Tabu Bodega — Restaurant in San Juan

Can’t begin to explain the disappointment. We got there at 7pm empty place, no music, no entertainment. First thing they tell you when seated is a min consumption fee of $100pp which honestly is LESS than what me & my BF spend usually in a upscale rest. But stating that upfront leaves a bad taste- pun intended - in the guests experience.

Anyway we ordered the $20 croquettes, tasted like flour, but we ate em cause we were hungry. Tried the beef tartare, it was very acidic, not a good sign for a raw dish. We were alone at rest and there were at least 6 employees around, however it took our waiter about 10-15 to get to the table cause she was chit chatting at bar. So we decided to leave… we knew by then the $200 spend could only end in more disappointment. The “Manager” comes with a very snappy attitude. We told him that if they expect a minimum spent, At least we expect 5 star service. So we paid the bill, and we realized they charged a 5% ENTERTAINMENT FEE. However by the time we left… there was still no entertainment, not even background music. First of all that fee is ILEGAL, second of all, im sure they’re already covering entertainment with the insulting high prices for example; $40 salmon, $55 tacos, $30 chicken $20 drinks This is a good concept very badly executed. the vibe feels cheap, the food is mediocre at best, and service is what you expect from a shady dive bar. The Manager is really just a glorified bouncer that has absolutely no idea of what service means. I have been working in the industry for 15+ yrs and I will say this to you;, you wouldn’t understand good service because you’ll never experience it going to...

The concept, artwork and female dancer are outstanding. I made the reservation two weeks ahead, we were having a great time until the hostess came to us after an hour and said if we were not going to order a main plate we needed to move to the lobby area. She had an attitude and was rude. We were there for only 1hour and our bill was already $300 we were a five people (all girls and just trying to have a fun/chill night) and our plan was to keep getting drinks and appetizers but once again the hostess said we needed to move. We try to explain to her hut she keep pressuring us to buy food or move. I went with some friends from the US since I wanted to show them something different. We decided to move assuming they maybe had a big group coming last minute or people waiting for the table or something (although we were supposed to have it for two hours). After we moved from the table the restaurant stayed empty and they never gave the table we were sitting at to anyone. Rude service, just tell let us know how much you are expecting me to spend upfront but don’t pressure people to buy food or assume drinks/appetizers are not...

Disappointed. I was wondering why it was so empty on a Saturday night. I’ve been wanting to visit here forever and we finally made reservations for a bachelorette party. Wasn’t expecting anything extra but bride was clearly ignored all night. Had to ask for water many times/ every single time. Cocktails were slow to arrive and not very strong. Cocktails all have a funny taste and were not the quality we assumed we would receive for the price. Service was incredibly slow even for PR. We were second in the restaurant and the other tables filled very slowly so there was no reason for the waiter to constantly be missing 20+ minutes at a time. Starters were okay but we kept it simple (bread and lettuce.) Salmon entree had no flavor to be found and made worse by the flavorless green water they dump in there. All things over priced for mediocre quality. One positive thing: the building is a decent Photo Booth. Probably won’t be returning unless I sit directly at the bar and stay away from the signature cocktails…So therefore it’s just the same quality as a dive bar with red light...