La Estación — Restaurant in Fajardo

Fajardo, PR Open air restaurant. They open at 4 pm. People are waiting in line before opening. We were the first. I’m a vegetarian so all they can suggest are sides. I ordered the salad with goat cheese. That was just OK not crazy about the vinaigrette. I didn’t finish it. I ordered potato salad, which was terrible. It was lacking flavor. I also ordered the mac & cheese, which normally would come with some kind of meat or fish, but they gave it to me without and that was OK. I didn’t quite finish it because it was just too much for me. It was suggested that I order these little coconut rounds. They did not taste like coconut at all. It was a little round bread like things, and they were a bit hard and lacked any sort of flavor. The vegetarian rice and beans was a good choice. My husband ordered the brisket which was way overpriced. And he didn’t quite finish it and french fries that came with. Fries were very overdone and he didn’t even touch them. I told the server but he was just like OK and that was it. So I guess they could really care less whether you eat it or like it , it doesn’t really seem to matter. I asked for a strong drink and asked them to suggest a cocktail and I was told about this one with tequila and guava juice and I ordered that, that was a poor choice because it was very bland and it wasn’t strong at all ….it was so blah. I can’t quite tell you why I didn’t like it … it just lacked flavor. I didn’t taste any kind of guava juice, although it was an orange color. And it appeared to have a dried slice of orange probably a blood orange but that gave it no flavor. It was mainly for decoration, which was completely useless to me. After tasting so many side dishes I really had no desire for dessert and we just paid the bill and left. This was recommended by a friend and they absolutely loved it. They had a huge lobster that seemed to be stuffed with some things and they just love this place so we tried it on their recommendation. Our server told us that the truck didn’t come in with the lobsters on it so that wasn’t available. Even though I don’t eat lobster but perhaps my husband wanted to try it and yeah, so that wasn’t available. This is a meat and seafood lovers restaurant. I’m sure that other people enjoy it. It’s apparent by the way that people lineup outside for it. I don’t think I’d come here again because they don’t have much for me even though they do have these sides that I can order but I feel that at least one entrée should be for vegetarians instead of me having to order so many sides. So I’m disappointed with that. There’s parking in the front I don’t know how much is available because we only saw a few parking spaces in the front. I don’t know about handicap parking or a handicap access because there are a few steps that you have to go through but there might be another entrance for handicap wheelchair access. It’s kid friendly. The place is clean. I can’t really complain about that. I do recommend trying it, my food opinion is just mine as a vegetarian. My husband is a meat eater and he said that he probably wouldn’t come here again. He doesn’t think that there’s anything special about it. There was a New York strip steak on the menu and that was hugely overpriced. His brisket was I believe about $70 which was way way way overpriced. Reservations are strongly recommended. They will take the people that have...

Before my husband and I leave for any of our trips, we scope out all the restaurants in the locations that we are visiting to ensure we are going to the best of the best restaurants. Through TripAdvisor and La Estación‘s website this spot looked amazing. But we were going to be the judge of that.

La Estación was absolutely FANTASTIC... We ended up eating here twice during our stay and honestly would’ve eaten here more times if they were open the other nights that we were in Fajardo. This restaurant was a great option as it had fantastic seafood options and amazing land options. This is important to my husband and I as he is a seafood lover and I only eat things from the land. Their specials every day change based off of what was caught that morning and what they are able to get from local farms. One tip that we would advise is to try to get to this restaurant earlier than later, they’re special sell out quick and they only have a certain amount of each thing a night. They do take walk-ins but I would definitely make a reservation as this restaurant fills up quick.

Our Order Night 1: The special salad which had roasted beets, cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, and a Rosemary honey vinaigrette Grouper ceviche which came with coconut Arepas We spilt the award-winning brisket which came with a guava barbecue sauce and an amazing coleslaw (Mayo and vinegar mixed) Spilt a side of rice and beans the special dessert which was caramelized banana in an empanada dessert casing covered in cinnamon and sugar with a scoop of house made ice cream.

Our Order Night 2: The special barbecue chicken wings with a passion fruit barbecue sauce. The special salad which had cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, roasted beets and a rosemary honey vinaigrette. I again ordered the award-winning brisket with the guava barbecue sauce because it was so fantastic I couldn’t not order it again. My husband ordered the whole grilled Cartucho which he thought was the best fish he has ever ordered. Dessert we ordered the house made Tres leches. To be completely honest this desert was fantastic but a very small for the price you pay.

We both also had almost all their drinks on their cocktail menu, which were also terrific. The service was also outstanding.

After our first night here we mentioned La Estación to everyone at our resort. When we went back the second night, everyone we recommended this restaurant was here and all agreed how amazing their experience was.

Overall, La Estación was hands down my FAVORITE restaurant in Puerto Rico. Even locals had raving reviews of this restaurants. My husband and I have had amazing BBQ in Nashville, Memphis, Dallas and other very well known BBQ spots… I would have to say this has by far been my favorite. Whatever they are doing, they are doing it right!!! If you are in Fajardo or even San Juan the drive for dinner here is WORTH EVERY minute driving. Any of our future visits to Puerto Rico will involve at least one night of dinner at...

Unfortunately our party was subjected to a terrible experience. Upon arrriving, the hostest gave us an attitutde and tried to turn us away. After 1 hour we were seated and the server came to explain the menu. As our luck would have it, arriving at 6pm still meant that the tuna tartar was out, not sure why. We also ordered the briskett and the pork ribs. Not sure what too them so long but after 45 minutes the food came out, cold as ice. The pork ribs were dry and cold. The brisket was cold and salted to the point in which it wasnt edible, it was also clearly overcooked or the remnants of yesterday's meals, I couldn't tell you.

We contacted the manger and were told that the meats were smoked for 12 hours, and as such couldn't be garaunteed to come out hot (my mind was blown when I heard that). Basic math would suggest that if we came in at 6, got our food at 7... the meats were smoked for 12 hours, I should be getting the meat right out of the cooker. So my gut tells me that they are lying.The manager was rude and the new briskett was also oversalted and cold. Obviously they didn't take it off the menu because it was impossible to get their attention or have anyone come to our table. Our server stopped serving us, we had to chase down and beg the manager for the bill. I'm not sure what's going on here but I don't understand the rave reviews.

Coming from Miami, I expected poor service, but the food being cold, overly salted, the terrible attitutde of the staff... the whole experience was a disaster. For anyone considering this resturant see below for bullet points.

1. Excellent Atmosphere
2. Good drinks from the bar, they are strong!
3. Ask for clarity on your meals... (menu shows mashed potatoes, but they served potato salad instead)
4. If you're sensitive to salt, watch out for the brisket
5. Please bear in mind the meats may be cooked for 12 hours, but they are kept in a warmer, and as such, you may find your meats dry and overcooked, so if that bothers you probably bring it up with your server.

If you have real experience with a proper smoke house and bbq house, temper your expectations with regard to the food and service. You will likley have to send food back, be proactive about getting your food, drinks, and utencils, or you'll sit at the table for 3 hours waiting around.

Overall the experience was among the worst I've ever had. Maybe our party just got unlucky, but you couldn't pay me to...