Epic birthday meal! Chef Peter and his team truly delivered perfection for our group of 23. I've had at least four people tell me the tasting menu was in the top 3 meals of their lives - and we have some foodies in the group (even the Frenchman was impressed)! The short of it: -Prix fixe tasting + wine pairings for 23 guests -2 vegetarians and 2 food allergies handled with class and creativity -timing = perfect -food = delish, unique but approachable - beautifully presented -staff = super polished The longer version: For my 40th birthday, we asked a group of friends to come to Puerto Rico for a long weekend ... the centerpiece would be a hosted Saturday night dinner. It didn't take much research to determine that Marmalade was on the top of the list. Via email, I inquired as to availability for our large group and whether they could accommodate my budget. Chef Peter personally responded and we collaborated to make 1-2 small edits that would bring the price right to what I was hoping for ... the beauty of having a prix fixe was a nice stress reducer. I also shared that we had a few food allergies and two vegetarians - which Peter noted. From there, it was a quick deposit via form ... reconfirmed the guest count about 10 days before and we headed over at 8PM that Saturday night. We were greeted like old friends and escorted to a section of the restaurant that was perfect in every way. Three tables of 8 each that were slightly off to the side of the main dining area and separated by gauzy curtains. We felt secluded without being cut off - which ensured we could have toasts and really enjoy the good group vibe. The staff - led by Rafael - were attentive and so knowledgeable about the food and wines we enjoyed. Several of which were photographed by diners in our group as they wanted to get them again at home:) I have no good pics of the food - mostly because we were enjoying ourselves too much. What I can say is that the approach to a tasting menu at Marmalade is exactly the right balance of variety and portion size - much preferred to a traditional many coursed menu. We did a 15 course meal - which sounds crazy, but works out great. What he did for our group was offer a sort of 'family style' for 3-4 fish and veggie plates, then again for 3-4 pastas. After that, each guest got a personal teacup of their delicious bean soup as well as their own entree (small but reasonable portion). Desserts again were family style of 4 options. Each person got to try plenty of each item and usually there was enough that if you loved it you could get more. For our special meal needs - custom items were fashioned - which many people at the table tried (I was especially impressed with their spaghetti squash that was fab). Throughout the evening, if someone wanted more of something or needed a different option the staff were pleased to help - and quickly. One of our servers (I think her name was Kathy, but I apologize if that's incorrect) was so knowledgeable and ensured that we had all the info on our meal and wines. As an ex-hotelier, the thing that impressed me most is that Chef Peter and his team accommodated our very large party with perfect timing ... all while they had a completely full dinning room of other guests. Whether you're going for a romantic dinner for two or a large group, I feel confident that your meal and service will be outstanding. For me, this ranks in my top 10 meals (for context, we love to eat well and I've done The French Laundry, several Michelin restaurants in FR and NYC) ... well done Chef Peter! Thank you team Marmalade for making my 40th memorable for me and my loved ones! Kirsten read more

Marmalade - Chef Peter & team helped make my 40th BDay dinner memorable & delish for our group of 23! Well done y'all! - Caribbean Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Just amazing! Every detail - perfect! Wonderful staff, met the owner, the chef... ambiance. Special. If there were a 6th star I would give it. PERFECT! Must try the white bean soup. Love this place ... will certainly be back! read more

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My friends and I had one of the most fantastic dinners at Marmalade last night. I could go on about the delicious food and beautiful restaurant all of which was 5 star. But the real star of the show was the service. Our server Kat was so incredibly knowledgeable about the food and wine that it took the dining experience to a higher level. Each member of the staff handled us with perfect orchestration. You only see this type of perfection at the finest restaurant in the world. The chef even visited us to check in. My advice is to get the 5 course with the wine pairings and a cocktail to start. Let Kat take you on the journey. You won't be sorry. read more

Great dining experience in San Juan that can rival some of the top restaurants here in LA (ie, Providence, Cut, Crustacean, etc.). The food was fantastic and the service was top notch. On the menu you can either do a la carte or go with the prix fixe. The set menu is a better deal so we went with that. It's a four course meal for $59 each. However, if you're doing a la carte, you MUST GET the White Bean Soup. It's MAGNIFICENT. It's so good it'll temp you to literally LICK THE BOWL clean!!! http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=-GOheEm_Wq9DsB5jeak_xA&userid=7an-zIbFKvGxjpeNN9H9ow Here's what else we got: Truffle Pasta - fresh made noodles and great truffle flavor. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=Zk41ZPY_v_KS27w2M-NoIA&userid=7an-zIbFKvGxjpeNN9H9ow Lamb Tagine - has a strong curry flavor similar to Indian curry. I LOVED it but it might not be for everyone since my wife wasn't too fond of it. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=76P1JQjiLOifsiYDffcjmg&userid=7an-zIbFKvGxjpeNN9H9ow Sea Bass - very delicious, light and tasty http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=0UQja2CVmrc8MYFyHzLu2Q&userid=7an-zIbFKvGxjpeNN9H9ow Lobster Risotto - my favorite dish, good amount of lobster pieces in it. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=psa_BFcGTXOHvRbYeA3IOg&userid=7an-zIbFKvGxjpeNN9H9ow Bread Pudding - as a person who doesn't normally eat dessert, I suggest you make sure you leave some room for this. It's THAT good. They can recommend a nice rum to pair with it. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=7an-zIbFKvGxjpeNN9H9ow Top shelf cocktails are about $10-15 and a good bottle of wine is about $90. Will definitely go back here next time we're in San Juan. I'm not surprised it's #1 on Tripadvisor for restaurants in San Juan. read more

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Marmalade was recommended to us by a server at our hotel, and when we checked Yelp to read the reviews, it sounded like a great option for our last dinner in Puerto Rico. The cocktail list is incredible. I'm talking some of the most creative and inspiring combinations I've ever seen or tasted. I had a drink called The Farmer's Daughter, which had bacon vodka, beer, celery juice, muddled arugula and a giant barbecue-tomato ice cube (though it was hard to drink without a cocktail straw; I'd suggest adding one while serving!). My boyfriend drank the Urban Hipster, with rum, ginger beer and fresh shredded coconut. We tried the five course tasting menu for dinner, which comes standard with a round of the tiny white bean soup. Unbelievable. I did not want that little cup of soup to end, it was just so delicious. The ceviche I had for my first course was a bit heavier than I expected. I would have preferred a more classic version. But my meal from that point forward was really on-point. The lobster risotto had a lot of meat and it was my favorite course after the soup. I also had the turbot with peas and lobster butter (a slight up-charge), which was very nice. Desserts were great, though I only had room for a few forkfuls of my butterscotch and banana bread pudding. This was a very nice way to end our vacation and I'd recommend checking it out if you want to splurge. read more

If you're spending close to $300 for 2, the food should be exceptional and it makes me uncomfortable to say that Marmalade just wasn't. Usually, splurges for $100+ per person don't disappoint for us. This experience left us confused. Was it a fluke? I hope so considering all the rave reviews. As a side note, our server (Katy....spelling? Not sure) was absolutely fantastic and she was very attentive, friendly and great at answering our questions. What we both ordered: 6 Course Tasting Menu Rockstars of the night: --White bean soup - If only every dish were on par with this one, Marmalade would be receiving 4-5 stars --Coffee and doughnuts (fully dip the donuts into the chocolate raspberry mousse!!) --Milk chocolate, macadamia nut, passion fruit - really really effing good. Beautifully presented. The bavarian cream was perfect and the flavors and textures all came together nicely. --Global warming cocktail - Spicy coming to the end of it - amazing and not something you get many places! --Pappardelle - One of my favorites. the truffle oil was strong and the pasta was cooked just right. Good: --Ceviche - Good flavors. A little soupy. I liked the touch of mandarin orange though. The plantain rounds were nice. --Poke - acidity from the tomato balanced this out very nicely. High quality sashimi. The thin cracker accompaniment was a nice touch. My bf was a huge fan. --Gnocchi was one of the better dishes. Rich and good flavor but could have been less salty. I liked that the gnocchi wasn't too heavy and wasn't too light - made very well. Decent: --Beets - I enjoyed this dish but it's fare that has become standard at new american restaurants - beets paired with goat cheese and greens. Always a go to for me. It's a refreshing dish to whet your appetite for the heavier dishes! --Rabbit Mac N Cheese - This was NOT mac n cheese!! Where was the cheese?! It was a medley of pasta, veggies, rabbit meat, and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese on top. The rabbit was good. They should rename this dish on the menu. --Pineapple cocktail was tasty, but not special like the Global Warming drink. Could have done without: --Scallops - Undercooked, it was more clear than opaque, closer to the consistency that I've had when eating raw scallops at sushi restaurants. The entire dish was lukewarm and got cold very quickly. The dish also lacked acid and spice. There were beans and corn thrown into an unremarkable sweet sauce. Lacked depth. --Snapper - Fish was beautifully cooked. Sauce was too salty, flavor would have been better with less salt. Chorizo tasted like pepperoni. If only it were just the fish sans sauce. For the price point, there shouldn't be dishes we could do without. I suggest being conservative here. Come for cocktails and desserts, maybe the apps. Definitely have the white bean soup! read more

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This was definitely a good option for a birthday dinner splurge. I'd rate it an A, but not an A+. They are probably trying for a Michelin star, but are just not quite there yet. That being said the prices are equivalent with the quality received. The cocktails, were very good; and the wine pairings were nicely paired. I'd say our favorite dishes were the beets, the pasta/pea/morel mushroom dish (I'm particularly in love with morels), the halibut, and the blueberry/bourbon/maple bacon dessert, and the bean soup. There were 3 of us and we selected all different dishes (5 each) except one (the soup), and we didn't dislike any of them. The only disappointment was the cheeseboard dessert option; definitely underwhelming, especially since it cost extra. We always get this option at the Michelin star restaurant in our town, and it is much more impressive, and you get to select the cheeses. But all in all, a totally enjoyable meal and we will go again when we are next in PR. read more

This is relatively a new restaurant in Old San Juan. Right on this street there's a growing trend of various cousins including Asian, and this one, Marmalade, which is a bit European. The entrance doesn't look like a restaurant so make sure you don't miss it, it helps that they have a "poster" with the chef's picture and menu outside. The décor is beautiful. If you're on a date you can get one of the "couch" style tables, or if you're a big group you'll get sort of a "private" area. Of course there's tables for all other parties. Menu is A La Carte and designed to enjoy from 4 - 8 courses. There's even "pre-fixed" menus to make your choice easier. It's a bit more expensive than a lot of the restaurants in the area but once you go in you'll know why. Their specialty is the white bean soup now, I'm not a fan of soups and even less beans but, let me tell you, this is outstanding. I would go back just to have this again. The other thing I really liked from their menu was the Mojito Scallop, served on a martini glass, the server pours, out of a martini shaker, a mix of mojito (yes with alcohol and coconut milk), and spices. This is another must in the menu. I also tried the gnocchi but unfortunately found it too heavy. Desserts are presented beautifully, the donuts and coffee is a perfect ending to the meal, or the Crème Brule. You could also chose from their list of teas and coffees. Marmalade is a great place to have a nice dinner in beautiful Old San Juan. read more

I have almost never more willingly vanquished a 5 star rating to a restaurant. Marmalade is just that good and then some. On our trip to San Juan, the bf and I decided to do as the locals do and try a variety of authentic restaurants but we definitely saved one night for fine dining indulgence. And boy am I glad that we did! Marmalade is hands down one of the best culinary masterpieces of Puerto Rico and I'd even venture to say it rivals with some of the creme de la creme of SF fine dining. The mastery of the three pillars of foodie pleasure (service, ambiance and food) and the uncanny take on Puerto Rican and Caribbean flavors on top of traditional French cuisine is masterfully executed. I highly recommend doing what we did and doing the 6 course prix fix with wine pairings. The best part is that you get to hand select your courses from choices on the menu. It's not predetermined in any manner like normal tasting menus. And the wine parings perfectly compliment the respective dishes to the last dotted i. Although it's hard to go wrong with literally anything on the menu, here is the scoop on the must haves: white bean soup, lobster risotto, ceviche and foie gras! Avoid the seafood paella bites though - they are very small and lack in flavor. Don't waste one of your courses on them! Also, despite being a fine dining establishment, the portion sizes are on the generous side - so prepare to be STUFFED after your 6 course tasting menu. So on your next San Juan vacay, don't forget to make a fancy pit stop at Marmalade - your taste buds will be forever indebted to you! Happy Eating, Yelpers! read more

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We chose Marmalade for our 25th anniversary. They gave us a great table and server. We decided on the 4 course menu. Everything was delicious from one course to the next. Nothing disappointed. Definitely try the Tiny White Bean Soup and Choco-L8 for dessert. Our server even gave us two little chocolates they have for New Years (sea salt and Coquito). They were a nice treat to end a delicious meal. My husband and I have eaten all over the world and this was one of our top meals. Thanks for a great evening of great food! read more

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By far one of the best restaurants Ive been to in quite some time. Do yourself a favor go and get the 4 or 5 course price fix menu and you will not be disappointed. read more

Had such an awesome meal here - probably the overall best food/atmosphere/service we experienced in Puerto Rico. Our waitress was so sweet, gave great recommendations, joked around with us and was just very pleasant. The drinks were delish, I had a spicy margarita sort of deal while my boyfriend had a smokey bacon cocktail. The drinks were strong but tasted good! We did the five-course meal which is SO reasonably priced (though I'm ruined by NYC prices). Some standout dishes were the Ahi Tuna Tartar, Black Truffle Pappardelle, and Beef Tenderloin. For dessert I got the Choco-L8 (super rich) and my boyfriend got the Salted Caramel Corn Creme Brulee which I proceeded to also eat half of. read more

Marmalade - Choco-L8 with a birthday candle! - Caribbean Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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I must honestly say that the food served at marmalade has to be THE best tasting food that I have ever tried! I must clarify not one of but THE best tasting food. I followed the advice of some of my fellow yelpers who suggested the four course tasting option and I had no regrets. Although, the four courses are very filling it allows you to try various dishes. My sister who dined with me opted for only a single entree and couldn't stay away from my side of the table each time a dish was brought out to me. For my first course I started with the bean soup based on the reviews even though I am not a soup lover - but I loved this soup! Next I had the the lobster risotto and the sea bass. Both dishes were unbelievably delicious and by dessert I thought it could not get any better but I was wrong. I chose the bread pudding which was not easy based on the choices and descriptions. The bread pudding was melt in your mouth delicious! My pineapple mojito was pretty good and well made mojitos in my opinion are hard to find. Not sure how any one person can get through anything beyond the four courses because I was beyond completely full but my taste buds were soooo satisfied. This restaurant will definitely be on my MUSTdo list whenever I visit San Juan again. read more

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We came here on vacation to celebrate 3 of my friends' bdays and I'm so glad we chose Marmalade! Since we were in a large group we did the tasting menu for $99 (there were options to also pair wines with each course but we opted to choose our own wine/cocktails). Everything was of course delicious but my personal favs were: popcorn shrimp, the "bite sized" paella, pappardelle pasta (with LOADS of truffle!!), and the sea bass (which was my main course). The sea bass had a tangy pineapple glaze which was amazing!! The restaurant has a trendy and unique modern decor, and it attracts a young and fun crowd. The staff was beyond wonderful and offered tons of alternatives for those who had food allergies. In summary, Marmalade is a must visit while in San Juan!! read more

Amazing. They offer 4, 5, or 6 course tasting menu with optional wine pairings. We opted for the 4 course tasting menu and were very fulfilled. Def well deserved Michelin star restaurant and worth the money spent. Each dish was tasteful and service was top notch too. I appreciated the chef coming around and greeting each table. The timing between the 2nd course and 3rd course was a bit of a wait for our table (which caused a full dining time of about 2 1/2- 3hrs) but regardless, the experience did not disappoint. read more

The way they run their business is wrong. We have a 14 people reservation for thanksgiving night with 6 kids in the party. They assured us they will have something for the kids made specially since they didn't have kids menu. On the day of the reservation they called to inform us that they would require also $125 per child for dine in which forces us to cancel and go to Piccolino Cucina Italiana which turned out to be a much better choice. Greed caused this place to lose our business and any future businesses since we have frequent business association in PR and many business dine in which will not be in this place anymore. read more

Marmalade is a must for any foodies out there who are in the San Juan area!!! My husband and I went for a slightly belated anniversary dinner since we had heard such good things about the restaurant. They offer 4, 5 or 6 course tasting menus, with or without wine pairings, or you can order a la carte. Our server welcomed us and explained how the menu worked. If you choose 4 courses, you get 2 appetizers, 1 entree and 1 dessert, all are same size as a la carte dishes. If you choose 5 courses, it's 3 appetizers, 1 entree and 1 dessert, all slightly smaller than a la carte, and if you choose 6 courses, it's 4 appetizers, 1 entree and 1 dessert, slightly smaller than the 5 course dishes. Since I wanted to try pretty much everything on the menu, of course we went with the 6 course menu with wine pairings...if you're going for it, you might as well go for it!!! The wine pairings are already selected for each dish, so you can pick your options based on both the food you like and the wine you like. The wine pairings are about 1/2 a glass of wine, which is just enough to accompany each course. We ordered the following: Me: Appetizers: Paella, Foie Gras, Gnocchi with short ribs, Black Truffle Pappardelle. Entree: Sea bass. Dessert: Caramel Corn Creme Brulee with peanut brittle ice cream. Hubby: Appetizers: White Bean Soup, Jamon Iberico, Duck, Rabbit. Entree: Beef Tenderloin. Dessert: Warm Banana & Butterscotch Bread Pudding with aged rum ice cream. It was fabulous! We liked everything. I need to go back, just to try the remaining items on the menu. My only caution would be the foie gras - it is a very large/rich portion so may be one to skip if you are doing 6 courses. It was tasty though, I just couldn't finish that one. I can't even pick a favorite because I liked everything so much!! If I had to pick must haves, it would probably be the white bean soup and the black truffle pappardelle. But I don't think you'll go wrong with anything you pick!! read more

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Wow, everything was perfect ambiance, servers and the taste of every dish was fantastic. Tonight was our first night out for diner on this trip and Marmalade surely set the bar very high. read more

Marmalade was a great choice for special occasion dining in Old San Juan. * Please know this is not your walk-in-and-get-a-table type place. Make a reservation, and expect this to NOT be like dining at any of the restaurants in the area, - more like dining in a downtown restaurant in your local big city back home. I had the chance to dine here on 2/8/13 with my husband and 2 other couples. We celebrated a birthday so the restaurant decorated the table with flower petals, the staff was attentive, and really made the B-day girl feel special. Most of us had the 4 or 5 course tasting menu which I feel was a better deal $$ wise, and I can honestly say the food was quite good- the portions were more than adequate ( all of us were stuffed by the end,) and there were more than a few standouts in the many dishes that we tried. Some of the items we fell in love with: White bean soup: This is so much more than just a bean soup, it is velvet comfort in soup form! Thai curry Bologna Garganelli: a surprise fav of the group Gnocchi: Decadent fall-apart beef and the softest gnocchi on the planet Black truffle Pappardelle Lamb Tagine: the lamb was tender, marcona almonds, pomegranate seeds and olives were lovely flavor and texture wise This is not a place to try the traditional foods of Puerto Rico, but it is the place to have a more frou-frou restaurant experience, celebrate a special occasion, or pamper your self with course after course of decadent dishes. Definitely a great choice if you are looking this type of dining experience. read more

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This is the #1-rated restaurant on TripAdvisor and recommended by my coworker whose husband is from PR so we had to try it during our trip! I'm happy to say our dining experience lived up to the hype! We did the four-course meal for $59 each. The menu describes it as a tasting menu but the serving sizes are actually complete courses. The second course is the white bean soup unless you object. Do not object -- it is delicious!! You then get to pick from a selection of appetizers for your first course, an entree for your third course, and a dessert for your fourth course. If you do the 5-course or 6-course menu, you get to pick additional appetizers. We were full before dessert came with the four-course. Bread is free but only upon request. It is a hot baguette with olive oil. It was really good dipped in the white bean soup. First course: yellowtail poke and popcorn shrimp. Both excellent. I loved the poke sauce. The shrimp is grilled and garnish with actual popcorn. Very creative and beautiful presentation. Second course: white bean soup. As delicious as everyone says. You can request the recipe. It comes on a postcard. Third course: sea bass and beef tenderloin. Both dishes were beautifully presented and perfectly executed. Fourth course: banana and butterscotch bread pudding and "coffee and donuts". Both were delicious. The bread pudding comes hot with rum ice cream on top. The donuts are chocolate beignets. The coffee is chocolate pot de creme. Cocktails: the global warming cocktail is an ice globe with jalapeño peppers frozen inside. The idea is that the drink gets spicier as the ice melts. Very neat concept. The pineapple mojito was made with fresh pineapple. Very tasty but small. Our server was polite and professional. Literally my only complaint about the entire evening is that the hostess at the door was unfriendly when she seated us. This restaurant cannot be missed on your trip to San Juan. It is an $18 cab ride from Condado (we stayed at La Concha). Be sure to make reservations for dinner -- you can do it on OpenTable very easily. read more

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There is no question but that this is the best restaurant in Puerto Rico. I had one of the best meals of my life here. I found out about it via TripAdvisor and Yelp, and was very interested to have a chance to eat at a foodie haven like it. I consider myself to be a vegetarian foodie, and so any restaurant that has unique cuisine that is vegetarian friendly is on my radar. We made a reservation for our first night in Puerto Rico because we wanted it to be memorable! We walked in and were seated immediately at a very comfy table, complete with a sofa like bench where we could sit side by side. Our waiter greeted us right away and gave us the cocktail menu. It was hard to choose because everything looked so good! Many of their liquors are infused in house and the ingredients were so interesting. I decided on a pineapple mojito because I love those flavors. It was incredibly refreshing. An amazing drink! The vegetarian selections were vast. Don't count on the menu online, because it's not accurate. Some of the dishes on there are still on the menu, but there is an entire page dedicated to vegetarian cuisine, with 10-12 different dishes. There was also a list of appetizers, soups and salads, and entrees for meat eaters. You have the option of ordering a 4, 5 or 6 course tasting menu. We both went with 4 course tasting menus, me vegetarian and him not. They were $60 each. I got to choose any 3 dishes from the vegetarian menu, and he got to choose an appetizer, salad or soup, and entree. Our 4th course would be our choice of any dessert. For my meal, I ordered the golden beet salad first. It came with beets, greens, goat cheese, avocado, and a fruit (grapefruit maybe?) in a dressing. Yum! It was the perfect size and the flavors were amazing. Beets are something that I can appreciate when done well, and these were definitely done well. My husband got the paella bites, which came on a heavily sauced plate. He also greatly enjoyed it! The presentation was like sushi, and it looked great. The next course was a dish with parsnips, hazelnuts, cabbage and blackberry sauce, with a foam over it. I'm not doing the description justice and I wish I had written it down. Parsnips are something that I've had in things before but have never been the star of a course. I ordered this course because I thought it would be different. And it was - it was the star of the meal. WOW. AMAZING. The flavors were perfect! It was sweet and savory and just worked. My husband got a roasted asparagus salad, which was presented nicely and was also tasty. The chef was walking around clearing dishes and bringing plates out, which I thought was cool. We engaged him in conversation and talked for quite some time about food, gardening, and his history. Very cool guy! I always appreciate a chef making time to talk to diners. A bit later, he sent us out a compliment, which was a dish from the vegetarian menu, spaghetti squash with a coconut curry sauce. It was delicious - definitely spicy and creamy from the coconut. It was cooked very nicely. My entree course was a beet pasta, handmade pasta with beet in it, plus in a beet sauce with beets and goat cheese (normally comes with bleu cheese, but I don't care for it). It was my least favorite course, though it certainly wasn't bad. It would've been better in a cream sauce to showcase but not overpower with beets. The pasta was perfectly cooked. My husband's course was his favorite. It was a fish with a shrimp dumpling on top, in a sauce. He loved it because it had a crunchy layer on the fish which provided a great flavor and texture. You may think we were full, but the dishes were all great proportions and not too heavy, so of course we were going to get our dessert!!! I ordered bread pudding, which had bananas and butterscotch, with rum ice cream. My husband got the caramel corn creme brulee. My bread pudding was a perfect bread pudding texture, creamy and moist, with the ice cream complimenting it perfectly. My husband's creme brulee was also delicious, with the signature caramelized layer on top, peanut butter ice cream, and actual caramel corn on top too. The meal cost about $180 with tip, but it was worth it. The ambiance just complimented the amazing food. So memorable! I wish we could've gone back, but this was our only night in San Juan. I suggest you go and splurge here for sure. And order the parsnips!! read more

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We decided to splurge on a dinner at Marmalade for our anniversary, and were so glad we did. It was an exceptional meal from start to finish. We opted for the four course tasting menu, the smallest one available, with wine pairings. The way they do the tasting menu at Marmalade is great: Each dinner chooses her own dishes from the regular menu, so not all folks at the table have to eat the same thing. Our server actually encouraged us to select different items from each other so we could taste more dishes between us (a plan which didn't quite work out once we were each jealously guarding our own delicious food). Every dish was delicious and beautifully presented. The rabbit and polenta was a great dish, but it was overshadowed by the items with fish. The Hawaiian poke, scallops, and sea bass were all really, really good. One interesting thing is that the wine pairings aren't necessarily restricted to traditional wine. My poke was paired with a dry sake, and another dish came with a liqueur. In each case, it was an interesting pairing that introduced me to a new beverage (good), although I would probably have preferred a glass of "regular' wine. Toward the end of our meal, the chef came over to chat with us, which added a nice personal touch to the experience. Marmalade is a great choice to celebrate your special occasion in San Juan. You will have delicious food, excellent service, and a romantic ambiance. What more could you ask for? read more

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Marmalade sure costs a pretty penny. Here's how it works if you don't order a la carte. There are three food tasting options: four courses, five courses, and six courses ranging from $65-85pp. Overall the amount of food is the same for each tasting, but the portions just get smaller as you get more courses. The options you get for each course is limited to a corresponding page in their menu. And one course is designated as the tiny white bean soup - you aren't allowed to substitute it for anything else. So personally, I liked the dishes on the "five course meal" page so I felt like I was forced to pick that option, as well as the white bean soup. 5 course meal = 2 appetizers, white bean soup, entree and dessert. For our first appetizer, my boyfriend and I got the yellowtail poke and ceviche. The yellowtail was very fresh and came in nicely sized chunks with watermelon and cilantro. Neither of us like ceviche so I'm not really sure why we got it... Too acidic. Next up were the lobster risotto and rabbit. The risotto was creamy and generous with the lobster chunks, but it was salty and the rice was too al dente. The rabbit meat was tender and salted on its own, but it came with an eggplant purée and grits that made it way too salty. It would have been better paired with grits alone. The famed tiny white bean soup was good, but not as life changing as some other reviewers make it out to be... Tiny is right. It literally came in an espresso cup. The truffle oil had a nice strong presence but again, too salty. Now the entrees were the stars of the meal. The sea bass was absolutely phenomenal! It was refreshing and light, and melted in my mouth. The beef tenderloin was also an excellent choice. It was cooked perfectly medium as requested, and came on a bed of creamy garlic mashed potatoes. The desserts weren't very memorable. The vegan blueberry cakes were ok, but the poached pear was kind of strange. The pear was soaked in a tea but I didn't think the flavors went well together. The overall theme of the food was the excessive saltiness. After mentioning it to our waiter, he admitted that the staff there does enjoy salt a little too much. From our experience and what we could observe from our surrounding tables, Marmalade truly has 5 star service. The chef made his rounds at every table, and even took a picture for us! My only complaints are the despotic menu and weak cocktails. read more

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The lounge and atmosphere here is very hip and trendy. Had a few drinks in the bar/lounge area at the front of the restaurant before dinner and ended up talking to the very nice bartender who gave us a lot of tips of what to do while in San Juan. They also had a decent wine selection with a lot of CA wines but most were Argentine or Chilean. We did the 5-course tasting menu and the highlight that stood out the most to me was the "white bean and truffle soup" which is one of their signature dishes. For the main course I had the lamb and it was cooked perfectly. I wasn't a big fan of the seasoning but it was certainly different and worth the experience of tasting common dishes I've had back in US but with a bit of PR flair! read more

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What a place! We went to celebrate my wife's birthday and thoroughly enjoyed everything: ambience, decor, service, but most importantly the food. My wife is a true foodie and can be at times - ahem - a little picky. And let's be honest, we live in New York. We're food snobs. The menu completely passed muster. We loved the apps, the flavors were amazing. Like in the "popcorn shrimp." Everything was interesting, flavored well, and prepared stellarly, from appetizers to dessert. Everyone was super nice, too. I ordered an old fashioned and wasn't wild about it, and the waiter graciously exchanged it without too much fanfare. I had a dark & stormy instead, and loved it so much that I had another, too. Basically, a sweet spot that's more than worth the money. read more

Marmalade - Delish Hawaiian sea bass! - Caribbean Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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An unexpected find in Puerto Rico. Not expecting to find this caliber of restaurant in this American territory. Fantastic reviews on Yelp and TripAdvisor so decided to give it a try. Late reservation on a weeknight. Very modern, chic, interior with the bar at the front. Promptly seated and had the five course tasting menu. One nice thing about the tasting menus is you actually get to pick which dishes you want off the menu (they also offer four to six course tasting menus). Basically, you get an entree and dessert as two courses and the rest of the courses are appetizers. The white bean soup is as advertised. Came in a teacup like device and quite rich so the portion size was perfect. Great ahi tuna with hummus and cucumber. The food gras and duck sausage was good. Be warned, the size of some of the appetizers is quite generous versus other restaurants of this caliber. I would have been completely happy with just the four course tasting menu if I knew this. Main course was red snapper and no no cake (have to try this - no flour, egg, sugar, milk - you get the idea) were well done. The chef took his time to talk to us and was very involved in all aspects of how the restaurant was run. This was a nice touch. He genuinely seemed interested in how most of the diners were doing. Nice to see him doing some other roles occasionally such as taking away dishes, bringing out food and explaining the menu. Certainly doesn't mind getting his hands dirty ;) Kudos! read more

Ate here last year and remember food was amazing just don't remember the details. The bar is awesome! No need for reservations and was empty on a Thursday night. Had drinks here again. Very unique. I had the Global Warming. Kind if a margarita up with a large spherical ice cube made with something spicy. The longer it melts into the drink, the spicier the drink becomes. Ingenious! The drink was also garnished with some microgreens and hibiscus flowers. Very pretty. read more

Marmalade - Global warming - Caribbean Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Amazing meal and service here at Marmalade. The lounge up front was empty, which I found strange, but make a reservation just in case. Server was extremely helpful to us with setting up for a surprise birthday dinner. Drinks were flowing and the food was to die for! The chef came to check on our table and sent over a sample of the white bean truffle soup. We ordered several appetizers and a variety of entrees, all of which were cooked to perfection. I don't remember what music they were playing, since we were all so focused on the delicious food. If you have a big enough party, try and ask for one of the private tables separated by curtains. Would definitely come back again for a special occassion when visiting San Juan. read more

Trendy place with amazing food and drinks. Started off with the global warming drink which was great. Highly Recommend doing the wine pairing with your meal as well. Starters - civeche, popcorn shrimp, risotto of lobster and most importantly the gnocchi all to die for! Sooooo good. Also the white bean soup is a must. Main dish - beef tenderloin was good, the mashed potatoes were a perfect for with the need. Dessert - carrot "no no" cake was different but great, bread pudding was my favorite. A little pricey but very worth it in my opinion. Everybody was friendly and service was outstanding. read more

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When planning a visit to Old San Juan or anywhere in Puerto Rico, make plans to visit Marmalade. There were five in our party, two of which were my children (13 & 10) and everyone enjoyed their plates. We arrived 15 minutes early for our 9/4/16 dinner reservation and was greeted with a smile and shortly seated at our table. Though it's a set number of plates in tasting menu, the fun of the experience is in the variety of plates to choose from; the entire table does not need to have the same appetizer, intermediate, entree, or dessert, unless you choose to. What a cool concept! Each diner can customize their experience. There were a few plates I would have re-ordered had we not been full from our four course meal and only opted to re-order for the heirloom tomato, which was so delicious. A very simple dish and oh so clean, fresh, and... delicious. That passion fruit olive oil dressing! Each person had a memorable dish within their four courses and I was fortunate enough to enjoy some plates besides my own. The pace of the evening was just right and before we knew it, dinner was pushing the three hour mark (without wine paring). We rolled out of Marmalade with bellies full and sate palate, we took a stroll to Calle Norzagaray to walk it off and reflect on the meal. read more

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The best service ever!!! If you are searching for romantic restaurant for special event LOOK NO MORE. This is the one. We have chosen this restaurant to celebrate our second anniversary. This is unforgettable place. We got 7 courses menu. My husband and I ordered different things so we got to try a lot of high quality food. Can't wait to come back to this restaurant the next time we are in Old San Juan. The food is good, the service is what makes this place outstanding. read more

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I got a call to confirm after booking via Open Table a few weeks ago. They gave me the option to sit at the dining table or the bar. I picked the dining table. The restaurant was easy to find. I was seated promptly. My waitress was very knowledgeable & attentive. The dining area had pretty cool decor. I picked the 5 courses. Ceviche was refreshing. It was an OK dish. Then the Hudson Valley duck cocotte was tasty. It was also OK. The foie gras was amazing. Oh my.. it was so so good. I had 1.of the specials for main. A white fish with mushroom. That was pretty awesome too. Then dessert. This was the best part. Salted caramel corn creme brûlée. Best. Ever. Creme brûlée to live for. I love creme brûlée but this is so amazing. The portions were pretty large. I was full but not uncomfortable. Definitely would come again next time I'm here! read more

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Service: amazing & attentive Bathroom: amazing (Yes, go there. Smell the oils. They have lavender lotion, jasmine oil, amaranth oil) Food: Their tasting options are great, because I don't have to think about what I want. Just give me everything!!!!! They come in little portions but because there are so many courses, you get filled up quite easily. We were all getting full after appetizers! The SEABASS was SO GOOD. Lamb was too lamby, but they'll switch out your plate if you're not satisfied! I love their bread puddingggggg. So many desserts. The waiter recommended La Factoria for drinks after, and we LOVED it! Thank you! read more

Marmalade was impeccable in every way. We did the full monty; 6 course dinner WITH wine pairing. Every dish was perfectly paired with each wine. Each delicious bite enhanced the flavor within every sip of it's paired wine wonderfully. Our favorite dishes hands down were the Tiny White Bean Soup & the Risotto of Lobster, both on the Intermediate section of the menu. The Tiny White Bean Soup, unassuming in text, turned out to be one of the best explosion of flavor my mouth has encountered. As for the Risotto of Lobster, not only was this the best out of the 3 different lobster risotto dishes we enjoyed while in Puerto Rico, but this particular one was so great that we shared a second helping at the end of the 6 courses (which they extraordinarily kindly took off the bill for "not satisfying our needs," which in fact was the exact opposite). On that note, in terms of service, our experience truly could not have been better. Our server for the evening, Juan, was sincerely pleasant and exceedingly knowledgable of the menu, which included being able to answer all of our nettlesome questions regarding our tasting. After optimistically ranting to our lovely server after each dish, the Chef, Peter Schintler, personally introduced himself. Peter graced us with a kind and splendid conversation where we were genuinely ecstatic to rant of his talent face to face. Lastly, the ambiance is beautiful. The decor throughout is consistently different which all charmingly comes together maintaining a modern and elegant balance. Our table was privately cornered sharing a love-seat like sofa with beautiful draperies dividing enough for privacy while still being able to enjoy the restaurant. Thank you Marmalade for the wonderful experience! read more

Marmalade - Tiny White Bean Soup (Must Order!) - Caribbean Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Everyone is talking about the food, which is top of the line, but can i give credit to the wonderful wine selection? Even at some of the best restaurants around the world, their wine lists can be fairly mediocre or run-of-the-mill. The wine list at Marmalade represents everything you'd want. They have wine for every palate, including the big Napa style Chardonnays like Far Niente, and then the more wine-o drinkers in the form of Vouvrays, Gewürztraminers from Alsace & Rhinegau, Priorats, and high end Bordeauxs and Rhone varietals. Furthermore, their very impressive wine selection comes without a ridiculous steak house mark-up. What is listed on-line is just an abbreviated version of the list that is offered in the restaurant. They offer ports by the glass, but we chose to finish our 5-course meal with a glass of Sauterne, which was like honeysuckle in a glass. The white bean soup was our favorite, probably amongst the best soups I've ever had; followed by the paella, lamb tangine, ceviche, foie gras, black truffle pasta, beef tenderloin... The banana bread putting was superb and the chocolate mousse was delightful. The ambiance is great and the restaurant is beautiful. The service is top of the line, welcoming, and good-looking. I will defiintely reccomend the experience to any of my friends who travel to San Juan. read more

Marmalade - Mousse - Caribbean Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Loved our evening at this spot. Great ambiance, excellent informed service, killer cocktails, very attentive to detail, extremely well executed food. Try the tasting menu, which offers choices based on your level of appetite which is a nice option if you don't want to eat a ton of food (but you'll want to)! Great wine list too! It's unusual to find such high quality dining experiences, on an island, in the Caribbean. As a chef, I applaud the chef/owner for bringing farm to table In Old San Juan. Can't wait to go back again. read more

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Best dining experience ever!!:-) Excellent services!! Waitress helped us to chose the right wine with right appetizer and main courses. We are on our honey moon trip here in Puerto Rico, the dinner in Marmalade made our day...:-) read more

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Get the paella bites. Do the mushroom pasta. Wine pairing not necessary if you're trying to save money. Yum. Yum. Yum. read more

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This is the best food I have ever had in my 23 years of being on this earth. It's is like something that has never touched your taste buds. I would literally fly back to Puerto Rico just so I could have their food again. So first of the highlight: white bean truffle soup. Holy smokes. If I'm ever on death row that would be the thing I would order. I think the boyfriend and I drooled so much over it that they gave us a second serving for free. Now don't get me wrong all the food we had was delicious but this is like liquid gold. Now the service: phenomenal I have never been treatment like that in my life. You can really tell the passion and they're believe for serving good food. Every plate that was brought out was given a beautiful explanation of all the aspects. Every server was knowledgeable on the menu items. Overall I praise this chef for his food and his employees. PS try their cocktails! read more

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Awesome spot in old San Juan! The tiny bean soup is the best soup I've ever had. Make reservations ahead of time as this place fills up fast. read more