Cocina al Fondo — Restaurant in San Juan

December 2022 update No, I have not returned yet. But I've been to a dozen other restaurants since in New York and in PR. I even went to one that is highly recommended not too far away from this one. I had to rank it three and a half or so. I already forgot how the food tasted at that one. But I keep remembering my experience and the flavors from Cocina on Fondo. Visiting a restaurant and paying a lot of money has to be a memorable experience. Comforting or comfortable, enjoyable, tasteful, and I still remember the flavors and I remember liking the flavors and the food and the drink and the attention and space at this restaurant. Dying to go back. No, I'm not related to anybody there. Next time my wife wants to sit outdoors.

August 2022 update. They moved. To an absolutely beautiful house with a great yard and a rather dubious Street. Ugly more than dangerous but, well, probably more dangerous than calle loiza.... They have two hosts by the entrance who didn't really identify themselves so they sort of got in the way until I asked one if he worked there and of course the very nice young man said yes and helped us with the gate . The other one was yapping very loudly on her phone which was not cool. Not sure but she worked there also until she got off the phone. Lots of staff, very attentive. Noise level inside was not too bad, they had music but not very loud at all. Tables are comfortably sized except one which was ridiculously small and they dude they put on it, well, he didn't fit. Maybe that's the table for the people without reservations. Outside it was very pleasant, we toured. Three distinct areas in the yard. All of them with some level of protection from the rain.

The menu is exquisite. Not cheap but not outrageously expensive either. A few dishes in the $40 range. But the tastes and the ingredients and the thoughtful cooking and mixing and preparing is absolutely outstanding. Better than at the previous locale. We had the goat which was heavenly. And the pork breaded filet with mushroom sauce and tuber side dish. So freaking... good I mean we came out of there very pleased. We also had two appetizers which were equally tasty. I had a simple rum and fruit juice mixture which was a good price and didn't give me a headache so the rum was good quality. I had two of them actually which I rarely do. Wine prices were reasonable and dessert was homemade and a five-star as well. The menu has many enticing things all Creole based with Creole Caribbean ingredients, but with very thoughtful or inventive turns... we will come back for more after the wallet replenishes. The variety of flavors and mixtures in the menu really make you want to try different things so you could just go there and buy one dish and come out with a $50 dinner for one person. Including tax tip and a drink but what's the point of going to a place like this for that. With a tip which was generous as I always do in the country of low wages our bill was 175$. That was two dishes three drinks two appetizers and a dessert. Did I mention how amazingly good the lamb and eggplant advertiser was? I'm going back just for that one.

Reservations are obligatory as it fills.

Not sure what they'll do about the parking situation because it's a fairly empty Street where you can find parking but you wonder if you'll make it to the house before getting mugged. Of course, there's not a lot of muggings. It's just that kind of Street.

Outstanding little boutique restaurant in the back of a coop building. Watch out, has no sign. But the food is outstanding. Don't miss this one. And the menu is not short. Eclectic creole food + varied influences. Fresh ingredients. Quiet and spacious (much appreciated!). Wine, but didn't have beer. I'll be going back tomorrow, that's how good it was.

Anyway, highly recommended and I thank the staff and the managers and Cooks and chef for producing such a...

Update: 2.28.25: Our second trip to this restaurant confirms everything I said in my first review. This is the best restaurant in all of Puerto Rico and probably my favorite restaurant anywhere in the world. Phenomenal service, nice vibe, and the food is incredible. Everything is fresh, packed with flavor, cooked perfectly, and portioned appropriately. You will not be disappointed. Tonight we had the rice and rabbit, pork cutlet, malanga fritters with codfish salad, and the amazing beet goat cheese terrine. To finish it off we had their cheese flan with papaya. From start to finish not one thing disappointed. Every single course was as good as the next.

Original review January 2025: This is my new favorite restaurant in Puerto Rico. My fiancé and I ate at Cocina al Fondo last Saturday and everything we had was phenomenal. Our server, Xavier, was super friendly and made sure we never needed anything throughout our meal. We started with the Croquetas de Malanga topped with cod salad. Unlike a basic croqueta you may get elsewhere that is greasy or light as air and gone in one bite, these had the thinnest crispy crust but a filling that was almost the texture of mofongo. It made the small croquetas feel much larger as you actually got to enjoy a few bites per croqueta. The cod salad was cool and refreshing and a nice addition on top. The most delicious part though had to be their amazing hot sauce. I believe they said it was habanero-pineapple-pumpkin (don’t quote me on it). Whatever it was, it also had a hint of what tasted like soy or fermented bean paste and a touch of garlic. It was so good. Hot, yes, but an absolute flavor bomb.

For our meals we had the lamb fricassee and pork shank. The lamb comes wrapped in a cabbage leaf. First appearance and it looks like nothing special. Then you fold back the cabbage and unveil the most perfectly shredded lamb you’ve ever eaten. It was so tender and juicy, no strong lamb flavor. Even people who dislike lamb would love this. The broth below had hints of warm spices like cinnamon and maybe a slight hint of star anise. The sweet potato mash was a perfect accompaniment. It had little lumps which I love in mashed potatoes/sweet potatoes. This meal tasted like home cooking if you were dining at a master chef’s home. We also got a side of their plantain tostones. No greasiness, just perfect crisp yet tender plantain. They also salted them well so they weren’t bland. We dipped them into the hot sauce and loved them.

To drink you can’t go wrong with one of their great selections of wines by the glass or bottle, or one of their signature cocktails. I will absolutely be coming back to Cocina al Fondo in the very near future. The restaurant itself is in a lovely older home and their back patio is well decorated. Even with a full dining room noise levels were never too high. They have added some noise absorbing materials on the ceiling which definitely seem to work. If you try Cocina al Fondo you will not be...

Amazing food and drinks. We booked an 8:30 reservation about a month in advance. Arrived and received the update that they were waiting for our table to finish. Let us order drinks (thank you), received them and they were awesome, I had the Cayay a Santurce (Ron based NY Sour) it was delightful. They brought by a few passed appetizers which were really tasty (thank you!) We ended up waiting 1 hour 15 minutes to be sat. Obviously not great. In an ordinary situation we would have left after 25-30 minutes to go elsewhere, but the reputation precedes itself and this was a central plan in our visit to PR. Once sat drink service was quick and on point, food was amazing. Just disappointed that the reservation timeline wasn’t honored (by a long shot). The restaurant was fully sat when we got your table and clearly they got absolutely wrecked. I recommend that they carefully consider their strategy in the reservation and seating department. I also recommend checking out the book “Setting the Table” by Danny Meyer. Two key take aways when something goes really wrong in hospitality- 1. Directly acknowledge a mistake has been made to who is impacted (the guest). 2. Make moves to amend the mistake- I.e. a glass of sparkling wine comp. when seated, or a complimentary dish from the kitchen. Overall still a great experience, just super disappointed as by the time we sat we were tired and our experience was just not the same. In the scenario when something like this happens a manager should always touch the table. I truly wish the Cocina al Fondo team an amazing future as they are obviously...