at every meal, so we made our way to the most obvious place to get…read moretacos -- a Mexican themed restaurant. The area is rough looking but parking was easy and the interior was open and comfortable. Staff were very friendly and bilingual. They offered free chips and salsa, but the salsa was mostly hot pepper without much flavor. At least it was free. I had the fajitas and they were good. They weren't served on a sizzling cast iron pan and the bell peppers and onions were undercooked. The guacamole was excellent and the serving size was massive! The tortillas were average quality. My daughter had an order of carne asada tacos and there were 4 street tacos, each topped with a nice slice of avocado. Overall, a good place if you want your Mexican food fix after days of mofongo.

El Axolote

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El axolote is located in one of the most beautiful neighborhoods surrounded by color murals and…read moreartwork. We were craving some street style tacos and saw the great reviews from my fellow yelpers! We enjoyed the shredded tinga tacos and the carne asada. I preferred the carne asada over the shredded tinga tacos. The queso was pretty good but probably would have been worth it to add the chorizo for a little extra flavor. The chips were a little thicker than I prefer, but definitely hand made in the restaurant. The service was great, all of the employees were so nice and we got our drinks and food quickly! Seating is indoor and outdoor. This restaurant would be good for larger groups as they have some larger tables. We will be back! There was plenty of street parking, but no dedicated parking lot.

I had a really excellent lunch here after exploring a bit around San Juan. I was able to be seated…read moreimmediately and ordered a Michelada, chips and salsa, and the tinga tacos. Prices are all very reasonable. Most tacos are around $15 for three and come with a generous portion of rice and beans. The michelada was good and the chips and salsa were a phenomenal app for only $2. They gave three types of salsa, all were excellent but my favorite was the salsa verde. Portion was very generous - it could have been half the size and I would still say it was a good value. Tacos were filling and warm. The rice was a little bland I thought, but was a nice accompaniment nonetheless. The corn tortillas fell apart a bit but the filling was sooo delicious that I ended up just eating it separately. The place itself is really cool on the inside with a lot of interesting art. I wish they had wifi so I could have sat and hung out for a bit! Would definitely go back.

Acapulco Taquería Mexicana

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El Parnaso

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The food was outstanding. We ordered chicken nachos, shrimp tacos and empanadas. The best thing was…read morethe nachos to me for sure. The service was nice on point and we got to sit outside where the weather was amazing.

We were greeted very quickly, asked if we had any questions about the menu. I checked reviews…read morebefore we ate. Someone was here 2 hours before us and gave 5 stars. I thought the chips and salsa were a little greasy and not very fresh. We sat inside and it was very comfortable. The restroom was very small, but clean. There was soap but no paper towels. The waiter " Hector" was super friendly and accommodating. Overall not a bad experience my street tacos was fresh and tasty. The salsa was not very hot to my taste, but was very flavorful.

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