Café Berlín

The food was very good and exactly what I was looking for. I loved the Frank Sinatra music playing outside. On the downside the restaurant was out of multiple things and it was just the beginning of dinner time, which was disappointing. Our waiter told us about their special drinks and when we wanted to order one 5 minutes he mentioned they were out of that drink. They were also out of our appetizer which was frustrating because they did not tell us this ahead of time. Other then that I thought it was a nice little place.

I do not doubt others had challenging experiences here, but ours was fantastic.
I was in San Juan for a conference, and as a vegetarian who has Celiac disease, my diet all conference has consisted of my cutting up cheese and fruit in my hotel room so as not to be accidentally glutened by the very limited hotel restaurant options. Between Unilocal,the concierge and my taxi driver, everyone made it clear that Café Berlin was the place to be, so we hopped in a cab and headed to Old San Juan.
We got in around 1pm on a Saturday, and were welcomed by a hostess opening the door for us into the air conditioned place, seated immediately. There was a little confusion when we said we wanted «just water» as Evian bottles were brought, but it was straightened out quickly (I should have know better having lived in Germany where tap water was horrifying to many).
I cannot tell you how awesome our server was. I explained my gluten free/​vegetarian needs, sure I was going to get relegated to steamed veggies or the like. Instead, he pointed out several options, most just needing a quick tweak or two. I ordered a cup of the potato soup and the curry tofu.
The soup (flour free, he checked!) was thick and creamy, truly delicious, despite the hot day. My dining companion ordered the very special omelette, which was pretty much a Denver omelette, but she said it was delicious none the less. My tofu came out, but then the serve came running back to the table, warning me not to eat it – the casaba (sp?) beans (looked like yucca) they had served were fried in the same fryer as something with gluten, and they were going to remake my plate with fresh casaba beans that were mashed. Given that I hadn’t even though to mention the fryer issue (as I hadn’t realized anything was fried), I was SO appreciative of him being aware. Food was delicious and I didn’t get sick, which is amazing!
It is a little spendy, as I’m learning most things are here in San Juan, but given that I paid $ 17 for a fruit plate at the hotel the day before, $ 25 (plus tip) wasn’t bad for a soup and entrée that filled me up, and that was safe for me to eat, which is a big deal. Our service was wonderful and quick-​ish (we left at 2pm, but that included my dish being re-​made from scratch for my own safety), and I would certainly go back.

Came here because it was so highly rated online… ordered the shredded cod and creole eggplant chicken. The cod was so salty, like really salty, and the wait staff happily replaced it with the creole chicken mofongo… which was debatably worse. Store bought frozen entrée is better! The beans and rice, and water, and just about everything tasted like soap as well. Unfortunate way to spend $ 75. On the positive side… the rum is good.

Must try spicy Bloody Mary!
My husband and I had a 5 hr layover in old San Juan from St Thomas. This place was perfect for breakfast. We were dropped off literally in old San Juan and didn’t even realize we were standing in front of this place till I Unilocaled it and was like we must try it. I’m glad we did and I will return for some more spicy bloody Mary’s
Thanks for the delicious breakfast.

Slow and rude! Drinks were expensive but very weak. Our orders were wrong. We received no apology, just dirty looks.
The food was good & reasonably priced.

The restaurant location & décor is pleasing to the eyes. The service was horrible. Besides my table majority of the tables waited several minutes to place orders & even longer to receive a drink.
The food was plated nicely & no straws or napkins were given. I had to walk to the bar area to get my own straw.
One table has been waiting so long that they asked for their food to go.
My empty plate has been sitting in front of me while I typed this entire review. I’m not in a rush so I am waiting patiently.

This is one of two places on the island that we have eaten at 2X. Carla is amazing. The entire staff is amazing. The vegan options are delicious! I ate the Mofongo twice! Mind blown. Come to Puerto Rico! Eat at Café Berlin. Bring sunblock if yer pale!

The food was out of this world. My friend and I split tostones and I had the vegan mofongo. Delicious, very upscale. Wait staff was friendly and attentive. If you are looking for a classy place with vegan/​vegetarian options you need to come here!

The food was fine. My 3 stars comes from the service, or lack thereof, I felt we received. It took 10 minutes to seat us (though and another 15 minutes for us to receive menus and water — after we asked 3 different times. Meanwhile, a family that came in after us received service immediately. The restaurant also took it upon themselves to include the tip in our final amount, before sales tax, which I think is a little presumptuous.
All in all, not really impressed. However, if you decide to eat there, go for the Brioche French Toast, the Old San Juan Breakfast, or the Country Waffle. Portions are just right.

Four vegans arrived at this vegetarian/​vegan place in the heart of Old San Juan after a day of excursions and fun. We were starving.
The menu sounded fantastic! Vegan Mofongo??? Woww! Mofongo is the puerto rican version of mashed potatoes, but made with green plantains. Two of my friends –one Canadian, one British– ordered it. Of course, they needed the necessary explanation of this dish with unusual name.
I got the Homemade Vegan Burger in a Brioche bread. My other Canadian friend ordered the veggie sandwich on brioche, as well.
Little that we know, the service was extremely slow. I mean, SLOW! The reason of the 2 stars.
40 minutes is not reasonable waiting time for a 2pm meal. At one point, we started to worry, because our ship was leaving. I went to the manager, and with my Spanish charm, I let him know that we’ll be cancelling the order if we didn’t get our food in the next 10 minutes. He didn’t find me charming.
The food finally arrived. Just in time to make it to the ship. Although the food was good I couldn’t enjoy it, because I had to eat super fast. The veggie sandwich never made it to the table.
If you have time, and your are full of patience, I can recommend this place. If not, don’t even think about it.

This place has the best mofongo in Puerto Rico! I hang out with friends all day in old San Juan and finally we went there for dinner, which is recommended by New York Times. It took reservations and you don’t have to wait in line before 6 pm. The environment and staffs there are wonderful.

After getting a table we had to ask for a waiter after waiting over 10 minutes. The food came out quickly. There was a lack of seasoning for Puerto Rican inspired flavors for a tofu breakfast scramble. The food had a nice presentation by undercooking the vegetables. We were offered no condiments. And nobody checked on us for tea refills. The bread and marmalade were delicious but does not make a meal. Appreciate the vegan options but the prices were too high for what little we got in the way of food and service.

Terrible service and terrible food .Made to wait more than an hour and half for disgusting food. Stay away!

So nice I came here twice. Had both the vegan mofongo and the vegan burger and my boyfriend had the pollo al Ajillo and chicken Venice sandwich. We both loved loved loved our food. Highly recommend the fruit frappes with rum. They’re the same price as elsewhere but made fresh and with real fruit. Service is good as well. Sad I can’t make it for Sunday brunch because the menu looks awesome and a great price!

If you want mofongo at a local place, that’s not a tourist trap, this is it. Great service, takes credit card and the homemade hot sauce is great! Ask for extra garlic sauce and you’re set.

On a brief two night visit to San Juan, headed over here after finding fairly glowing reviews of the mofongo on Unilocal,despite a fairly lackluster review of the restaurant in general. I came fairly late on a Saturday evening, ate outside, and ordered, obviously, the vegan Mofongo. What I received was a cylinder of fried plantains surrounded by stew of seemingly homemade fake meat. It was absolutely delicious, deserving of all the praise in the reviews. All otherwise I ordered was a beer, so I can’t review anything else. Service was super-​fast and attentive. In all, the restaurant was great — maybe on the pricey side, but then again, so seems a lot of San Juan — but the food was amazing. Very highly recommended.

Perfect location in Old San Juan. Food is delicious, but very pricey. Also, takes a while for it to be prepared, my group was in a rush so we were a little stressed. But overall, if you have time, definitely try this place out. Chicken Mofongo is amazing.

Worst restaurant in Puerto Rico. We ordered the vegan burger and pesto pasta. Both entrees were dry, lacked any taste and weren’t eatable without gulping it down with water.
Moreover when we asked for our waitress to request some sauces on the side (yes they didn’t serve any to begin with), it took her 20 minutes to show up even with the restaurant being half empty.
By this time our food had gone cold, and we were served the most stingy portion of mayo to make our food not stick in our throats.
What followed was a highly overpriced charge added to our check for the smallest portion of sauce I’ve ever seen.
Highly overpriced, extremely overrated — please stay away!

Café Berlín serves the best Vegan Mofongo I’ve ever eaten. Then again it is the only time I’ve ever had the dish so accept my review with a grain of salt.
The décor was warm and intimate — darker woods, gold and burgundy hues — Christmas lights added a festive touch.
We were seated quickly but it took awhile for a server to take our order, then 40 minutes for our food to arrive. Several staff preferred to chat amongst themselves by the bar instead of attending to the handful of guests. Water anyone?
My experience with Afro-​Puerto Rican cuisine is limited but their Vegan Mofongo featured bold flavor combination, textural complexity and a lot of garliky goodness. While the balsamic vinegar added a skosh more sweetness than I prefer, the dish as a whole was both delicious and memorable; exactly what I wanted from a dinner abroad.

I went into this place after I saw the great reviews on Unilocal.I got the sunday brunch and although its a bit pricy at $ 21 it is worth the money. They start you with a great cup of latte which helped me keep my eyes open, followed by a squeezed oj and a fruit cup. By the time I got through all that they brought my scrambled eggs topped with veggies and a tinge of sour cream. It was perfect!
My server was really helpful too and im always skeptical of new places because im a eggetarian and often run into problems of not finding meatless options. Id definitely visit the place again if I can!

Really wanted to like this place as a vegetarian since there aren’t too many options at most restaurants. Unfortunately I didn’t get to try it. I was a party of exactly one on what seemed to be a busy Sunday afternoon. I offered to sit at the bar and was told I would have to since I was only one. The bartender watched me sit and continued to look at me periodically for 25 minutes after I closed my menu. Not one word.
Sadly I can’t rate the food as I had to leave. They didn’t want my business.

Such a chilled small café conveniently located in the old city of San Juan. The view was gorgeous with buildings colored in yellow and blue with a traditional feeling.
We were fortunate enough to get the outdoor sitting with sunshine right on top of us. As for food, we shared a couple of small apps and went with seafood & mofongo and scallop risotto as main courses. Guess rating mofongo at Puerto Rico was a must-​do
However, can you imagine we have been waiting for more than two hours just for the food to come? This was ridiculous! I’m sorry but we were indeed in a hurry so this was unacceptable. One star service. That was it.

We loved it.
We got the sesame tofu and dumpling. Both dishes were spot on and got fries for our nugget.
Good food, however pricey.

I may have had the best meal of my life here. I’m a foodie and a vegetarian, so I was a bit upset that I might not get to try any Puerto Rican food while I was in San Juan. I stumbled on this place by accident (or maybe fate?) and I’m so glad I did. The cocktails are great, and I loved the location. Our waitress was really friendly and attentive, and most importantly, the food was amazing. I got the vegan mofongo, which words can’t describe. Even my meat-​loving parents were thrilled by this restaurant. I plan on going back before I leave San Juan, and I would recommend this restaurant to anyone (vegan, vegetarian, omnivore, or celiac — they also have gluten-​free options) who wants to try some great Caribbean food.

A must stop whenever visiting Old San Juan. Had the San Juan breakfast and it was delicious. The guava butter served with the toast was a very pleasant surprise. The OJ is freshly squeezed and every thing is made fresh to order. The staff were awesome and customer service was great. Enjoy!

We had a few hours before our flight and decided to find a local place to eat. Café Berlin was an awesome find!
Highly recommend the Vegan Puerto Rican Mofongo. Delicious! Dumplings were amazing too. We rounded it off with fried plantains. Yummm

Such a quaint, cute little place! It reminded me of something out of a movie. Beautiful view of the plaza outside. I love the décor/​ambiance and the staff were all very nice. I would love to see what it’s like at night.
We ordered the Puerto Rican sampler and beans, rice and a side of chicken (haha) and albeit simple, it was all very good!
I thoroughly enjoyed this place and definitely recommend it to anyone stopping by the area.

Solid lunch spot.
They have a lot of vegetarian options (figures when I’m craving a burger we sit down in the most vegetarian friendly spot in San Juan).
Our waiter was friendly and attentive. The limonade is delicious, possibly the best limonade I’ve ever had.
I had the Caprese Salad, which I was able to get with grilled chicken. The chicken was delicious, the tomatoes were those pink cardboardy ones. (Eh)
Free coupon for a manjito in some of the old san juan tourist maps, I don’t know what that means, but maybe it’s worth a return visit to find out.

My husband and I came here to eat breakfast while in Puerto Rico for a long layover. The service was excellent, the food was great and the environment/​ambiance were adorable and comfy!
For beverages, I tried both the fresh squeezed orange juice and the passion fruit frappé. Both were excellent and had great presentation. My husband and I shared the Banana-​Raisins-​Walnuts Pancakes and the French Toast with Guava Syrup. Both entrees were excellent.
I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone in the area.

Café Berlin was by far the best restaurant we visited during our week on the island.
Puerto Rican food is pretty heavy, so it was nice to find somewhat lighter and vegetarian options. However, that didn’t keep us from ordering the mofongo with chicken in garlic sauce, which was spectacular. Easily the best mofongo I had in Puerto Rico.
The red beans and rice were also delicious.
Service was very friendly and attentive.

Great Veg, Vegan and Gluten Free options in a Pork and seafood heavy city!
Went there 3 times so far on my trip to Old San Juan. If you are Vegan, try the Criollo Tofu… So good. If you like it spicy ask for some hot sauce on the side

Almuerzo de negocios casual con un buen amigo un viernes. Restaurante parcialmente lleno. Nos sentamos en la barra para almorzar sin problemas. El servicio muy diligente pero no rápido. El especial de almuerzo era tortellini en salsa rosada con jamón y quedo parmesano. ESPECTACULAR! Y el café? De primera