Placita — Restaurant in Isla de Vieques

A perfect meal! I loved this restaurant so much, and their gambas, that I returned a second time in one week. We actually drove past the day after the hurricane and they were not open and we were bummed out, and I think that they thought that it was very unusual of us to even think they would be open! But I was craving the gambas again!

The atmosphere was lovely. A big open room, with an open kitchen. It was a little warm, even with the windows open, but that is to be expected. A couple of aggressive ceiling fans may be nice.

Our server was very good. Polite and efficient.

I’m happy that they had some items on the menu that my son would eat, because he’s a ridiculously picky eater, even at 19 years old. He actually got chicken wings and mac & cheese, which flabbergasted me, but that’s what he wanted. I had the orange cinnamon margarita, as did my daughter, and we both loved the flavor profile. Beautifully mixed! Just boozy enough. We also had Fish tacos Arepas House salad Cayo burger 2 paradox for dessert Without exception, everything was beautiful.

The salad was refreshing! I can’t remember having a fresher salad in all of Puerto Rico. It tasted like it was just picked that morning.

On our second visit, I was craving the gambas again. It was one of the best dished I had had in Puerto Rico, hands-down. I know I’m a huge shrimp fan, And I cooked them at home a few days a week, but these were just so beautifully done and so fresh and not too garlicky, but at the same time, just garlicy enough. And the bread underneath. Wow. So I even wrote in my reservation that I was returning for the gambas. It was a couple of days after the hurricane, and we were thrilled that they were open.

My son, once again, had the mac & cheese and the chicken wings. (One day, his palate will expand!) My daughter once again had the fish tacos. Because she loved them the first time. This time she traded in her cinnamon margarita for her first old-fashioned. She really enjoyed it. The cinnamon stick frozen in the ice cube was pretty special.

We traded out desserts as well. This time, opting for the churros, which were fabulous. We’ve had a lot of different iterations of churros, and these came with three different dipping sauces, including sweetened condensed milk. That was a revelation!! We were usually served caramel sauce, but the sweetened condensed milk was the way to go!

I also tried the soup of the day, and my husband had the Ossso bucco. Both really well done. No mistakes on the entire meal.

If we lived here, we would eat here weekly, and I would probably have the gambas every week.

On the second visit, our server was exceptional. She let me practice my Spanish, and even brought me an extra flamingo swizzle stick that came in the drink. I requested it in Spanish, and was surprised to see the word for flamingo in Spanish was in...

We are guests of El Blok, which is the hotel where the restaurant reside. We were told that as guests of the hotel, we don't need to make a reservation and simply pop in anytime during dinner.

We did, but the host told us there is no availability and we can sit outside. We asked him about the signature steak dish that had no price tag but "MKT" tag instead. He told us it means "market price" and it depends on how much the chef paid for it. We didn't mind that, and asked how much will it cost this evening? He had no answer and seemed to be annoyed with my question. I asked him to figure out, since knowing how much my meal is going to cost seems pretty reasonable. He returned after a couple of mintues and mentioned the signature steak dish starts at $45. At this point I'm kind of lost. Just tell me the price already...

We let the waiter know my wife is vegan, and he recommended the tomato soup (remember the tomato soup).

We moved inside as a table became available, and was assigned a new waiter

The new waiter was not friendly since the beginning. We mentioned that my wife is vegan and asked for the tomato soup as the first waiter assured us it is dairy free. New waiter said it has dairy in it (Not cool first waiter) I then asked about the signature steak dish, which as far as I know, starts at $45. New waiter said it costs flat $40 (riddle solved at this point, woot!)

The steak was good, the garlic mashed potatoes was pretty good as well, although not very garlicy. The veggies on the side were pretty raw. It was OK for the thin bell pepper and onion, but the broccoli and Zucchini could enjoy another couple of minutes of cooking

My wife enjoyed most of her food, except her roasted veggies which were pretty raw as well.

Overall nice food, not cheap but enjoyable. The service, the attitude and the lack of professionalism from the...

If you’re looking for a culinary experience that feels more like a horror film than a dining adventure, then Placita at El Block is just the place for you. I recently (end of August 2024) had the misfortune of dining there with a friend, and I must say, it was an unforgettable evening—though not for the reasons one might hope.

I ordered a dry piece of chicken that was so horrific, it could have been the star of a slasher flick. Imagine a chicken breast that had been thoroughly neglected and left to dry out in the sun—it was that tragic. To make matters worse, the rice served with it could only be described as overcooked glue, a sticky mess that seemed to defy the very laws of culinary physics. I half expected it to sprout legs and run away, desperate to escape its fate as dinner.

My friend (an Italian surgeon and professor of medicine) opted for the fish tacos, which were a true spectacle of terror. They looked like they had been summoned from the depths of a horror movie directed by someone like Alfred Hitchcock—an unsettling combination of ingredients that made you question your life choices. Each bite was a gamble, and let’s just say the house always wins.

To top it all off, we paid a staggering $124.07 for this feast of pure garbage. At that price, I expected a meal that would at least provide some semblance of satisfaction—or at the very least, not leave me questioning my life choices.

In summary, if you’re in Vieques and looking for a truly nightmarish dining experience, look no further than Placita at El Block. Just be sure to bring a sense of humor—and perhaps a good horror movie to watch later, as you’ll need something to distract you from the memories...