Restaurante Ariel — Restaurant in San Juan

For the premium pricing this restaurant summons, the expectation is one of mind blowing food and impeccable service. This was absolutely not. Underwhelming from the get go. The hostess had no interest in greeting me nor walking me to the table my party was sitting. With only a handful of tables to serve, the waiter and the maitre d had no merriment whatsoever. They seemed to bear the sentiments of the hostess; all of them were having a bad night, didn't want to be there, or both. The atmosphere of the restaurant is neutral. Very white. Very bland.

The bread and butter were excellent. However, at this level of dining, with white linens and all, a table crumber is compulsory between courses. The food was below standards. Ham croquettes were cold on the inside and very oily. Mixed fish croquettes had huge pieces of shell in the mixture. Couldn't finish either of them. The server who removed my plate full of half eaten croquettes asked twice if I was done [before removing my plate] but didn't bother to ask if there was any dissatisfaction. No interest whatsoever. Ordered the potato crusted salmon, the potato crust was not available. No substitute available. Did not bring extra vegetables on the side. It was paid at full price, of course. Disappointing to say the least. Desserts were ok. Wine list is overpriced. We had to remind the server for our drinks on three separate occasions; that ended up in our bill with three extra $22 drinks. Our friend who paid the bill wasn't keeping track of our drinks by any means. And had he not made a comment about it the next day, we would have never figured out we were cheated and he was overcharged.

This was just a well rounded culinary disappointment, not a high-value dinner experience. AT ALL.

Exceptional restaurants are remembered because of their attention to details. The service was awful and the amateur mistakes in the food further evidence this establishment has lots of learning to do before calling...

It is with some regret I write this review as I had visited this restaurant in the past and touted it as one of the best restaurants on the island. I knew I would be back and reserved in advance a table for Valentines Day. Herein lies my mistake. They called me to let me know they were only offering a price fix menu. I hesitated but because we have had such a pleasant experience before, we went ahead with the reservation. When we arrived, the restaurant had change some. I felt it was too bright and had a hospital-like feeling. But we figured, we can forgo this first impression since we know it is the same chef, so the food should be spectacular. I was not counting on what can also be a deal breaker, the service! We sat and waited and waited and waited for our waiter to offer a drink or just water. He was not pleasant either and did not even introduce himself. We finally ordered a bottle of prosecco just to find out they did not have it. They offered a different one but alas! they had to chill it. We had to ask for water and bread while waiting for the wine and the first course. To make this very long and tedious meal short, the food was ok but not for $100 p/p which I was very willing to pay even if the food was mediocre if the service would have been spot on but service was lacking, to say the least. After three long hours we just did not even care for the dessert and asked for the check. To add insult to injury, we could hear everyone's conversations around us. It was a stressful and not enjoyable at all. I believe it was a fiasco and serves me right for insisting on making Valentines a date...

We had a dual birthday celebration with friends and expected a delicious and great experience with Ariel. Unfortunately, the server spilled drinks all over our birthday girl’s dress. The waiter wasn’t even aware for about 30-45 minutes of the situation even with the birthday girl missing in action as she was drying her dress in the hotel lobby. While the waiter did eventually apologize, we were shocked that there was no offer of a comp in any way shape or form. Her dress was ruined, and we had plans after dinner that we have to cancel due to her dress shape. Furthermore, there was terrible communication, the food was below average and definitely not worth listed price. The staff decided to apologize by bringing out small drinks that we did not order, and suggested a free dessert for the birthday girl. We felt like their apology was not authentic, and at minimal, disrespectful. On another note, the cod was flavorless, the Mac and cheese was dry and lacked cheese…the meat was dried. And sides that were listed on the menu with the entree were missing. The service was extremely poor, and we are so disappointed. we traveled far and had high hopes but ended up with custodial food and appalling customer service. When we asked the floor manager, she said the WATER was comped due to the ruined dress. The water! Do not recommend. Please save your...