Waiter's Gastro Bar — Restaurant in San Juan

My wife, gf and I chose this place as they wanted something casual with local food. Having been raised in PR, I had some VERY local eateries in mind, but decided to come to Waiters as I had just arrived from the airport.

For the plus, the food is good. Do get the Coconut Shrimp, but otherwise, I've had better. They really did not put much meat in the $29 single meat paella (5 small strips of churrasco). The drinks were excellent.

For the not-so-good: Took 45 minutes to get our first dish, after waiting 15 minutes to order something. We were 3 people and we ordered Fried Cheese and Coconut Shrimp, so we are not talking souffle here. The salad came in last; it appears they forgot about it (and about us). I had to get up to get additional small plates and utensils, which I don't mind but no one even noticed and this was a place with service. We had to pretty much drag someone if we needed something, or do it ourselves. When there is a problem of this magnitude, the management should notice and be proactive. We did not get a drink or extra dessert or even an acknowledgement. Yes, it was that bad.

We did not have an attitude, we were nice, but we were ignored by passing staff more than 10 times. At the end, we were just disappointed and frustrated. It was not a good time at all.

Parking was a nightmare. That is not their fault, but it is something to know. Natives know the drill with Ashford Ave. If you are a tourist driving there, get an Uber.

To the admin/owner: The lady working in the back needed help. She was doing 2 large tables AND mixing drinks. We were the 3 person table there. She was very sweet but just could not keep up. Someone could've moved from the front; there were not that many people in the place and plenty of help.

For a location right across the Vanderbilt in the Condado strip, there are MANY other options. Sorry, but service was way below par. Only reason we did not walk out was that it was raining HARD. Guess is back to the VERY local places for native...

My and my son ate here on the 23rd of December…. After that day I would have given them a 4 star rating but because of the customer service, after …. They deserve a 1 star …. My son left his phone at the table and I realized what happened the following morning… they don’t open til 5 so I had to wait to contact them…. Sunday, after several attempts, no one answered …. Monday (Christmas Day ) I call around 9pm and finally got someone …. I explained what happened and the guy puts me on hold for 15 mins then Hangs up on me ! ?? I call back and he proceeds to tell me he is busy and puts me on another 15-20 minute hold so I hang up… I tried to call back but I keep getting a busy signal…. This is a cellphone ! All he had to do was ask the manager did anyone turn in or see a customers cell phone and get back on the phone and let me know! I am so upset ! Its employees like that that ruin the reputation on a good business… with employees like this I doubt I would get my phone back even if they found it.

UPDATE! Juan is Amazing. He is the first person who greeted us and made us feel so welcome when we first arrived to waiters. Super friendly and welcoming. When he heard about my experience with the other staff member he went above and beyond to rectify the situation. He told me that they did in fact have my sons phone and he delivered it to the resort i was staying at himself. He stayed in touch with me after to make sure the resort delivered it to me in Florida. He was super apologetic and was very adamant about me getting the phone. I appreciate him so much for doing that for me. The service and food wasn't the issue the staff person was and because of Juan i hope one day i can return because we really did enjoy ourselves...

The first restaurant we ate at in Puerto Rico was warmly welcoming and provided a great introduction to the cuisine. The affordable prices, casual atmosphere, friendly staff, location near the beach, parks, shopping areas, and resorts all make it stand out, but the food is what really makes this charming little restaurant worth a trip.

The tostones (crispy mashed plantain “pancakes”) were simple and delicious, especially when dipped in the ketchup-mayo sauce that is so popular in Puerto Rico. The alpacurrias (long, crispy fried plantain and taro fritters stuffed with meat) also really hit the spot and were served with the same sweet and savory sauce. The cheese and basil empanadas (stuffed pastries similar to a calzone) stole the show though. The crispy gouda fritters were balanced with a mouth-watering sweet guava sauce drizzle and reminded me a lot of paneer. The mofongo (a heap of mashed green plantains cooked in garlic and broth then stuffed/topped with meat) with beef steak and onions had great flavor, but were somewhat dry and we couldn’t finish it. It’s the main reason I’m giving this place 4 stars instead of 5. I really wish it had come with more sauce or some kind of gravy, more salad, or maybe been cooked with more broth. However, overall, the food was well prepared, served hot, and left us feeling full and happy.

I’d love to come back here again someday and try more...