This place is definitely a hidden gem! It's tucked between two extremely popular restaurants that seem to be all over TikTok and usually have long wait times. We actually tried to get into one of them, but the wait was 30 minutes, so we decided to walk a little farther down the street. That's when we spotted Genesis. I'll admit, I was hesitant because there was nobody inside, but wow, am I glad we gave it a chance! There were four of us in our group, and every single person raved about their meal. With every bite, I found myself saying, "Yum!" One person ordered the smoked pork chops and loved every bite. My husband had the yellow rice and chicken and thought it was excellent. I ordered the chicken mofongo, and wow--the flavor was incredible! The fourth person in our group had the shrimp mofongo and absolutely loved it as well. The owner was there, and her son was our server. Everyone was incredibly friendly, the service was great, and our food came out quickly. They also had some wonderful beer specials. Don't let this restaurant pass you by because of its location or the fact that it may not be packed. Some of the best meals are found in places like this. Everything we ordered was delicious, the hospitality was outstanding, and we left wondering why more people weren't eating there. I highly recommend this restaurant! read more

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We decided to try some of their seafood, a shrimp mofongo dish and a lobster dish with garlic. The shrimp had a mound of plantains and other stuff, which was really good. The shrimp was plump and juicy. There could have been a couple more shrimp on the dish, though. Their beans and rice is an excellent mix, you've got to try it. The garlic lobster was amazing; lots of lobster, and it was cooked well with a great sauce. Well decorated interior with about 10 tables or so, kind of a small place. Service was decent. We had a nice visit. read more

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Great outside seating. Best chicken soup I've had in a long long time - just plain tasty. Waiter guy was low-key and cool. Happy hour drink specials all day long. read more

The restaurant has electricity sockets just for decoration, they dont even work! And in what world is water more expensive than soda??? Plus the only foods that are less than $15 is the appetizers and soups!!! read more

I'll start out with the positive - some of the food was decent. The chicken mofongo I ordered was actually tasty. The chicken and rice soup was okay - it was a little bland. But the shrimp salad was not good - not only was the presentation completely absent, but both the main and the side of fries lacked any sort of seasoning. The food itself is not enough to warrant the low rating. The reason for that was the horrible service I received. Without exaggeration, this was the worst restaurant service I have experienced in my life. And it wasn't just us, as I heard many other parties complaining throughout our time at this restaurant. The first red flag was when it took over 30 minutes after ordering for us to even get water and our drinks we ordered. It took another 30 minutes after that for us to get the one appetizer we ordered (garlic bread with shrimp). Then we started noticing that tables that were seated after us were getting their food before us. I overheard several other tables complaining about the same exact thing, and one family even wished us luck as they were exiting the restaurant because it took them 2 hours to receive their food. 30 minutes after their closing time, they clearly became frantic and started serving tables completely out of order. In addition to the incredibly long wait times, one of our waiters was also pretty rude. When one of our party asked what the dish that was being brought over was, the waiter annoyingly stated "I don't know what you guys ordered." Surely you at least know the names of the dishes at your own restaurant? Overall, I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone - the food is not worth the long wait times and subpar service. read more

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First off this is the best empanada I've ever had in my entire life and I've been to 50 countries. The staff is more than sweet. It's a nice little almost dive restaurant in the mix of all of old San Juan, and their prices are right not trying to take advantage of people. I highly recommend. read more

Wow, this mall also has a Tesla dealership! I'm not sure what model this one is but it's certainly snazzy! read more

Genesis - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

What an amazing find. Friendly staff, great service, and the food. Most excellent.. Highly recommend.. The beef Mofongo is incredibly flavorful.. with the prices not too bad at all.. the wait is well worth it.. So sit back, relax and enjoy some local cuisine.. read more

This place is a solid 4. Service was great. Had chicken mofongo and skirt steak. Very happy with both. Not sure why people have given one star. Service was a little slow, but multiple parties came in at the same time and they have a small kitchen. Everything else was great. read more

Genesis - Skirt Steak with side (fries) and the chicken mofongo. - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Would not recommend. Super slow service to the point the waiter must have intentionally been ignoring us. We ordered one round of drinks and then our meals. We did not get to order a second round for over an hour and it took us two hours to finish our meal and service. The food was not good. Mine arrived cold. One appetizer was Panelas I believe. It was bland and flavorless. My drink was awful, margarita in the rocks. They included an unwarranted automatic gratuity. Four lunch plates, 2 appetizers, 1 round of drinks plus one beer water and soda totalled almost $180. There are better options nearby which we were not aware of. Ambiance... none. read more

The food was great and plentiful. The service was perfect. The waiter was attentive and checked in on us. He informed us of specials. The ambiance was peaceful and inviting. read more

Genesis - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Came here with the family. I ordered the churrasco with tostones 8.5/10. Overall pretty good. I also got the mango milkshake and let me just say skip it 1/10. My boyfriend got the steak with mofongo 6.5/10. Fries and nuggets were dry for the kids lol. 2/10. Good place but only in their local dishes. read more

Genesis - Churassco was good! Not much but taste good! - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

My fiancé and I had lunch here on our 1st day in San Juan. Because San Juan are where the tourist are at it was hard figuring out where to eat! So we just decided to stop here and the hostess outside also talked us into coming in. My fiancé had the pernil - I'm not a pork lover but when I tried it, OMG!!.. melt in you mouth!!!!... and the rice was out of this world! I ordered the carbs guisada - let me tell you, I could eat the whole pot!!.. the meat was so soft I could cut it with a spoon. The best part was the rice and beans!!!... all the flavors married to well!! Def a place I would go to again and refer! read more

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Buen servicio, buenas vibras, y el dinner bien yummy! definitely would come back again! read more

Genesis - Mofongo y empanadas de queso, delicioso!!!! 10/10 también ordene un milkshake de mango y strawberry - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Service was great. Everybody was soooo nice, but the food was not really that good. Honesty, the spices and flavors of most of their dishes were lack luster. Bathrooms were gross. On the positive, there was no wait here. read more

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I'm not sure how this place could get any good reviews. The food was overcooked, dry and bland. My partner ordered the pork chops. They were as tough as leather and barely edible. We've had tastier leather straps honestly. I had the whole snapper, which was a little bit better, but also overcooked, which was a shame because it looked beautiful. However, the waiter was oddly passive aggressive. He got snippy with me when I asked what he recommended. He actually said "I don't recommend, we've been here 22 years". In case I thought it a language issue, I heard him arguing with another table in English. It then took him fifteen minutes to bring us the bill after we asked for it. I would not come here or recommend it to anyone I liked. read more

Don't judge a book by its cover. Mom and I stumbled upon this spot and ordered chicharrones de pollo con mofongo. It was delicious! We played it safe by getting something simple and it worked in our favor. Our server Leo was awesome too. read more

Genesis - Chicharrones de pollo con mofongo - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

My tour guide suggested this restaurant and it didn't disappoint. I had the shrimp mofongo with garlic and the chicken empanadas. They were both delicious! It is in a touristy location very convenient to the cruise ships. It also seemed like there were a bunch of locals enjoying the food, or at least a lot of people were speaking Spanish. read more

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Great service plentiful and tasty Latin food . Good Pina colada's . Bonus the owner spoke English ! Loved it .

This place was recommended to us at a bar. Did not disappoint. Food was delicious. Service was excellent, and some good music to go with the meal. We enjoyed ourselves and all for a great price. read more

Almost passed it by but glad we didn't. I got the chicken empanadas which were light and flaky. Wished there was a little more chicken meat but what was there was delicious! They served it with a sauce which went with it perfectly and hot sauce. Yumm!! I got the chicken breast with sweet plantain covered in a cheese sauce with a side of rice and beans. It was very good. My husband got media soup, which was a type of chicken noodle soup. The seasoning was perfection. He got the van can pork chop for an entree again with a side of rice and beans. He loved it! Would definitely recommend trying it out! read more

Genesis - Chicken with Sweet Plantain and rice and beans - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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This is my family's second visit to Genesis and it was wonderful! The food was delicious, the service is fast, and the staff is very kind. The portions are perfect! Definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting the area. read more

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Neighborhood hangout- according to 3 different locals that referred it to us. Average place you would find in a residential area in my opinion. Good food, friendly service, reasonable prices and clean/acceptable surroundings. Nothing fancy though. We had a nice mojito, rice & shrimp soup with red sauce, chicken mofongo and flan. All were delicious though this is my first time in Puerto Rico so am no expert. We had a nice time and nice meal- certainly would go back. read more

This place was amazing! The best restaurant I visited while in Puerto Rico. It is a sort of hole in wall restaurant and not too big, but the food did not disappoint. The food is also very reasonably priced. My table ordered the Empanadilla (Turnovers) appetizer. It comes with one beef, one chicken, one cheese, & one crab. All of them were flavorful and tasty. We also ordered margaritas which were good. For the entree, I ordered the Arroz con Pollo (rice with chicken). 100% the best chicken and rice meal I have ever had. The chicken was seasoned perfectly and juicy as well. The rice was packed with flavor and neither under nor over cooked. Their special hot sauce is to die for! Make sure you order it if you like sauces with a twist! When I return to Puerto Rico, this will definitely be at the very top of my list! read more

Genesis - Chicken with rice - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Delicious food and a very kind and helpful staff. An awesome happy hour and I would be glad to return again. EDIT: I was in an area with limited service when this was written and just wanted to add to my review. While on a cruise, we asked around about a good local spot, as we did not want to hit the Señor Frogs that everyone on the boat seemed to flock to. A few people recommended this spot, and while walking around, we happened to pass it! A kind young girl was standing outside with menus who greeted us while we approached the building and chatted with us about their menu. We went it and had an awesome meal! The building itself isn't anything spectacular, but both the dining area and bathrooms were very clean. Food was wonderful; had mofongo and it was the best plate I've ever had! Boyfriend had Chicken Cordon Bleu which he also enjoyed a lot. And all of the staff was very kindabd my dining experience was very good. I would be overjoyed to return to Genesis in the event I find myself in San Juan again. read more

Genesis - Top plate: Chicken Cordon Bleu Bottom Plate: Garlic Chicken Mofongo - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Service was friendly and on point; skirt steak with beans & rice and pina colada were delicious. Thank you

Got seated quickly but sat there over 15 minutes waiting for a server. We even asked for help but no one ever came. We got up and left after 20 minutes. read more

It was the best food me and my family had in a long long time. Every dish that we tried we fell in love with and was very happy to be there. Best point was that is was very close to the Port. We will be going back the next time vacationing in PR. read more

This place is precious! You can sit outside right along the street which is nice. But they have plants to give you a very relaxed private feel. My husband and I had breakfast here. We both ordered the French toast. I ordered mine without ham (I'm a vegetarian). My husband said the ham was very good. It was a thin sliced ham and it looked a bit grilled. The French toast was good, it was very well done. I enjoyed it. The service was very good. We even ordered beers with breakfast! Very cool! read more

Genesis - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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I was looking for a place to eat were I didn't have to wait for a long time. Good service, food delicious. I ordered bisteck with onions tasty and tender and mofongo. Good deserts I had coconut flan. Nice atmosphere. The music they played in the background Latin music, my favorites. They may not be the biggest restaurant in that area but they make it up in services and food. Definitely I will return. read more

It was good, not amazing. Might go again but only because I'd like to try the fish. We had the pork & plantains for two which was good. Large serving. The plantains needed seasoning. The beans and rice needed seasoning. Piña colada was refreshing but not as expected. Not really picture worthy, simple. read more

Had a terrible experience here. The server forgot to put our order in so we had to wait for over 30 minutes after we ordered. Then, once we get our food there was a long black hair in one of the dishes. Unfortunately my daughter didn't spot it until the end. The food was okay, but that and the service resulted in the one star. We just asked for our check. One we got it, there was no discount for our troubles. They definitely could've made it right but didn't even try. Too many other options nearby to waste your time here. read more

The service is the beat we've had since being in PR, but the food was not great. The corn sticks were very good, but the rest was bland, bland, bland. There were 5 of us and we each had a different entree and we all agreed that the over- riding flavor was salt. read more

We are visiting Puerto Rico and decided to stop here while walking around Old San Juan. We saw on their menu outside that they had drinks and decided to take a seat outside. We originally were just stopping for drinks but decided to try some Mofongo because we had heard so much about it and the pictures looked good that were advertised here. This was one of the best dishes I have ever had while visiting Puerto Rico (i have been three times). Pictured is the chicken with garlic mofongo. The plantains were perfectly cooked and flavorful and the chicken just fell apart, it had so much flavor and was cooked excellently. I also had a passion fruit mojito that was excellent. Unlike other mojitos I have had, there was lots of mint leaves and great passion fruit flavor, it was also strong! Our waiter was amazing as well. He was so friendly and talked to us about Puerto Rico and things to do. He gave us great suggestions for our food and drinks and sauces to go with the food. He was very efficient and super friendly. I want to go back here every day of my stay, that's how good it was! read more

Genesis - Chicken with garlic mofongo - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Good authentic Latin food and cheap beer! I highly recommend the Monfongo Pollo and sit outside to enjoy the busy street scene.

Seriously awful. Long wait times, rude/disinterested staff, food is less than stellar. Seriously avoid this tourist trap. We waited for over an hour for our meal and when we asked how long it'd take, nobody came back for an update! read more

My husband and I were visiting Old San Juan and neither of us had ever tried Puerto Rican food. We stopped here for lunch and needless to say, we are now HUGE fans of Puerto Rican food!!!!! The Arroz con Pollo, empadillas, plantains and their own homemade hot sauce was so good! We even bought a bottle of their hot sauce to take home even though it was technically not for sale! I would definitely come back! read more

We stepped into Genesis without checking reviews. We are here in PR for a week for professional conference. It's hard eating out for so many meals! Our meal here at Genesis is what we call back home, good home style family cooking. I had the Churrasco Steak with chimichurri sauce, red beans and rice and a fresh cabbage slaw salad. The sangria was just right, not too sweet. The inside was quaint, clean, humble and hospitable. I would definitely go back! read more

We came here as a default as other places were all booked up or closing. It was pretty late. It's pretty run down but the food was ok. I has mofongo relleno with shrimp. Not really stuffed, just on top with a little gravy. My love ordered the skirt steak and onions with rice and beans. The mofongo was better than the steak, both were just ok. I would not go back unless there were no other options which was pretty much the case when we went. read more

This was the perfect stop after our shopping excursions. Primarily because they had specials and they weren't afraid to advertise it. We had 2 for $5 local beers and 2 for $10 and 2 for $12 margaritas and piña coladas. Also had great tequila shot deals but we weren't at that point of our night yet. Service was great and friendly and we had a great seat outside. UPDATE Went back for round two a few hours later with the rest of our group and had killer food and some more drinks. You can't beat the prices and their Mufongos with chicken and pork were amazing. Watch out for their hot sauces, they were amazing but they resulted in us drinking a few extra beers in order to calm the tongue down. read more

Genesis - Puerto Rican Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico