Everything here was amazing! The service was professional, friendly, and attentive. The place was bustling with patrons, the majority were locals. El Platanal is open 24 hours and has daily breakfast and lunch specials until 2 pm. The restaurant has plenty of seating and can accommodate large groups. It's clean and there is plenty of parking in the property. The food was delicious- better than what I ate in Old San Juan! We ordered the ham croquetas, maduros, avocado, the grouper with mojo sauce, and peril al horno. Each dish came arroz con gandules. We had a fresh limade and Bacardi mojito. The portions are huge so this a great place to share and if with a large group to order multiple dishes and have a taste of everything. The lunch specials were $8.99. The taxes though... 10.5%, plus two additional tax charges. The restaurant is open 24 hours so it's a good late night spot!! Definitely coming back. Enjoy! read more

El Platanal - Caribbean Near Me - Carolina, Puerto Rico

What can I say? We went back to Puerto Rico for a second round of exploring, and after an overnight flight, arriving around 11 a.m., we were starving! My husband's friend had one job while we picked up the rental car: find us a restaurant within a few miles that wasn't trending on social media because, Lord knows, those lines are always long. This place was exactly what we were looking for. We ordered the plátano sandwich with churrasco -- yes, plantain instead of bread with skirt steak inside. We also ordered the queso frito, which was delicious on its own. The sandwich was huge and came cut into three pieces, making it more than enough to share between two people. Everything tasted fresh and flavorful, and it was exactly what we needed after traveling all night. The restaurant was busy and located along a very busy highway/road, but that didn't take away from the experience. We were tired, hungry, and just happy to find a great local spot without a crazy social-media line. Definitely going back! Apparently, they have several locations, and this one was in Carolina. A great first stop for our second Puerto Rico adventure. read more

El Platanal - Caribbean Near Me - Carolina, Puerto Rico

See all

Delicious fresh food !!!! Servers were so kind and friendly! Highly recommended! Great ambiance ! Came from the airport and was so hungry and this is the first place we went to. We ate everything on our plate !!! Glad we did !!! read more

I love it here. Every time I come to Puerto Rico this is my first stop. Staff are friendly and welcoming. We always leave talking about how amazing the food and staff are. The location and the atmosphere is great. read more

See all

Great light night spot after a concert in el choli. There's a reason it's often packed, the food is great! read more

El Platanal - Carne guisada - Caribbean Near Me - Carolina, Puerto Rico

The food was amazing. Service was great. Ambience was really good. I will definitely be returning. read more

El Platanal - Sopa de marisco con maduros - Caribbean Near Me - Carolina, Puerto Rico

El Plátanal has a few locations but since this one is conveniently close to the airport, we stopped here so my husband could get his lechón fix before our flight. The restaurant is decorated with you guessed it- plátanos, along with canvas paintings done by Puerto Rican artists and terracotta lamps hanging overhead. I wasn't super hungry, so I kept it simple: sweet plantains (Puerto Ricans say "amarillos"), a basic tomato and shrimp salad (and no, Caribbean folks don't add mayo to their seafood) and an avocado salad- because how can you not have avocado? My husband went all in with a plate of lechón and arroz con gandules. No complaints with our food. The amarillos were perfectly fried AND they were fresh, the shrimp were plump and tossed with diced onions and peppers in a light vinegar+oil dressing and my husband was very happy with his meal. Our only gripe was the service. Our main server was completely MIA and I had to flag down another server just to get things for the table. Her attitude seemed like she was bothered when we asked for a straw or asked if they had red onions available. Listen, I'm not here to make friends with servers anywhere period- but a little hospitality goes a long way. read more

See all

We ate here with many of my wife's school friends last night. We started with two Surtido, huge platters of mixed appetizers: plantain strips/chips, mozzarella sticks, empanadillas, fried cheese, fried salami, bacalaitos (codfish empanadas) and maybe one or two other things. All were tasty; all but the (super plentiful) plantain chips disappeared quickly. Entree was Alitas (chicken wings), grilled with just a little seasoning, they too were delish. Truth in advertising: when they say 'wing', they mean entire wings, not either drumsticks or flats the way many US chains advertise. Side dish were Amarillos (fried sweet plantains.) Service was good: one waitress took care of our table of fourteen as well as several other nearby tables, repeatedly visiting to get drink orders, clear dishes and generally take good care of us. Ambiance is Latin cafe: loud, friendly. I think four people celebrated birthdays while we were there with loud singing and percussion from the staff and firework-festooned desserts. read more

The food is always delicious. They have daily specials. The sangria is refreshing. The service is friendly and efficient. The ambience is relaxing. We love sitting outside with the breeze and fans. (Inside is too cold for my preference.) Love coming here! read more

See all

This place being 24/7 is very convenient when your hungry at any time. They have good tasty food and the place is nice and spacious. Came here at 2:30 in the morning and it was a great time. read more

See all

Our first time in Puerto Rico and had our first dinner here, best choice!! The service was amazing! We had Maria taking care of us and she was absolutely the best! Great personality and service, had us laughing and enjoying our time there. The food was delicious! I had the mofongo with carne frita, the appetizer platter had a bit of everything, delicious! We were not disappointed. And the prices were very reasonable. Very chill environment, we were a group of 7 and nothing disappointed. read more

This is a warm, inviting restaurant with large spaces, TV's ,full of bright beautiful pictures and Mariposas on the wall. There is plenty of space for larger parties and families. We visited at 4 on a Saturday it was about 1/2 full inside and empty outside. My family of six ordered the baby cheeseburger which was good , grouper with cream sauce which was pork chop fried and well seasoned , pechunga à la plancha was very mildly flavored and steak and onions was cooked well melted in your mouth but lightly seasoned..It reminded me of a homemade meal. We agreed we would all come back for a nice meal. Not fancy just good Puerto Rican cuisine. The waiter Clemis very friendly and attentive. read more

See all

We stopped here right after landing at the airport. We were seated pretty quickly and noticed the restaurant was buzzing with a good vibe and a great crowd. The food took awhile to get to our table, but that is to be expected with made to order food. Everything tasted great and what we loved the most was having the Maduros in the rice which gave it that extra "umph" if you were looking for it! Buen Provecho! The kids loved it and talked about it our whole trip! If you are in this area, I highly recommend this restaurant! read more

El Platanal - Canoa con arroz con gandules - Caribbean Near Me - Carolina, Puerto Rico

See all

Found this place on Google Maps--hard to find something that was local open on a Sunday. Food was delicious! I ordered the mofongo with ropa vieja and a pina colada. Both were delicious and the serving size was great for the price. And then we headed out for the Bad Bunny show--a perfect night all around (and I'm still dreaming of the food/concert!). My phone was on its last legs so no pictures because it was off charging at an outlet at another table ;) read more

Off of a main road, but the place has nice green tall plants at the entrance giving tropical vibes , with indoor and outdoor dining, very inviting, there is outdoor parking. We came on a Friday evening around 7pm and there were people inside. We sat outside, the AC inside was strong and even from the outside you can see multiple tv (at least 6) playing the YES channel showing the baseball game. We watched the staff sing a fun happy birthday to a table with the Guido, tambourine, and small bongos. Our server was attentive and pretty quick with the drinks and appetizers. Drinks are good, bacalaitos (cod fish fitters) were round size and plenty (about 6) but do not have much cod in it --the taste was very light. Overall, the food is well portioned, hot, and tastes great. And the overall vibe was upbeat, friendly and family oriented. read more

See all

Went here for dinner and was not disappointed. Had a true, delicious Spanish meal, seating outside was very enjoyable and all the tvs around made watching the game feel so peaceful. read more

El Platanal - Margarita Corononita - Caribbean Near Me - Carolina, Puerto Rico

The food was really good, the service was okay. Ambience was good wasn't packed. 102$ before tip three plates, one appetizer and 2 alcoholic drinks. read more

See all

Service was extremely slow. Took about 2 hours to receive our food even though business was slow. we were trying to surprise our friend with a happy birthday dessert and forgot after multiple times of being told and ended up ruining the surprise. we also mentioned to not add strawberry, since the birthday girl doesn't like strawberries, and STILL added strawberries. read more

Fresh and delicious food! Fast and kind service. The ambiance is local laid back and loud, but it was great music! They spoke English very well! read more

See all

After La Placita we came here, it was literally 4 am. Service was a little slow but the employees were nice. And the food was really good. We got some apps, chuleta kan kan and a chicken milanesa that were all good read more

We arrived in San Juan late and this place was still open and on our way to our AirBnb. It is hard to enter the parking lot if you are coming from one of the directions as it is on the side of a highway with only one entrance. We were able to park right in fron t though and the place was lively at around 11pm. Our server spoke great english and was vey helpful in navigating the menu for us on our first meal in PR. We started with the Surtido, which was the appetizer sampler at the recommendation of our server. This was a great choice as it allowed us to try a variety of things. The fried cheese was the best followed surpisingly by the fired salami. I ended up going with the bistec for my entree and should have paid more to get the churrasco. The bistec was basically hamburger steak that lacked flavor in the sauce it came with. I thought it would be more like a steak, my mistake. Great energy and vibe here! read more

Very tasty food!!!! The restaurant was beautiful , clean , and service was good. Mojito was excellent aswell! We got a shrimp mofongo and one beef mofongo. Was it the best mofongo I ever had ? Probably not , but it was very tasty i just felt like it was missing something. The empanadas were good and the bocarones were just how i like them ! I had the El Pantano mojito and i don't know what was in it but it was not good at all. Luckily the server was nice and he didn't charge us for it. read more

El Platanal - Caribbean Near Me - Carolina, Puerto Rico

See all

Food was great service was amazing.. I'm here on vacation for the next 2 weeks and this is the 2nd place I've eaten and I was very impressed. read more

El Platanal - Caribbean Near Me - Carolina, Puerto Rico

See all

We went here twice during our time in Carolina and it was delicious. The service is fast and they can accommodate large groups. Don't be deterred by them being open 24 hours. read more

Lively restaurant for Puerto Rican food. Stopped in at 7pm on a Friday and it was packed. However, we waited just 10 minutes for a table to become available. Food was fantastic. I highly recommend trying the mofongo - deliciously prepared chicken (comes in other protein options) in a sauce served over rice. The mixed empanada appetizer was also top notch. Service was the only drawback. They certainly take their time and don't check in too often. If you need something, make sure to flag somebody down so you're not left waiting. read more

Had the fried fish and plantain fish was dull hardly no flavor. Margarita was excellent. The waitress had a very strong perfume that gave me an instant headache too strong for this kind of service industry read more

The service was slow - the food came lukewarm and the server was a very young man who was not trained properly how to serve the meals, he served over people's heads instead to the side of each client. Water spilled on table & floor and it took forever before anyone came to clean it - no napkins were offered to clean the table- there were 2 waiters for whatever reason - the first waiter said he had finished his shift and never left - the second waiter was fine, however, the order was not filled properly and the sandwich was not included. 30 minutes later the we were still asking where's the sandwich? I got up to speak to manager and told her about water on floor and that food was not coming, they finally cleaned the floor about 15 minutes later & not that well. The sandwich came out finally after the rest of us had already finished our meals & we're ready to order dessert. The manager came to the table and said something ridiculous like - "We are here at your service" No compensation for the extremely long wait & letting us sit in water for 20 minutes. I will never go there again. read more

Great food that feels like home. Staff was all welcoming and friendly. Relaxed environment and family friendly. read more

El Platanal - Beefsteak with onions - Caribbean Near Me - Carolina, Puerto Rico

See all

The food was incredibly flavorful and filled with variety. The service was very professional and very welcoming and the interior of the restaurant was very inviting, very culturally Puerto Rican and very comfortable. read more

See all

This location is opened 24/7 so while looking for a place to eat after landing in San Juan this was very convenient. Super close to our Airbnb which was a win. We sat outside and Theresa was amazing. She recommended some great dishes. Second time we went and sat inside with our other group, the service wasn't the greatest and the mofongo de pernil wasn't good very dry. I loved the aguacate relleno con ropa vieja this was delicious, the tostones were good. I asked Theresa for garlic for the tostones and I do wish the garlic sauce wasn't to pasty I'm not really used to it like that. I will definitely visit this location again. read more

Excelente lugar !! Somos de Colombia y queriamos algo autentico Puerto Riqueño. El servicio fue super bueno y la comida ni se diga !!!!! SUPER RECOMENDADO !! read more

Amazing food, fast service, nice clean decor. Will be going there again even though it was a chain style restaurant it felt like going to a single restaurant business where every customer matters and the experience through word of mouth is the life of the business. The food was also way better than some of the places my wife said were on TikTok for being good to eat at. read more

Great food and ample menu selection. Service was also great even when restaurant was full.

24 hr spot, local food. Everything's good, most entrees are a lot of food. Can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Tried several things including hígado encebollado. Even that was good. read more

See all

Oh my God! Adios Mios! There is a God! Hay un Dios! Cause this place is heaven! Porque este lugar es el paraíso! 24 hours too!!!??? Fresh food. Great ambiance. Portions are great. Did I say delicious??? I can't say enough. I'm at loss for words. I wish I found this place earlier. You will not be disappointed!, I will come back always. And the servers are deliciouso too!!! Paola & Yaolys read more

Great Puerto Rican food! It felt authentic (waitress spoke broken English, we were the only non-locals there for lunch on a Saturday) and the menu had an extensive selection of food. Ordered the bacalaíto appetizer (fried cod fritters) which were a little greasy but really good and a large portion (~8 fitters). The ropa vieja mofongo (pulled flank steak mofongo) and it was SOO good. The meat was incredibly tender and the flavor was amazing. It came with some salad and rice/beans on the side, which by the way, the beans were one of the best I had the past week in PR. The service is quick to seat you and take your order but the food was a little island time slow. We unfortunately had to take our food to go to get to the airport in a timely fashion lol. But worth it! read more

El Platanal - bacalaítos- fried cod fritters. - Caribbean Near Me - Carolina, Puerto Rico

See all

Stopped here for lunch on our way to our AIRBNB. Food was average. Quick and friendly service.

Food was delicious and service was exceptional!! Everything down to the drinks were on point. Casual but enjoyable dinner. Will definitely recommend to anyone in area... reasonably priced for families. read more

See all

Le estoy dando 1 estrella a este restaurante por el pésimo servicio que me dieron. Llegando al lugar, la host nos sentó y les tomó acerca de 20 minutes para que el mesero now preguntara si nos habían atendido ya. 20 minutos esperando y ni siquiera agua o menús nos dieron. Los meseros se podían ver detrás de la barra todos hablando e ignorando sus mesas. La comida estaba buena, pero un poco salada y las bebidas estaban aguadas.El baño no tenía papel para secarse la mano y ni siquiera una máquina par a secar las manos. No recomiendo a nadie ir a este lugar amenos que quieran desperdiciar 2-3 horas de su tiempo esperando a que le sirvan. read more

Thank God for this place - our flight was delayed, leaving us hungry at 2am. We found this place open 24/7. The food was so good! The portions were massive here - I suggest everyone sharing. It's delicious too. We ordered the medio surtido, half size sampler to share. It had little of everything and it was very enjoyable. For main we ordered the chuleta Kan Kan woth rice and beans on side. It's a pork chop on bone. It's so crispy and such large quantity it's so good. The rice helped balance it out. For 2nd dish, we got the MR bacalao ensalado Verde and thought it was slightly salty. I love it so much. The space is fun, open, and really festive feel. I definitely recommend it. read more

See all