After a bit of struggle looking for a decent place to dine on a Sunday evening in San Juan (most top places we had earmarked were closed due to it being a Sunday), we stumbled into Santisimo. Situated in an old, historic hotel, you're immediately greeted by a special vibe as you enter under a tall arched gate into a balcony-esq dining area overlooking the hotel corridors on one side and a bar with turquoise sponge-painted wall on the other. We were informed that they had a seat for two but somehow the young man at the entryway tried to sit us at the bar, but speaking to the waitress, we were able to grab a seat in the main dining area. I mean, it wasn't even full - but we were told that reservations are going to be coming in. We had the burrata salad (a running theme by now in P.R. - we were gasping for non-deep fried and fresh vegetables since the whole island seemed to have come deep-fried), tuna tartare, and a grilled pulpo over potato with tomato sauce appetizers. One note: Since Puerto Rico is a US territory, it does share a lot in common with US, such as portion sizes. We learned the hard way during lunch that portions are HUGE and priced high so that tourists cough up more money. That's why we ordered 3 appetizers here for dinner. Burrata was a welcome change with some greens that we sorely needed, but unfortunately there were many wilted red leaf lettuce leaves in there so we had to send it back to have it re-made. Once back though, we enjoyed the lightly creamy burrata on a bed of bitter arugula, sweet cherry tomatoes and balsamic glaze. It reminded me of the salad I make everyday at home, LOL, minus the burrata. Tuna tartare was nothing to write home about and the toasted mini baguettes were a bit too brittle and old. Rosemary sprigs on top really didn't add anything to the taste and were old as well, so ended up being more of a nuisance. The octopus was pretty juicy and good, though nothing like the real leg of grilled octopus. I enjoyed the combination of flavorful potato mash, sharp vinegary red onion slices, and the briny bites of octopus. As we were eating, the place became comfortably packed and people seemed to be enjoying themselves here. It definitely had that underground hideout / secret bar vibe - a lady just needed to wear a feathered hat and smoked long pipe cigarette to complete that 1940s movie look. But overall, we were not too impressed with the food - there were definitely better options available in the area. Don't get me wrong - it wasn't BAD and I think it might still be worth it if you want a good vibe and decent food in San Juan... but if you had other choices that are open, look there first. read more

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This restaurant was absolutely lovely . The seating was outdoor and intimate . Our waiter was amazing he made great recommendations and was just so personable . The salmon was everyone's favorite . read more

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Delicious food and friendly staff! Lunch standouts are the CEVICHE in an amazing zesty sauce and EMPANADA sampler. For dinner, we had a yummy shrimp in creamy pasta, crisp Caesar salad, salty and zesty octopus fries, and ended the night with a special flan dessert that hit the spot. Really good and conveniently located in the inner courtyard of our hotel (El Convento). read more

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We wanted to see the hotel and planned to cut through this restaurant. We decided on a cocktail instead. We liked the courtyard location and ambiance. I got a classic margarita 1800 and my friend got a classic mojito. There was no cocktail menu but she explained choices and flavors. We looked at the food menu just for kicks. Might have to return for the black bean soup. Drinks were ok. My friend really liked his. It was interesting that we had to ask the name of the bar. It was nowhere to be found- not on napkins, not on the tables, not on a sign on the wall. We liked the atmosphere until a wedding downstairs took place and the singer was less than desirable. There was a huge Níspero tree that graced the place. It was beautiful and very romantic. The downstairs restaurant -"el Patio del Níspero" was where the wedding celebration was held. read more

Santísimo - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

This restaurant in Old San Juan is located in El Convento Hotel and has the best feel, food, and servers! We truly loved our experience here. We stopped in during the day around 2pm wanting a cool drink and shareable appetizer. We got the two speciality cocktails for the day and the veggie flatbread. YUM! We loved the place so much we wanted to come back for our last evening meal in Viejo San Juan. You do need reservations for an evening meal, but we made ours the day of about 4 hours prior to showing up. For dinner I ordered the pan seared chicken and it came with this delicious sauce and potatoes and ordered a side salad with it. I highly recommend it!! The "side" salad was huge!! Towards the end of dinner, some local friends joined us for a little while and even though they were just standing by our table, our waiter brought them some ice waters while we chatted. So kind! This was one of my favorite meals in OSJ the week we were there and I will be back the next time I'm in PR! read more

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My opinion. Come when it gets dark. The breeze is so refreshing compared to when we walked in before the sun went down. The atmosphere here is beautiful and the service is excellent. I was disappointed that they stopped offering the brick oven pizza. The menu seemed pretty limited so I suggest you look it up before attending. The drinks were pretty good but nothing like previous photos posted. I did enjoy the pina colada if asked. The char broiled oysters were pretty good and did melt in your mouth but a bit to much bread crumb for me. We did order for the table to share was roasted chicken. It was quite delicious. The potatoes were excellent with a side garnish of bacon . read more

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Great ambience. Came for a bar hop date with my boyfriend and we were both very pleased with the bartender's friendliness and attention to detail. We both went with White wine of the day and were happy with the choice. As a quick appetizer we went with the red snapper ceviche. Update Sept 20 2020 Santísimo Sangria Very delicious. Probably one of the best sangrias in Old San Juan. Service, great as always. read more

Santísimo - Enjoying tapas and wine at Santísimo with my love - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Absolutely one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had. We had four people with 8pm reservations- bar was one third full, they had one eight top and three other tables and a 1/3 full bar- They took our drink order and app order then forgot our drinks. TWENTY FIVE MINUTES for two glasses of wine, one bottle of beer and a margarita- our appetizers arrived and were finished by the time TWO of the drinks arrived as they forgot the second glass of the same wine.... And informed us that the beer was "too warm" to serve then took another ten minutes to bring the second glass of wine and replacement drink for the beer. Then only ONE entree showed up, our waiter acted surprised and said "oh, is your pork belly not here" although he could clearly see it wasn't and clearly forgot to put it in.... So by the time it showed up TWENTY minutes later the other couple had eaten and their plates cleared. Our waiter blamed "frying time" on our entree knowing to grill a ribeye takes longer to grill than a pork belly prep. Just absolutely abysmal. read more

Excellent food & service. Very casual & pleasant atmosphere too. Didn't realize this was in our hotel the El Convento so it's very convenient. There's no air conditioning but with the fans it's extremely comfortable in the evening. We really enjoyed our choices and would definitely eat here again. The menu is somewhat limited but we found several items we enjoyed. Gladys provided exceptional service. Highly recommended read more

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Is a beautiful place, on the second floor of the El Convento Hotel. It was one of the only restaurants open until 10, so we decide to go since we arrived that night to Old San Juan. Menu looked great, so we ordered Tapenade Fries, were soggy; Santísimo Pate was a good, the Sea-bass Ceviche was missing acidity and bit of spicy flavor, order a chicken or my little one and it was dried, grilled way before and just reheated. Host slash manager slash server, was overwhelmed due to lack of effort from the team but he also created a bad vibe because his stressful night. Server was taking non existing, didn't help others or pick up other tables that were left dirty. Place need some really good management team and a better staff that works like a team. Hope they get things sort out soon because the place is really beautiful and menu is good. Good luck!!! read more

Santísimo - Santísimo Pate - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Last night we dined at Santisimo with a group of friends. I asked for an espresso martini and was told they had no coffee. I asked for a dirty martini and they had no olives or brine. We ordered Bacardi rum and they didn't have any. Ordered a bottle of a Pinot Grigio and they did not have it nor the Chardonnay.. lacking in so many ways. The food was mediocre. The NY steak was bland and tough. Not worth $39. The short rib was ok, but it's accompanying pea risotto was tasteless. The apps that we ordered were ok. Nothing super tasty. When we arrived the host has me down for 3 people instead of 5. I showed him my confirmation on Open table. It started raining and the canopy we sat under had a major leak and two of us got soaked. The bathrooms needed service. Dirty and smelly. I do not recommend this place at all. read more

At every turn to be excellent, the place chose not to be. Our reservation we first emailed about then were asked to call about was no where to be found. Begrudgingly we were given a table next to a few larger parties. We were asked what we'd like to drink, but there is no menu. If I wanted to conjure up what I wanted to drink, I would have made cocktails at home. I asked about a mojito because all the pretty drinks on other Yelp reviews didn't have names (except sangria which I didn't want). The drink was average at best with no discernible alcohol. The salads and red snapper ceviche were good and came out pretty quickly. We ordered entrees and I got the charred scallops and my husband got the red snapper. The entrees took a while (no problem, what else do we have to do?) but we'll before entrees came out, we were told it was last call for drinks & dessert. I didn't care for another watery, tasteless drink do we ordered dessert. Our entrees came and my $38 scallops were laughable. Three tiny scallops the size of half dollar coins in coconut risotto and all unevenly charred. My husband's fish was a much better portion but the rice pilaf he ordered never came. Dessert was good but would have been better if the staff didn't walk to almost every table with it first. I got the fried guava cake and the forex texture with the sweet cream on top was a great flavor and texture combo. Overall the space is gorgeous but the food doesn't live up to the atmosphere or price. Maybe have dome wine and a salad here? read more

Santísimo - 3 unevenly charred sad scallops for $38 - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

My daughter and I had a wonderful experience at Santisimo. We tried 3 different appetizers with the oysters being our favorite. I ordered a very large, delicious sangria and my daughter enjoyed a crisp pinot grigio. The service was wonderful! We topped our meal with yummy coconut flan that was to die for. We will definitely go back again! read more

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Just had a terrific meal and a few drinks here. Strongly recommend everything we had, especially the octopus bravas and the salmon gnocchi. Good service. Beautiful spaces especially if (like me) you enjoy architecture. Strongly recommend. read more

Santísimo - Arch and backsplash of interior. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Great place. Our server Gladys was amazing. We ordered apps, steak, chicken, and lamb. Definitely a place we will visit again.

I'd give the waiter a 5/5 for his honesty and hard work but damn this place was a fail. Looks beautiful and most of our appetizers were amazing. However, the entrees were a whole different unflavored, boring weird ass fail. Heads up - despite their names the desserts are not traditional Puerto Rican styles. Honestly , one star goes to the staff for constantly walking through snd checking on us and another goes to the restaurant decor and ambiance. All food comments are under pics. read more

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Very simple menu not much variety , it was alright overall , I had higher expectations since it was inside a 5 star hotel read more

Santísimo - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Found this place while staying at El Convento. I ordered a drink at the bar while waiting for my to go order. The bartender was especially kind and we had a really great conversation. He also recommended a few other places to eat that were wonderful. Ambiance was really nice even with the rain. This place is very safe and I must say the food was really great. Beet salad, empanadas and Caesar salad with chicken, all perfectly prepared. read more

Wonderful restaurant within the Convento hotel. It has a beautiful semi outdoor seating that makes you feel cozy and romantic all at the same time. Came here for my anniversary and I had so much fun. Their cava bottle of champagne is $36 which isn't too bad and their charbroiled oysters are sim lime! I definitely recommend! read more

Santísimo - Some of the best Cava champagne - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Great location for this upscale restaurant inside 'el convento' hotel right at the core of old SJ. Menu is limited but reasonable in variety. Good food quality. Service is relatively slow and not particularly attentive. Value is ok. Reservations are a must read more

This restaurant exceeded our expectations!! We had a large group (14 of us) so it was very difficult finding somewhere that would seat us without a reservation. They were so accommodating and actually pulled out tables for us to be able to sit. They were very prompt with our ordering and we had excellent service. Our waiter was great and gave us honest recommendations about the menu. Everyone's food was FANTASTIC. Not a single person was disappointed in any of it. The fish was fresh, the flavors were exquisite, and the portion sizes were perfect. Between the 14 of us, we likely tried most of the menu and not one dish had anything but stellar reviews. I have nothing but good things to say about this restaurant and if we ever go back to San Juan, I would definitely go again. read more

Santísimo - Salmon - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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NOT RECOMMENDED. Tourist catch. The ceviche was literally the worst ceviche in my life. The fish was extremely salty. The salmon gnocchi had only few portions and the sauce was so thin and tasteless that I had to return the dish. I tried a couple of bites to give a chance and nothing. The portions are so ridiculous for almost $40. The only reason I give 2 stars is that the mojitos were very good and the service was great. read more

Santísimo - I tried a couple of bites to give the chance and NOTHING!!! Ridiculous for almost $40. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Stay far away. Waited over an hour for a drink after ordering our food, no apology from the staff. Just awful all around service and the food is only passable, at best (we actually got our appetizer). We've eaten here before but they've hired staff that doesn't care about their customer. Plenty of better places in San Juan to get actual service and better food. read more

This place is cozy with very pleasant and attentive staff, presentation of dishes was great but the food was so so. We ordered mojito that barely had any alcohol, even our friend who doesn't drink couldn't taste it, we also got charged $6 for ice cubes. for appetizers we ordered black truffle flat bread- it was amazing; sea bass ceviche - was super sour ( if you know how ceviche must be, do me a favor don't order), roasted cauliflower salad was tasteless with 3 little pieces of cauliflower; santisimo pate was fine, but nothing special; wood fire scallops was the best from all of the entrees we ordered, risotto was excellent but scallops were a bit over cooked, octopus was chewy, red snapper was dry and steak sirloin was so so as my friend implied. read more

Santísimo - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Spent an hour walking around Old San Juan trying to find somewhere to eat, but most places had an hour+ wait. Was frustrated so decided to go back to our hotel, El Convento, and eat at the restaurant on the 2nd floor. I did not know anything about it, but was in for a lovely surprise. I was lucky enough to get a table without having to wait. Most people had reservations which I would highly recommend. For starters we had the black bean soup and swordfish ceviche. The soup was great, but the ceviche sauce was a little too tart for me, yet I still ate it all:) I was impressed with the ample amount of fish included. For the main course we had the cast iron chicken and scallops with risotto. Both were phenomenal. And my coconut mojito was refreshing and delicious. Lastly, the service was incredible. Even though you have one dedicated server, they all help out to ensure their guests are happy. They're also great following COVID protocols. So happy I found this place just down the hall from my hotel room:) read more

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Stay away from this restaurant. They sat us in an area where we sat in the dark for 30+ minutes with no lights. The bathroom was filthy and had no hand soap. When I spoke to the manager about the lighting situation (it was so dark I couldn't see our appetizers or the menu), he interrupted me and said "you are not in the United States anymore." On top of everything, my food was mediocre at best. read more

Note to my past self: You're wondering who is right- the people who say this place is great or the ones who say it's mediocre. You're staying at El Convento and it looks cute suspended over the courtyard when you walk by. The people there seem to be enjoying themselves. You've been walking around all day and it would be nice to just eat here! Don't do it! Go back out and wait in one of the long lines somewhere else for something better. Do you want to spend your last meal in San Juan eating overpriced, bland food? 'Ceviche' swimming in coconut milk and seemingly little else? (Are there oysters somewhere in these oyster shells?) Overcooked salmon on a greasy, soggy pile of potatoes and Brussels sprouts? Well, sadly, I can't go back and change this decision, but perhaps it's not too late for you... read more

What a wonderful little Oasis. My mom and I came here and Terri made us feel so welcome. I had the ceviche, my mom had the soup and scallops, both made us leave our plates and bowls clean. I'm so glad we stumbled in here on our walk through the city and will hope to return again. It's shady porch and consistent breeze also made our entire lunch an overall super pleasant experience. read more

The food was delicious. The service was friendly and attentive. And yet none of those are as good as the beautiful atmosphere esp at night.

Would've loved to give this place more stars, we had a fantastic experience and the food was phenomenal! However, it took over an hour to get food from the time we placed our order. We were celebrating my friend's birthday, and decided to give this place a try. I ordered some shots and a bottle of wine to start dinner, and also ordered our meal. Throughout our dinner, our server kept asking us what shooter or shot we were taking next. We ended up taking two more rounds of shooters that he suggested - kamikaze and lemon drop. We didn't even order the last round, he just brought them out for us, then proceeded to charge us for not only ours but his drink as well. Our food showed up an hour after we ordered it, and they had forgotten the appetizer. Once the bill came, it was higher than expected but I paid and tipped the server over 20%. Come to find out, he charged us for not only our shooters but his as well. So, I ended up paying a significant extra charge on my bill to cover the server's shooters. We didn't ask him for them, nor did we ask him to join us. I was happy to pay for all of the alcohol for our table, but I should not have been charged for the server's alcohol, considering he ordered it for himself. Also - we asked the server to take a photo of our party, and he pulled out his own phone and took photos of us before taking our photo on our own phones, which was pretty uncomfortable. read more

Servers were great. Helpful and very nice. The French fries appetizer was good. Everything else was awful. The chef does not know how to prepare fish properly. Salmon was over cooked. The lobster was over cooked and the noodles were ice cold. The fish, in the ceviche, was over cooked and smelled fishy. I could go on, but you get my point. read more

The ambiance is fine, but the service was bad. I am not talking about the waiter, but the kitchen staff. We ordered our food and waited for more than an hour to get it, but eventually the waiter came in to say that the chef didn't like how the food was cooked and asked if we wanted something else. During that time, I didn't even get the drink I ordered and I was constantly assured our food is on the way. There was only more more table occupied at that time besides us which got their food in 10-15 minutes, so it's not about them being busy with having too many orders. On the good side, the waiter came in to ask if we wanted dessert on the house. read more

Very disappointed in my meal. The menu CLEARLY stated that the salmon dinner was prepared with grilled smoked bacon, which is why I ordered it. I was searching all over for the bacon only to be told that it was a typo on the menu. There was no compensation for the error. I was very unsatisfied!!! The awards xtra star is only because the ambiance was nice and I was with great people! ‍ read more

Santísimo is worth the 5 stars. We started with the burrata as an appetizer and it was worth every bite. Same goes for our meal which consisted of chicken with some potatoes and little bacon stripes and a cauliflower salad. The best part of the meal was the dessert as we ordered the chocolate custard. Cocktails were great as well. Unbelievable! Service was warm, welcoming and of course the venue itself is gorgeous. If you're in Old San Juan, do not hesitate to visit them. Highly recommended! read more

Santísimo - Chocolate custard - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Went for a Saturday dinner date and the environment was beautiful, the food was delicious and the Covid precautions were excellent. The restaurant had tables separate and took precautions when you arrive. The Snapper and the chicken were outstanding. It is open air, covered seating so you will feel safe from Covid and from rainfall. The dessert and the drinks were just as good as the food. Finally, the service was attentive, kind and very little wait. Highly recommend. read more

Ambiance 10; Service 10; Food leaves room for improvement. Ceviche didn't come with any tortillas or bread, Fish was overcooked, and drinks were watered down. read more

Wonderful food, great ambiance and drinks. Clean and helpful staff. A Covid era gem in San Juan.

We got drinks from the bar every night during our stay except the last one. The closing time right now is 9pm. On Saturday it stayed opened till 10pm (they didn't care about any curfew) But on Monday bartender refused to make a drink at 8:50 because he cleaned the bar already. What????? Not coming back. read more

Amazing, cozy restaurant on the second floor of a San Juan hotel. You go up the steps to the second floor of the hotel and are completely transported, the restaurant is outside with soft lighting and nice ambiance. You would never imagine this cute spot would be up there! The food was delicious, and could be a nice break if you are not looking for more traditional food after a few days in Puerto Rico. They mainly serve pastas, flatbreads and salads. I personally recommend the jamón serrano and truffle flatbread, it's delicious and made fresh in a pizza oven before serving. Great drink selection available as well. Overall, definitely go to Santísimo, even for a few drinks and the atmosphere! read more

We stopped in for a late lunch and cocktails after walking around San Juan. The cocktails were tasty and strong, and the tomato salad was tasty. The waiter/bartender was speedy and nice, and the ambiance and food was a nice break. read more