El Makito — Restaurant in Naguabo

From the moment we walked in—after climbing a flight of stairs—it felt like the perfect seafood spot. A massive tank filled with fresh, live lobsters ranging from 3 to 5 pounds sat on display, and the air carried the unmistakable scent of the ocean.

For appetizers, I went with three separate Puerto Rican-style empanadas—one stuffed with shrimp, one with lobster, and one with octopus. Each was absolutely amazing—perfectly cooked, well-seasoned, and paired with a fantastic homemade hot sauce that took them to another level. My girlfriend opted for the cod cakes, which were flawlessly prepared—golden brown on the outside, moist, and almost gooey on the inside. They were the kind of bite that makes your mouth water before you even finish chewing.

For the main course, we split the lobster in garlic butter. While it had more onions than I would have liked (I’m not a fan of onions in general), that’s just personal preference. The dish itself was phenomenal—the lobster was perfectly cooked, rich in flavor, and complemented by some of the best rice and beans I’ve had in Puerto Rico all week.

Service was just as impressive. The staff was attentive, keeping my beer and water topped up without me ever having to ask. And then there’s the view—sitting on the second floor, overlooking the bay, it’s the kind of setting that makes a great meal...

I give it a two star and I'm just trying not to give a 1 star but my experience in this establishment was not the best. Regardless of the amazing reviews I've heard for their food. When arrived you wait on a steep stairs to even get listed which a little uncomfortable and well can be dangerous. We even considered not waiting as no one ever greeted us to let us know a wait time etc. Finally got a seat and was attended right away things felt good again but no after about 50mins waiting for only two dishes we asked the waiter if he had an idea how much longer he came back after a while and informed us it was still being prepared now we've had this same dish in other places just as busy and he the wait or service was not like this. Now I also asked kindly and noticed their was really only one waiter waiting our tables on our side after about an 1hr wait we only had order water to drink we decided to leave. He seemed to busy to even go check or rush for our food not a priority so I regret to write this poor review. As I'm aware reviews are what people make their decisions on but I think this one is essential. I hope they read this and work on a solution I feel this only happen to the seating by the women's restroom with...

My third trip (yesterday for lunch) to El Markito for a group of seven adults (my recommendation). 3 of the adults have dined here in the past and had an experience to compare against.

First, the location along the water with the “Malecon” within sight creates such a relaxing and peaceful ambiance. We were seated on a table on the balcony and couldn’t have chosen a better location (we got there for 1am lunch so no competition for seating).

Except for one individual, everyone else found their meal selection enjoyable. Orders enjoyed included “Chillo a la parrilla”, “Chillo a ajillo”, Ensalada de Pulpo”, Chillo a la mantequilla.”

The exception to a complete consensus on a good meal was the individual that ordered a “Mofongo relleno Carrucho” and I would agree that it did not look appetising as the carrucho on top of the mofongo was too plain, dry with no type of sauce on it. The individual basically wrote it off to ordering the wrong menu item. 6 out of 7 likes is not bad at all.

In my case, another positive experience with advice to the manager: there should be at minimum coffee upon request, other then that no issues. Will make...