Red snapper frito was delicious. Everyone is so friendly, great environment and fantastic food! Highly recommend for a casual dining and a PR experience. read more

We were craving a nice pulpo salad (octopus) and our uber driver recommended us here. This part of the island is known for their fried goodies and seafood in little hut type buildings. We quickly sat down and ordered food. We had the king crab salad, clams, octopus salad and a whole lotta other things. Everything was really fresh! The king crab salad portion was really huge. I don't think I took a pic of this but if you like crab I would get it. It's a lot cheaper for what you pay for in the states and better quality. I have to say I tried the popular trifongo which is a take on regular mofongo except with sweet plantains and another root vegetable I can't remember now. I have to say I wasn't a fan of the sweet. For me I'll stick to regular good ol mofongo. The food here was good. The prices are great and the view is spectacular! Check out the photo. The view is priceless! read more

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This little gem was suggested by a local & im glad we tried it. The best food we had ate on our trip. We were staying in Carolina, it was a short drive over the bridge not even 10 minutes. Even if you have to Uber or take a taxi it is worth it. We had the pinchos (bbq chicken) and the fried snapper & Trifongo. To say the least life changing. The chicken was so good the bbq sauce was amazing, chicken was extremely tender. The fried snapper was so fresh we were told all the seafood at the surrounding restaurants are brought in by the fisherman. I was dying to try trifongo which is ripe plantains, sweet plantain & yuca mixed. So delicious, not dry at all. If you are visiting definitely make a point to come here read more

Puerta del Mar - Fried snapper & Trifongo - Seafood Near Me - Loíza, Puerto Rico

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Food was amazing! Try the asopao! Delicious ! Will definitely come back! Service was excellent

Puerta del Mar in Pinones is a great place to go for delicious and flavorful food with a view of the water. I really like seeing everything being cooked in front of you while you are there. They have a really good atmosphere here that you I really enjoy everything. Good meal here. read more

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Best kabobs on the island Worth the stop It is Thursday night and parking is full for all these restaurants. read more

Chilling is so bomb. One of the best dishes I have tried here. Well seasoned fish. I ordered the small and it was still pretty big. Would highly recommend read more

Puerta del Mar - Seafood Near Me - Loíza, Puerto Rico

The vibes are always up and the food is always delicious. It's my first stop in Puerto Rico as soon as I land. The view is amazing and there's a bunch of cute little shops to buy souvenirs. read more

Fantastic food in a great spot - queso frito and grilled chicken skewers. Excellent prices. Only downside was an extremely unfriendly server who treated us like we were some kind of bother. read more

Authentic Puerto Rican food here. Everything we had was delicious. Not on the typical touristy path. We had empanadas, liked the shrimp empanadas the best. Also had the fried red snapper. Excellent! read more

Puerta del Mar - Fried Red Snapper - Seafood Near Me - Loíza, Puerto Rico

Terrible service. Waiter ghosted us and left us sitting for 20 minutes/never came back to take our order. We ended up paying for our drinks at the counter and walking out. read more

I've been craving Piñones fritutas for as long as I can remember and it did not disappoint! read more

Puerta del Mar - Seafood Near Me - Loíza, Puerto Rico

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Pinchos were very good. First thing I ate after landing and it was great. Area was also very active and had a fun enviroment

Amazing taste + authentic local vibes. This place was one of my favorite during the trip. My friends and I all got a fried red snapper each with sides of tostones, maduros, salad and trifongo. The simplicity yet deliciousness of the fried red snapper is just wow. When we first arrived we were starving and shared a few chicken pinchos and piña coladas which were good and hit the spot. But we absolutely loved our waiter Damian who kept the shots coming every time we needed more or just anything in general. He was attentive and truly a gem! The vibes and food here are good and can't beat a great price too. When you leave you can also enjoy the beautiful beach boardwalk. read more

Puerta del Mar - Med fried red snapper + tostones, maduros, trifongo, salad - Seafood Near Me - Loíza, Puerto Rico

The food was OK, not bad, not incredible. The atmosphere is very typical for the location. With views to the beach and very casual. I just wasn't blown away by the food. The pinchos were not bad, but the seasoning was off, too sweet and slightly chemical. The alcapurrias were OK, a little bland for crab. All in all, three stars is about right. read more

***THE BEST MOFONGO I'VE EVER HAD.*** And I'm a born-and-raised-in-the-Island Puerto Rican. Disclaimer: Please remember Puerto Rico is not big on Yelp yet, since it's small enough for any local to find restaurants, therefore the majority of business owners don't advertise a lot and locals have no real need for it. Order that mofongo as a side dish for the fried snapper. And don't be shy about using their green dressing garlic "mojito" on the mofongo. Btw, a little PR101 for the tourists: ***kiosko = food stand. ***mojito = an olive oil, white vinegar & garlic dressing; the Puerto Rican version of the Italian vinaigrette. ;-) No, it has no rum. I really don't know why they named a cocktail with the same name. [scratches head...] ***mofongo = a mashed plantain (sometimes yucca) dish, that comes either as a side dish or as a main entree stuffed with chicken, beef, pork or seafood. When made stuffed, it usually has a sauce. As a side it doesn't have sauce. ***chillo = ('chee-yo') snapper; and funny enough this term is also slang when referring to an illegitimate lover or mistress [chillo (masc.) / chilla (fem.)] Back to the restaurant subject! I'll be very specific: there's no A/C and it's VERY casual. Only locals here. You eat and drink cheap and there's pool tables so you can shoot some while you wait for your food. One thing I don't love is that the music is quite unnecessarily loud. BUUUUT! If you really want to experience GREAT mofongo, just have a beer (local brand is Medalla) and live a little -- have a stroll out of your element for once! :-) The deep fried typical alcapurrias and bacalaos are great. You'll need to intensify your cardio for 2 days, but it's worth it! The place has plenty of free parking. If you're a tourist staying in Isla Verde and not driving, you can take a 10 minute cab, or the C45 bus straight to the Piñones area. If you're in Condado, it would be the A5 bus to Isla Verde, and then the C45. If you're driving, just know if you make it to the Isla Verde Avenue where the El San Juan Hotel is (driver's left), you just need to keep driving straight ahead until you see the little shacks with all the smoke blowing. ***¡Buen provecho! = Enjoy! :-) -----------------------------------En Puertorro, ahora---------------------------------- Mucho de esto no necesita traducción. Soy nacida y criada en la Isla, y viví ahí hasta el otro día. Realmente este es el mejor mofongo que me he comido, incluyendo el de Mami, quien es excelente cocinera... (¡Que no lea esto, porque me mata!) El mojito de ajo es hecho por ellos y excelente. El mofongo no es seco para nada, y el pescado de chillo frito como que se deshace en tu boca. Y aparte del sabor, es súper barato. El sitio en sí NO es elegante en lo absoluto -- por el contrario, si vas, prepárate pa' espantar las moscas con la mano, y tener que bregar con música en volumen alto, en fin, tipo Piñones. Pero con decir que cuando voy a ver a mi familia, DONDE PRIMERO PARO después de salir del aeropuerto es en este lugar, lo digo todo. Las frituras, claro está, no pueden faltar, y las arañitas son riquísimas también. ¡Cuando se inventen una autopista de acá pa'llá, sufriré menos...! :'-( Por cierto, ¡no sean so-vagos y hagan aunque sea una reseña corta si van, a ver si nos ponemos en el mapa cibernético de Yelp, que hay muy poco escrito por los locales sobre restaurantes o negocios! ¡Y con lo buena que es la comida en Puerto Rico, es una real pena que no escriba nadie na'! ¡He dicho! ;-D read more

Puerta del Mar - Mofongo (mashed plantain), fried chillo ('chee-yo' or snapper) & house salad. BEST! - Seafood Near Me - Loíza, Puerto Rico

I really and truly wish that I had the experience the other reviewers (75% of whom are my friends) had at PdM. Sadly, I was not to have the best mofongo of my life. Truly, I was lucky to get anything at all! When you travel to San Juan, you have to spend a day or two walking around Pinones. The beach, sky and local flavor can't be beat. As I passed by hut after hut of folks grilling out, drinking and enjoying life, I felt the twinge to 'forget' that I needed to return to a busy life in Chicago and make my new home on the shore, absorbing the night sky and fresh seafood. Since my buddy was taking me to all things local, he thought that spending the night here drinking and eating was a good idea. He was right. In theory. I don't know who [redacted] in my waitresses' corn flakes that morning but whoever did so inspired her to a reign of terror the likes of which hadn't been seen since the Grinch stole Christmas. She was mean, grumpy, rude, and entirely unhelpful. I was excited to come in and enjoy an on-the-beach evening and she did everything she could to make sure that didn't happen. How? To begin with, she refused to wait on me and my party. There were three of us and no amount of sitting (and doing nothing), waving, raising our hands, or GETTING UP would cajole her into service. Only after I went to the bar (after watching an entire episode of The Simpsons with nada for ol' chica) to buy a pina colada (it's always about the rum) did she come to 'help' us -- and that required the folks behind the bar yelling at her to do so. My appetite was gone. I was already having a difficult time swallowing the tourist food prices at a local hangout ($19 for mofongo con camerones? Really?) but having to work for my food was not what was up. My friends decided to go around the feisty waitress by buying some pinchos from the guys grilling up front. As incredible as it sounds, grilled meat on a stick doesn't do much for me. Thus, I have never been a big fan of pinchos. At least give me some bbq sauce or chimichurri or something. Nah. Not for me. For what it's worth, they LOVED the pinchos... and my Yelp friends loved the food. I would have LOVED to have had a similar experience. How do you say "le sad" in Spanish? read more

Carla B: ***THE BEST MOFONGO I'VE EVER HAD.**** Well I was obviously NOT born and raised in Puerto Rico and my experience of mofongo was somewhat limited before making it to La Isla del Encanto but man........that was a mighty tasty mound of mashed plaintains if there was ever one! And yes - that was the best of my trip. Hands down. It's difficult to really explain what set it apart from all the other ones...maybe a lack of dryness? a little extra flavor? a perfect consistence? Who cares?!?!? When it's good - you just eat, shut up and don't think too much. It's exactly what I did with much delight. I chose the shrimp option (but there are like, 12 of them); a good half dozen of huge butterflied shrimp (served cold), slightly marinated and served with strips of pepper ($14) Wonderful. Cold Medallas, of course ($1.50). Perfection. It's not fancy: plastic chairs, tables, forks and knives. But forget about luxury: it has tons of charm. Listen to the salsa (you won't have any choice!), watch the kids dance and flirt, play pool, kick back and relax. Then head to the beach, and come back for more! : D read more

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Food is amazing atmosphere is fun will be back when I come back to PR staff was amazing music was great read more

Puerta del Mar - Seafood Near Me - Loíza, Puerto Rico

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Food was good, but think they took advantage of me and my wife... Charged us $25.00 for reg size red fish... And $20.00 for a small.... Food was good but NOT THAT GOOD... Market Value today was only $16.00... Also hard to find... make the turn at marina sign read more

Puerta del Mar - Look for this sign and turn left. - Seafood Near Me - Loíza, Puerto Rico

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So surprise by some of the bad reviews here. I have seen this place go from a little shack house 10 years ago to a huge place now serving the best Red Snapper (Chillo), Seafood and Mofongo in the area. Besides a restaurant a few blocks away by the name of Donde Olga, there are really no other places serving quality seafood, Mofongo or conch (carrucho). Anyway, this is my go to place as soon as I land in PR, the recipe has not changed; great, tasty, fresh and cheap food. We ordered the red snapper with tostones, a Mofongo filled with grouper in red sauce and another one with grouper in butter. What can I say, simply outstanding. The appetizer was equally good; conch and the local alcapurria with a few extreme cold beers. Outstanding service.. I'll be back no doubt! read more

Attitude is less than desirable and food was okay. Long lines with no urgency to move a bit quicker which was disappointing. Walked over to El Acuario were we were greeted with fast service and great food. read more

One of the worst experiences I've ever had in Puerto Rico. The lack of service was an embarrassment. We waited over half an hour for them to take our order and I had to get someone to take it. We then waited more than an hour for 3 orders of food, and one of the orders were rice, beans and mofongo. The other 2 were orders with rica and shrimp (asopao.) I had to get up from the table and ask where the food was twice. If not for my kids being hungry I would have walked out. They did not care about our service and experience at all. No apologies from anyone. They didn't even care our dinning experience all around was horrendous. They could care less. On a lesser note, the scene was absurdly loud. Music, tv and more blaring in the restaurant. As a puertorican that lives abroad, but comes back at least once a year I will NEVER, EVER go back to this restaurant. It actually pains me to write this review because I never write bad reviews. I just don't want anyone to have this experience when there are so many other establishments in the vicinity. read more

We were the only tourists here and ordering was confusing since everything was in Spanish. Luckily, the person that took our order spoke a little bit of english and we were able to point and communicate. We got pork and chicken skewers which werent that great and two beef empanadas. Those were delicious! They grill the pork and chicken to order and use too much barbeque sauce. We probably wouldnt have come here if we were not in Pinones and hungry. read more

Puerta del Mar - Chicken or pork - Seafood Near Me - Loíza, Puerto Rico

Food was sooo good. Everything was deeppppppp fried. Food was really cheap, the alcapurria with crab was the best. Pretty casual area with open seating. Their $5 frozen sangrias were really good too. read more

Puerta del Mar - Seafood Near Me - Loíza, Puerto Rico

Food was good. Good atmosphere. Great prices. Parking is a pest and is not very clean. But good service and great attention. Would definitely recommend. read more

The place is good. It gives you the "local" feeling. We ordered the fried and grilled options. Please try the pinchos

Pretty good food and portions are big. Quick seating and a clean menu. Alcohol is cheap and I Loved the fresh coconuts. If you are going to order from the restaurant you grab a menu, if you want to order from the stand in the restaurant, go directly to the stand and order :) The ceviche wasn't what my friend was expecting, it's not Mexican :) it's Puerto Rican! Also, I wanted one arepa but they sent me a plate. Be sure to clarify! read more

Puerta del Mar - Fresh coconuts and cocktails! - Seafood Near Me - Loíza, Puerto Rico

My favorite spot in piñones! Make sure to order the oysters, they are yummy and fresh. My friend and I shared a chillo Frito since the serving was big. The wait time to get our food was over 30 minutes! We ended up having to order pinchos to hold is over until or food got there. Order some beers and enjoy the open layout. read more

Puerta del Mar - Oysters. They were big and fresh. - Seafood Near Me - Loíza, Puerto Rico

The guys on the grill are extremely rude! I tried to ask what kinds of empanadas they serve, and one of the cooks got upset and started yelling, while all of the other guys stood there laughing. What horrible customer service! ¡Mantente alejado! read more

Definitely off the beaten path but very very very good and cheap. Had the pinchos and bacalaitos and was blown away. It's kind of hard to find so might be helpful to ask a local for some help. We took an Uber out there from Condado and did the bike tour as well. I would highly recommend this place for some great food read more

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I'm gonna call it like I see it, no shame here. I had to good to the HOOD to get the REAL DEAL non-touristy food. I got some authentic Puerto Rican Pinchos, aka BBQ Skewers with fresh Coconut Water from the actual fruit itself. With fresh baked french bread soaked up in that BBQ sauce from the dipped skewers. OMG, that flavor that is marinated on that chicke, was incredible, and it was perfect with that cold refreshing coconut water by the beach! Please take me back, the people are very hospitable, friendly, and always smiling. Felt safe the whole time, I'm so tired of negativity when it comes to Loiza, PR. It was awsome food, drinks, and scenery! OH and I only paid 7 bucks for all of that! read more

Anyone who has an afternoon to kill while in San Juan really ought to head out to Pinones. This ex-slave refuge, turned food stall haven tucked around a gorgeous combination of rocky cliff lines and beautiful beaches is an awesome get-away without really getting all that far away from San Juan. In fact, a city bus from Viejo San Juan for approximately $0.75 (I say that because I think I paid $0.50 on the way back without a second look from the bus driver) will basically take you out far enough to have a short little walk to make it the rest of the way. When bombarded with a ton of choices for food, it can be tough to figure out what to have, or which stall to choose from. In the end- you go with your instincts and most likely a little voice in your head will be saying "go over there where all the people are, dummy!" Which is where my lovely travel companion and I found ourselves (but also a big thank you goes out to Carla B. for pointing us in the right direction). Puerta Del Mar offers up a pretty hefty menu of traditional comida boricua, and let me tell you- they do it right. That damned fried chicken was awesome. A bit different from what I am used to- it is super-crisp and chewy- but very flavorful and delicious. The star of the show though (other than the experience of drinking with locals) is that mofongo. If you look through the posted pictures- you'll see it. It is that tan colored dome sitting on the plates. If you try it out and see those pictures, like me right now, you'll surely get very hungry for it. Perfect balance between starch, texture/chew, and a creaminess that comes from the oil it is cooked in- this stuff is amazing. You can't go wrong with $1.25 Medallas (Puerto Rico's version of a Corona/Old Style/Stroh's, but actually really refreshing on a warm/hot day), and the roofed dining area is a good refuge from the sun and any sudden Caribbean storms that burst forth. Get your but out to Pinones, and look for this place. It is well-worth the trip! read more

The above review by the local is good. I thought the food was above average, and the prices were decent, compared to what I saw elsewhere in PR. Overall, I found food, in general, to be pretty expensive. I don't have a lot to compare it to, but I was happy with my lunch. I had a land crab gumbo, and the other in my party had a shrimp mofongo. Both were really solid. read more

Will NOT be back. Los bacalaitos.....que horrible. Everything was so greasy and old.

As w/ 95% of the restaurants in PR, they aren't the cleanest. Bathroom had no soap or paper towels (this is super common there). Damien was our server. He was great and spoke English. GET A PORK PINCHO! (shiskebob) they grill them right there. Served like in NY w/ a piece of fresh bread on top. Red snapper w/ garlic sauce was ok. Shrimp w/ rice was good. Carne frita is a fave of mine. I order it everywhere. The pinchos are phenomenal. I prefer pork but they have chicken as well. Plus it's on the beach so you can stroll across the street and have a phenomenal view! read more

My brother asked for mofongo with octopus, instead they served him octopus salad. It was still good. I ordered the Salmorejo de Jueyes, umm, that was really good. The sea view was incredible. read more

Puerta del Mar - Salmorejo de jueyes con tostones. Crab meat with tostoines. - Seafood Near Me - Loíza, Puerto Rico

This restaurant has the best mofongo!!! I had the Mofongo with "Camarones al Ajillo" and the chicken kabobs and it was delicious!!! I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

WE came. We stuffed our faces. We had ice cold medalla. Wait to be served! Mr. D is very zealous of his area, and will wait on you hand and foot! We had alcapurrias. We had tacos de camarones (OMG!), fried chicken pinchos. LOTS OF ICE COLD MEDALLA!!! Snack time! Then NAP TIME! read more

This place was bumpin even on a Monday night! Chicken kebabs had a nice crisp grilled flavor which was sweet. read more

Puerta del Mar - Chicken kebabs, sweet with a crisp outside - Seafood Near Me - Loíza, Puerto Rico