Burnt Ribs, Bad Service Not only did our ribs come out looking like charcoal, but our server would go 15-20 minutes without coming by our table to see if we maybe wanted another beer or wine. She didn't once ask how our food was or if we needed anything else. At all the other restaurants we went to on vieques, we had impeccable service (even at hole-in-the-wall places) and this place was incredibly disappointing, given all the good reviews. The only redeeming quality was the bartender who was helpful and friendly. Being from Miami where most restaurants operate on "island time" which translates into slow service, it takes a lot to really drop the ball this bad and force a bad write-up...do yourself a favor and go to Noche next door. read more

Tin Box - Burnt ribs...can't believe this was actually served. - Barbeque Near Me - Vieques, Puerto Rico

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Unique dining spot with a large tree growing right up the middle of the dining area. Restaurant is open-air, but the fresh breezes were a welcome companion during our meal. Our family shared a bunch of appetizers as our meal. We started off with a buffalo shrimp dish along with something called BadAss bacon. The shrimp were cooked perfectly and the buffalo sauce had just the right amount of "zip". The BadAss bacon was just that...thick cut, smoky and delicious! Do not miss this one. Next course was a fresh salad that had lots of interesting vegetable and a really nice dressing. Lastly, we shared a rib plate that was simply to die for! Clearly the ribs had been slow cooked in a smoker with their own special rub applied...and then served with no sauce! Allowing those ribs to stand up on their own (without sauce) is a testament to their quality. This dish was the clear winner at the table. Will definitely return to the Tin Box next time on the island. read more

We went to Tin Box for dinner on Tuesday and returned on Wednesday, because the food was so good. Great oysters, catfish tacos and ribs. Also they make a great Box Mary. Also, the poached pear dessert was very good. Very cool decor too. read more

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Watermelon margaritas were overrated. Basically liquor water with a bit of watermelon. Not a fan of overly sweet drinks but these were almost bitter. Buffalo gulf shrimp good. Fish tacos good too but messy! Smoked chicken po'boy great. Good service. read more

Fantastic sushi and amazing service. The ribs are always spot on and for this TX girl that is saying something. Now....jalapeño margaritas here rock!!! dont forget to try the Mac n cheese! Atmosphere is like eating in a tree house in a rain forest. This place is a must visit in Vieques!!! read more

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Tin Box has consistently good food and the best bar ... I started to say best bar mid-island, but it's really the best on the whole island

Our family really enjoyed the unique atmosphere and excellent service. It truly is like having dinner in a treehouse. We had the watermelon-Rita, trio barbecue plater, catfish tacos, tofu skewers, calamari, and shrimp tempura roll. Fantastic food & fun evening! read more

I read a few reviews about poor service and thought for sure people were just not used to the Puerto Rico timing. But instead I found the service to be above most places on the main land. We were greeted by the host as we walked up to the restaurant, seated and greeted by our waitress inside of a minute. Food was great and our waitress, Copper, never let either of our drinks get too low before asking if we wanted more. They had water, with ice, which they kept full throughout the meal. I finished with a coffee, they even brought cream, which was the first time in PR that it was not milk. I have no pictures of food to add but they matched what has already been posted. read more

Tin Box - Vegetables grown on the property - Barbeque Near Me - Vieques, Puerto Rico

Best sushi bar!! Enough said!! Fantastic taste, fresh, and creative. Try the "sushi lasagna" for a really wonderful surprise! Got an amazing salad to start with... All their lettuce/greens/herbs are from their garden too. Love! read more

Tin Box - Arugula salad with bacon & watermelon - Barbeque Near Me - Vieques, Puerto Rico

We went on a special reggae night where they had a different menu. I ordered the Mahi Mahi and it was amazing!!! The band and the atmosphere were magical and we had the best time. WATERMELON MARTINI was sooooooo good! read more

A very unique experience. A combination BBQ and sushi restaurant that does not excellently! In the middle if the island, it has a tropical, mystical forest vibe. Food and drinks are fantastic. Great fun. Should have live music again post-Covid. read more

I heard about Tin Box 5xs in two days, a sign I had to go and I'm stoked I did. Here's what I had... Appetizers... Oysters.....delicious! Gone in less than 60 seconds. Served with horseradish, cocktail and a mango citrus. Sushi.....so fresh! (I had the mango salmon and yellowtail with seared tuna maki) Dinner... I had a perfectly cooked 10oz Ribeye for $28. The most expensive item on the menu. Served with the best sweet potato fries I've ever had and a really tasty side salad. My man had pork tacos. I'm guessing they were good too since we didn't speak to each other until our plates were cleared. They make their own juices. Today they had watermelon, grapefruit and a Jalepeño infused lemonade. They grow their produce in the garden behind the restaurant and I could tell it was fresh! Kudos to you, Tin Box. Your tree house is dope!! read more

Tin Box - Mango salmon roll 5 - Barbeque Near Me - Vieques, Puerto Rico

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Absolutely delicious! Great happy hour...$2 tacos can't be beat! And the ribs we wonderful! The location is nice, the entire place is outdoors so it is very refreshing! Plus fresh squeezed juice in my margarita made me very happy! read more

Service was fast, food had generous portions. However, did not have an island feel I thought we would get. Sushi and bbq did well together, but kind of pricey here. read more

Made a reservation for a Tuesday night at 7pm at Tin Box, was sat immediately and ordered at 720pm. We had a total of 4 people who ordered food, two salads, a chicken dish, and one sushi roll. The two salads and chicken dish was out 50 minutes later. The sushi roll was not out until 8:30pm and tasted like it's from pei wei. Maybe they need to recruit someone from Asia if they're going to serve sushi. We also ordered a side of hush puppies but apparently they couldn't get the batter right and kept burning them so we never received them. Our waiter Nicole was a total smart ass from the start. She asked where we were from and my dad said Raleigh, NC and she recounted by saying she had an atlas and knew where that was. WHY DO YOU ASK IF YOU DONT CARE??? When we received our check, Nicole noted that she did not charge us for the hush puppies..well thank you so much for not charging us for something that we never received. The table behind us ordered 30 minutes after us and received about the same meals as us 30 minutes before us. If there is a worse word for extremely disappointing then thats what I would used to describe this god awful experience. Wherever you dine in Vieques, DO NOT DINE HERE!!!!!!!!!! read more

Been twice for happy hour of tacos and drinks. First time I sat at the bar. We got our drink order after about 5 or ten minutes which was fine. It took a long time to get our food order but the bartender kept us informed (turned out an order for 35 tacos had been placed just before us and that overwhelmed the kitchen). The tacos were worth waiting for. Went a few weeks later. Tacos and drinks were fast this time. This time we sat in the main dining area. Big mistake as three families were put around our table. And they were loud and obnoxious playing between and even over our table. Not the restaurants fault but it would have been nice if they had offered to reseat us. I would have jumped at the chance, had more food and drink. Instead we left as soon as we manage. read more

Meal was going well. Had our cocktails but then we asked for water and we're informed that we would be charged for water. We took our drink glasses to the bathroom and got water from the tap. read more

This restaurant was such a nice surprise! The only reason we aren't giving it a five-star review is because it is a bit out-of-the-way ... We had a wonderful open-air booth on the deck. The restaurant specializes in barbecue and sushi (crazy combination but it works!) We had the most delicious sushi including a dragon's eye. Order this! People at the adjoining booth had barbecue and seemed as happy as we were. And, a big bonus, the Tin Box is next door to a new and very cool night club called The Jungle Room, so we went there for one more rum punch before calling it a night. Fun, fun in Vieques!!! read more

I always come here when I go to Vieques, which is at least once a year. It's in my top 2 favorite restaurants on the island (along with Bili in Esperanza). It's a "tin box" with a lovely downstairs seating area where you feel like you are in the jungle. While you sit here, you can also see their garden where they grow their greens for the salads. So fresh! The BBQ platters are to die for -- smoked and seasoned/slathered to perfection and served with delicious sides. My favorites are the jicama slaw and pork ends rice. YUMMM. The sushi doesn't blow me away -- but I think the best roll is the mango salmon roll GET IT. Also get one of their spicy margaritas, if you can handle it... This place is a must if you're looking to eat out in VQS. read more

Tin box was by far the best meal we had in 3 days on Vieques island. Service: outstanding. Emily gave helpful recommendations and was timely with service. Food: outstanding We had 3 rolls: paradise, yellowtail topped with seared tuna, and Culebra. Fish was fresh and flavor combos were unique and delightful. Also, the watermelon margaritas were to die for (and dangerously strong!) Atmosphere: slow on the night we were there, but overall cute The food and drinks really set Tin Box apart from the other island options! No reso needed in the offseason! read more

Firstly, the service was terrific. Our server (Loyda) was cool, thoughtful, genuine and on top of her game. Sushi was amazing. Signature watermelon margaritas had perfect balance--not too sweet. Atmosphere was very chill, and you can tell the place is well-run. Would 10/10 recommend. read more

Best food so far on my trip to Vieques. Watermelon Margaritas, badass bacon app, sushi, half a rack of ribs and pork tacos. Huge delicious portions and great service. Do yourself a favor and go. read more

Tin Box - The half a rack of ribs. So so good - Barbeque Near Me - Vieques, Puerto Rico

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Shit was gas, that's it, sushi had me off a perc like damn bruh. Need me some of that Boxussy yo what I mean? nah but in all seriousness if you around pu to Tin Box, dis place was the shit fr. read more

Hands down one of the best meals we had on the island. I got the fried shrimp po'boy and my husband got the Culebra sushi roll and the $2 happy hour tacos--one chicken, one pork. The BBQ/sushi menu is weird, but based on what we ordered, they do both very well. The fried shrimp po'boy sandwich with sweet potato fries was AWESOME. Of the two tacos my husband got, we liked the chicken better, but the pork was good too. Great service. Well-priced drinks. Also, there's apparently a garden on the property where I was told they source a lot of the veggies and greens for the food. So that's pretty cool, too. read more

Tin Box - Fried shrimp po'boy and $2 happy hour tacos in the background. - Barbeque Near Me - Vieques, Puerto Rico

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Our contact on Vieques told us, "Eh, you might like Tin Box..." Dang, she had no idea it would be our FAVORITE meal from the island (yes, even though it's not traditional Puerto Rican)! I ordered the dry rub ribs with sides of macaroni and cheese and batata (a white, starchy sweet potato that reminds me of the Korean sweet potato, kokoma, if you know it). My husband ordered the catfish tacos and loved them. I loved the fresh salad that came with, and somehow I was willing to trade some of my ribs for his salad. Guys. These ribs were Amazing! So flavorful and tender! And my sides! I asked our server (who looked like Bradley Cooper) if the mac & cheese was that yucky Kraft stuff, and he said, "Oh no. This stuff is amazing. Made to order, even." I trusted him and was not only not disappointed, I was greatly surprised! I'm a macaroni and cheese snob, I love my homemade stuff but usually can't stomach restaurant stuff. Tin Box's macaroni and cheese was better than what I make at home! Penne, salty and creamy cheeses with Parmesan, fresh bacon pieces, and chives, I believe. I couldn't get enough of it! The batata, too, was perfect. I wanted to eat all night. Our Bradley Cooper waiter was great. Friendly, informative, and conversational. We wished the night hadn't been so busy so we could ask him more about his experience in Vieques. We did have one question about the island that he didn't know, and he asked around the kitchen for us. We visited Tin Box during its first week open after the tourist doldrums break, so the creme brulee dessert wasn't available yet and the restaurant was working to get itself up to speed again, but we were blown away by our experience here. Must Go Again. Top notch service. Top notch food. Top notch environment. Only area of improvement, I think $3 for 3 small pieces of watermelon is too much, but it is freakin' delicious watermelon. When we return, I'm going to get that watermelon martini! read more

My girlfriend and I spent a week in Vieques and had a chance to explore the culinary offerings across the island and there was no shortage of good food. Our property manager tipped us off to Tin Box which was just down the road and had opened only 3 days before. While on the Island, we actually found it difficult to find a good place for shrimp and oysters and thus found Tin Box willing to accomodate! Food: At Tin Box we found all the seafood our stomaches longed for and much more. First off, we ordered a plate full of shrimp, oysters, and lobster that rivaled the northeast. In fact, the oysters that Tin Box serves are sourced directly from a diverse set of reputable oyster farms between Northern VA and Maine. While that's a long journey for the shellfish, they made it to our table fresh! The flip side of the menu offers a disjunct offering of BBQ and southern sides. While I never was able to try that side of the menu, the smell of the BBQ seemed great (and that's the perspective of a Native Texan). Drinks: In Vieques, we found that many restaurants had either good food or good drinks, but rarely both. Tin Box breaks that tradition. Being from Austin, Texas, I was homesick for a margarita but found nothing but clumsy mixtures of bottom shelf tequila drowned in cheap sweet and sour pre-mix. Tin Box serves a solid serving of Tequila that is accompanied by a refreshing cut of fresh lime sourness and just the right hint of sweetness. It's a cocktail that goes down smoothly and actually quenches your thirst. You can tell the lime juice is fresh! Frank, one of the bartenders, was kind enough to sit down with us and explain a little bit about the philosophy behind the food and the drinks. Eventually, he offered a sample of the Not So Bloody Mary which was green in color but so much more than a standard Bloody Mary. It's a great blend of 18 different spices and herbs that the owner has designed himself. And if your a little suspicious of the validity behind that statement, the back deck overlooks the very gardens that all the ingredients come from! tl;dr Tin Box is new to the Vieques Scene but I think it will become a staple on the island offering the freshest seafood raw bar and BBQ. Good food, great drinks, friendly staff, and a cool vibe. read more

Tin Box - Seafood Plate # 1 - Barbeque Near Me - Vieques, Puerto Rico

Would love to give this place a great review, but as a vegetarian, when you order marinated tofu skewers and it is their token vegetarian entree , they need to at least be marinated. So bummed! They didn't have any texture either- soft and blan. If you are a vegetarian coming with your carnivore friends , you might be better served getting a bunch of sides or a big salad. Even the only desert on the menu had crumbled bacon on top!! : ( read more

Good food - we tried both sushi and bbq -, very friendly service, tasty cocktails. We'll be back.

Service was super fast. We ordered and the food was literally on the table 5 minutes after, super wierd lol. I'm gonna call this place the wierd restaurant, it is in the middle of nowhere, food combinations like sushi and BBQ wierd, watermelon drinks tasted wierd and I ate a wierd dessert. I don't quite know how to categorize this restaurant. However, they grow their own veggies which is cool, food was good and atmosphere was chill. read more

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I started writing a really long review about all of the things that went wrong during our visit, but it keeps making me annoyed all over again, which is totally not worth it, so I am just going to bullet list it. * It seemed like our reservation was misplaced and the hostess was dismayed to see us * Our waiter was super unprofessional (said things like "we're super busy, so let's see if we can make this happen" when he greeted us at our table) * Our table was RIDICULOUSLY TINY. My dad and I are both pretty tall and had to sit diagonally to keep from hitting our knees from banging against each other. * Our sushi order never came, due to above stated unprofessional waiter never putting the order in * Owner was condescending and dismissive of our complaints, which only made me more upset. * 3$ for a slice of watermelon???? My parents really liked the food that they did get (they didn't order sushi). My husband and I split an appetizer, which I didn't like (way too salty.) We left instead of waiting for the sushi because no food would be good enough to counteract our bad experience. read more

Tried it based on the great reviews. Man, did we come away disappointed. Service was cheery but poor. Food at least was pretty consistent, consistently flavorless and tough. Ribs were almost inedible - tough, fatty and tasteless. Pork tacos looked pretty but tasted bland. BBQ chicken too was tough and flavorless. Easily the worst dinner out in the last couple of years. read more

Hands down, our best meal while on vacation in Vieques. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted with a friendly smile and shown to a table on the lower level. You really feel like you're in a treehouse! What a fun, unique dining experience. The sounds of nature all around you were so relaxing and the food was FANTASTIC. Everything was fresh and flavorful. Highlights: HUSH PUPPIES!!! Wow were they delicious! I don't know what they did to those things, but they were easily some of the best hush puppies I've ever had. They were so light and flavorful with just the right amount of heat. RIBS - These ribs were amazing. Charred on the outside, sweet and tender underneath. Wow. BACON APPETIZER - The bacon had such a delicious caramelization on the outside. I couldn't get enough of it. CHOCOLATE/BACON CREME BRULEE - Yes, you read that right! We were so intrigued by this dessert, we had to try it! I had never had anything with the chocolate/bacon combination you see everywhere. It was delicious. We also enjoyed some signature cocktails while we were there. They have a fun menu with so many things I wanted to try! Skip the "macaroni and cheese." It was just penne pasta with some confusing white sauce. It was the one thing that we had while we were there that I could have really done without. It was pretty bland and sad, not on par with the rest of the food! read more

Tin box is owned by the same folks that own Noche (next door) and Duffys. Not that that means anything, just an observation. With that being said, if you are looking for local PR food you aren't gonna get it here. What you will get is traditional BBQ in a funky open air tree house with a tin roof. We came on a not-busy thursday night. Didn't have to wait for a table and we got a table that over looked the totally blacked out jungle/forest. You're up about 2-3 stories, kinda like a tree house if you sit on the lower deck. Kinda cool. Staff, like all the restaurants in Vieques are what we called 50-staters. So you won't have any issues with language. We didn't have any problems with the staff or waiting for our food like others have commented. Service is on the minana side for sure - hey you are on vacation - and this isn't a white table cloth kinda place. Food wise we had - The buffalo shrimp. Big shrimp in buffalo wings sauce. I love anything in buffalo sauce so this dish was great. I actually felt guilty/bad because the shrimp where big, looked like they were grilled on an open flame and really tasty so dunking them in sauce wasn't doing them justice - but we ate all of them up in record time~ We split a sampler platter. for the sides we got the burnt ends rice - really good & the mac & cheese - again - super good. The BBQ ribs & chicken were very good. For drinks they have some of their speciality drinks - we tried a watermelon martini & they have 50 state beer. I had some kind of Abita. Tip - They aren't open every day (closed sunday/monday I believe). So check before you head out. read more

Returned to the Tin Box for the ribs and were once again very satisfied with the food and service. The senseless kerosene lamps at each table still foul the air which is an ambient and fire hazard absurdity. (A star is still lost for this reason) We noticed that the place has a Wi-Fi signal with their name, but the server indicated that it was not made available to customers. Silly, as this adds customer satisfaction at no cost. The restaurant does not comply with the law that requires an IVU Loto (sales tax lottery) receipt to be issued with the bill. The server has no understanding of this procedure which can result in a severe fine. The state department has been notified using their web page and hopefully this will be corrected. (A second star is lost for this failure to comply with state law) In summary, even with good food and service, management attitude towards customers leaves you looking for a better place, My rating was lowered after this second visit. read more

Great food, mediocre service. An island local recommended Tin Box to us as they have a raw bar (just Oysters) and is the only restaurant with craft beer on tap. We arrived and my husband asked the waitress what beer was on tap. She abruptly responded that they didn't have anything on tap. Disappointing but understandable that Vieques is a small island and supplies aren't always easy to get, particularly during busy season. The waitress seemed snippy and had a very "take it or leave it" attitude. She also didn't have a ton of tables to look after (there are probably 15 tables in this place and they had 3 waitresses and a busser) but she almost never checked in and it took a really long time to get the check after we were done eating. My husband got the half doz. oysters and I had a small salad as an appetizer. Both were tasty. I got the pulled pork entree with cornbread and hushpuppies, hubby had the trio (ribs, pork and chicken) with cornbread and baked beans. My pulled pork was absolutely delicious!! I'm not a huge pork fan but this was awesome. The cornbread was also fantastic, moist with local honey on top. So good. Hush puppies were ok. Hubby enjoyed his meal as well and loved the corn bread and baked beans. They had sold out of the dessert so we didn't get to try any. The ambiance is great, we sat on the deck with the forest a few feet away. Overall this was a great restaurant, they just seem to have a chip on their shoulder like they don't need to have good customer service because their food is so good. read more

These guys were so good to us! I called on a Saturday afternoon to ask if they could accommodate a party of (gulp) 21 on a Saturday night. I figured it was a long shot, but was immediately and jovially informed they'd have room for us (hooray for vacationing in the off-season). When I called back to ask about vegan options, the manager not only rattled off a few entrees and salads but also told me he'd talk to the kitchen about creating some vegan specials just for our group. The food is eclectic (BBQ and sushi on the same menu? What?) but also wonderfully tasty, and rounds of fresh watermelon margaritas and martinis immediately started us out on the right foot. I had oysters (plump! flavorful!), the bacon appetizer (melted in our mouths!) and the BBQ trio with hush puppies and coleslaw (tangy! tasty! literally enough for five meals - I took a box home and ate for days). Since there were so many of us I think we tried almost everything on the menu, and there were no complaints. The atmosphere is funky and treehouse-like, with multiple floors and big open spaces looking out over the jungle. On our way out we were treated to a wonderful surprise - the cactus out front was blooming with huge, white flowers. According to the locals we struck up a convo with, this only happens twice a year, so we felt very special indeed. read more

Great food, drinks, atmosphere, and service. It was like eating in a treehouse. We came back multiple times.

Love the food, the service and of course the fresh watermelon margaritas. I always come to this restaurant every time come to Vieques. I love it!! read more

Really cool place. It overlooks part of the jungle and their own garden where some of there menu is derived from. I got the hangover sandwhich which was really good. It had fried eggs, oysters, BBQ chicken, onions and a bernaise sauce. My wife had the strawberry French toast that was just ok. It did not have egg in it which made it feel kinda like grilled toast and strawberry. Also the staff here is awesome. Really cool expats that were really friendly and nice. read more

Wow, seeing some of the negative reviews on here is a little shocking because we had a great experience here. Maybe it was a fluke but I would definitely come back based on our great food and service. We came on a weekday night around 8pm so it wasn't very crowded but I hear it can get pretty busy and maybe the service goes down from there? Who knows. This place is very unique, fun ambiance and music. Very trendy, hipster vibe. The food we had was fantastic. We got BBQ platter, one sushi, carnita tacos with sweet potato fries. The veggies and herbs are fresh from the garden which the dining area overlooks. (Someone noted below that there was a bug in the food...ummm, you are eating outside, it happens) Food was excellent and coming from NC we are BBQ snobs. Our waitress was friendly and gave good recommendations. It was a fun experience and they also have a small jewelry shop that stays open late. Loved it, would definitely recommend and go back. read more