Santaella

Best restaurant I ate at in Puerto Rico. A bit pricey, but well worth the amazing food that melts in your mouth. I got the salmon which was cooked to perfection. I tried my friend’s goat cheese quesadilla which was phenomenal! It literally melted in your mouth. Highly recommend this place for a nice dinner before a night out on the town in market square.

I just had one of the best meals in the longest time. I’m down here from NYC for a trip and HIGHLY recommend this place. Located in what can only be described as a local neighborhood, the energy is vibrant. The décor is great, very cool and perfect for Puerto Rico. The scene is a mix of locals and tourists. The drinks were delicious. The honey berry mojito was one of the best I’ve ever had. The ceviche was the perfect balance of refreshing and spice. It could have been a little bit more of a generous portion. For dinner I had the shrimp and it was unlike anything I’ve ever had. Just Devine! The chicken was perfectly cooked, moist, and seasoned. For dessert the Nutella toast was on point, the perfect end to a meal. I might just come back to Puerto Rico to eat here!

My wife and I came here for dinner in celebration of her birthday while on vacation in PR. After getting soaked in the rain on our walk over, we were happy to be quickly seated upon arrival. Overall the service was good, though a bit slow by US standards (on par for «island time»), and server was good though a bit inexperienced. We were drinking wine by the glass and my wife asked our server «how is the chardonnay?» looking for a description: oaked vs un-​oaked, malolactic fermentation (buttery) and our server proceeded to tell us that it came in a ceramic bottle. With a little more questioning he went back (to the sommelier?) and was able to tell us it was un-​oaked (which it was). We asked for a few tasting’s on the wine and our waiter was happy to bring them, and they were all very ample tastes (like nearly a ¹⁄₃ of a glass). We really appreciated their willingness to offer a sample (though they didn’t need to be so large), as they allowed us to pick wines we genuinely enjoyed all night.
For our meal we started with the grilled octopus which came with a lentil salad and was delicious and perfectly cooked. Next I chose the soup of the day which was asparagus, again our waiter wasn’t able to tell us much about it except that it didn’t have any heavy cream in it and my wife chose the watermelon salad. Both were great, except my asparagus soup didn’t taste anything like asparagus, if anything it tasted like a creamy potato (or maybe sunchoke) soup with a hint of smokiness to it that would make you think bacon. Absolutely delicious, just not sure where the asparagus was. For our main course I chose the whole red snapper (cilantro and pineapple chimichurri served with ‘Tostones’) and my wife had the roasted Antarctic sea bass (mushrooms in red wine reduction, asparagus and ‘yautia’ fries in truffle essence), but were excellent though the sea bass was the clear winner (and our servers recommended favorite), the fish was perfectly cooked, the reduction rich and a perfect accompaniment. We finished the night with the coconut and almond custard, which was nice, not too sweet and sized just right as a cap to the evening.
Overall we greatly enjoyed our dinner at Santaella. While not inexpensive, if you’re looking to celebrate with a nice dinner, this is a great spot to choose.

The two stars was for the service, which was great and the ambiance which was modern and chic.
We were very disappointed with the food because it was much too salty.
We ordered the baby octopus appetizer. The dish is stew like and comes with bread. I think the dish would have been amazing if it weren’t so salty. The waiter explained that the salt comes from the chorizo and that the chef likes to fix it this way.
We also ordered a lunch special with cornbeef, sweet plantains and rice. This dish was also very salty because of the cornbeef but was balanced out a little bit with rice and the sweetness of the plantains.
Overall, we were very disappointed with the food because it was overpowered by the salt. Would not recommend.

Californians visiting Puerto Rico for my sister’s bachelorette! After reading reviews, we were stoked to try out this restaurant. We had reservations, but only to wait an hour after we arrived on time. It was a typical busy Saturday night but an hour wait with reservations pretty much sucked. They did try to compensate with drinks on the house while we waited. But 2 out of 6 items we order ran out. It was an unfortunate experience but servers were sweet. And we got a round of blow job shots on the house which was nice.
Mac n cheese and tuna tar tar were a bit salty too our liking.

The food was delicious. The ambiance is absolutely beautiful. The drinks were amazing.

I live in Chicago and not only could it stand up to any city restaurant, if it was in Chicago I would go all the time. Great bar staff, really great food, excellent drinks and a cool atmosphere. Will head straight there next time I’m in San Juan!

First off, the service is fantastic. The waiters were extremely attentive and accommodating which was so lovely. The restaurant is beautiful as well. I wanted to go to a nice dinner before I finished my vacation and saw that this place had great reviews. Unfortunately I was not very impressed but maybe I didn’t try the right food? For appetizers we tried the alcapurria with crab and the popcorn chicken. Both were great but considering we paid $ 25 for 5 very tiny alcapurrias I didn’t think it was worth it. The filet mignon was cooked perfectly but tasted very under seasoned though it came with a great little side sauce. The red snapper was good as well but was difficult to eat. They give you the entire fish and it wasn’t something I was used to having to figure out aka having to dig around for the edible parts but nevertheless it was tasty. The shrimp and trifongo was where things went wrong. The trifongo was absolutely disgusting. I’m never the type to complain about food or send it back but it was just inedible to me as was the mofongo that came with the filet mignon. The bill came to over $ 300 and I was disappointed because none of the food seemed worth the steep price.
Also this place is a total tourist trap, you will not see a single local eat here as this is not any kind of authentic Puerto Rican food. That wasn’t a problem for me but just a heads up for anyone thinking otherwise. Though the location is great, right in the middle of La Placita where there are lots of outside bars with music and lots of locals.
I would give the food 3 stars especially for the very high prices vs portions and quality but I’m giving them an overall score of 4 because of the ambience, the staff, alcohol selection and location

I dine out a lot and don’t often feel compelled to write a review. However, in this case I thought the experience was extraordinary.
We had gone to perla and marmalade the prior nights. Both were great but we wanted to tone it down a bit (expense and fanciness) on this night.
We ate here on advice from our hotel (condado Vanderbilt) and confirmed by Unilocal reviews. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect as the building is non descript from the outside and actually has bars on the Windows. When we stepped in, it was a little unusual as we were just bam there in the restaurant. There was nobody there but about 6 gentlemen who worked there who were all in the doorway. We were seated and off we went. I rarely order cocktails but I ordered an old fashioned after seeing positive reviews. Awesome. Really great, with a giant ice cube for a nice touch. The wine list was extensive and not terribly priced compared to other local establishments (eg caymus for 135 vs retail of around 80 – 90; Beringer Knights valley for 65 I think vs 25 – 30). I opted for heitz cellars cab which they had by the glass for under 20. The service=impeccable and attentive. The place really started to pick up around 645 and ended up becoming a real fun and happening scene by 730. We ordered a ton of tapas. We loved the empanadas (best I’ve ever had) twice. Also the warm Brussel sprouts salad was the best salad my wife has ever had. The fried grouper was incredible. Sliders were great. Grilled octopus was incredible. Risotto great. Mud pie was good. Baked Alaska was probably the least favorite (quite boozy for my taste, but that’s what it is). But they hit on all cylinders on 19 out of 20 counts (ambience, service, food, relative cost). Great job.

Santaella is a great, upscale restaurant in Santurce. Everything was good but the baby octopus casserole was probably the best. The menu was very creative, especially because it was designed by celebrity chef José Santaella, who has work at elBulli. Our waiter was very attentive and the décor was nice. I would definitely go back.
Food: 9.5÷10
Décor/​Ambience: ¹⁰⁄₁₀
Service: ⁹⁄₁₀
Total: 28.5÷30

Damn, been here twice on our visits from cold Chicago to warm Puerto Rico and I can’t say enough. The food is wonderful, the atmosphere is outstanding with plenty of locals and a few of us tourists, but what you need to know is the food and craft cocktails would stand out in Chicago so they absolutely shine in PR.
Just go! It’s a great scene.

The best
Staff is unbelievable
Polite
Attractive
Professional
Food best ever
Every dish perfection
Thank u Carlos my tour guide

Has to be the best vacation recommendation I’ve ever received. We did the large group price fixe menu for a friends bachelorette party and every single item they brought to our table was better than the last. INCREDIBLE meal, great ambiance, amazing neighborhood to grab drinks and salsa dance after dinner. Service was so wonderful. Can’t recommend this place enough!
Highlights: the salmon was PERFECTION. Goat cheese quesadilla, the malanga fritters, the empanadas and THE NUTELLA SANDWICH. The watermelon cocktail (we asked for tequila instead of rum)
I would give 6 stars if I could. Amazing experience!

Tasty and creative stuff.
We shared an assortment of appetizers for dinner, all the top seller the waiter recommended. Don’t remember the dishes as I was a few drinks in, pardon me, but trust me when I say they were good.
I do remember having the watermelon mojito… mmmm mmmm mmmm… yeah buddy.
It’s one of the «upscale» spots in the area with more of a money crowd because of the famous chef, so worth the visit just for that, of course if that is your thing.

I have to give this place 5 stars. I’ve traveled many places around the world and as I was looking around the restaurant there was a picture frame with the owner of El Bulli displayed on the wall talking about the chef and apparently he must have worked with 3 star Michelin restaurant in Spain. Either way I order the Seabass and I have to say it’s in the top 3 that I have ever had!

They have world class bartender! Wow~~ Feeling privileged to have a cocktail here. Best in Puerto Rico, indeed. Perfectly balanced, beautifully presented. A luxurious experience after being disappointed by the frozen «cocktails» for so many times.
Had the Morcilla and mini tacos. Flawless~ They turned the cheap blood sausage to a delicate appetizer in top restaurant. Both the morcilla bites and the dip are delicious. The ahi tuna is marinated well and the guacamole is the best I ever had. Couldn’t name a thing here I’m not satisfied (except it’s hard to get a table…) Will definitely come back again

Great spot for dinner and also the neighborhood is very lively. Lots of different places to drink and hang out.
I liked the empanadas and the drinks but the dessert was a disappointment. I did not like the cheese flan.
Overall it’s s beautiful restaurant and service was good.

My wife and I spent 8 days in Puerto Rico in November 2015. We had dinner out every night, and Santaella was our favorite meal and experience of our trip. The atmosphere is fun, yet comfortable. The cocktails are wonderfully made. The food was flavorful with great portions. The service was top notch.
When the meal started we had an inexperienced server greet us that was a little nervous. But he was quickly rescued by another gentleman (I wish I could remember his name) that did a great job!
We shared the ahi tuna skewers to start, followed by the brussel sprout salad, and finished off with the whole snapper. I don’t dream about food much, but this meal is something I have craved ever since we left Puerto Rico!

We spent Labor Day weekend in Puerto Rico and chose Santaella as our ‘nice’ restaurant to eat. I thought the restaurant itself was beautiful and had a great vibe — but the food really wasn’t that great. I had high expectations and felt that the menu choices weren’t executed well. The goat cheese quesadilla in particular was greasy and had WAY too much going on. I think that this place is just great for looks — but maybe not so much in a culinary way.
That being said — our waiter was the nicest guy! And the couple at the table next to us were insanely rude to him which made me feel so bad for him — but he handled it well and deserves recognition for his patience!

Great place to grab a drink (or many drinks) whilst wandering Santurce, and it’s not typical tourist place. Watermelon mojito… OMG.
The square where it is located is pretty cool for people watching…