La Pizzarra — Restaurant in San Juan

La Pizzarra is an Italian restaurant that is located in Parada 23, Ave Ponce de León. The location is also shared with another restaurant, Katsubowl, which opens on different days. When we arrived on a Wednesday evening at 630pm, we had the restaurant to ourselves. Our servers seated us quickly. We ordered the buffalo mozzarella, the carbonara pasta and the quattro cheese pizza. The food came out quickly. The flavors were okay but nothing to rave about. The highlight was the available space to eat quietly and enjoy our conversation with our friends. There were 2 main downsides: first was the parking situation. Their instagram page shows multiple parking lots close by but do not mention that they are paid parking lots. We paid the $7 in order to get in, but when we left, the parking attendant wasn't even there. They closed the guard shack and left. So why did we have to pay? Second is the lack of options for children. There wasn't anything on the menu for children and there wasn't a changing table in any of the restrooms. Changing our son's diaper in the bathroom was a challenge. Overall the experience was okay, but we don't feel the need...

We made a reservation at Pizarra for 5:30 PM, specifically requesting a regular seating table due to my recent surgery. Upon arrival, the host seemed unsure where to seat us and placed us at a high table. We had to ask twice to be moved—our first request was denied despite the restaurant not being full. Only after insisting were we granted a change, but the new table was a small two-person setup for our party of three.

When we asked about a more suitable table, we were told other reservations took priority. It was clear our comfort wasn’t a concern. I chose not to escalate further and let my family eat, but the experience felt rushed and dismissive. We left quickly, sensing we were more of an inconvenience than guests.

This kind of treatment is how a business loses loyal customers. Hospitality should begin with empathy and follow through with respect. Sadly, that...

We had dinner on a Saturday night — reservations are recommended. Parking is available on the street or for $7 at the nearby theater. We tried the Aurora and Heart Attack pizzas, around $30 per person.

Pros: Beautifully decorated space that feels straight out of NYC. They serve local craft beers like Ocean Lab, and the pizza presentation is excellent (10/10).

Cons: The pizza is closer to a local criolla style rather than Neapolitan or New York–style. The crust was slightly undercooked, and the Aurora had a hint of unexpected spice. We were charged $5 for a house water bottle after asking for a glass of water, which was surprising. Service felt minimal and a bit impersonal.

Overall: Great ambiance, but we’d likely return to try other menu items rather...