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    Pa Pical

    4.5 (115 reviews)
    InexpensivePuerto Rican
    Closed 11:00 am - 2:00 AM (Next day)

    Pa Pical Caribbean Restaurant Photos

    PA PICAL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Happy hour specials
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Pa Pical

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    Matcha
    Caitlin M.

    Went here based on distance and good reviews. What a cute local spot. We had Kareliz as our waitress and she was so sweet and nice! We did our best to communicate in Spanish and English :). My mom ordered an omelet and an iced coffee and loved it. I ordered a "make your own" breakfast sandwich on Mallorca bread. The highlight for me was the iced matcha latte (Oli/Olé matcha with oat milk and vanilla syrup and a dash of cinnamon on top). The best matcha I have had. I had a conversation with the women next to me who asked me about it. They also loved it. And finally I also ordered passion fruit juice because I have never had better passion fruit juice since I have been on the island.

    Coddy A.

    Pa Pical is a term ( Slang ) used in the Puerto Rican and latin community in Spanish is "para pica" or in English is "finger food" but this is not an ordinary place you will be amaze of the flavors in the empanadas, breakfast offering and incredible attention to detail. is a small little place is Carolinas, back in New York we call it a hole in the wall but is big in service and welcoming ambience. they play music in the weekend and special occations. This is not just a place for locals is for everyone because the experience so don't miss the opportunity and stop by you will be amaze.

    Shrimp empanadas
    Jonesha M.

    My group and I ate there multiple times during our stay in PR. It was in walking distance to where we stayed, It's opened late and the food is piping hot and delish. I've tried the beef, shrimp, and pizza empanadas, all great. The tsunami fries were really good too. My sister really enjoyed the fish tacos. Definitely would recommend!

    Chicken and shrimp empanadas
    Amanda R.

    Cute place, lots of locals and empanadas were great! Service is walk up and quick! Would definitely recommend if you want a quick snack or drink!

    Recommend getting the empanadas carne con queso. best empanadas I have ever had Very friendly people.

    Alcapurria de Carne
    Cristian V.

    When in Puerto Rico , drink rum, enjoy the beach and eat Alcapurrias Highlights: *Variety of fillings *Empanadas *Alcapurrias Review: The name does this spot justice, Pa Pical means to munch on. The Alcapurrias come in a variety of fillings and are fried fresh to order, pair that with a nice cold beer on a sunny day for a perfect combination. The Alcapurria was hot, crunchy, flaky and filled with a delicious ground beef mix. I can't wait to try the rest of their fillings and empanadas. Rating: 8/10 Alcapurria de Carne

    Keith E.

    Pricey for the amount of food you receive but the empanadas are delicious. Drinks are good and priced fairly during happy hour. Very laid back, can sit by the bar or inside around the corner where it's more quiet if preferred. Waitresses were very attentive and polite.

    Beer
    Deborah T.

    So you are hanging out in Isla Verde area or you are leaving the beach and need a laid back pit stop to eat some delicious empanadas.. search no more. Pa pical has the best empanadas in the area period. We have been there way more times than I want to admit and it never disappoints. We have tried all of them, well almost all of them we did not try the vegan ones but if you are a vegan you will be happy to know they have at least 4 options. Camarones: Shrimp Jueyes: local crab Are a most try! Also if you like spicy food they have and sell the spiciest sauce we have found on the island. We had the special fries with ground meat and cheese and it was ok,. They offer a great selection of local beer. Service is prompt and accommodating. Check it out

    Sorullitos, empanadas with meat & cheese, empanadas with Guava & cheese, passionfruit (parcha) margarita

    Better than Pinones! Food was freshly made, served piping hot and delicious! Empanadas with meat and cheese, fried corn sticks (sorullitos) with cheese and empanadas with guava & cheese. Don't be put off by the graffiti on the walls, this place is great!

    Everyone writes on everything
    Adele P.

    We tried to go to another business down the street but they had a 2-hour wait, and when we were walking back to our apartment we passed this place and they had no wait. We both ordered ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches with coffee. After waiting more than half an hour, despite the fact that only one other couple was in there, we were given the wrong sandwiches. The bread was very well toasted with the cheese inside was not melted well. All in all it was okay, but the wait was not worth it.

    Meghna S.

    One of the cutest, rugged looking and fun small restaurant in the city. The entire place has a rough look and walls filled with graffitis that adds to the charm. The place is small and it is order at the counter. We bought a bottle of champagne with orange juice to make our own mimosas. This place has amazing empanadas; pulpo empanadas is my favorite here. Chicken empanadas were equally delicious. Just the ambience, the mimosas, the service, the music, the vibe. It is a superb place that one must try.

    Beer & Marg (get Tajin NOT SALT)
    Titi C.

    Right on the corner of Avenida isla verde y Neptuno... no parking that we can see. Unless it's street parking. There is seating outside, there is seating inside with windows and fans, and there is seating indoors. Small bar with margaritas and beers. Great empanadas, highly recommend! And bring your sharpie ~ everyone writes on the walls and the furniture in the little corner bar when they visit, we did! $31 for 2 apps, Margarita & Heineken cerveza. Staff is friendly and prices are good. And if they ask you if you want hot sauce, caution, this red sauce is super super super hot!!!!!

    Passionfruit juice

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    4 months ago

    The best place I visited in my travels to the island. Simple, friendly and great service.

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    9 months ago

    Cute little spot! Got empanadas and sorullos, food was fast and they were super nice!

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    2 years ago

    We had the carne y queso empanadas and they were delicious. We even went back the next day for more.

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    1 year ago

    I live across the street and thought I'd try it out. It was a pleasant surprise. I don't drink, but the food is good

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    1 year ago

    Good food. Cool environment. Got the fish tacos and you put some sauce on them and really good. Nice and willing employees there to help.

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    5 years ago

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    1 year ago

    The empanadas were very good! Service was good and the staff was very friendly. The music was good and being played at a tolerable volume.

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    2 years ago

    Great bar food for super cheap. Love the vibes here; a lot of locals as well as tourists here. Feels intimate.

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    3 years ago

    Got into pr late and needed to eat food was great very casual atmosphere almost bar like- had fish tacos can't go wrong

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    5 years ago

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    Page 1 of 3

    Review Highlights - Pa Pical

    Empanadas with meat and cheese, fried corn sticks (sorullitos) with cheese and empanadas with guava & cheese.

    Mentioned in 26 reviews

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    La Casita Blanca

    La Casita Blanca

    4.4(684 reviews)
    2.0 km
    $$

    As a team we are going for a 4.5 rating. So I do 5 , my wife does 4…read more Get here early opens 11:30 on Sunday about 11 for parking and to get in. They do have valet parking and it is a good idea to use. Roads are narrow and parking is hard to find. Plantain Soup given when you first meet the server. Very good. Beers are $18 Caasita mule $14 very good Arepas con bacalao $18. very fish forward, good. Pigs feet and chickpea stew $19. Aguacate Camarones $27. They have their own hot sauce. Rojo pique, very good $14 Service was very good Note they have a James Beard award.

    Outstanding food. Every bite was delicious. Definitely really popular lunch restaurant and filled…read morewith both locals and tourists. We arrived at 11am on a Monday because that's when we thought they opened. They actually opened at 11:30am, so we were 2nd in line at 11am. Once 11:30am rolled around, the line was very long. It's an old house that was transformed into a restaurant. It's pretty big in there and they have an upstairs as well. It really feels like you're eating in a Caribbean home, from the colorful tablecloth to the things on the tables. The menu is on a board, and they have a Spanish and English version. They give you a cup of complimentary plantain soup which was amazing. We also ordered the fried cheese app which came with a delicious guava sauce. For mains, I had the fried pork with tostones and my husband had the mamposteado (corned beef, fried eggs, and rice). My husband cleaned his plate, while I took leftovers back to the hotel (which we actually ate later because it was that good). They were out of tres leches that day, so we had the coconut pudding for dessert. It was my first time trying coconut pudding and it did not disappoint! For drinks, we had the passionfruit sangria. When we left, there was a very long line outside. Despite the line, they did not rush us out. Definitely recommend and would go out of my way to come back next time I'm in PR.

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    La Casita Blanca
    La Casita Blanca
    La Casita Blanca - Sangria

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    Sangria

    La Cueva del Mar - Mofongo with Ropa Vieja

    La Cueva del Mar

    4.4(520 reviews)
    2.4 km
    $$

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

    This is the "main restaurant" in the Embassy Suites Hotel and Casino…read more It's seafood based and has a pretty extensive menu. We got the Tuna nachos and the shrimp tacos to share. Everything was fresh and delicious! The portions were perfect for sharing and had a wonderful flavor! The shrimp tacos were lightly breaded and had a good flavor. The nachos had fresh ahi tuna and a great flavor with the seaweed salad! The service was good and fast too! The price was a bit high, but it's what you expect in a hotel lobby.

    Photos
    La Cueva del Mar - Inside

    Inside

    La Cueva del Mar - Fish tacos & Sangria

    Fish tacos & Sangria

    La Cueva del Mar - The bar area

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    The bar area

    Bebo's Café - Vanilla flan

    Bebo's Café

    3.9(954 reviews)
    2.9 km
    $$

    We drove past Bebo's in our Lyft ride and our driver said it was very good so we decided to visit…read morethe next day. It is a great option if you want local food without the tourist price tag. The inside looks like a cafeteria but it stays busy. We were seated quickly although it seemed packed. They have a good amount of menu options and cross out what isn't available. They also have drink options that our server listed to us. To start, we ordered the lobster empanadas and sangria. The empanadas were delicious! Very tasty and fresh. The sangria however, was not great. It just tasted like juices that don't really work together. I couldn't taste the wine. We ordered the roasted pork and skirt steak. The steak was really tasty, and juicy. But the roasted pork was very dried and hard. It had some good bits in it but there were quite a few pieces that were too cooked to eat. The rice and beans were cooked very well. This is the perfect place for quick local food where you won't spend too much. But if you want a very high quality, I would choose elsewhere.

    We ate at both Bebo's and Los Piños -- our two attempts at typical PR food. Both errr fine, but…read moreBebo's was our favorite of the two. It has a small parking lot in the back, which was a huge plus. Service was nice and our waitress was truly bilingual-- able to help us understand nuances of between the Spanish we use in California and Spanish in PR. The mofongo was really good -- better than any time we had it in the past or during the rest of our trip. The ropa vieja was good, but standard. My son had the churrasco (skirt steak) and it was excellent. We ordered sides of amarillos (sweet plantains) and they were the best ones we had the trip -- soft, juicy, with caramelized exterior. We wanted tres leches for dessert, but it sold was sold out. If you only had one "typical" PR dinner, I would suggest Bebo's.

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

    Chicken soup

    Bebo's Café - Steak with a side salad

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    Steak with a side salad

    Manzana de Java - Gelato de Galangal  Cheese flan

    Manzana de Java

    4.6(12 reviews)
    2.4 km

    Located at the edge of a residential area, parking on the street if you can find it. There are 3…read moreseatings and we had an early one. We arrived a little early so we walked around a little beforehand then sat on the bench in front until they were ready. The space is narrow. A row of tables on the right, steep stairs in the back to an intimate space for 6 people, a tiny kitchen in the back where all the magic happens. We ordered 11 dishes for 4 of us to share. The tostanos, the ceviche, I enjoyed it all. The waitstaff were friendly and accommodating. Most fascinating was the wall hanging along the right side. It was waving the entire time. Of course we asked about it, and we were told that there is no fan blowing behind it. The waving tapestry was caused by a suction from the kitchen.

    Very small and cozy spot in San Juan, praised by many. Definitely make a reservation as there is…read morenot a lot of seating but it is quite popular!! This was my first meal in Puerto Rico and basically my introduction to Puerto Rican cuisine. They offer a twist on classic dishes, which kind of threw us off but I still enjoyed most of the dishes! I really liked the asopao, empanadas, tostones, and the guanime (dessert). The other dishes were good as well, but a bit on the salty side, which I'm just not used to. The only thing I didn't like was the alcapurria, which I think you can get better ones elsewhere, but it was definitely worth trying. We got complimentary ice cream beans which was nice because I love trying exotic fruits! And the rocio de miel is a great cocktail if you're like me and you like sweeter, lighter drinks. Our server was very attentive and patient, explaining the menu to us since we hadn't tried most things before. It was a very nice experience and great introduction to Puerto Rican cuisine!

    Photos
    Manzana de Java - Bar and food prep area

    Bar and food prep area

    Manzana de Java - Seafood cocktail  Ceviche

    Seafood cocktail Ceviche

    Manzana de Java

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    Vianda - BARQUILLITAS DE ZANAHORIA - CARROT RILLETE, CROUSTADE

    Vianda

    4.8(157 reviews)
    3.7 km
    $$

    We were very excited to try Vianda and made reservations well before our trip. What an outstanding…read moremeal. The concept is farm to table and the menu changes monthly. My husband and I shared the following dishes off the April 2026 menu and every bite was delicious: - Cauliflower croquettes & pecorino - Pumpkin, tamarind, cubanelle peppers, pumpkin seed crema - Asian eggplant, coconut curry, pepper-banana conserva - Pork belly, ginger fried rice, coconut, basil (without peanuts) - Vanilla flan & orange caramel We specifically wanted a more vegetable forward meal after having several meat heavy dishes the few days before. We also have several allergy and dietary restrictions and they were extremely accommodating without making it feel like a big deal. Every dish was full of flavor and complexity. The pumpkin was a standout for me. And the pork belly was some of the crispiest I've tried. I also really enjoyed the wine. The restaurant itself is modern, intimidate yet spacious, and everyone we interacted with was extremely kind and welcoming. Even the chef was a delight to chat with toward the end of our meal. Vianda is perfect for a special occasion or date night.

    Dinner at Vianda was an amazing experience. Every dish was so creative, thoughtful, and most…read moreimportantly delicious. My partner and I enjoyed a vast selection of the April 2026 menu items. 6 small plates was plenty for us to split. We started with two rolls with some butter that was brought to the table before our appetizers. They were warm and fluffy but average. Next we had the grouper bites which came on little arepa bread. Probably not a "must-get" but a nice warm introduction. Next was the kampachi- the fish was really great but the sauce was a little thicker/heavier than expected. Then came the grilled prawns. This was our favorite dish! The prawns were large & well cooked. Sauce was extremely savory with great crab and butter flavor. The fried chicken was our second favorite dish. Chicken was juicy, crispy, and well seasoned. The sauce was SPICY. Sweet and savory with an Asian twist with the addition of nuoc cham. We then had the morcilla crepes which were good but not something I'd get again. They were fine- soft, & meaty- not much to say. Lastly, we finished off our meal with a sweet plantain bolognese. The chocolate was so interesting and actually worked really well with the meat sauce. The agnolotti was filled with plantain! This unique dish was the perfect cap to the meal. We also tried a couple cocktails which were super creative as well. The sashamama which was made with sour milk punch was very good! The el cardenalito was a little too sweet. The a tomates si huele was a little too savory. Overall, the experience at Vianda was unique and special. Highly recommend!

    Photos
    Vianda - Beets salad and sautéed pumpkin

    Beets salad and sautéed pumpkin

    Vianda - REPOLLO AL CARBÓN - FRIED ECG SAUCE, WALNUT SOFRITO, CRISPY GARLIC

    REPOLLO AL CARBÓN - FRIED ECG SAUCE, WALNUT SOFRITO, CRISPY GARLIC

    Vianda - Beans

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    Beans

    La Alcapurria Quemá - Alcapurria

    La Alcapurria Quemá

    4.4(163 reviews)
    3.8 km
    $$

    Look, were we at an alcapurria spot ordering pastelillos? Yes. Do we regret it? Absolutely not…read more We got one each of vegetariano, cebolla y queso, pollo, and guayaba con queso. The vegetariano was mid, but the other three? No complaints. But honestly, the food is only part of the story here. The vibe is everything. Salsa playing, high energy, warm service. We rolled in late and hungry, looking for sweet refuge from La Placita crowds, and they welcomed us like we belonged there. The music started out mixed, but at some point it shifted to Contra La Corriente front to back. We were enjoying our pastelillos, singing along to No Me Conoces, minding our own business when... el apagón. Not the whole Placita, just a couple spots including this one. The staff didn't miss a beat. Flashlights came out, mood lighting appeared, and nobody rushed us. We finished our food. We paid. We left happy. 5 stars because some experiences are bigger than the sum of their parts. This was one of them.

    This is not a polished, Instagram-perfect restaurant and that's exactly the point. That's why I…read morelove it so much. Tucked inside La Placita de Santurce, its a small, casual, almost hidden spot that's usually packed with locals. Think plastic chairs, outdoor tables, music playing and a constant flow of people coming in for a quick bite or drink. Feels more like a neighborhood hangout than a restaurant. I've been coming here for years and this is what I've learned, take it from a local. For a quick bite, alcapurrias are a MUST -- especially beef or crab. Also the "pastelillos" are amazing-- corn beef, chorizo, morcilla... Everything freshly made to order. Now, if you want to sit down and enjoy an authentic Puerto Rican meal, here are some of my favorites: chuletas fritas, chicharrones de pollo, bistec encebollado and carne frita-- of course with a side of rice and beans or tostones for the win. Bottom line: you come here for flavor and authenticity, not comfort. Enjoy

    Photos
    La Alcapurria Quemá
    La Alcapurria Quemá - Chorizo empanada

    Chorizo empanada

    La Alcapurria Quemá - Empanadas

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    Empanadas

    Pa Pical - puertorican - Updated May 2026

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