Ají Dulce

6÷15÷2016 it has closed. Sad because it was a cool place. So that’s how it goes it the tough world of food service.

The arroz con pollo it’s amazing!!! Also try the cheese and chorizo turn overs, they are very tasteful. The atmosphere it’s mellow and welcoming. There was live guitarist in the background… I didn’t want to leave… There indoor and outdoor eating, and the owner is a charm. Fresh and delightful passion fruit flan you can’t go wrong. Enjoy!!!

Our hotel concierge suggested this spot for some local Puerto Rican fare. This place is nestled in an alleyway in Old San Juan. They had open air seating and a man playing acoustic guitar which made for a really nice ambience. The waiters were very attentive and happy to explain all the menu items to us and provide recommendations which is always a huge help when traveling.
Drinks: They have mojitos in a variety of fresh fruit flavors (coco, mango, passion fruit and strawberry). I tried them all and they were all delicious. My personal favorite was the passion fruit. #AllTheMojitos.
Food: we tried the shrimp ajillo, manchego and chorizo empanadas, mofongo, chicken fricasse and braid short rib. Everything was delicious, but I highly recommend the shrimp ajillo, large garlic seasoned shrimp on top of crispy tostones (fried green plantains), so freaking good!

A jewel in a land of tourist traps. Best traditional Puerto Rican restaurant food I’ve had on the island. Fresh ingredients, beautiful presentation, and excellent service. Don’t bother going anywhere else!

This place is what Puerto Rican food is all about. Pollo fricase is the absolute best ever! Food is a bit pricey BUT worth it for sure. Took forever to get our food and when it did we were not disappointed. Waiter said it was his grandmas recipe from 70 yrs ago…

We shared a bunch of appetizers and were not disappointed! Definitely get the turnovers and the garlic shrimp. There’s also wifi if you gotta tweet about it

Absolutely amazing place to eat at. I have never had Puerto Rican food so I can not compare. But I can say it was delicious! It is a short walk from the docks and right in the heart of Old San Juan.

The place is tiny, the furniture was falling apart, the food was average (and they were out of most of the items on the menu) and the service was HORRIBLE! Avoid this place!

Just had a disappointing experience after eyeballing this restaurant every day for the 5 days we’ve been here.
First of all, it was our waiters first day. I think it is unfair of management to throw a new person on the floor with no experience in describing the food, especially in a tourist area where language may be an issue. We forgave not knowing the menu but he also didn’t bring up napkins or really come back to check.
Second, my mojito was served in a red plastic silo cup, which was just weird. Our new waiter said it had to be that way but we had walked by the restaurant many times before and saw colorful drinks in glasses — then the couple next to us had thier margaritas in glasses. It was just weird and the drink itself was not very good.
Third and worst, one of our entrees took 40 minutes to prepare — not busy. One of us got 2 apps as an entrée and they were fine; the other had a mofongo and it just never arrived. We alerted them after the 2 appetizers were completely eaten and they said it would be right there. It never came. Overall we waited almost an hour before declining it because we had to be somewhere.
Everywhere has off days and the 2 apps were pretty good (bean soup and chorizo/​cheese empanadas). But with all the delicious choices in VSJ, I can’t recommend this one.
Finally the street it’s on was very busy. It looks like an alley but there was a fairly steady stream of cars. Clearly this is not the restaurants fault but I wold recommend sitting at an indoor table if you are sensitive to traffic and noise while eating.

We stumbled upon this place after passing up the birthplace of the piña colada and so glad we did. Best mixed drinks made with so much care and live and Mofongo that changed my life filled with the best pork I’ve had on the island and that’s saying something. Sat at the bar. The tables on the street seemed to have trouble getting service fyi. Will be back.

We were recommended this place by a store down the street in Fortaleza.
We ordered the Aguacate Salad, the Bacalao a la Vizcaina and the Carne Empanada.
It couldn’t be more average even if they tried. Salad was tiny and just lettuce, a few tomatoes, a whole avocado not even cut, and peas. Absolutely nothing especial. The cod was just ok and the carne had the thinest breaded crumb cover ever that was fallen apart the second you started cutting it. The only thing that could be saved would be the garlic sauce for the tostones.
The service was extremely slow and had to be reminded a couple of times about bringing more water when we were pretty much by ourselves at that point.
Extremely expensive for the quality of food and service. I assume it comes down to the location and décor of the place.

I’m a repeat offender, love the food at this restaurant. For all you cruisers leave time for a WAIT, but compared to the other PR restaurants the wait is relatively not bad. We had the pork mofongo and the crab salmorejo (had some shells but not a deal breaker). The flavors are the essence of PR cuisine.

The food was good. It was a Sunday night, so they had run out of quite a bit. Land crab and cod were pretty great. Pork was ok. Tamales were excellent. Service slow, but thoughtful. Ambiance was quite nice. Good guitar player. A nice middle-​of-​the-​road place.

I’ve been to a Puerto Rico a few times, but never made it to Old San Juan. Today was my first time, and I had to try some food while I was in the area + I was in the mood for some authentic Puerto Rican cuisine.
This restaurant came up in my Unilocal search, and with a 4.5 star rating, I figured it was safe to give it a try.
I was welcomed by a warm staff who was very well versed on the menu and described each dish to perfection. I took the table in the door way across from the bar, which gave me a chance to experience the restaurants décor, but still see the streets of old San Juan.
I decided to go with an avocado salad as my appetizer and the chicken with rice and beans, served on a banana leaf as the main course paired with white sangria.
Everything was flavorful, well seasoned and exactly what I was looking for in an authentic Puerto Rican meal in old San Juan. The staff was attentive, quick and met the happy medium of checking on me just enough times w/​o being annoying – very important.
This is a restaurant I’d definitely recommend to any one visiting Old San Juan.
Enjoy!

i’m so glad we stumbled upon this quaint place while we were exploring san juan at night in aug. the staff was very welcoming and had live music (a musician came by to play some lovely music toward the end of the night). we ordered half a pitcher of sangria and shared a plate of orange flan. Both were delicious. Since we already had a big dinner we decided to enjoy some dessert since the weather wasn’t too humid for outdoor seating.

Amazing staff that has been in the restaurant business for a long time. Great view just down the road of the San Juan harbor (perfect photo op). The braised short ribs are to die for, as is the chicken pastel. The house made longaniza with homemade píque is outstanding. Tried the sangria and was not disappointed at all. Reasonable prices. A very talented Spanish guitar player is here some evenings and is absolutely heavenly. Perfect end to my day, two days in a row – I’ve found my new favorite place here in Old San Juan! ¡Buen provecho!

Very cute restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. The inside was so hot and stuffy, so we opted to sit outside along the street. It was a perfect night to be outside, and we got to watch the cars go by and listen to the jazz band that was playing down the road.
I orded piñon: a meat lasagna made with sweet plantains. It was super duper delicious and like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. Such a pleasant surprise. My side salad, on the other hand, was nothing special. Iceberg lettuce with chickpeas, tomatoes, onion and no dressing. Shoulda stuck to the rice and beans.
My husband tried to order the cod, but they had run out, so he ordered the pork osso bucco instead. It was fall off the bone delightful and definitely the star of the night.
The service was a little spotty, but overall the food was good– 4 star good. So why the 3 stars then? Well, because I went into the bathroom. And that experience was pretty yucky: so much dirt and toilet paper on the floor and no hand soap whatsoever.
Now, I understand that less than desirable bathrooms are somewhat common, and I’m sure that if I went into all the bathrooms of all the restaurants in OSJ, I’d find more than a few doozies. However, this is a «higher end» restaurant than many. I wouldn’t call it overpriced, but with our dinner tab totaling close to $ 80, It was one of the more expensive dinners we had on the island. Sooooo… I guess I expected a certain quality from the bathroom facilities.
Still, if you’re looking for good Puerto Rican food and outdoor seating, this is a fairly decent option.

Delicioso! This place turned my picky eater of a sister into a fan of Puerto Rican food! As a kid she only ate things with ketchup on it so that is a feat of no small proportion!
The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating. We chose to sit indoors because we were hot from walking in the sun (alas, no A/​C inside while we there). The service was friendly and prompt. My food was very filling and flavorful. I got the pork mofongo and did not regret it. My sister got the chicken mofongo and we both liked our own better… :) My other sister ordered the breaded chicken and was a bit disappointed at its lack of flavor. Overall it was a really good experience.

Lunch outside
Three appetizers — picadillo turnovers and the machengo/​chorizo, plus the fish gazpacho,
Two house mojitos
All quite fab
$ 40
Recommended
!

AMAZING! So glad we stumbled upon this little hole-​in-​the-​wall walking through Old San Juan. We didn’t even Unilocal before sitting– saw the sign that said «best mojitos» on this little street and gave it a whirl! Very pleased!
Drinks: Had both the house mojito and sweet/​spicy mojito– excellent on both accounts!
Appetizers: tamale and machenga/​chorizo turnovers (like empanadas) were to die for. Great sauce on the side for the turnovers and the tamale melted in your mouth.
Dinner: I had the pork monfungo and it was very good. The monfungo was a little dry but my palette was trained from yesterday morning when I had monfungo for the first time so that’s what I compared it to. It was yummy regardless and the pork just melted in my mouth. My boyfriend and his brother both had the braise pork oso bucco and it was HEAVENLY! I couldn’t stop picking off of my boyfriend’s plate. It came right off the bone and tasted like it had been marinating for days! Amazing flavor– highly recommend! Two other dishes that were ordered; the tamales (one pork and one beef) — the plate was literally clean by the end = happy camper!; the lasagne bolognese with sweet plantains on the side. Fairly Americanized dish but tasted different than typical lasagne. I’m surprised it was on the menu but this one was a hit as well.
All around great experience and ambiance for our first dinner in San Juan!