Dinner Recommendation

[paperboys]

My wife and I will be on the Reflection which will stop in San Juan on her "milestone" birthday the afternoon/evening of Monday April 15th.  The trip is to celebrate our 35th anniversary - it was the closest itinerary to our honeymoon cruise (on the original Carnival Celebration) 35 years ago April.   She's put up with a lot of nonsense over the last 35 years and I'd like to make the trip as special as I can.

 

I'm looking for a restaurant recommendation for that evening in San Juan.  Online all the fine dining places are closed on Monday's.  Does not have to be extremely high end (but can be), but something nice/memorable.  35 years ago (things were different) we hopped in a cab in San Juan and asked the driver to take us to a place he would take his family for a special occasion.  We had a terrific meal, (did not note the name of course) in a very local establishment - they would not let us wait outside for the cab to pick us up.

 

Appreciate any suggestions.

[PORT ROYAL]

7 hours ago, paperboys said:

My wife and I will be on the Reflection which will stop in San Juan on her "milestone" birthday the afternoon/evening of Monday April 15th.  The trip is to celebrate our 35th anniversary - it was the closest itinerary to our honeymoon cruise (on the original Carnival Celebration) 35 years ago April.   She's put up with a lot of nonsense over the last 35 years and I'd like to make the trip as special as I can.

 

I'm looking for a restaurant recommendation for that evening in San Juan.  Online all the fine dining places are closed on Monday's.  Does not have to be extremely high end (but can be), but something nice/memorable.  35 years ago (things were different) we hopped in a cab in San Juan and asked the driver to take us to a place he would take his family for a special occasion.  We had a terrific meal, (did not note the name of course) in a very local establishment - they would not let us wait outside for the cab to pick us up.

 

Appreciate any suggestions.

Marmalade - Take the wine pairing Menu - Open on a Monday -

Book very early, repeat book early, as fills quickly.

https://www.marmaladepr.com

tasting menus from 5:00pm to 10:00pm mSaturday
.

 

[crewsweeper]

This would be my rec too!!

[Crazy planning mom]

Marmalade has a $135 tasting menu.  Can someone recommend something moderately priced in Old san Juan?

[PORT ROYAL]

1 hour ago, Crazy planning mom said:

Marmalade has a $135 tasting menu.  Can someone recommend something moderately priced in Old san Juan?

Next preference - Very price reasonable for the quality of food.

https://www.barrachina.com
 

Go for the Chef’s (very) special seafood Paella served for two persons to share.  
Chef personally prepares the speciality from scratch.  Wait time will be about 45 minutes, but it’s so worth it.

 

[PORT ROYAL]

If requiring a lower price point than B’s then consider

https://restauranteraices.com/?page_id=132

Traditional OSJ - 

[JHU]

Anything good near the port?  We arrive at 4 pm and depart at 11 pm.  The two of us aren't good for walking long distances and have done the typical tours on previous cruises.  Also would like a really good pina colada (I know it's a cliche').  thanks.

[PORT ROYAL]

2 hours ago, JHU said:

Anything good near the port?  We arrive at 4 pm and depart at 11 pm.  The two of us aren't good for walking long distances and have done the typical tours on previous cruises.  Also would like a really good pina colada (I know it's a cliche').  thanks.

Try the home of the Pina Colada….. Barrachina ….. 8 minures walk from Pier 1

 

[paperboys]

No one walks from where Celebrity ships tie up to Old San Juan correct?  They use the Pan-American pier?

[cyntil8ing]

5 minutes ago, paperboys said:

No one walks from where Celebrity ships tie up to Old San Juan correct?  They use the Pan-American pier?

 

If it's a port stop, Celebrity uses the Old San Juan piers. Pan-American pier is only for embarkation/debarkation.

 

This thread made me check reservations for our port stop in San Juan in December. Unfortunately, we will also be there on a Monday, so our very favorite restaurant, Jose Enrique, will be closed. Bah!

[JHU]

On 9/23/2023 at 5:03 PM, PORT ROYAL said:

Try the home of the Pina Colada….. Barrachina ….. 8 minures walk from Pier 1

 

many thanks!

[destar]

If trying Barrachina or Raices for dinner, consider making a reservation beforehand. If there is a cruise ship on port, its almost impossible to get a table there.

[MisterBill99]

On 9/25/2023 at 6:47 PM, cyntil8ing said:

 

This thread made me check reservations for our port stop in San Juan in December. Unfortunately, we will also be there on a Monday, so our very favorite restaurant, Jose Enrique, will be closed. Bah!

 

That is unfortunate for you. We ate there last time we had a port visit in San juan and really enjoyed it. We're taking a cruise out of SJ in February, and are staying a couple of nights in Condado before the cruise, and Jose Enrique is actually walking distance from the hotel. But there are also several other highly rated restaurants in that area. And Uber is cheap.

Edited October 31, 2023 by MisterBill99

[ernieb]

We will have a pre-night stay at the Caribe Hilton next March. I see the hotel also has a Morton’s Steakhouse. Does anyone have experience with this restaurant?

[Crazy planning mom]

Mortons is a very nice steakhouse chain.  We have gone to our local Morton's in NY multiple times for special occasions.

[tbmrt]

On 10/31/2023 at 12:09 PM, MisterBill99 said:

 

That is unfortunate for you. We ate there last time we had a port visit in San juan and really enjoyed it. We're taking a cruise out of SJ in February, and are staying a couple of nights in Condado before the cruise, and Jose Enrique is actually walking distance from the hotel. But there are also several other highly rated restaurants in that area. And Uber is cheap.

Just checked google and it says Jose Enrique is permanently closed!

 

[MisterBill99]

On 11/25/2023 at 10:47 AM, tbmrt said:

Just checked google and it says Jose Enrique is permanently closed!

 

 

Wow, you're right! Looks like it happened last month with no advance notice (or cancelling existing reservations) according to comments on their social media page. I wonder what happened? 

[crewsweeper]

On 11/4/2023 at 12:53 PM, ernieb said:

We will have a pre-night stay at the Caribe Hilton next March. I see the hotel also has a Morton’s Steakhouse. Does anyone have experience with this restaurant?

If you've every eaten at a Morton's stateside, it's practically the same.  Good steaks but, hey, you're on an island noted for really good local cuisine.

[scanditaly]

On 10/7/2023 at 12:31 PM, destar said:

If trying Barrachina or Raices for dinner, consider making a reservation beforehand. If there is a cruise ship on port, its almost impossible to get a table there.

Just called Barrachina and was told that they do not take reservations. 

[destar]

1 hour ago, scanditaly said:

Just called Barrachina and was told that they do not take reservations. 

On their website, they have open table, but no longer part of network.

[scanditaly]

1 minute ago, destar said:

On their website, they have open table, but no longer part of network.

Yeah, I saw that too.  Menu looks perfect for our tastes. pun intended.  We will go anyway and hope for the best.  Sailing on the Silhouette Holiday voyage; Will report back..........the Piña Colada is calling me.  

[destar]

23 minutes ago, scanditaly said:

Yeah, I saw that too.  Menu looks perfect for our tastes. pun intended.  We will go anyway and hope for the best.  Sailing on the Silhouette Holiday voyage; Will report back..........the Piña Colada is calling me.  

We were there last March Just before 6pm and it was about 1 hr wait. If you plan for dinner at 6, just be there at 5 you might have better luck. Enjoy, happy cruising.

[rjrpar]

A few years ago we ate rooftop

at the Hotel Milano.  A few blocks from the pier, great mojitos, and good PR food(medium pricing). The rooftop eating area has great views of the city and the port area, but is not large.  Check it out!

[PORT ROYAL]

5 hours ago, rjrpar said:

A few years ago we ate rooftop

at the Hotel Milano.  A few blocks from the pier, great mojitos, and good PR food(medium pricing). The rooftop eating area has great views of the city and the port area, but is not large.  Check it out!

Heard it closed years ago…

[girlscruise2011]

On 12/10/2023 at 6:18 PM, PORT ROYAL said:

Heard it closed years ago…

I was in San Juan in November and wanted to have a drink up there and yes it is closed. The signs say closed for renovations but no one was there working. That rooftop bar was one of my favorites.