El Jibarito in San Juan

Crazy lively atmosphere at 3pm on a Friday. The mojitos are stupid strong! The food is amazing! Might have to give a wave or nod to your server to get their attention, they are busy! Very very happy! Very very good!

THE BEST FOOD ALWAYS!!! I can guarantee you anytime someone comes to puerto rico to visit me we always eat here! This place has been around for so many years and theres a reason.... its good!! I always get the steak. I can cut it with a plastic fork! No knife needed.. its that tender. Theres almost always a wait so go patient. Its worth it. Trust me! I love food 😋 🐷 First come first serve. Another staple is the mofongo de yuca. Ive tried the plantain one and its good but the yuca is like you died and went to foodie heaven. Also make sure you ask for the garlic butter sauce if they forget. Its also not pricey at all. Go and thank me later!

We got here early and only had to wait a few minutes, but the wait would have been worth it!! The food was delicious, my husband got some sort of meat in a plantain gravy, and I had the pork tamale. The atmosphere was fun, and it was a perfect night out for us!

Hands down, one of the best meals you’ll have here. The mofongo was amazing and went extremely well with the garlic chicken. We however waited for an hour after they took our order which was a huge bummer. The staff mentioned they did forget about us and followed up multiple times though. Be prepared to wait but it’s worth it!

Skip this place, definitely did not live up to the hype. The food was okay. The wait was ridiculous, the service was terrible & almost non existent. After waiting over 40 mins we were sat and waited another 20 before our server greeted us. The bathrooms were FILTHY. I’ve never wanted to get out of a restaurant so badly. I would not recommend this place.

I ate here twice during my few days in OSJ, it was so good. Don’t expect quick wait times for a table or your food, but do expect great food thats worth the wait. Their yellow rice with beans is the best I’ve had during my stay and the mofongo is good. Coffee for dessert was the best way to top it all off

Had the shrimp in garlic with sweet plantains!!! Amazing. The food is prepared to order. Fresh. House salsa. Definitely worthy of all 5 ⭐️

The pastelon was delicious, as were the before lunch drinks, the pastel, the alcapurrias, and the mofongo..oh! And dont forget the flan de queso for dessert! So good!

Great local restaurant! The fried red snapper was delicious! I got the medium size as they ran out of the small size. Best go early. Mofongo (my phone gowas great was well! I got the yucca type as I don’t like bananas. Uber or taxi recommended as there is limited parking on the narrow cobblestone streets.

Great place for all the standards done right. Recommend the Christmas platter for a bit of it all. Ice cold AC too, very welcoming stop on a hot day

Our tour guide recommended this place as it is less touristy than other places but still has good food and no long lines. Didn’t get a chance to take a pic of the food but everything was delicious!! Got seated in just a few minutes and food came fast too. Had the Fricase de Pollo and Masida de cerdo en salsa de platano and both were very good - fyi some dishes come with a side of fried plantains so ask before ordering them as a side! Also, make sure to double check your receipt as sometimes they over charge you

The food was delicious, definitely a spot you should check out. The staff was kind and courteous. We had to wait about 15 minutes to be seated but well worth the wait.

AVOID, TOURIST SCAM!! Never expected to get SCAMMED at this “well known” restaurant by WANDA. Walked in and asked for mofongo side order only. Asked the waitress Wanda if we could add chicken to the SMALL mofongo side order and she said yes. We get a small amount of chicken like 2.5 oz with our small mofongo. Yet when the bill comes we get charged $33 dollars. She charged us for 2 full entrees - Pollo al ajillo. We did NOT order this. When we asked for a price correction, Wanda said - “where is the chicken? Gone? Okay you pay.” Terrible terrible service, I’ve never experienced that before. Worst off all Wanda spoke to us loudly in front of other customers. We paid the full price for 2 small side orders and I highly do not recommend.

We stopped here during our vacation in PR. The food was delicious, My wife had some passion fruit drink that was delicious.

Try the mofongo de yucca here if you love thick french fries. We loved the cube steak with onion and pork cube with plantain sauce.

This was my first restaurant that I stopped at. Recommend by a friend that came years ago to Puerto Rico. It was super yummy. Only about 15min wait, however it was worth it. I had a bistec ensebollado.

Great food great location great waitress this place was amazing great and awesome will definitely come back for the best tres leches wow

This place is super popular and be prepared to wait for a table! Or group loved the corn fritters and the shrimp dish! I had a mixed mofongo since I couldn’t find other vegetarian options. I must say, the mofongo was yummy! 😊 Just for their food - they deserve 5-stars!!I do wish the service was a little more cheerful though!If you are in Old San Juan, definitely do not miss this place - especially if you (or people in your groupare not vegetarian!

Needs more staff.Food was delicious 😋Drinks was also delicious.Piña coladaParche drinkStrawberry daiquiri

Cozy spot very popular with locals (crowded with wait time at noon). Latin American Caribbean food, made by locals for locals. Nice ambience decorated with homages to PR culture. If you are looking for local food, this is it.

Very tasty food, go early or the wait to enter can take a while

One of the best places in San Juan for some proper Puerto Rican food. We reached there by 6:30pm so there was no wait time. We ordered fried cod fishes, fried corn sticks, fried sweet plantains and some garlic shrimp with rice and beans. The food was amazing. They have the best cheese pudding. Its a must try if you visit the place. One downside was that the service people were very indifferent.

This was one of my favorite places in Old San Juan. My friends and I had a fairly large party and waited for almost an hour. So worth it with all of their authentic food and great drinks. We had the appetizer sampler. We really liked the sweet corn fritter sorullos and the beef plantain turnovers alcapurias. For the entrees, we shared the breaded cubed steak, fried red snapper, beef in the creole sauce and lechon. Wow all of the meats here were on point. Any dishes served with their house creole or gravy like sauce is a must order. The snapper was definitely fresh, but beware of all of the bones. Definitely recommend ordering the passionfruit and pina colada juices as well. Prices here are reasonable and they have seating for all party sizes. The interior has colorful painted walls and the restaurant is run really well considering how packed it was. The amazing service and food definitely justify the amount of Yelp and Google reviews. If you want great vibes and delicious food this your spot.

Best authentic PR food. Worth the wait. The garlic chicken may have been the best meal. Definitely order an appetizer of baccalitos!!!!

It was our first day out of 5, in Puerto Rico, and my wife likes to research where she wanna have food. This joint was first on the list. The restaurant was beautiful like other Viejo San Juan houses.its not a big restaurant, so most of the time, there is a waiting list. it was 20 min wait for us, meantime we walked around, and its just one small block away from the sea view. (you can roam if you want while your name is on the waitlist)We came back, settle down, got the table, and scan the menu from Sticker (this is the new norm).We ordered-Mofongo (side dish- I would suggest, have it with gravy, otherwise its too dry for us)Bacalaito - Normally its big in size if you eat at a food truck but they kept the size small- it was good though, the very thin slice of fish portion inside)Plantain Tamale stuffed with pork - Well it was very buttery, Pork pieces mixed with plantain, steamed comes with Rice and beans ( you can choose sides with other options)Pina colada Rum - Of course what else... The signature drink of every restaurant in San Juna ( Fun Fact: San Juan is the birthplace of Pina Colada)Ambiance- well its a very bright, vibrant color which makes it really cool. Latin music playing in the background make you feel like " yes now I am in San Juan" :)You wanna come here for local Puerto Rican food.Note: To enter, they are asking for CDC Card (for vaccine check). You can also show a digital copy/Photo of it.

I loved how colorful the interior of the restaurant is. We dined upstairs and I really enjoyed sitting up there and having a view of the downstairs area. Its worth the visit if you want to try some authentic Puerto Rican dishes.

Was advised to go here from a friend and boy it did not disappoint. It was excellent food! Yum yum for sure and I will go back each chance I can.

The price was pretty high and the quantity was lacking. We were still hungry afterwards. We came here because of the great reviews, but were kind of disappointed.

My complimenta to the chefs, the real MVPs. Tonight I dined with my family and enjoyed every bite, savoring in the rich flavors, aromas and taste of the BEST stuffed morongo con camarones en salsa ajillo Ive had since Ive arrived on the island. Everything is FRESH. The rice and beans were good, the sweet plantains and drinks.The ribs do taste like pork pork so if youre into that, go for it. The garlic chicken was ok, Im more of a fried chicken kind of girl.This place is slightly bigger, so the wait time isnt that bad. I totally recommend you give this place a try.Compliments to the owner as well.. Your staff is also really friendly.

Typical island dishes. Only 4 stars because the Mojito was very subpar. Tasted like an expensive lemonade. The Shrimp in Garlic Butter sauce was delicious. Their Mofongo had slightly ripe plantains which makes for a softer make. Noisy like all places in the island. Slow because all dishes are made to order except for the daily’s.

The food was above amazing. The service was Island time, yet, the atmosphere was perfect for eating is delicious Puerto Rican cuisine. The wait staff were attentive & spoke English. I highly recommend this restaurant, without reservation.

The food was good, we had beef and plantain turnovers. My husband really enjoyed them. The star for me though, was the piña colada! ¡Me encantó! I would totally come back for lunch or dinner. We just stopped for a quick bite today.

Typical Puerto Rico restaurant, El Jibarito is a famous place to eat in Old San Juan. You may have to arrive early and wait for 30-40 minutes before getting a table. The restaurant is located in a colonial house in the north part of the historic city.We tried The bacalao starter (fried cod with a garlic). It was very good. For the main dishes, we tried the Mero (sheerand the Pastel de Cerdo with Mofongo. The sheer tastes a bit better, but they were both good. The service was very nice and friendly.

Loved discovering this spot in Old San Juan. The food, all authentic local dishes, is terrific. Unlike most Puerto Rican restaurants, they had multiple dishes with gravy, such as stews. A nice change of pace from the plenty of fried food everywhere on the island.

The food was really good but it took a while to get our food but that may have been because there were several cruise ships there.

This is a really cool place. Loved the decor and the staff was welcoming and friendly. They lost a star because several things on the menu werent available and for the time of day they shouldnt have run out. As far as the food and drinks we tried everything that was recommended to us by the staff but nothing truly stood out. The sangria and the shrimp mofongo were the best things we tried. Cool place for a photo opp and a drink.

Small place in old San Juan with incredible food!! There was a short wait as the place was full on a Friday night. The service and ambiance are very friendly. I would definitely come back again!

This restaurant is WAY over hyped! As someone from the Caribbean I had to try the fried snapper. The fish was fried well and had good flavor, but it was very salty. The bread food was disappointing. It was green and tasted stale. $35 for that small snapper was way too much. I went too another place and had one almost twice the size and tasted much better for $35. Also, the service was lacking. Even though it was far from busy, the server was brief as possible with us, I mean we didn’t get a second to say anything. But When we asked for the check, she went to finish her meal before coming back with it.

Probably the best food that we had during our vacation. It came highly recommended by the lady in the information booth in Old SJ, as having the most tender steak, and it was delicious. I will definitely go again

Food was amazing! Make sure you get there before the lunch crowd. I ordered the Steak Jibarito which surprising is not on menu. You must try it

Great place for delicious food. We had the guisado and empanadas which were delicious. The only thing is this place gets packed! They dont take reservations. Its first come first serve. You can give them your name and theyll "call you" which means theyll shout your name. They will not take your number so youll have to wait around close by. We waited an hour and a half. So go early or prepare to wait.

The food was so good and the service was great. Perfect blends of flavor and portion

Excellent authentic Puerto Rican food and staples. As a Rican myself I am very objective of our food. The fried pork chops were amazing and the rice and beans were heavenly, reminded me of abuelita’s cooking. Great attentive staff too!

Worth the wait. No reservations accepted here in advance. Go before 7:30 on a weeknight for a shorter wait to dine. If you love the very best Puerto Rican food, service and atmosphere I guarantee you won’t mind waiting online for a seat. Servers are top notch and welcoming like family. Whether it’s a date night, gathering of friends or parents with young children all are welcomed and taken care of to the highest of standard.My favorite meal of 2021 hands down was their bistec encebollado with arroz y alubias.

All food was super delicious however cold. The only hot item was the fried red snapper - which was fresh! The rice and beans, salmon, steak, and pork were all cold. If it was hot, it wouldve been a 5/5.Best pina colada from our trip! I would pass on the red sangria and mojito.Bathroom 1/5 - 1 small single stall, long line, not the cleanest.

El Jibarito is really as good as it gets in Old San Juan when it comes to authentic Puerto Rican, Caribbean style food. It takes about 10 minutes to walk from the parking garage to the restaurant uphill but exercise if good for you. From the outside you seen a light green exterior, and it doesnt look like much and if you walk too fast, you will miss it but when you find it, its a hidden gem in the midst of many restaurants vying for your attention. The restaurant is small and cozy, so dont mind if you are sitting within a foot of another patron. The decor inside reminds you of being outside on the streets walking through the alleyways and well there are pictures to show you the history of this great place.From the looks of El Jibarito, you dont expect much but when you have your first bite of Pollo en Salsa Criolla then you will thank me. This place is like soul food for the islands and I know my soul food. The wait staff was pleasant, attentive and timely and very helpful in explaining some of the dishes. I will say that the appetizers are smaller than were used to, but the portion size for the entrees are bountiful and you may end up taking a to go box. The wait time for food is reasonable considering the quality of the meals, also their desserts are excellent as well. My entire family has had a great meal each time weve been here and not once have we experienced any problems. This restaurant and Punto De Vista and our top favorites in Old San Juan and Im a hard person to please. Take my word for it, that you will not be disappointed. El Jibarito is a definite restaurant to enjoy!

We waited for a while to get seated and to get served. The service was really slow as there was a table that was ahead of us and they waited over 20 minutes to be acknowledged by the wait staff and only cuz I called them. The food was OK, I ordered the garlic chicken and was a bit disappointed because the pieces of chicken were not breast meat but rather all random pieces of chicken from thigh and leg that I dont really eat, needed more garlic and less grease. My friends ordered the grilled chicken breast and that was good, also the baked chicken which was OK, we had the chicken pastelitos as app, which were good.

Pretty good local cuisine served in a very Puerto Rican environment.I Tried the pina Colada which was delicious and not too filling. Ordered the chicken empanadas which were spicy and fried to perfection. Not oily at all.I also ordered the bistec encebollado (cube steak and onionsnot the prettiest dish by any means but the beans were amazing! Very very good. The dish could have used more onion in my opinion. The service was very good once we were sat. Its a little hectic to put your name on the the list and we had to wait outside for about 15 mins even at 3:30 pm but the food feels very traditional and inside was vibe-y and nice. Would definitely recommend to anyone visiting San Juan.

The chicken , rice, and beans were good, but the mofongo wasn’t the best I’ve tried in town. I think it was frozen then recooked. The server was friendly, but only came over to fill our drinks every 15-20 minutes. The wait was an hour which is pretty common for any place.

Great place to eat. I was really disappointed from a tourist trap type of restaurant on the other day, but this place made me think that I would love to come back here and eat in Old San Juan :)Chicken turn overs (empanada):This is my favorite. It was deep fried but it was not too oily and flavorful.Fried red snapper:We were glad that we got this one!! Seasoned pretty well, so we did not need any sauce. The outside was crunchy and inside was fluffy... We will definitely have this again :)Cube stake with onions:It was okay. Nothing special... It was good to try, but I am happy to swap this one with something else next time.