Bóveda Restaurante — Restaurant in San Juan

If you want nice good savory food DONT come here. First it was hard to find, the actual restaurant is tucked inside of a building in a corner , I had to call the restaurant and ask them to describe to me how to get there because there’s no signs or anything to let you know where it even is, our Uber dropped us off and I was confused because it’s just an office building. Second the hostess , Carlos was possibly the WORST hostess I’ve EVER had. I made my reservation for 9:30 but I get a message that says to be there at 9 so I call them confused and he says , yeah because of the rain we’re going to close the restaurant early so I’m like okay and I plan accordingly (I had called at 6:45pm~ to confirm) then I end up arriving at like 9:20 so later then 9 but earlier then my reservation and I had put as a note on the reservation that I would like to be seated in the back and so when I get seated they sit me at the first table and it’s by the bar , no where near the back so I ask to be moved (the restaurant wasn’t busy by any means) and the hostess , Carlos looks at me with a face of confusion and anger and says “I just told you that the kitchens closing early and there’s rain but if you want to we can! And the waiters going to be busy so your going to have to wait!” And he said it with such a horrendous attitude that I was about to get up and leave but my wife wanted to stay so we get up and I’m handing him the menus and he snatches them all out of my hand , full on snatched it out of my hand and I pause for a second being distraught as if that actually happened. Then we sit down and the server we had was amazing but to me personally I didn’t like anything on the menu. I’m not picky by any means but the options seemed…overpriced and underwhelming. Beef for $45? The pricing wasn’t bad and I get it , it has to be “fancy” so I order then fish and maybe 10 minutes after I order it I ask the server if I can cancel it because I didn’t really like it and he says” no, once you order that’s it there’s no canceling” and I was like okay , whatever I’ll eat it. The food gets here and it’s literally the most generic fish ever. Not to sound like a hater or childish but it tasted like all they did was put salt on it and serve it. The sides are also all separate and small which I found redundant. The main course doesn’t come with any side then the side I order is very underwhelming. Overall I honestly wouldn’t ever return and it’s not so lunch h the food because whatever I get it , it has to be fancy and it’s “specially curated by a chef” (the most generic food ever) but the service overall is what put the nail in the coffin. The fact the hostess which I later found out was the general manager was extremely rude and disrespectful makes me not want to even step foot in...

If you’re thinking about eating here please read this review first.

First off, this restaurant is kind of hard to find. If you’re visiting Puerto Rico, please note this restaurant is not street facing and easy to find. It’s tucked away into a larger building called the Popular Center, but it’s honestly like visiting the mall. Imagine it’s like going to an Apple Store in a mall you’ve never been too. Kind of hard to find.

Secondly, the atmosphere and the decor is crazy good. I don’t think I’ve never been to a restaurant with this type of architecture and it was really cool. Sadly, this was the best part of the dinner.

Most importantly, the food just left more to be desired. We ordered the beef and the lamb along with 3 side dishes and skipped the apps. The 3 sides were the Patatas bravas, the escalavida, and the ensalada de tomate. The best dish of the evening was the Patatas bravas. Sort of sad when the side dishes are better than the main. The lamb unfortunately had a gamey smell and taste. You know that farm smell? Yea, that smell. I’ve had lamb before and knew what to expect, but this taste/smell lingered around and was far too strong along with the dish being extremely salty. The steak also shared the lambs gamey taste and smell (not sure how that could have happened) and was also very salty. The cut of steak was very soft which was good, but hard to enjoy when you’re trying to chase every bite with a side. Which brings me to the escalavida: I would avoid this completely. This dish is basically an onion, an eggplant, and a red bell pepper that have been slow cooked in an oven. The dish was very bland and soft which led to it being skipped and the focus shifting to the patatas bravas and the ensalada de tomate. It also smelled like an armpit which was not a plus. Just not enjoyable at all.

Lastly, the portion sizes are very small. When we returned to our hotel, my girlfriend and I had to order crispy chicken from the hotel bar because we were still hungry and wanted something good. In total the bill came out to be around $170 so about $85 per person. They also charge $8 for water. If I were you I would visit here once just to enjoy the decor and get a feel for the vibe, but it’s not a place that makes my...

After getting a recommendation online, we decided to make a reservation at Bóveda. We had dietary restrictions and questions about the food. The staff was extremely accommodating and both my partner and I got something we wanted and it all tasted incredible.

However, our waiter asked if I would be getting a drink as well after my partner ordered one and I said "not tonight, no thank you". A bit later, they made a comment saying they thought they forgot to ask me for a drink since they typed in only one drink. Again, I said it wasn't a mistake and I thanked them for checking. Later, the waiter asked me a third time if I'd only be drinking water and I'd like anything else. I said I was fine and thanked them for asking, though at this point my partner and I were wondering why this waiter would not take no for an answer.

Now we're enjoying our meal when the waiter comes back and asks if everything tastes good and we both express how good everything is. Instead of moving on, the waiter now asks me if I DON'T drink in general or not tonight. I explained that I just wasn't interested in drinking tonight, but if I'm being honest I shouldn't have to explain myself and no should just be no. I did mention that I tried a Pina colada while I was here because it originated from PR and he chided me on how sugary that drink is in comparison to getting a glass of wine there. I truly don't understand the mindset behind guilting me into getting alcohol but maybe that works for them.

TL;DR: amazing food, our waiter asked me 4 times if I was interested in alcohol and criticized my tastes when answered...