If "pompous" would be an adjective one can use to describe a classy restaurant on a small island at the end of one of the four streets that make up one of the island's two towns, than I'd definitely say use it for El Quenepo. Based on the past reviews, we were ready for the grandeur, and the grandeur we got. Not the "ballroom with a crystal chandelier" kind of grandeur, but still. :) This places is well designed and planned on the inside, and its level of service and the staff's "schooling" in the culinary terminology are top notch. Our server (forgot her name, but she is the bubbly redhead who is hard to miss) was one of the best servers I ever encountered in my life. She made great wine recommendations, went over the specials in detail and was not hovering over us excessively, and we really appreciated all of the above. As to the food - and I only speak of the three dishes and the dessert we had - one way to describe it would be to say that it was...interesting. For appetizer, we had the goat cheese-stuffed, prosciutto-wrapped prawns - they were succulent and tasty to the last bite. I also had a cup of the crab bisque made with local stone crabs and the soup had such a wonderful texture and smokiness to it that I almost licked the bowl (I did restrain myself though). For the entrees, I had the sword fish entree, in which the fish was topped with what I thought was a daikon salad - would have been a wonderful salad on its own! - and the side consisted of a number of mixed vegetables served with a blood orange sauce. The sauce was really bitter and did not go well with the whole dish, but I command the chef for attempting to incorporate this ingredient into the dish. My husband's scallop entree was more successful when it came to flavor combination - at least he finished all of it and did not complain. When it came to dessert, we had a very simple cheesecake with blackberry sauce, and it was tasty enough. However, the restaurant had pretty much no teas to select from except for one flavor which, after we ordered and tried it, we learned was pretty awful. Lack of teas aside, this place is a must-visit while in Vieques. If and when we're back, we'll definitely go there again (armed with knowledge that the dessert will have to be consumed with water :)) and try some other dishes from its extensive menu. read more

Serving "New Puerto Rican" cuisine. A bit fussy, but executed very well. Excellent desserts. Reservations are a MUST during high season. I recommend that they open on Sunday and close a different day of the week. read more

I cannot say enough about this place. It takes a lot to impress me, yet this place knocks my socks off. Beautiful food expertly prepared in a classy but relaxed setting with attentive servers. You must go. read more

Mofonfo with shrimp and lobster was fantastic! Probably the best one we've had on the trip. Salads we tried were also very good. Mango mojito didn't taste like mango at all but was still good. However, I wasn't happy when I got the bill and saw that they charged us $40 for the Mofongo! Way too much... This place is nice but overpriced: 2 salads, mofongo, 1 mojito, 1 wine glass, desert = $120 including tip. read more

Atmosphere is great. Food presentation is fantastic. Started with the martini ceviche, best we've had on the island, strong coriander which we love. I had the goat Marsala with a 3 on the spice scale (choose 1-4), great middle eastern spices, lots of coriander. My wife had monk fish wrapped in prosciutto with chorizo, a light basil pesto and white beans. It was all fantasico!! read more

Simply fantastic: stylish, imaginative, fresh and organic food, served with island ambiance and a touch of mainland flair. Many daily specials; we had the lobster and shrimp mofungo - an imaginative take on a local staple, along with a simple beet, goat cheese and fennel salad, and a zesty, fresh cerviche. Wonderful assortment of dishes and ingredients to satisfy every palate. Certainly the best dinner we've eaten in PR, and up there amongst the best dinners we've eaten ever. read more

Great date night on the island, great food, nice lighting, excellent service.

Service great, food so so for price, seem to try to do too much with food. Apps decent. I had lobster for main not much flavor, jerk chicken good flavor,sides not that tasty, choc tort best part of meal. Cev great. read more

I wasn't let down by the quality of the dishes even though there doesn't seem to be any competition for El Quenepo on Vieques

Marvelous surprise, amazing food, great deserts, well presented. October 2013

Incredible food and friendly staff. It is pricey, but we were very happy with the food. For a special night out, it was completely worth it. My husband and I had tuna poke and wahoo tartare appetizers (delicioso!), "popcorn" grouper and whole yellowtail snapper for the main courses, and banana bread (made from the owners' bananas, grown out back) and cardamom-blackberry cheesecake for our desserts. It was all exceptional. Our waitress was great-- in fact, we'd met her a couple days before in Isabel II. It's a small community, as you would imagine, and we saw familiar tourists and locals who we'd met during out week's stay on the island. It's a good endorsement when locals take their friends and family to this place when they visit. We would definitely return if and when we go back to beautiful Vieques. read more

We made a reservation through our concierge. After taking in the nice sunset, we were seated. Our server, Kirsten, was well versed on the menu and very engaging. After making recommendations on wine, she reviewed the menu with us. For our first course we had a jerk shrimp over a plantain gnocchi. I then had a fantastic lobster bisque and my partner had my had a mixed green salad. For out third course we spilt a pork chop, which was glazed. We also had a lobster tail over biscuits with a bean and corn maque choux. Desert was just as amazing as the service. The ambiance and fresh ocean air are an amazing pairing with the amazing food. read more

This is a special restaurant in a special place. We had such a fantastic meal there last night. The menu is impressively creative, the food and drinks were delicious and the service was great. And it's always a nice touch when the owner comes by to personally check on you. I regret that we decided to move on and didn't try their desserts -- next time! read more

Our best meal in Vieques. Beautiful space on the malecon in Esperanza with white table cloths but no dress code. Great people watching. Drinks were inventive and strong. For appetizers we had the ceviche and gorditas special which were both wonderful. My husband had the goat masala which tasted authentic and was surprisingly good. I had a pistachio crusted swordfish with beet risotto that was to die for - it was the catch of the day and not part of the regular menu. Our favorite dessert was the sorbet trio, the cheesecake was rich but a bit bland - I think it could have used some sea salt. Do not miss this place! read more

This place is the best restaurant on the island. We came last year and loved everything from the ambiance to the service to the incredibly unique and delicious food. We are looking forward to returning this week! read more

I'm a executive chef and I really do not see why people like this place . You get ok food and a force 18% tip. If you are a good restaurant and you have good employee you should not force a 18% on your clients. Viegues has 3 better restaurant than this one. Anybody that wants to know about better restaurant email me. leslie.rosa@hotmail.com read more

The food was ok and the drinks were filled with ice and just a drop of alcohol. Their not kid friendly and very $$$$.

Very slow service. We have 5 people and we were served at a 4-person table. The credit card machine was also crashed. We were almost late for our tour. Never come back again. read more

The service was awesome! The food was amazing! The drink special excellent! A little pricey, but you get what you paid for.

Food was great, loved the location, staff, drinks, atmosphere, but very pricey! I recommend, but pricey!

This was my 3rd time eating here and what can I say: perfection. The service, the food, the employees, the wine, just everything was great. I always look forward to eating and they never fail to impress. If you want the best, then this is the place to go. read more

Great food, drinks and service. We had the cerviche appetizer to start based on the waiter's recommendation. Everyone loved it. I had the pancetta wrapped chicken with white corn dumplings. Delicious! The dumplings are like gnocchi and were light and fluffy with a great sauce. The others got the shrimp and lobster mofongo which other yelpers loved. It got mixed reviews with us- some loved but others thought it was good not great. We ate at Bili's the next night. If you are looking for a nice dinner, choose Quenepo over Bili's. read more

Be sure to stop into this excellent place for dinner and drinks. We sat at the bar 2 nights and Kate was wonderful. She recommended several places for us to visit and have dinner. Highly recommend for dinner and an elegant meal out in Vieques. read more

The atmosphere is elegant but comfortable. The plantain gnocchi was fabulous. We ordered a special, Korean flavored sirloin, and it was delicious. The servers were friendly and willing to entertain any questions about the island or the food. This place is pricey but it was a great "farewell dinner" for our trip. read more

The appetizers are great. Pretty clean, but there were roaches and general bugginess. It had rained that day so that was to be expected to some degree. However, the overall feel is very upscale, and service is good, though a little inattentive at times. The appetizers were great, though they insisted on charging a fee to split the entree, which I think is unnecessary and split the portion evenly (my wife eats much less than I do). Charcuterie plate appetizer was very innovative and well presented, though I would suggest letting the meats speak for themselves instead of relying on accoutrements. Eggplant bisque was great. Jamaican short rib was underwhelming. Too little rice on the plate in comparison to meat, and the short ribs had a little more gristle than I would have liked. Not a bad dish though, but unsure if the value was there. Drinks were on point. Had the mango mojito which was lovely. Waitress really pushed the dessert even though we signaled we werent interested. She gave us menus anyway and we ultimately turned the offer down regardless. read more

This is a real gem; ordered the special caipirinha, ceviche and snapper. All were expertly prepared and the hospitality was warm and welcoming. Wine pairing was a (well-considered) crisp Albariño, which cut through the harissa and tomatoes paired with the fish perfectly. Felt like dining in someone's home in Basque Country. Owners are interesting folks. Highly recommended. read more

We had a wonderful dinner here our second night in Vieques. It is an open air restaurant with a nice atmosphere. We got a "window" table so we were able to see out into Esperanza which was nice. The cocktails were GREAT and the food was delicious. I had the tuna and my boyfriend had the sea bass. The bread they bring out.... phenomenal. If you are looking for a nicer meal in Esperanza, this is the place for you! You won't be disappointed. read more

My favorite restaurant in Vieques, El Quenepo delivers on fresh tasty food especially seafood. While the ambience of the restaurant isn't particularly special, people come for the rich, down home food developed with a strong visual presentation. The Shrimp and Lobster Mofongo is always excellent, and the fresh salmon was the best I've had anywhere. The Tuna Steak combines the melting sensation of foi gras with the richness of red meat. Our waiter was helpful, patient, and really personable ( shout out to the Delaware/ Maryland beach area!). He gave excellent suggestions and made us feel totally comfortable. The prices are high, but honestly this is the best place on the island. If you aren't eating here or at First Course then just grill at home. read more

This is one of my top five restaurants in the world. The ambiance is very refined, which is amazing since the building is basically a blockhouse with concrete floors and bars on the windows. The drinks are quite good, and they do some specials with house-infused vodkas for which I have begged the recipes. Like most island restaurants, the wine list is limited and you are probably better off sticking to cocktails. The lobster bisque is outstanding if they have it. The churrasco is wonderful as well, but the dish that keeps me coming back is the seafood mofongo with shrimp and lobster in a spicy tomato broth in a shell made of deep fried breadfruit from the tree in the back yard. The owners are also the chef and the hostess and are very friendly and welcoming. Service may be a bit slow compared to the mainland, but when you're in the islands you have to be prepared to run on island time. read more

"Pretentious" Being Manhattanites we are unfortunately used to pretentious, expensive restaurants. This place scored a ten on the pretension-expense meter. Foodwise we rated it a five. The chef is ambitious - but you're the one paying for his mistakes. Resort pretension, resort prices, resort ripoff. You know you've hit pretention when the waiter spends five minutes describing what you think is an amuse-bouche - tomato emulsion etc - but turns out to be the olive oil you dip your bread in. Jack of all trades, master of none. Totally inauthentic. read more

Absolutely 1st Rate!! We looked for a nice place to eat dinner our last night on the Island and we found it!! Everyone was wonderful. The restaurant was busy and we definitely had to make reserved it was worth it. The atmosphere and food A+. Lovely owner/hostess and staff. Food was original and creative. We spent more for less on outstrip and that made it even more worth it. The Walkers will definitely be coming back again as soon as possible. Thank You read more

The second time I came to El Quenepo was just as good as the first. The food, service, atmosphere, etc. was great. read more

El Quenepo - Caribbean Near Me - Vieques, Puerto Rico

Layers upon layers of flavors in each dish. High end dinners with amazing presentations. Servers seemed like they may have been overwhelmed but the restaurant was pretty full-don't let that keep you away-just make sure you patiently ask again. read more

Had a delicious meal and great service. Tuna presentation was wonderful and Nathan a informative and wonderful server.

My partner and I just got back from Vieques. We were slightly worried about food options because we recently became vegans. The 1st restaurant we went to was El Quenepo. We asked the hostess if they had anything on the menu that could be veganized and it was clear the waitress didn't quite understand. Luckily for us the amazing waitress (we're so forgetful but we believe her name was Christy or Christine) overheard our request and jumped in to help. She said the chef will absolutely work with us to create a special dinner meat, dairy & egg free. The server and the chef went above and beyond. The chef created this amazing vegan dinner that rivals vegan restaurants here in the SF Bay Area. The food was delicious! It is a little pricey but with the quality of food, the ambiance & the skill of the staff it was well worth it! Their menu for non-vegans looked equally spectacular and if we weren't vegan we would have enjoyed it just as much. Thanks El Quenepo for a deelish experience! read more

We had the worst experience here.... We walked by the restaurant on a Friday night and stopped by since the restaurant looked so cute. We made reservations for the next night sine we were a big group. The meal started off great. Five of us order some wine, three entrees, two appetizers and a dessert. The food was pretty good. Super expensive but we knew that. When we got the bill they had charged us more than $40.00 for sharing entrees. I couldn't believe it. Five of us in a table of 12 did share meals, but its not like we ordered two appetizers and sat there for 5 hours. We order bottles of wine, three entrees, two appetizers, dessert.... we felt robbed. Of course the restaurant added 18% tip on top of that. We tried to talk to the waiter about the extra charge. She was very aggressive from the get go and finally said we needed to talk to the manager. He came and said the fee was for the platting and presentation.... really $40+ for plating. He said if we had each eaten our entree/appetizer and not shared the fee would not apply, but since we shared it did. So, some one ordering an appetizer was okay, but they charged us a a HUGE fee just because we shared. The worst part is that the manager got upset and started insulting us. Saying that it was clear that we did not have class and needed more experience eating at elegant restaurants... My goodness. I have never seen a manager behave that way... The worst part is that you lost several customers for $40 dollars.... I would never come back to this restaurant. They have no respect for their customers. read more

Food was good and presented creatively. Service was not that great. The waitress was too busy and it took her 10 min to get us the dessert menu, another 10 to chk what we like and 20 more to bring it. It was our special day and we wanted a picture taken and she said she is too busy for that ! Very disappointed with that attitude and service. Especially for the price you are paying. FYI flat water is $8 bucks. read more

great restaurant. i don't think it needs my review. all the other skizzy dives on this strip were 80% empty and this place gave us their last open table! was packed! that's all you need to know. also: the drinks were awesome and unique. the food was excellent. service, great. and we wore bathing suits for dinner. if you stay overnight in vieques and eat anywhere else, i will never speak to you again. read more

Very expensive at least 50 per person and service is not great i went with my 15 month old me and my wife barely settled with her for dinner and in middle of our dinner they wanted us to change the table because they have group of 10 coming and wanted a space with our table. Very rude staff and service..only few wine available by glass and very pricey...they always portray them self busy than they are and will make you wait 1-2 hr even with multiple open tables...good food only goes well with good service read more

I usually don't care for pricey fancy restaurants but saw this had good reviews and gave it try because we were on vacation. The food was quite good with some unique complex flavors. We ordered the eggplant bisque, breadfruit mofongo, and lobster and all three were delicious. The lobster itself tasted average but what made it great was the sauce and the giant butternut squash ravioli. The quality of food and portion of food was worth the price. The service on the other hand, was not. I expected much better from a pricey restaurant. The service was not slow (maybe because we arrived early around 6pm) but the way we were treated was not great. I noticed two couples sitting near us ordered the same exact dishes, lobster and mofongo. I also noticed their waitress brought out moist towels and moist wipes as would be expected for hands-on seafood like lobster, and eagerly pointed out the details of each dish when they were delivered to the table. I asked our waiter for moist towels thinking he just forgot but he said they had no moist towels or moist wipes. I asked for extra napkins instead which he brought. When he brought out our food, no explanations or anything. Later during the night the owner came out to greet the customers but never stopped by our table even though there were only a few tables occupied in the restaurant at the time. I have no idea why the disparity in treatment. Maybe it's because we're not a white middle-aged couple like the other diners and didn't look like we had money? Who knows, but such treatment ruined what could have been a great experience. Overall, food was probably 4 stars but service really killed it so I'm giving this 2 stars. read more