La Isla — Restaurant in San Juan

After reading raving reviews I was looking forward to having brunch with a some friends at La Isla. I want to begin this review with the positive aspects of the experience: La Isla has a spacious, clean, nice cool setting which is greatly appreciated during the summer months. If you are a person who loves animals, you will be pleased to see that they are accepted without problems.

La Isla does not offer the waiter service that many of us are used to. To order it is necessary to scan a barcode with your cell phone, through which you order and pay. If you have problems placing the order there is no one to help you, since as I said, there is no waiter service. Fortunately one of my friends came to the rescue and placed the order for me. Orders are delivered to the table in the order in which they are ready, so what happened is that some people at the same table receive their food while others had to wait to be served (even though everyone at our table placed the orders at the same time).

As nobody is “assigned” to the table, employees come to the to bring the dishes and drinks when they are ready. Some arrived quite quickly while others took much longer. At some point, I guess when the kitchen is short of plates, cutlery and glasses, someone comes to collect them. You serve the water yourself from a tank designed for this purpose.

At one point one of my friends wanted to order something and when she tried to do so, the app told her that at the moment the kitchen was not taking any more orders !! The place was not full to capacity, so it seems to me that they work with the minimum staff or are very disorganized.

The dishes taste good, but in my opinion they are very simple and the portions are small and not worth the price they charge for them. But the most surprising thing is that they have the "audacity" to suggest a tip of at least 10% for a table service that they do not offer!!

As I mentioned this was my first experience in La Isla and although it was not unpleasant, it was not memorable either, so I do not think I will...

I wish I took more photos to capture how awesome this place was. One of my top vegan experiences in San Juan, if not my #1 favorite spot. It’s technically a vegetarian restaurant, but the great majority of items are vegan. We ate at La Isla twice in one week, it was so good. My favorite item was the chickpea scramble. I was expecting some kind of “just egg” type situation made with chickpea flour. But it’s even better: a scramble made with whole chickpeas with the most flavorful seasoning. Basically a chickpea curry shaped into a little brick and covered with incredible green cilantro sauce and pumpkin cream sauce. So innovative, healthy, and delicious. On our first visit, we got the chickpea scramble as part of the vegan Isla brunch sampler, which comes with avocado, toast, and a choice of French toast or pancakes. All delicious. When we returned, I asked the waiter if it was possible to get just a plate of the chickpea scramble, because I liked it so much. You basically have to get it as part of either the brunch sampler or on top of avocado toast, which is what we got on our second visit. Delicious. Their soup of the day (made with white beans and malanga) was also excellent. The lunch special, a beet burger, was incredible.

Their drinks also deserve special mention. They have an incredible lineup of smoothies. The best one is a bright pink one made with beets (not always available). The chupacabra (made with espresso) and the papaya cinnamon one are also great. The “cold chocolate” (exactly what it sounds like) was also excellent. The ginger shots were great too.

The ambience is great too - a huge sun-filled space with an open kitchen and an adjoining eco-friendly shop. They hold yoga classes in the restaurant a few evenings a week, to give you an idea of how relaxing and pleasant...

I love visiting La Isla. Their vegan options are very delicious and the place feels very harmonious; comfortable to be at and to spend time chatting with friends or working for a bit while grabbing a bite. The food always comes out freshly made and the menu is mostly based on healthy options. I also love that they're pet-friendly!

Most of the employees are kind and attentive but some can be flat and detached from the experience. Sometimes, it feels like they are unhappy and don't want to be there. To clarify, this has happened with 3-4 different employees and I've visited many times. The rest have been very friendly and have provided high quality customer service.

A detail that has left me feeling disappointed several times is that, after arriving 30min to an hour before their closing time (due to work) and ordering my drink and food, I'm pressured to leave the place right at their closing time (3:30pm).

I've worked in the restaurant industry for 16+ years and I've never had such an experience elsewhere. In all restaurants I've visited in PR and in many countries, I've always been able to finish my meal in a calm manner, yet here it feels so rushed and I feel the need to eat and drink very fast and in a pressured manner due to how some employees stare at me after coming to my table announcing that they're closing.

Suggestion: Maybe changing your closing time to 3pm and allowing 30min for guests still in the restaurant to finish their experience in a calm manner?

If you have time to visit in early hours, it's very possible that you will have an enjoyable and delicious experience. Hoping this changes soon so that I can continue...