Thoughtfully created drinks and entrees. Our meal was great and the service was amazing.

We were looking for a place that would have more of a Puerto Rican flavour rather than burgers and bar food and decided on this one from the reviews on yelp. The menu here had a lot of variation PLUS they had daily specials as well. For appetizers, we got the octopus special of the day and the ceviche. The ceviche was such a large portion and both tasted awesome! The octopus was cooked perfectly and the ceviche had a good balance of acid and flavors. For the mains we got the pork carnita and the mofungo special of the day. Mofungo was stuffed with shrimp and lobster and was absolutely delicious!! Pork carnitas were delicious as well, but the mofungo stole the show. We also got the drink special of the day, can't remember the name of it but it was a fruity vodka drink that was strong but did not taste too boozy, which is the way I like them. The waiter was super nice and made the experience even better! The dessert selection looked wonderful but we were way too full to try them out :( read more

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2 stars given for... ambiance, I liked the white tablecloths, candles... ordered the mojito special and it was good (for $11 it'd better be), well made. Crab fritter appetizer was very good. Everything else was just so so. We chose this place to celebrate my birthday, which my friend made sure to mention to not only the waiter but also the hostess. I've never been somewhere for my birthday where they did not bring out some sort of complimentary dessert. We ordered a chocolate torte anyway and it was the tiniest piece of $13 cake I've ever seen, albeit tasty. For my friend's 4 year old the options were spaghetti noodles with white sauce, red sauce, or butter and garlic. We ordered him noodles with red sauce with fried shrimp. The shrimp came with the tails still on, unfit for a small child. $19 for a kids meal is pretty ridiculous. My mahi entree was very mediocre. The hostess had a great personality. The waiter gave the 4 year old a glass...... The bill was exorbitant. I don't mind paying for an expensive dinner if the total experience is worth it. read more

This restaurant must be the best place in all of Vieques to eat vegeterian food (and I mean something other than a cheese pizza or beans and chips). They even made a veggie mofongo for us and we were absolutely nuts about it! Even the bread that they serve when you're seated was soft and warm and came with the most delicious tapenade ever! The food was just delicious! Definitely go here if you get the chance. read more

Had a great meal here. It's not cheap, but the food was good. We got Mufungo and Grouper. Both dishes were great. The tuna tartare appetizer was also excellent. read more

Great food, atmosphere, and service right on the boardwalk in Esperanza. Highly recommend the Ceviche and lobster.

The food is decent and probably the best in the island, but sub-par compared to any other good restaurant in a US city. So for what you're getting, it's pricey. The service was really bad in that our waiter had a terrible accent so that I couldn't understand the ingredients. I accidentally ordered a drink with jalapeno, which I asked for them to take back to the kitchen. The owner stopped by at the end to ask how everything was. I politely explained the situation and asked to take the drink off the bill, but was scolded for "not asking for clarification." It was really embarrassing considering my husband and I just got married and were trying to celebrate. Considering the sub-par expensive food and shameful service from the owner of all people, I wouldn't recommend this place at all. read more

This place is amazing. I went here with my husband and two other couples on our last night in Vieques. The food was spectacular, with loads of flavor, and great presentation. The service wasn't fast, or slow, but just right because when you're on Vieques, what's the rush? We truly enjoyed our evening here. Make sure you save room for desert, especially if it's for any of their chocolate specialties. read more

Located on the Malecon strip in Esperanza I was surprised by how busy they were. First night I stopped by and tried getting a table to find they were booked for the night. Ate there the following evening and enjoyed the meal. I have to say the food was excellent, the wait staff was possibly overworked but we didn't get the best vibe. Overall though a good safe bet if staying in the area of Esperanza. read more

Very creative dishes. Had the avacado fish app, delicious. Special of the night was mofongo, generally not a fan but they did it in a shell not the usual mush. Excellent read more

This is as good as it gets for fine dining in Vieques. If it were elsewhere, 5 stars would be a little high, but I loved the appetizers and my Lobster dish. The service itself is worth a 5 star rating. Ask for Steph - she's the best!! read more

This is by far the best restaurant in Vieques. The place is run like a 5 star establishment. The drinks are amazing, the service is impeccable. I must make mention of the wonderful hostess, Zori. She was very helpful in making the reservation and when at the restaurant. The food was exquisite. I recommend the churrasco, amazing!! Anything you order here will be amazing. Can't wait to return.. read more

Great food and friendly service define this fun restaurant that's a creative break from traditional Puerto Rican cuisine. It's Puerto Rican-Asian fusion done well. Cocktails are amazing. read more

I stopped by El Quenepo because it was recommended by friend for dinner. I felt like the experience could of been better. This was a random Wednesday night and the restaurant was not even half full when I walked in. I asked the hostess for a table for 2 and she said " oh I have to check my reservations" acting like this place was packed for the night and there were no seats available. Anyways, the waiter was very nice and did recommend the lobster dish and mofongo dish because it was different than ordering at other restaurants in Esperanza. The mofongo was a bit mushy for my taste. The lobster dish tasted ok and was pricey. During the whole meal the mosquito were feasting over my legs under the table which made it very uncomfortable dining experience. This place is overrated. read more

Favorite restaurant on vieques, and we went to 5 places while there - Raney was an attentive and friendly server, food was incredibly fresh and very inventive, beautiful candlelit ambiance (white table cloth service, fanciest on the island). Highly recommend any of their seafood dishes (tuna, lobster, ceviches, etc.) and try their special cocktail of the night! read more

El Q rocks. We were only on Vieques for a few days, but this was the best meal, beating the W's Sorce and El Blok. Two of us had mofongo which was fabulous. A carnivorous friend had the filet which was one of the finest filets I've ever tasted. Another had scallops which were outstanding. All of us had appetizers which were also perfect (recommend the Tuna Poke - OMG). The wine selection is very good and the best we encountered, esp for an island. In fact, everything would be fabulous in a big city but to have it on Vieques - that is the wonder. Uh, we'll return next time. read more

Amazing. Don't even consider another choice. Excellent food with beautiful presentation.

The food here is superlative. We manage to dine her atleast twice everytime we visit Vieques. The service is mediocre but can be overlooked in light of the magnificent offerings. The mofungo is in a class of it's own. I would suggest trying to avoid nights when the music across the steet is blarring as it makes simple conversation impossible. read more

This restaurant is not only the best restaurant in Vieques, it is for sure one of the best in all of the Caribbean. Cannot recommend highly enough. read more

Below our expectation!! It has some food with creative style and tasting, but not worth to have.

Inventive food, excellent service, a commitment to quality. Very much worth going to.

This place is great!! The food was excellent, and the service was really awesome. Our waitress guessed correctly that we were on our way to a bio bay tour, and she made sure the kitchen worked fast to get our food out so we were able to leave at the exact time we needed to, which is impressive considering the quality and presentation of the food - it was outstanding. We had gone to the W resort for dinner the night before and we preferred the food and service at El Quenepo. read more

Just fantastic!!! In one week we had dinner here twice. Lobster was loved by all and the Indian infusion in the prawn dish was excellent. And the goat dish OMG. Love. read more

The mofongo at El Quenepo is unreal. Made from squash and breadfruit rather than plantains, it is a lot fresher and tastier than any other mofongo I have ever had. The staff is also friendly and attentive. read more

Always a treat when one is in Vieques. Food is inventive and the specials point to a creative focus in the kitchen. Was hoping for a watermelon based drink like in the past but not this time. We split the duck, the masala goat and the whole snapper. Snapper was a little disappointing as it basically was a fried fish devoid of a much needed flavorful sauce.Bread service really needs some work here...it was just a white blob... serve the grilled naan instead and all will smile . read more

The stars for the fact our waitress was enthusiastic and caring. Aside from that I'd give 1.5 stars for the for and the cost. As a chef, the rib eye I grilled last night with beet salad and goat cheese blew anything I was presented tonight out of the water. Ceviche was basically tomato salsa and romain ....I'm disappointed as I was here eight years ago and couldn't think of a better meal on island. read more

This restaurant really disappointed us after reading all if the race reviews here. The location is great but so are a ton if other options on the malecon. For the price the food was fair. Our $15 lunch (including dessert & drinks) was better this afire non from sol food (see separate review). The bartender made great drinks, the mint watermelon martini was fabulous, but that was where it ended for us. I got the whole lune caught fish and it was presented beautifully but the sauce was overpowering (sweet) and it would've been much tastier cooked any way but fried. My husband ordered the sirloin medium & it was med only @ the tips. It was a solid rare throughout all but 2 slices of the steak. Our waitress was nice, but for a high end place, I expect that the 3 specials are read from memory, not from a notepad. Dessert was really disappointing. The carrot cake was dry & covered in deep fried carrots. We were disappointed as this was our last night here splurge. Pros: drinks & bartender. Cons: everything else. Having hit just about every eating establishment in in esperanza, our conclusion is stick with bili for a nice dinner, duffys for a casual dinner & sol food for lunch. Otherwise cook for yourself! read more

Phenomenal - as good as any food I've had in DC or elsewhere. Went here with my GF on our trip to Vieques in January 2010, and we enjoyed it so much the first night we came back and ate again. Owners are expats from Virginia/North Carolina. The hostess/co-owner is a former interior decorator from Richmond who has both Southern charm and a keen eye for design (the place is beautiful) and runs the place like any Michelin-starred NYC place in terms of their service, which is all the more remarkable considering how slow and island-timey 99.9% of everything else is on Vieques. Her husband was chef at a top restaurant in Raleigh and it shows - the food was terrific. Menu was eclectic (Latin/Asian fusian, co-Asian fusion), reasonable prices, and everything we had was good -- the tuna, the lobster/shrimp mofongo (particularly amazing), the veal vindaloo (I wont tell my Indian friends about that), the Peking duck pad thai...great ceviche...and possibly best sangria I've ever had. Five stars for sure! read more

El Quenepo is a wonderful place to eat while in Vieques, PR. The amazing smell will draw you in and the service will keep you there! Ryan was our waiter and he was so lovely and charming! He was well versed in the menu and all of the specials. Kate the owner was also so lovely and accommodating she took the time to give us tips on where to go on the island. The food is amazing! The first visit there We started with the tuna poke appetizer and it is outstanding! For the entree's I had the spiny lobster and Chris had the mofungo. They were both delicious, however the chickpea mofungo is one of a kind and cannot be enjoyed anywhere else! Definitely ask for it!!! The second visit we got the tuna poke again and enjoyed more seafood dishes like the whole fried red snapper caught that day! All in all its a great place to eat, staffed and owned by warm and wonderful people, serving THE MOST DELICIOUS FOOD on the island! No other restaurant on the strip in Esperanza compares! read more

El Quenepo is one of the few restaurants on Vieques at which a meal would qualify as fine dining. The service is wonderful, food presentation is thoughtful, and, most importantly, everything generally tastes pretty good. The chef can get a little creative and, for the most part, succeeds when he does. Last time I was there, I shared one of the specials- rabbit fricassee, the thai beef, and an entree-sized fried goat cheese and arugula salad. The two meat dishes had a lot going on in each of them, so that sometimes textures and flavors competed with each other, but each individual flavor held its own when isolated. Portions are huge; come hungry or expect to take home leftovers. Though El Quenepo is one of the pricier options on Vieques, a meal there is a good value given the quality and how satisfied you'll be when you leave. It's a potentially romantic venue, but you won't feel uncomfortable if you're dining there with friends or family. read more