El Platanal — Restaurant in San Juan

I had the worse experience on my FIRST day in Puerto Rico. I went here with my daughter. I asked for outside seating and they seated us outside quickly. There was only one other couple at the tables seated outside. Me and my daughter sat there for 45 min and nooooooo one came to give water, menus silverware or take orders. I eventually got up from my seat went into the bar area and asked for a mojito and a glass of water for my daughter. I went back to my seat . And as I was returning… waiters sat down other guests outside and had given them DRINKS AND MENUS AND had taken there order. Mind you we been there for 1 hour and no one still hasn’t spoken to us. As I got back to my seat at my table I stopped the waiter that was just taking orders for guests that had arrived AFTER us 😩😪 :( pretty upset but all I said to the waiter was “ can someone come please take our order… after about 6-8 more min a waiter that was in the restaurant serving came out and took our order , he was respectful, kind and good waiter…. He took our order and finally got my daughter a mango drink. After another 30 min a server arrived with rice and beans and our tostones. I ssst there for 15 min before I got up to ask the hosted at the from of the restaurant for SILVERWARE. It’s like every women that past us deliberately ignored us. I def liked my mojito, Gabriel and once I got the silverware I was there for almost 2 hours with NO APPETITE. I never in my life have been treated that was as a paying customer I was begging them to take my money last night … had to ask Gabriel for a box and we took almost all the food to hotel. Giving it two stars. One for my mojito and one for Gabriel . Hope this experience helps you guys improve how you treat run the business and treat people...

El Platanal has a very homey, rustic atmosphere that feels welcoming as soon as you walk in. The restaurant has the look and vibe of a countryside spot, with wood accents and a simple layout that makes you feel like you’re in a traditional Puerto Rican home. It’s a nice place to sit down and enjoy a casual meal without any fuss.

As for the food, it was fine — not bad at all, but not particularly memorable either. The dishes had the basics covered: they were warm, portion sizes were fair, and everything came out as expected. The flavors, however, felt a little flat. I was hoping for something that stood out, especially since Puerto Rican cuisine is usually full of bold seasoning and comfort, but instead it leaned more toward being just average. It wasn’t disappointing, but it also wasn’t something I’d rush back for.

Service was friendly enough, and the food came out in a reasonable time. Overall, I’d say El Platanal is a decent option if you’re nearby and want a straightforward, no-frills meal. It won’t blow you away, but it will fill you up and give you a taste of local food in a...

I would have given the restaurant a 5 star if my food tasted better. I ordered Bistec encebollado. I've had Bistec Encebollado many times and never have I tasted it the way I did tonight. I'm here on vacation and being disappointed the first night was unexpected. It had no flavor and the meat looked like they tried to put it together like a steak in ground meat. We had a nice waitress. She disappeared for a while but I'm assuming maybe because they were short staff like everywhere else. When I told her I didn't enjoy my dish (meat) she didn't ask if I wanted another type of dish or offer to discount it from my bill since I didn't eat it. Usually when a customer is not satisfied with their food they make sure the customer leaves happy with the restaurant. Everything else we had was pretty good (empanadas, yuca, churasco). The Bacaliatos were okay too. Not authentic like you would expect in PR. I give this...