Duffy's Esperanza — Restaurant in Isla de Vieques

The food was very bad. I asked for a well done burger and when I took the first bite it was completely charred. I tried to complaing to one of the waitresses and she said that's how the well done burgers are supposed to come out. The fries that came with the burger were super oily and crunchy, and the pineapple juice that I ordered was super watered down by the amount of ice which was added to it. They charged $4 for the pineapple juice only because it was in a super fancy glass. My friend's fish and ships were also super oily. Would not recommend.

Just to clarify and respond to the owner's response. We had calculated our order price before ordering, we had 30 dollars at hand, and the final amount is 32 dollars. The reason why we didnt anticipated the actual bill would exceed the amount was that the drink price is not labelled in the menu, and the 2 dollar tonic water my friend ordered turned to be a small bottle of Canada dry, and the 4 dollar pineapple juice I ordered turned out so disappointing. Eventually we paid the full amount in Venmo and paid 5 dollars in tip regardless of the terrible experience.

About the burger, I ordered a well done burger because I dont like the taste of raw meet. And please notice, well done doesn't mean burnt. Just the fact it is made in grill doesn't mean it should taste like charcoal.

I would like to thank the owner for replying this comment. You may explain as you wish, but it would not change my opinion towards your restaurant and the fact it would be the worst experience we had in this beautiful island. The intention of this comment is to document our real experience at real feelings for others to refer to,...

Just okay.

No prices at all on the drink menu. Why not mentioning it when you mention the food prices? Out of the 15 countries I visited, this place and their neighbors are the only ones I’ve ever seen not mentioning the prices. It actually is illegal to do that in Europe and UK!

Food is ok, nothing special. It is super expensive for what it is but so is the grocery food so it makes a bit more sense. The tuna was the only thing actually good which is the reason why I am adding 1 more star to that review.

The front decoration with the lights and the view are pretty nice if you are sitting in the front, if you are in the back at night there isn’t anything special.

We couldn’t sit with the rest of our family (8 people total) so we split the tables into 2. When the table next to the rest of my family left, my family and our table both asked to switch so we could sit all together. The waitress said ok and that she needed to clean up first. We double asked to make sure and she said yes.Then they let someone else sit there although we were waiting. We told them and they suddenly said there was a waitlist for the front sits. Why not saying it directly? How come we were able to sit there 5 minutes before without waiting? There wasn’t anyone else waiting in front of the restaurant. Considering they knew in the first place we were all together and that they didn’t have a 8 person table, it could have been a nice move from them to think ahead and offer us to sit all together when they noticed the table was available. A lot of waitresses seemed a bit fake nice.

I preferred the other restaurants which are pretty...

Duffy’s Esperanza – Ocean-front comfort food done right

Picture a breezy patio perched a few flip-flop steps from the Esperanza pier, pelicans dive-bombing for dinner while wild horses clop by on the Malecón—that’s the backdrop at Duffy’s. Here’s what sealed the deal for us:

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Food & drinks • Mahi Fish Tacos – the dish every review raves about, and for good reason: lightly fried fillets, bright mango salsa, and tortillas sturdy enough to survive a tropical gust. One order feeds two if you’re pacing yourself. • Fish Bites & Habanero Sauce – golden, addictive nuggets that arrive scorching-hot; cool things down with a frozen piña colada. • Sweet-Plantain “Amarillos” – caramelized edges, fluffy centers, zero grease. Ideal toddler side. • Rum Punch & Passion-Fruit Mojito – strong enough that one will do, balanced enough that you’ll want a second. Happy-hour (4-6 PM) drops cocktails to island-friendly prices. • Portion tip: split one entrée + two apps and you’ll still waddle home.

Service

Staff are the definition of beach-town chill: quick to swap soggy napkins, slower when the place is slammed, always ready with an extra cup of ice for the kid’s juice. No reservations here—put your name in, grab a pier selfie, and you’ll be seated by the time the toddler finishes counting hermit crabs.

Atmosphere

Casual as it gets: picnic tables on crushed coral, reggae on the speakers, salt spray in the air, and a front-row sunset view (arrive 6 ish for the pink-sky show). It’s noisy enough that toddler squeals blend right in, yet mellow enough for lingering over a...