Qué PezCa'o — Restaurant in San Juan

I don’t usually eat at restaurants because I like to save money by cooking at home. Today I was riding my bike around the city, found myself hungry, and decided to stop. I’m glad I did. The only thing keeping me from offering 5 stars is that I am passionate about organic food, which is not mentioned anywhere here. Everything else about Que PezCao is wonderful!

My Spanish is intermediate. My super-friendly waitress, Genesis, took the time to answer many questions about menu items and I chose a 1/2 order of Nachos Ceviche ($10). While feeling a cool breeze coming in off the water and listening to a Spanish version of Lady in Red over the radio, I realized that paying a little more for dinner tonight was worth this simple experience.

The flavors surprised me throughout dinner, starting with the cool temperature of my first bite (rather than hot). The citrus, fish, and light cream sauce was amazing. I’m not a fan of spicy food, but this dish had just enough heat to liven up my mood. I was caught off guard by the taste of ginger at one point, and loved it. Fittingly, some of my last bites were decidedly sweet.

Here I am, satiated, standing by an outlet near my table (so I can charge my phone and write this review) and a waiter goes out of his way to bring me a chair so I can sit down. After a stressful day, I am grateful for this glimpse into a culinary piece of Puerto Rican culture I am not...

I'm sorry, but this place is not good, regardless that it seems to be an "in" with the "pretending to be humble" crowd.

How to begin... I ordered a red snapper with mojito isleño (which is a Puerto Rican specialty), mamposteao rice, and breadfruit tostones on the side. They forgot the mojito, then brought a tasteless thing about halfway through the meal. What they served was tomato sauce with slightly undercooked onions and green peppers. No respectable Puerto Rican dining place would do that. The true mojito isleño is a tomato based sauce with sautéed green peppers and onions in olive oil, then seasoned with garlic, cilantro, orégano, olives and/or capers, and bay leaves. Big difference!

The mamposteao was horrible!!! I cannot emphasize that enough! It was wet, mushy, lacked any of the traditional ingredients, such as ham, roasted red peppers, and sausage, and I think it was starting to go bad. Ewww... Only the breadfruit tostones were good, and they came from a bag.

An additional factor is that being so close to a highway you could smell the burnt tires, and I wonder if all that filth from the highway was falling on top of the food. I couldn't leave because I was invited by another person, but I will never go back...

Absolutely Outstanding – Our Favorite Spot! As a family of five, we dine out often, and this restaurant has become our go-to place—we visit at least four times a month, and every single time is a wonderful experience. The fish fillets are incredibly fresh and always cooked to perfection. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, made even better by the live music that adds the perfect touch to our meals.

But what truly sets this place apart is the staff. Every employee we’ve interacted with has been exceptionally friendly, attentive, and genuinely caring. Their service makes us feel right at home every time we visit.

We honestly love everything about this restaurant—food, ambiance, and people. If I could give it 100 stars, I would. Highly, highly...