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Yikes! Took 35 mins to be seated, with no other customer in front of us. Food was very average, would give it 2/5. Was hoping for a better experience considering it's upper old San Juan. Ratings: The Cubano 1/5, empanada, 2/5, chicken Caesar salad 3/5, and service -1/5. Bartender was cool and made a great drink, that's the highlight, yikes!
Located on Calle San Sebastián, a central area in upper Old San Juan with lots of bars and places to eat. Walking distance from El Morro. No parking or valet. The nearest parking garage is Ballajá. El Patio de Sam has been around for a long time, however this was the first time I ate here. Back in the day I would sometimes stop at the bar to drink only. The place is very nice. It was clean and air conditioned (perfect for the summer heat). The interior patio has a glass ceiling so you get the sunlight and moonlight but not the rain. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the Sam's Burger. I could have made a better burger at home. The onions rings were good, though. My wife ordered the trifongo with carne frita. The carne frita was very good. The others in our group also liked what they got. I ordered the wrong thing. Service was very friendly. Our group had three kids. They gave them sheets from a coloring book and crayons and put Luca on the TV.
I went in on a Sunday afternoon. The bathroom was very dirty. Trash on the floor. I alerted one of the staff members to this issue. I went to wash my hands prior to leaving and they did have the trash off the floor. Our server let our drinks sit empty for a while - until the food came out, then we had to remind her about the drinks. The food was simply okay. It was edible. Not the best, but acceptable if you are near the area and just need SOMETHING. I wouldn't recommend it as a *must go to place* though.
We had been walking for hours in old San Juan seeing the sites. It was monstrously hot, and I was about at the point where I was going to pass out. My boyfriend was like, "what do you want to do?" I quite literally turned my head, saw the door for El patio, opened it up and felt the blast of cold air, and said, "this is where we're going". For the record, the air-conditioning and fans are best in the front bar area. If they take you into the middle or back of the restaurant, the temperature is much higher. There are fans back there, but nothing as good as it is at the front bar. We were meeting friends for dinner in just a couple hours, so we didn't want a full meal, so we just ordered a few pastellilos and scarfed them up. They were absolutely delicious! The drinks were cold, and the service was good. I was just so grateful for the opportunity to sit down and cool off. I would absolutely go in there again if we were in the area.
Came here as a part of a food tour and this was a bit disappointing. The tour was very informative about the history of the establishment and those involved in making it a popular restaurant in the city. But, there could certainly be an improvement to the cleanliness of the place, silverware, and dishes. On another note the tostones and carne fritas were good. The last drawback was the fact that my friend is pescatarian and wasn't provided any meat for her tour dish which was a major disappointment.
Servers were really nice. This place has a homey type of feel. It was pretty empty on Thursday night when we walked in. The food was meh for us. I had the beef steak encebollado and it wasn't too flavorful. The rice and beans were really tasty however, that was my fav part. My husband had the BLT and said it was okay. We also got an appetizer of pastelillos and that was good.
This was the first food stop of our trip and it was made on a whim. We were just passing by and decided on this place to grab a bite to eat. I would avoid this place if you can. Literally go anywhere else near by. The drinks were pretty decent but i can't say as much for the food. Cocktails arrived quickly. Food took forever to arrive and was not very appetizing. Items ordered: Pork sandwich, pastelillos, Calamari, House salad and BLT. The pastelillos i thought were good at first, they had good flavor but as i was eating noticed the pastry was not all the way cooked through. The salad left me speechless. Pretty sure they put an entire red onion on top. The lettuce wasn't very fresh, had an odd taste to it. The ranch did not make it any better, it was extremely bland and flavorless. Calamari was chewy and not fried all the way. Pork sandwich was not bad but the sandwich was a little soggy. The bacon on the BLT was about as hard as rock and little to no mayonnaise. All that said, it's a no for me. On a positive note, the staff was very friendly!
Stopped here because we needed to grab some food. The quality was okay, but the plantains were a bit tough compared to others that we had. The Fried Pork was about the same where the quality wasn't as good as other places. The Fried Bacalao (Codfish) was more cheese than fish too which was a bit disappointing. Nonetheless, the service was friendly though!
Service is great, very nice atmosphere. Very cool on the inside. Seating area is spacious. Pretty quiet. Drink and good serviced in timely manner! Ordered the red snappers, wasn't please with the lack of flavoring . The pasta was basic. Condiment container were little rusty. Wasn't pleased at all.
5 days ago
6 months ago
3 months ago
Yikes! Took 35 mins to be seated, with no other customer in front of us. Food was very average, would give it 2/5. Was hoping for a better experience considering it's upper old San Juan. Ratings: The Cubano 1/5, empanada, 2/5, chicken Caesar salad 3/5, and service -1/5. Bartender was cool and made a great drink, that's the highlight, yikes! read more
3 months ago
We came here for lunch and ordered two trifongos with red snapper. The wait time after ordering was a bit long (probably 20-30 minutes), but the food really made up for it. The restaurant interior gives off a pleasant, old-timey vibe. I would come again. read more
2 years ago
Located on Calle San Sebastián, a central area in upper Old San Juan with lots of bars and places to eat. Walking distance from El Morro. No parking or valet. The nearest parking garage is Ballajá. El Patio de Sam has been around for a long time, however this was the first time I ate here. Back in the day I would sometimes stop at the bar to drink only. The place is very nice. It was clean and air conditioned (perfect for the summer heat). The interior patio has a glass ceiling so you get the sunlight and moonlight but not the rain. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the Sam's Burger. I could have made a better burger at home. The onions rings were good, though. My wife ordered the trifongo with carne frita. The carne frita was very good. The others in our group also liked what they got. I ordered the wrong thing. Service was very friendly. Our group had three kids. They gave them sheets from a coloring book and crayons and put Luca on the TV. read more
1 year ago
I am a bit torn on this place. I thought the tostones and pork were good, albeit a little bland and a little dry. There was a lot of seating and the staff seemed pleasant. I enjoyed the windowed roof that lets in light and it was definitely a very casual vibe. read more
2 years ago
I went in on a Sunday afternoon. The bathroom was very dirty. Trash on the floor. I alerted one of the staff members to this issue. I went to wash my hands prior to leaving and they did have the trash off the floor. Our server let our drinks sit empty for a while - until the food came out, then we had to remind her about the drinks. The food was simply okay. It was edible. Not the best, but acceptable if you are near the area and just need SOMETHING. I wouldn't recommend it as a *must go to place* though. read more
We had been walking for hours in old San Juan seeing the sites. It was monstrously hot, and I was about at the point where I was going to pass out. My boyfriend was like, "what do you want to do?" I quite literally turned my head, saw the door for El patio, opened it up and felt the blast of cold air, and said, "this is where we're going". For the record, the air-conditioning and fans are best in the front bar area. If they take you into the middle or back of the restaurant, the temperature is much higher. There are fans back there, but nothing as good as it is at the front bar. We were meeting friends for dinner in just a couple hours, so we didn't want a full meal, so we just ordered a few pastellilos and scarfed them up. They were absolutely delicious! The drinks were cold, and the service was good. I was just so grateful for the opportunity to sit down and cool off. I would absolutely go in there again if we were in the area. read more
Came here as a part of a food tour and this was a bit disappointing. The tour was very informative about the history of the establishment and those involved in making it a popular restaurant in the city. But, there could certainly be an improvement to the cleanliness of the place, silverware, and dishes. On another note the tostones and carne fritas were good. The last drawback was the fact that my friend is pescatarian and wasn't provided any meat for her tour dish which was a major disappointment. read more
Servers were really nice. This place has a homey type of feel. It was pretty empty on Thursday night when we walked in. The food was meh for us. I had the beef steak encebollado and it wasn't too flavorful. The rice and beans were really tasty however, that was my fav part. My husband had the BLT and said it was okay. We also got an appetizer of pastelillos and that was good. read more
3 months ago
2 years ago
This was the first food stop of our trip and it was made on a whim. We were just passing by and decided on this place to grab a bite to eat. I would avoid this place if you can. Literally go anywhere else near by. The drinks were pretty decent but i can't say as much for the food. Cocktails arrived quickly. Food took forever to arrive and was not very appetizing. Items ordered: Pork sandwich, pastelillos, Calamari, House salad and BLT. The pastelillos i thought were good at first, they had good flavor but as i was eating noticed the pastry was not all the way cooked through. The salad left me speechless. Pretty sure they put an entire red onion on top. The lettuce wasn't very fresh, had an odd taste to it. The ranch did not make it any better, it was extremely bland and flavorless. Calamari was chewy and not fried all the way. Pork sandwich was not bad but the sandwich was a little soggy. The bacon on the BLT was about as hard as rock and little to no mayonnaise. All that said, it's a no for me. On a positive note, the staff was very friendly! read more
2 years ago
Food service -Mile was amazing! Nice historic setting In the downtown walking area. Conveniently located read more
1 year ago
3 years ago
Cute, quaint, service was good, dinner was very good. Nice location, buy the water in old San Juan read more
Stopped here because we needed to grab some food. The quality was okay, but the plantains were a bit tough compared to others that we had. The Fried Pork was about the same where the quality wasn't as good as other places. The Fried Bacalao (Codfish) was more cheese than fish too which was a bit disappointing. Nonetheless, the service was friendly though! read more
3 years ago
Service is great, very nice atmosphere. Very cool on the inside. Seating area is spacious. Pretty quiet. Drink and good serviced in timely manner! Ordered the red snappers, wasn't please with the lack of flavoring . The pasta was basic. Condiment container were little rusty. Wasn't pleased at all. read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
This place has the best fans and air conditioning system! From the minute I stepped in I knew this was exactly what I needed on a hot day. I was cleaning the back of my phone and as soon as I took the case off it blew the dust right off. Food was great too. Tried to get a picture of the fan but it was moving so fast you can barely see it! read more
2 years ago
Hopped in for a quick beer. The bartender was very inviting. It was a nice hole in the wall spot with nice cold refreshing beer to cool us off on a spicy day. read more
3 years ago
3 years ago
My family and I were really excited to try this restaurant since some of the reviews were pretty good. We ordered an order of fried calamari, chicken wings, and a hamburger. That took about an hour to bring us our food, we had to ask two different servers to get our servers attention. There was only about 6 tables and 3 different servers there so I'm not sure what the wait was about. There were two families that sat next to us about 30 mins after we got there and they got their food before us. That's when we started to complain. Food was alright, it was $70 for 2 drinks, 2 appetizers, and a hamburger. Tip included. Women's restroom was horrific, bring hand sanitizer or hold it. Besides that, the seating area was nice and clean. Probably won't be returning or recommending. read more
Excellent Puerto Rican food! Very friendly service in a classic Old San Juan atmosphere! The pace here is just right so if you're looking for something quick and rushed, look elsewhere. This is a great place to sit, relax, converse with friends and family, and enjoy Old San Juan authentically! We took our family of 6 here and our four kids absolutely loved it! read more
2 years ago
Visited El Patio de Sam for the third time in my life, but I couldn't find my previous reviews. Apparently, I didn't write them! Anyway, on this visit, I discovered two new things: a variation of mofongo, called trifongo, and Magna beer. And I fell in love with both of them. I asked the waiter if they served Puerto Rican beer other than Medalla, and he said, "Magna". Magna has a little more flavor than Medalla, which I compare to lame Bud Light. I saw Trifongo on a card on the table and it piqued my curiosity. The waiter explained it and before he could finish, I told him I wanted to order it. Trifongo is a mixture of plantains (which are the main ingredient in mofongo), yucca, and sweet plantains. When they deep fry it, it takes on a lovely dark color that is crispy like a deep fried onion ring. It was delicious and I wanted more. An improvement on this dish would be to add some Puerto Rican red sauce to the unseasoned chicken. Unfortunately, my favorite Puerto Rican restaurant in Cleveland doesn't serve trifongo. How do I know? Because I texted them after I ate my trifongo and they said, "No. We want to keep our menu simple." Bummer. I'm going to have to make my own! The service was fast and friendly. read more
1 year ago
3 years ago
Best service & best espresso martinis Ive had! I work for Marriott for years and this place has WOW me!! Great atmosphere! :) his name is Erick Xavier! read more
2 years ago
Yummy sandwich and delicious coffee . Nice ambience and service . Service was quick and friendly . read more
2 years ago
4 years ago
Likes - the service super great - food was good - opposite Plaza de San Jose - nightlife Dislike None read more
2 years ago
I've never before experienced the euphoria I experienced at el patio. The fish and chips was memorable and brought us tears of joy. The servers made us feel welcome to stay and stay and stay and never leave. You'll definitely remember this place for the next 24-48 hours. I loved the art so much I wanted to steal it. It really brought the outdoors in--el patio is a great name. read more
Located in the heart of Old San Juan this is a great place to stop by for dinner. They have indoor and outdoor dining options. My friends and I ordered the sampler platter, extra order of buffalo wings, steak El Trifongo, and churrasco. We really enjoyed our food here. Their burgers were rated very high years ago, but we decided to order what others recommended. Between the 3 of us, the wings and steaks were definitely the main highlights. Wings came out piping hot with an extra layer of crispy breading. We finished the sampler which included wings and ordered more. The meat in the El Trifongo and churrasco were seasoned perfectly. Thinly cut tender slices perfect with the rice and fries. Price wise we definitely feel like we got our moneys worth. Would I go out of my way for El Patio probably not. But, if the Ubers are taking a while and traffic is bad similar to our situation this is your spot. read more
2 years ago
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More info about El Patio de Sam
Calle San Sebastian 102
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00901
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(787) 723-1149
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