Restaurante Raíces

November 16, 2025

Great food. Interesting theme in how the staff is dressed. Massive menu, too much. Longer than average food service time. Empanadillas were fantastic but partially filled. They didn't have any chicken breast (??). Plantain soup amazing. Kan Kan porkchop was incredibly dry, but I was too hungry to say anything.. luckily, I had water nearby. Fried cheesecake was amazing. The whole experience was jarring. Moments of greatness overshadowed by confusion. Subpar and nearly non-existent bar service time and attention, even when you sit AT THE BAR -- the focus is on fulfilling restaurant drinks over the bar drinks. 🤯🤷🏻‍♂️ Doesn't make sense to us either. Just don't sit at the bar, and you'll likely have a much better experience. With drinks, apps, entrées, and a dessert, total for 2 people came to about $125 before tip. That ticket total is somewhat inflated due to the substantially overpriced $36 sangria "full jar" (full glass) two were ordered.... when in San Juan....... 🤷🏻‍♂️👎🏻👍🏻🤦🏻‍♂️ Heralded as the best restaurant in San Juan, we'll still skip next time. Had better experiences and food elsewhere.

November 18, 2025

This restaurant was recommended on google reviews as being an excellent restaurant. There was no wait time, so that was a great. I ordered the oysters by the half dozen, which came quickly.The oysters were fresh, but a little bit gritty. They came with crushed ginger and a cocktail sauce that added nicely to the presentation and flavor. For my entree choice I requested the Shrimp Risotto. It came with 8 very nice size shrimp with tail on. That was a hindrance to the gastronimic experience I had. It is a dish that should be easy to savor without having to deal with removing the tail. The risotto was flavored with what would be recognizable as the type of "Cheese flavored packets" you find in off brand macaroni and cheese boxes found in the stores. Unfortunately, for me this ruined the gastronomic experience I had hoped to have. Nothing worse than powdered cheese sauce mix in a risotto of this anticipated dish. The service was sporadic and visually saw the staff more on their phones than servicing their tables. Perhaps other dishes ate better and I just chose the wrong on to try, however, there is no excuse for the Shrimp Risotto I was served. I did send back my risotto as I just couldn't enjoy the dish. I did mention my concerns to the staff and made sure they understood I wasn't asking for anything in return but to please relay my message to management. I certainly do not wish for anyone else to have a unfullfilling experience. It wasn't busy in the restaurant so not sure why but in any cases not a top recommendation on my part.

June 16, 2025

This was by far the best place we ate during our trip! The food was absolutely delicious. I had the seafood dish — it was amazing and very generous in portion, definitely something I highly recommend. It was more than enough for one person. My husband chose a traditional meat dish; while it was tasty, the portion was a bit small and he didn’t feel completely full. After our meal, we tried the flan for dessert — honestly, it was the best flan I’ve ever had. A must-try! The staff were very friendly and helpful. We did have to wait a while for the food to arrive, and we wish the service had been a bit faster. But aside from that, everything was wonderful.

October 27, 2025

I will say, we came here two years ago and didn’t think we’d ever try this place out again, tonight though- we were in disbelief how quickly our food came out & how delicious everything tasted. Staff was friendly/ welcoming, it was clean & a bit chilly. We were here 2 years ago, it was very hot & after waiting a super long time without being helped, we ended up leaving. So this was night and day difference! We will definitely be back!

September 26, 2025

As I'm walking down Calle Recinto Sur in Viejo San Juan, I had plenty of restaurants to choose from for dinner. But one restaurant caught my attention because of the staff that was outside of the door. From the moment I walked in, the servers were incredibly warm and hospitable, dressed in beautiful traditional Puerto Rican attire that added a sense of pride and authenticity to the atmosphere. The music? Absolutely phenomenal!!!! Playing Salsa from an older era was like stepping into a time capsule of Puerto Rican soul. The variety of paintings on the wall also added to the ambiance. For dinner, I ordered Jugo de Piña and the Churrasco with Mofongo. The portion was perfect, not too much and not too little. The pineapple juice even had a piece of fresh cut pineapple with it. There are a lot of restaurants to choose from, but Raíces is a solid choice.