Bodega Chic

Amazing food and service. Small quiet place. Décor could be a little refreshed but food is absolutely outstanding

Ridiculous restaurant, horrible taste, bad service, We waited for an hour for the dishes but all we told by the waiter is that ’ we ask you to be patient’ I really have never seen a worse restaurant.

Eat here. Best meal we had in Puerto Rico, I know that it’s French, but was impeccable and very reasonably priced. We had rack of lamb and steak au poive to rival anything we’ve had in France.
Service is friendly and knowledgeable, atmosphere funky and laid back.

Wonderfully delicious food!!! The owner is the chef and he’s pure magic! The depth of each dish is something you only taste at 5 star restaurants, if that. Un-freaking-believable…can’t wait to come back!!!

When you first enter this place it feels like a dive bar, but make your way into the main dining area for the meal of a lifetime. A great find of french cuisine. The lamb shank fell off the bone and onto an appreciative palate. The appetizer of crab cake on a bed of greens is definitely worth mentioning and recommended to compliment your main. The service was outstanding by PR standards.

Tucked away a few streets away from El Morro, this should be a destination experience for all those watching the sunset descend on the fortified promontory. Otherwise it’s a hike up from the Viejo San Juan shopping area but well worth it. Lots of cooler looking restaurants nearby, but this one tops them all in terms of food quality. The salmon tartar with zucchini horseradish purée was pure heaven, even surprisingly light. My cod and ginger dish was lovely, light and deservedly a house favorite. The waitress was gracious and provided full guidance on the highlights of the menu. Really easy to walk past this unassuming place of culinary marvel, making it a true gem worth discovering.

Zee owner is French, he is a serious guy and he makes the best mussels. It’s fun to make him laugh! The service is great… Monica is fantastic and so is Miss Stefanie! The Front barroom is the place to sit. Sometimes they dim the lights too much in the evening, then again, we are talking about zee French and zay are very romantiqué!!! I wish they used cloth napkins though. A little touch of luxury is always nice. Thank you, Mr. Moule! We adore dining at your charming establishment…

Cool little place. A tad overpriced, but the filet was delicious!

We really cannot fathom why this restaurant isn’t rated much higher than it is…
We spent a week here and without a shadow of a doubt, this was one of the best meals we ate in Puerto Rico… :-)
The bar is super chic/​trendy… the bar tender recommended a Mojito Martini, which was absolutely to die for and all of the food we ordered was just superb (all freshly made and well presented)… the pear and gorgonzola ravioli special was to die for…
We aren’t normally dessert people, but decided to go with the warm chocolate cake and lavender crème brûlée — neither disappointed :-)
All in all, a fabulous little place… great service, great martinis and fabulous home cooked food… do not miss a visit here if you are in Old San Juan for a night or more… :-)

What a great restaurant. My wife and I walked past the charming little bar area and stopped in for a drink. The best mojitos during our short stay in SJ. We glanced at the menu and decided to stay for dinner… What a great choice! We had the red snapper with spinach and the ribeye w peppercorn sauce… Both were excellent, as was the service and the atmosphere. We would absolutely come back again for the food, the ambiance and the wonderful service…

With Brahim making some of the most authentic French plated in the island you can’t go wrong. Being here transports you somewhere far from Puerto Rico yet with the ambience of Old San Juan. I am a religious fan of his filet mignon with all the great pepercorns that make my eyes water with desire! If you’re there get a soup and the filet… Promise you will thank me for this!

Tienen los mejores tragos. El bartender siempre sabe prepara los tragos bien, se nota q tienen entrenamiento en bartending profesional. La comida tambien es bna, nos comimos unos churrascos buenísimos. El ambiente es bien relajado, perfecto para grupos pequeños.

Yummy, refreshing mojitos on a hot day!

The last stop with the Old San Juan Food Tour… Perfect coffee and dessert to end the tour. Not the cleanest looking place, but the coffee and dessert were wonderful…

One of our best meals during our stay in Old San Juan.
The place was a bit dead, despite the fact that it was a Saturday night, but as I mentioned in my other PR restaurant reviews, alot of places, even the ‘hot’ ones, seemed to be that way. Go figure.
We got seated immediately (obviously :) and the servers were so incredibly friendly and attentive from beginning to end.
We ordered everything from the trout to the hangar steak ‘n fries to the lamb shank to the escargots. We loved all of it. Every bit of it.
It exceeded all of the necessary dining requirements: delicious food, cozy atmosphere, great service, reasonable prices. Plus, it was just a few steps away from our hotel (El Convento), so the convenience factor was an added plus.
I would most definitely hit this place up again!

Walking up and down the cobblestone streets of Old San Juan in Puerto Rico can definitely work up a good appetite. If you find yourself here strolling its passageways, you do not want to miss out on the delicious offerings at this walk up eatery. We stopped in for a late lunch and extremely enjoyed a bowl of mussels simmered in a delicious broth. The young woman waiting on us highly recommended a side of fries to go with it. Needless to say, we were convinced that one bowl was not enough for our family of five, because we loved it so much! We actually placed 3 orders, one right after the other and managed to wipe out the chef’s supply of mussels for the day in one sitting. No previously frozen mussels here. Oh no, no, no. Fresh and tender mussels with plenty of herb broth.
It’s a very casual place — a fantastic spot to kick up your feet, relax, enjoy the afternoon with friends and/​or family and the coldest Medalla in PR and of course, mussels. It is definitely not a large, tourist type of restaurant. Only a handful of locals shared our lunchtime seating that day.
What a treat we stumbled upon that day! It is my husband’s fondest memory for Best places to eat in Puerto Rico and we’ve been searching for a similar dish locally but haven’t found one as good yet!

I’ve eaten dinner here 3 times so far. The chef is Algerian and the menu is heavily French-​influenced. The mussels and fries in particular are very good. The skirt steak came incredibly tender and moist, it made me suspect it had been slow roasted and then just finished off on the grill, but that didn’t bother me in the least… maybe some people are purists about their steak though.
The only thing I didn’t really care for was the crème brûlée, which shocked me. It was good, just nothing out of the ordinary, and the portion size would be perfect for 2 people but was quite a lot for just one.
I like the décor. It’s already been described well by other reviewers so I won’t rehash it.
The staff have been friendly and helpful, though in my experience, not often quick to get you another drink unless you ask. They will eventually notice you are empty and offer, but it’s much quicker to ask. It’s a very relaxed, slow paced type of place. I usually come in for dinner and to unwind a little at the end of the day.
I’m not a big Medalla fan but they serve the coldest Medalla I’ve had anywhere. Very refreshing.

Bodega Chic has the feeling of a little café in the Marais of Paris or on the Lower East Side of New York. Despite the slightly dubious name we enjoyed our food here, and the staff was very friendly. This one doesn’t seem to be on the tourist circuit, seemed to be sprinkled with a few locals. This is fusion cuisine with hints of Asia, France, a touch of Puerto Rico. I had scallops on a bed of pureed cauliflower and my husband had grilled shrimp on a bed of seaweed salad. I’m sure they do a great steak, but for 20 something dollars an entrée I’d rather do that in NYC. Pleasant, shabby chic atmosphere and I appreciated the fresh mint on the bar – practically crying out to be crushed into fresh mojitos.

My friends who live a block away took me here tonight and I had the best time! They knew the owner and spoke French to him. They recommended the mussels provencial $ 15 (see photo) with a side order of fries $ 4. The mussels were a plenty and not rubbery; and the broth was the perfect balance of wine, herbs, and garlic. Then the fries make you realize why we call it French Fries. The French know how to truly make potatoes into a work of art… crispy and chewy.
One of my friends ordered the sardines with a salad. He navigated his way around the bones, but it looked so moist. I was amazed that he was able to do so with a fork. I usually use chopsticks for such delicate surgery. We joked at the end of the meal that it looked like he pulled the bones out of his mouth like they did in Saturday morning cartoons (Yes, I’m that old).
It was my first time to Old San Juan and this place was perfect. It’s casual yet the food wasn’t.

We were introduced to this place on a walking food and history tour of Old San Juan. The BF and I both immediately fell for it. Him for the Belgian-​style fries served with garlic aoli. Me for the mojitos. We were only there a few minutes that night, but we both agreed that a return visit was a must.
A few days later, we were back! After having well more than my fair share of pina coladas, I was happy to mix things up a bit and have a couple of mojitos. They were once again excellent and the staff is really friendly. The place is a BIT of a dive, but not in a dirty way. Mostly I mean it’s just super casual and unpretentious, maybe a little bit dark and worn down. It feels «lived in» if that makes sense.
We really enjoyed talking to the staff and got some great ideas on what to do on our return visits to San Juan. On the top of that list will be a return visit to Bodega Chic.

For some reason, this café, bar, restaurant gets overlooked in favor of some of the better known places nearby. Big Mistake!
I first stumbled across Bodega Chic when I was looking for a comfortable place to have a beer. Not only did I get the coldest beer in Puerto Rico, but the staff was as friendly and welcoming as you will find anywhere.
On later trips to Bodega Chic, I learned that it is owned by a French chef who prepares the wonderful meals. I just recently started eating there and the food is straight out of France and Belgium.
Not to be missed are the Sunday brunches that are legendary.
Bodega Chic is a charming hole in the wall the is the best kept secret in Old San Juan. If you have discriminating taste, come have a meal and a drink here. You will be pleased and you will be back again and again.
Two thumbs up!