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El Platanal

3.7 (37 reviews)
Open Open 24 hours

El Platanal Photos

EL PLATANAL ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Dogs allowed
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - El Platanal

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Reviews With Photos

Menu
Shana T.

Our Uber suggested this place which is a diner of sorts that's open 24 hours. We were seated right away and it's very spacious inside. Our server didn't speak much English but she was nice and we used Google translator to help with our order. It was my first time trying Plantain mofongo and where else but Puerto Rico to try to the real deal! The have a lot of options with steak, chicken and seafood. The drinks were very good as well and the prices are not terrible at all. Overall, I enjoyed the food and drinks and had a good time.

Octopus with garlic sauce
Melanie L.

Good and tasty food! This was a nice place to try and the food hit the spot! I got the octopus with the rice plate and it was delicious. Everything was cooked so well and had so much flavor. Service was alright. Ambiance was fun, especially for a birthday celebration. I would come back again.

Chuleta Kan Kan
Isabel J.

After spending the day walking and sightseeing we wanted a local spot for dinner. A local bartender recommended this place and I'm glad she did. We tried the sopa de platano (plantain), pernil and chuleta Kan Kan. Everything was delicious and it tasted like grandma made it. We really enjoyed our meal.

Leslie V.

This is one of the restaurants we decided to go and eat in Puerto Rico the food the drinks the service was excellent and we were a party of over 50 people. The waiter was on point with every order every drink they accommodated us last minute. They did an amazing job Taking care of all of us. The service the ambiance everything was well done .

Ropa Vieja with arroz mamposteao
Kelsie M.

Took forever to get our food but once it finally came out, it was great! Keyla was good

Paul G.

Very delicious food. Few locations in the metro area. Went to the one in Hato Rey. Food was very delightful. Servers were very welcoming and informative. Nice justice rustic decoration and atmosphere.

Chicken breast batter at the Milanesa
Jose H.

From the country to the city that's the feeling you get from the ambiance. Food exceeded all our expectations, basically I had to try every dish we ordered and all were pretty delicious. Loved the chicken breast (milanesa), churrasco, mofongo, breadfruit tostones and the kan-kan pork chop. Taste and portions were for a hungry appetite and possibly for sharing. Portion/price ratio was very respectable. Service was attentive and seating area was spacious and clean.

Menu
Kaizamar F.

Well decorated and attention grabbing location. Touristy spot just outside of San Juan, price points reflect this. Food was not great. The fish was swimming in sauce and undercooked. The avocado salad was not an actual avocado salad. It's a sliced up avocado on a leaf of lettuce. Waitstaff was not attentive and we constantly had to seek assistance from other staff to get cutlery or inquire about missing order items. We had to go up front towards the end to obtain our bill as our waiter flat out disappeared for over :45 minutes. Parking was a nightmare as well. Had to keep circling the block to be able to find a spot. Not enough parking area. Would benefit from staff training, and parking development.

The food was absolutely amazing, and the portions were generous--we even had enough to take home in to-go boxes. This was only my second place to eat in Puerto Rico, and it did not disappoint! Every dish was packed with flavor, and the service was excellent. The staff was so friendly and attentive--you can really tell they care about their customers. Even the other diners added to the experience, as everyone in the restaurant was kind and welcoming.

The beautiful chuleta kan kan
Jose F.

I love this restaurant. The food is always very good. The chuleta kan kan is always great here and get the mofongo with any topping and you will be happy . I love the staff too, they are always great. Our last server was Misael, was great. He knew the menu , was patient and very friendly but professional. So happy to have met him. I love the paintings on the wall as well, I like the ambiance. Just family friendly with big Puerto Rican hospitality and boricua flavors. This will always be one of my favorite places to eat in Puerto Rico and the price is always great .

Joy R.

Excelente lugar! Comida exquisita y servicio de primera! Wendy nuestra mesera fue excelente con su servicio impecable ! El mejor restaurante de esta visita a la isla! Regresamos!

Guillermo G.

This Platanal is open 24/7, which makes it a good alternative to Denny's after a night of boozing or a place to go when the other restaurants are closing. It helps the food is good too. It's located on a stretch of Roosevelt Ave that has several good restaurants. They have limited parking on the side of the building, on Calle Ing. Antonín Nin Martínez. Note that this street is a one-way street and can't be accessed from the main avenue. You have to loop around. A little inconvenient. You check in with the host outside on the balcony. The balcony has a few benches. There is a wheel chair ramp. The interior was clean with a family friendly vibe. There is a full bar with happy hours from 3-9pm. Ask for specials. Restroom was clean. I liked that the sink bowl was a repurposed caldero. Creative. There was a baby changing station in the restroom too. We started off with the fried cheese appetizers. They were really good. They came with a guava dipping sauce. The sweet and savory combination of the guava and cheese made for a good start. I then ordered from the daily specials menu. I went with the pernil al horno. It came with a side salad and choice of another side. I chose the arroz apastelado. The pernil was seasoned right and was nice and tender. The rice was excellent. My wife had the abacado stuffed with bacalao and arroz mamposteao. I preferred the arroz apastelado. It had a better texture. The bacalao was very good. In addition to getting it with the avocado, you can get it with the mofongo. That would also be a good choice because the mofongo was delicious. Our son's kid's churrasco had good flavor. The only miss were the amarillos. They were undercooked and not sweet.

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2 months ago

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11 months ago

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10 months ago

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1 month ago

Food was pretty good, fish was very fresh. Our server was really nice. Good view of downtown.

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1 year ago

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2 years ago

The food was delicious and I loved that it was 24/7. It was authentic too, I really enjoyed the mofongo.

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

Servicio Pésimo, Nadie paso por la mesa a atendernos, más de 20 minutos esperando. Ni la orden de bebidas

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3 years ago

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

Great places , good food , and good service , ambience is relaxing!!! Me gustó mucho el sampler !

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3 years ago

Great food. Came here with family and they loved it. I recommend it if you are looking for a great place to dine a typical PR dish.

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Review Highlights - El Platanal

Muy buen ambiente, decoración y servicio.

Mentioned in 2 reviews

Read more highlights

El Refrán - NY strip with Root vegetable mash

El Refrán

4.5(328 reviews)
4.0 km
$$

A very small restaurant with absolutely authentic Puerto Rican food with about 10 tables or so,…read moreabsolutely do not miss this place! So what do you get by coming here? You get the real deal, real Puerto Rican dishes, with the greatest flavors and fair prices. Unless you prefer playing overpriced, find dining restaurants with average Puerto Rican food, which there are plenty of in the area. I'm not able to emphasize how small this restaurant is, it's located right along the main walking strip in Coronado Beach. Maybe 10 tables or so. No reservations walk up wait in line if you have to eat and leave. Not only will you eat the best tasting food during your trip, but probably also pay the least amount of money. We went here twice! Their rice and beans recipe is probably what it's all about! We got grilled shrimp and skirt steak over rice and beans and honestly, I could've had it all week long! This little gem local place is not to be missed! Highly recommended!

This casual restaurant is a fun dinner stop with open air dining (not so good on a hot day though)…read more We went early at 5pm and avoided crowds. The restaurant filled up before we left. We went with the waitress's recommended dishes - Mofongo Churrasco (steak) and Mamposteao Tacu Tacu with grilled shrimp. Flavors were strong and a bit on the salty side, but delicious. We enjoyed both dishes. The Mamposteao Tacu Tacu has a long fancy name but it was rice and beans topped with skirt steak. The sangria was the happy hour cocktail of the night, very refreshing.

Photos
El Refrán
El Refrán - Skirt steak on top of a bed of rice and beans

Skirt steak on top of a bed of rice and beans

El Refrán

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Bebo's Café - Vanilla flan

Bebo's Café

3.9(960 reviews)
3.4 km
$$

Bebo's Cafe is everything people say it is and more. After hearing so many positive things, we…read moredecided to visit during our trip, and it absolutely lived up to the hype. The food was incredible. Everything we ordered was flavorful, comforting, and clearly prepared with care. My mother even commented that the arroz y habichuelas reminded her of her grandmother's cooking, which is probably one of the highest compliments a Puerto Rican restaurant can receive. The meal felt authentic, homemade, and deeply satisfying. I ordered the stuffed avocado, and it was absolutely to die for. It was one of the standout dishes of our entire trip. The staff was attentive and worked hard to keep things moving despite how busy the restaurant was. You can immediately tell that this place serves a very high volume of customers, and for good reason. The only thing that may confuse first-time visitors is the seating process. People generally line up in the hallway adjacent to the dining room and wait to be seated. At first, it can feel like organized chaos, but the staff clearly knows how to manage the crowd. Given the popularity of the restaurant and the amount of people coming through the doors, the system works. The quality of the food for the price is outstanding. This is the kind of place you visit when you want authentic Puerto Rican food that tastes like it came straight from someone's family kitchen. If you're visiting San Juan, you owe it to yourself to eat here at least once. Our family loved it, and we would absolutely return on a future trip.

Came recommended by our driver as a good local food option fir good Puerto Rican food . Food okay…read more- service okay - nothing special. Not many people were there and not many locals. It was not the local flair I was expecting. When most of the menu contains all-American hamburgers and pasta,,,, and mediocre at that... I had plantains with rice and beans. Chased the waiter for the bill.

Photos
Bebo's Café
Bebo's Café - Chicken soup

Chicken soup

Bebo's Café - Steak with a side salad

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Steak with a side salad

Santaella - FILETE DE SALMÓN ORIENTAL

Santaella

4.3(694 reviews)
3.2 km
$$$

Kept seeing a bunch of reviews on how amazing this place was and honestly it's up there…read more To start off, I'm not really a sweets guy so my take is going to be a little off from the general public. We were able to snag a reservation but for a late time which was about an hour and a half before close. The service was super great but one thing I wished they mentioned that the bottled water was going to be a $40 charge lol. Makes sense for any upscale restaurant though. Should've mentioned we wanted tap so fair warning, ask cause you WILL get charged haha. We had a group of 10 and for how big the group was, the food came out pretty fast. I don't think we ever had a time between drinks to entrees where we were waiting for food to come out. We got the watermelons mojito for drinks since it was the most raved about. It was good but personally nothing crazy for me. 8/10 score on that. We also curry popcorn chicken, the ahi tuna lollipops, the empanadillas and the goat cheese quesadillas for apps and honestly overall 9/10. This is where I don't like the sweetness part of this meal. The empanadillas were what I was most excited for but it was more sweet then savory which sort of lose my appetite a little. I think if you like that kind of taste then it's going to be good. It wasn't a bad taste at all. Just too sweet for my liking. The curry popcorn chicken was good and the lollipops were great. Again, nothing crazy. The goat cheese quesadillas was good as well but again, too sweet for my liking. Now on to the entree, they didn't have the porkchop since we came late so I ended up getting the porkchop belly dish. When it came out, it looked amazing but then I got a whiff of it and smelled cinnamon. That's when I was sort of disappointed. It was like eating pork but tasting Cinnamon Toast Crunch and as said before, it tasted great but too sweet for me. This one was way too sweet to where it seemed like a dessert item. I just had poor luck and got one of the one items that were sweet. This doesn't tank the rating down whatsoever because I also should've read it had cinnamon. It would've been great if they made a dipping sauce or something to pair it with and not have it on the pork belly itself. I got to try other dishes my friends got which were good as well but I wish I got to try something else. If I came back I would try the sold out item which was the pork shank or the sea bass. I know for a fact the sea bass was amazing. Had a bite of it and thought "I'll come back for that" Overall, 10/10 experience and nothing bad about the place but gotta try different items when I go next time. I understand the hype now

My friend travels to PR occasionally for work and this time I decided to tag along. Both being…read morefoodies, she only made one reservation and that was to her favorite San Juan restaurant, Santaella. Not only that, she made it weeks in advance because reservations are hard to come by. We arrived for dinner before reservation time and we attempted to open the front door. It was locked, so we along with two other couples, walked to see if there was a side entrance.. Nope! We kept walking to the rear and stopped a random parking lot attendant that shirt had a different restaurant's name on it. He asked us if we had reservations for Santaella and we said yes, and he directed us to a rear entrance. Once inside, my friend realized this was NOT Santaellas but a rooftop restaurant with an entirely different name. Visibly perturbed, she asked our server QUESTIONS! He said, it's the same restaurant, however, only the rooftop is open on Sundays and it's named Azotea.. WHAT?!? LOL! Because we took an Uber, we decided to stay a while. The menu was extremely limited, but we decided to try the Tamarind margaritas, which were really good, along with two appetizers, the tuna lollipops and the pulled pork quesadilla. Both VERY good, but the dinner menu was lacking. That said, I suggested we go to STK for the seafood tower that I had my eye on the evening before, so we exited stage right! Shame on Santaella for accepting reservations through Open Table knowing full well they are not open. I'm giving them two stars because Azotea was decent but it definitely wasn't what she was going for!

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Santaella - Dinning room area

Dinning room area

Santaella - Pulpo Parrilla

Pulpo Parrilla

Santaella - Tomatoes with Parmesan Cheese Ice Cream

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Tomatoes with Parmesan Cheese Ice Cream

La Cueva del Mar - Mofongo with Ropa Vieja

La Cueva del Mar

4.4(525 reviews)
3.4 km
$$

I highly enjoyed La Cueva Del Mar! I wanted a mix of Latin and seafood and this was the perfect…read morechoice. It was recommended by one of our tour guides so it is a great option for both locals and tourists. It had a nice atmosphere and very large menu with many different types of options. The Frutti di mare was one of the best pastas I've ever had! It had almost every type of seafood you could want. A great option for someone who wants to try a bit of everything. It was large enough to satisfy you but not too large where you have to take leftovers it back to your hotel. It also came with a salad and delicious bread. My husband ordered the yucafongo pollo, and was very impressed. It was also filling and well made. The drink menu also had a lot of options. I went with the sangria which was super tasty! It's more on the fruity side. Our service was great and we didn't have to wait long for a table or our food, although it seemed busy. Whether you live in the area or are just on vacation, I would recommended trying it out!

We visited La Cueva del Mar for my wife's birthday dinner during our family trip to Puerto Rico,…read moreand despite a few minor issues, the meal itself was absolutely outstanding. The service was a little confusing at first. We were seated and expected to access the menu through a QR code, which wasn't immediately explained to us. We initially expected traditional menus, so there was a bit of uncertainty before we realized how the ordering process worked. We were also seated near one of the air conditioning units, which made some members of our party feel a bit cold during the meal. However, once the food arrived, all of those concerns quickly disappeared. The food was incredible. Rich, flavorful, and beautifully prepared, every dish at the table was delicious. The arroz con pollo was honestly the best I have ever had in my life. It was perfectly seasoned, comforting, and packed with flavor. Every bite felt like authentic Puerto Rican cooking at its best. Our family thoroughly enjoyed the meal, and it made for a wonderful birthday dinner for my wife. While the service experience could be a little clearer and some seating areas may be colder than others, the quality of the food more than makes up for those minor issues. I would absolutely return on a future visit to Puerto Rico.

Photos
La Cueva del Mar - Inside

Inside

La Cueva del Mar - Fish tacos & Sangria

Fish tacos & Sangria

La Cueva del Mar - The bar area

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The bar area

El Jibarito - Flan de coco and flan de chocolate

El Jibarito

3.9(2.1k reviews)
7.3 km
$$

El Jibarito is absolutely worth the visit if you're looking for authentic Puerto Rican food. We had…read morethe lechón con salsa de plátano, and it was absolutely delicious--full of flavor and cooked perfectly! We were a large group, so there was about a 30-minute wait for a table, but that's part of the fonda-style experience. Tables turn over as people finish their meals, and while you're waiting, you can relax with an ice-cold Medalla, which makes the time go by quickly. A special thank you to the staff for the excellent service and warm hospitality. The food, the atmosphere, and the friendly staff made this one of our favorite dining experiences in Old San Juan. We will definitely be back!

We came to El Jibarito for dinner after it was recommended by Yelp as it had a 4-star rating. We…read moredid have a bit of a wait, but it was worth it. The restaurant is absolutely adorable inside and has a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Once we were seated, the service was quick and attentive. There were four of us in our party, and we started with the pizza turnovers. They were delicious, although I do wish they had a little more filling. I ordered the tamale. While it wasn't quite to my personal taste, I could tell it was well made and I'm sure others who enjoy that style of tamale would love it. My husband had the baked chicken and really liked it. My friend ordered the salmon and said it was moist and very flavorful, and her husband had the garlic chicken, which he thoroughly enjoyed. Overall, everyone in our group was happy with their meals. Between the cozy atmosphere, friendly service, and tasty food, I would definitely recommend this restaurant if you're visiting Old San Juan.

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El Jibarito
El Jibarito - Fried snapper

Fried snapper

El Jibarito

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Cocina Abierta - Second Course

Cocina Abierta

4.4(745 reviews)
3.8 km
$$$$

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!

4.5 stars. Cocina Abierta was one of the better meals of our trip. The food was excellent overall,…read morewith the lone exception being the empanadas, which were simply too salty. Everything else was very well done. The two of us split one order of the five-course tasting menu plus an additional starter, and it ended up being a nice light meal. Had we each ordered our own tasting menu, it would have been far more food than we wanted...something we found to be a fairly common theme with portion sizes throughout Puerto Rico. The standout of the evening was the Criollo Duck Mofongo, which was absolutely exquisite and easily the best mofongo we had on our trip by far. The cocktails were tasty and unique, but a bit small for the price. This definitely isn't an every-night kind of restaurant...the prices are on the higher side. But if you're looking to splurge a little, it's a fun place to do it.

Photos
Cocina Abierta - Bar

Bar

Cocina Abierta - Snook

Snook

Cocina Abierta - FRESH LOCAL CATCH CEVICHE - Leche de tigre | avocado chips

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FRESH LOCAL CATCH CEVICHE - Leche de tigre | avocado chips

Orozco's

Orozco's

4.0(1k reviews)
3.9 km
$$

The ambiance is casual cool. The service is EXCELLENT! Our waitress answered all our questions and…read morehelped us figure out what we should drink and order. The food was delicious and nice and hot! We had shared a plate and it was just the right size for us. Excellent choice!

I have been to Puerto Rico four times and this is the best Puerto Rican food I have ever had…read more First, let's talk about the service. Lény was amazing. She saw me walking by, chatted me up, invited me in to dine and the rest is history. She was so personable and so funny and really made me feel welcome. Same for the rest of the staff. They created a really light and chilled out atmosphere that was just so inviting. You can tell they genuinely enjoy working with one another. And that definitely translates over into the guest experience. The pina colada I had was hands down the best one ever. This definitely did not come from a mix in a bottle. Just unbelievably delicious. I started off with the alcapurrias. Wow. You have to get these. Perfectly fried, chewy, meaty, seasoned perfectly... If that's the only thing I ate here it would have been well worth it. I haven't had mofongo in over 15 years and I recently learned about trifongo, which is a combination of mashed sweetened and unsweetened plantain, as well as cassava. I ordered the trifongo with shrimp and steak. Oh. Wow. The flavors. The textures. Every bite was something different. At each bite was amazing. The meal little pricey, but OMG was it absolutely worth it. If you are visiting Puerto Rico, no matter where in Puerto Rico you're visiting, you must make a trip here.

Photos
Orozco's - Seating area

Seating area

Orozco's
Orozco's - Tree milk

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Tree milk

El Platanal - puertorican - Updated July 2026

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