La Bombonera

Great pastries and good service.

Close to Sheraton at Old San Juan with a Bakery? Sweet!
A 100 years old restaurant? Interesting…
Rachel Ray dined here? I’m so there.
It’s September 2010…
After a 4 block upward walk towards the famed
street it resides at, and I caught a glimpse of
the bakery sweets available for the stop and go
diner. The selection was about 8 or 9 choices, atm.
Judging by the hostess’ face, she had just
finished her 12^th lemon that day. She wasn’t
going to pretend, with a forced smile how she
felt, as she told me to take a seat anywhere.
The waiter wasn’t feeling much better.
I’m guessing the waiter had his foot stepped on
one too many time and he was about to go-​diner
crazy on the next person that tipped him the wrong way.
Where’s the charm? Where’s the friendly chatter?
«May I take your order?» Really, is that the first
thing a waiter ought to say when greeting a diner?
I’ve never worked in the restaurant industry, so I can
only imagine the type of stress they deal with. Still it is
unfortunate when internal or external factors affect the
staff’s ability to provide good customer service for the
ever-​impressionable first time diner.
I distinctly remember having scrambled eggs, toast,
and bacon. While it’s hard for me to say with 100%
certainty that I consumed under-​cooked eggs from
here that later caused me to experience food poisoning,
it did seem like the most likely culprit.
Day later, I would learn that there was a huge salmonella
outbreak among eggs, explaining many of my symptoms.
Even though my breakfast was less than ideal.
It’s unfortunate that this restaurant after 110 years
has finally closed its doors. I would have liked for it to
have improved for the better and to continue being
the dining institution it was in Old San Juan.

Why do i always feel bad when leaving a 3-​star review?
This local diner has been serving staple Puerto Rican dishes for over 100+ years — now that’s ‘oldschool’. Don’t get me wrong, La Bombonera wasn’t bad but it didn’t blow me away like some of the other reviews had suggested.
Pastelito — I was expecting bold flavors from this dish, instead i was underwhelmed.
Plantains — Cooked to a crisp! As in dry and no flavor crisp!: /​
Coca de Sardines — Amazing!!! If you’re looking to dine here, def order this dish! It’s a foccacia-​like bread topped with a medley of tomatoes, onions, roasted diced potatoes, peppers, and fresh tasty charred Sardines. Soooooooo good! My mouth is watering just thinking about the flavors, aroma, and deliciousness of this dish — yum!
Side note: Even though English is the second most spoken language in Puerto Rico, you’ll need to brush up on your Español if you want to order food here :)
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My girlfriend recommended La Bombonera when I asked her where I should go to eat in Old San Juan. I looked it up on Unilocal and KNEW I had to come here at least once during my trip after reading all the great reviews.
My bf and I came here for breakfast one morning before we started touring Old San Juan. We got to La Bombonera around 8 – 9 AM on a weekday and the place was already packed. I’d say the crowd is ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ locals and tourists. Just a warning that it’s hot in here. In all the reviews I read for the majority of the restaurants in Old San Juan/​San Juan, I’d always come across one that warned that the place would be freezing and to bring a sweater. La Bombonera is definitely not one of those. It’s an old-​school diner type place and there are only fans, none of which I could feel any air circulation from. Luckily since it was early in the morning, it wasn’t too hot yet, but you could already feel the stagnant air. You could either be seated at the counter on the right where they have lots of stools or to your left in the row of tables. We got a table. The seats are so old that the cushioning on them is almost warn out. I guess this speaks to how long this place has been around.
It wasn’t too hard to decide what we were going to get. The obvious choice was a Mallorca. My bf and I each ordered our own with Egg, Ham, and Cheese. I didn’t know how big the Mallorcas would be so we also decided to order Eggs that came with a side of Toast. We ended up splitting this. For our drinks, I ordered the fresh squeezed OJ (which was pretty neat seeing being made behind the counter by these old school juice presses) and my bf had the Papaya shake. Our waiter took our order without even writing anything down. The staff is friendly, fast, and efficient. Our food came out pretty quickly after we ordered. The Mallorcas were bigger than I pictured and we could have actually halved just one order of Mallorca and the eggs. The Mallorcas were delicious. The warm pastry was flaky and moist and the egg, ham, and cheese inside was warm and gooey. The powered sugar on top added a bit more of sweetness to the already sweet pasty. The eggs and toast were regular eggs and toast; nothing more to say about those. The Papaya shake was refreshing and delicious and the OJ was very fresh. The oranges used aren’t as sweet so the juice was less sweet than I’m used to.
All the reviews say La Bombonera has the best Mallorca. The only other place we were able to eat one was at the café in the lobby of the Marriott and it wasn’t stuffed with Egg, Ham, and Cheese. In just comparing the pastry in both places, La Bombonera wins. This was a delicious and cheap breakfast. I can’t rem how much the bill came out to but it wasn’t much. I’m just bummed we weren’t able to eat here more than once during our trip.

To call La Bombonera an institution would be a gross understatement. As the third oldest restaurant on the entire island of Puerto Rico, La Bombonera has continuously been one of the most solid breakfast establishments around.
They are best known for their mallorcas, which is a popular food item in Puerto Rico brought over from Spain from the island of Majorca. Historically, there is a close tie between the ensaymada bread that I grew up with from Filipino bakeries and the mallorcas of Puerto Rico. Both originate from Majorca and evolved into their own delicacy during Spanish colonialism. This sweet and fluffy egg bread topped with powdered sugar is transformed into one of the greatest breakfast sandwiches when ham, egg, and cheese are added to the mix. At under $ 5, this is a delicious and inexpensive way to start your day.
There are several places in San Juan where you can find some version of the mallorca. However, La Bombonera’s reputation stands true. Sure, this place has been featured in magazines and travel shows left and right; but rightfully so. Unfortunately, those looking to get a taste of this treat may stumble upon a grim reality. As reported in Vocero last week (while we were on vacation in San Juan), there has been a lease dispute between the owners of La Bombonera and the landlord of the building that houses the restaurant’s offices, kitchen, and restrooms. They have announced that they will be closed for an indefinite amount of time starting Monday, April 30, 2012. Whether they will renovate, re-​open, or close for good is still up in the air. Browsing a couple of travel forums, there is rumor that La Bombonera will re-​open as a to-​go only bakery. I really hope this is true.
La Bombonera opened its doors for the first time nearly 110 years ago. 110! The atmosphere is incredibly laid back and despite being a popular spot for visitors, it’s remains a hub for generations upon generations of locals. If you get the chance to pay them a visit, I highly recommend it.

Locals and tourists all say that this is the place to go for breakfast. We ended up here Sunday morning around 8:30AM or so and most of the booths were already taken. Nevertheless, we sat at the counter and ordered their popular mallorca con jamon y queso. Trust the reviews… this is the thing to get! The taste of sweet and salty was perfect together and for me, this was a filling breakfast, in addition to a café con leche (standard).
Albeit a bit overpriced, this is a place you gotta try. Sit at the counter and check out the old-​school coffee and OJ maker machines. You can also watch them make your mallorca sandwich and coat the top with powdered sugar.

I can’t really say a ton more here that hasn’t already been covered by countless others: get the mallorca with the ham and cheese with a café con leche.
What I can say is that the atmosphere was perfectly enchanting for me. Not that there was much going on — a bakery counter in the front and several booths (and a diner bar) in the back. It was just the effect that being settled in the heart of Old San Juan can have on a tourist eating such perfectly delicious breakfast food.
Make this part of your Old San Juan tour and you won’t be disappointed.

Food was not bad at all. The mallorca here was slightly bigger than the ones served at Café Mallorca down the street. However, service here was horrible! It took the server over 15 minutes to finally come take our order, which he messed up, and then brought us water when we asked for the check after our meal.
I’d recommend getting the mallorca and fresh squeezed orange juice, but sit at the counter! (Or else you might have a difficult time getting the servers’ attention like we did)

Because of La Bombonera, I will now DEMAND powdered sugar to be sprinkled on ALL of my breakfast sandwiches. Let it be known.
Get the mallorca with egg, ham, & cheese — sweet and savory deliciousness. The coffee was quite powerful in a very good way and is strongly recommended. Not bitter, perfectly wonderful without adding any sugar or cream. I also got an espresso shot for fun, and it was a wonderfully potent beast. TIP: Sit at the counter for faster service.
Tourist destination, sure. Delicious, YES. Best mallorca we found over our entire PR vacation.

An old school style diner where I was expecting to see a Puerto Rican version of the Seinfeld gang sitting at one of the booths.
We had to order the infamous mallorcas — one with ham and cheese and one with bacon and cheese. I was a bit leery about the size of the mallorcas. To the untrained eye, it looked small-​ish, like a homemade grilled cheese size. But the size is deceiving as they are actually quite filling. Washed it down with a strong coffee and fresh orange juice.
Breakfast for two came out to $ 20. Service was surly but sufficient. Get there early as the place really filled up quickly for weekend breakfast.

Let me first point out that I am basing this review solely on the mallorcas that they serve here. A friend recommended this place just for this dish. We literally went every single day for breakfast and grabbed two mallorcas and coffee. For those of you who are not familiar with mallorcas and are scratching your head still about what I am talking about… please let me educate you on heaven.
Mallorcas (pronounced Mayorcas) are a eggy bread that is split in half, doused with butter, and grilled on the same press used usually for Cuban sandwiches. The hot pressed bun is then slid onto a plate and covered in powdered sugar. Those who doubt are only keeping themselves from the best treat in San Juan. La Bombonera has been making these things since 1902 for a reason people! They also come in a variety of options (butter being the original). I tried the butter, ham and cheese, and bacon and cheese. It might sound crazy but bacon and cheese plus a mallorca was heaven! I literally am craving them as I type this review.
The staff was okay. They are usually always busy due to the high volume of tourists that come in and out of the establishment. If you just want mallorcas you can grab them to go right when you walk in. I suggest a box for your hotel just in case you are having a mallorca craving and are not anywhere near La Bombonera.
Go for the mallorcas or feel like you did not fully experience San Juan cuisine… and believe me… this is the best place for Mallorcas. All the locals say La Bombonera after being questioned about mallorcas.

The Mayorcas were really really yummy and so was the café con leche! perfect breakfast

I have to thank my cousin for taking us here. He found out that Andrew Zimmern came here and since we were in the area, we had to go.
Ham and cheese Mallorca was the thing to get. Yumm. I think I should have ordered my own but then again, I wanted to try more than just this. The sweet roll was very soft but if I came back here I think I would try the ham, egg and cheese. I see that tasting even better!
I also ordered the denver omelette chicken sandwich which is like a club sandwich with part chicken and part denver omelette. I was very full from this breakfast.
Definitely worth going to compared to all the other pricey places to eat in the area. Overall, PR is very pricey but this is definitely worth it and reasonably priced food. Atmosphere is very much like any old diner.
Some people complained about the service, but I didn’t notice it at all. They were very attentive to our needs and my cousin ordered additional pastries before we paid the check.

They are famous for Mallorcas (light, round, rolled buns topped with powdered sugar) and for good reason — they are good. Bombonera has been a San Juan powerhouse for a good while and is quite popular with locals and tourists alike. Fashioned like a diner with a generous menu of classic Puerto Rican cuisine offerings (but get there for breakfast or lunch — the doors are locked promptly at 6 pm).
But lord, how it smells in there. We did take-​away.

Mallorcas and Café con Leche. Do it, for realz. Delicious.
Also, expect to speak Spanish, or to just point and nod. That works too.
Super diner-​y authentic awesomeness in the heart of Old SJ. Loved the old-​school guy behind the counter. He worked with me and my less than stellar Spanish (we had just gotten to the island and I was acclimating), and he even tried to speak a little English. I will say that we just went here for breakfast/pastries/coffee…so I’m not sure as to what a more comprehensive or lunch/​dinner experience would be like. But… PR style coffee and a diner counter? Why the heck not?

La Bombonera is so classic that when you step inside, you can easily imagine our grandparents in there in the yesteryears. Kudos to the folks there who managed to maintain this classic atmosphere.
We were there for an early lunch and were standing in line to be seated. The line moved really quickly and we hardly stood in line for 10 mins. Of course I had to try the mallorca. That was really some type of sandwich. Toasted mallorca bread made into a sandwich with ham, swiss and cheddar cheese, eggs, and butter. And to top it all (pun intended), there was a GENEROUS amount of confectioners sugar sprinkled over the mallorca sandwich. It was insane, in a good way. I wasn’t sure how the savory sandwich ingredients would go with the confectioners sugar but it was a marriage well made. My husband ordered a pork dish that came with rice and plaintains which he loved. There is also a bakery section at the front of the café where you can get baked goods to go.
I liked that this place’s atmosphere was so old school. Can’t get alot of these experiences these days as more and more restaurants turn to modernism. Our male server had a cool hair blown style. Perfect in bringing me back to the old days (although I’m actually now that old?!).
If you’re in Old San Juan, check out La Bombonera.

Looking for a place to chow down in PR, I came across Rachel Ray’s recommendation for the mallorca sandwich. I thought I’d give the darn thing a try.
First off, it wasn’t on the menu. :/​I had to specifically ask for the Rachel Ray sandwich with ham and cheese and egg and powdered sugar. The waiter added me another menu, and I told him I wanted one. He then proceeded in bringing me a mallorca without ham and cheese and egg. It was just like a doughnut pastry. It was good, but it wasn’t what I wanted for breakfast.
I had to call him over and say specifically (even though I had earlier specifically asked about the ham, et al., mallorca…) for one with ham and cheese. I forgot to mention egg, so of course it came back without one. The «sandwich» was grilled. It was a nice ham and cheese sandwich, but honestly, that’s all it was. It was a melted ham and cheese sandwich between two doughnut-​y pieces of bread sprinkled with powdered sugar.
I was not wooed by this.
The boy ordered fried pork fingers with rice and beans. The fried pork was very savory, even if the rice and beans were lackluster. They brought over some strange sauce in an old snapple container. When I unscrewed the top, it fizzled and started bubbling. It smelled gross. What IS that stuff? Needless to say, we didn’t try it.
Over twenty bucks for breakfast and only one actual «meal.» :(

We had a just ok experience having breakfast here. We had the orange juice, a ham, egg, and cheese mallorca, and a regular ham and cheese sandwich. The mallorca was pretty good but as I later found out, the mallorca from the Starbucks next to my hotel wasn’t all that shabby in comparison (Starbucks’ didn’t have that slab of butter my bartender/​chef threw on the sandwich near the end of its preparation). This cheapened the experience here for me.
The regular ham and cheese sandwich was meh. I could have gotten that anywhere. The orange juice machine was entertaining to watch (This thing looks older than my mother). We wrapped up the meal with a little dessert from their equally quite aged freezer. They seemed to have two types of dessert in there, these cream/​beige colored paste in a glass and flan (we guessed). Since we had quite a bit of flan in the past, we decided to go with the cream/​beige item, which turned out to be chilled tapioca and didn’t taste very fresh (the layer on top was noticeably harder than the rest). I would recommend you skip that for dessert.

Overrated.
I felt like our waiter forgot about us and actually had to raise my hand and wave it for at least 3 minutes a few times. Like when we were ready to order, when our water was empty, when we wanted to order dessert and when we wanted the check. The other waiters saw me too and never bothered to tell our waiter… thanks for nothing.
My friend loved loved LOVED La Bomboneras quesita (sp?) which is a thin pastry filled with cream cheese. He thought he ordered the mallorca with ham and cheese but instead got just a ham and cheese sandwich… I got tired of holding my arm up to ask the waiter so he just ate it and wasnt impressed. I got La Bombeneras special which our waiter said was his favorite. It wasn’t mine. The french fries that came with the sandwich were good though. Crispy, hot and a little greasy, just how I like it! I also got a coffee since I was really tired and it was not good… tasted like the beans had been reused and lacked the fresh coffee aroma. Blah!
Wouldn’t return since the food was meh, the coffee was blah and the service was not good. I would stop in to order a pastry to go though… mmm good idea for next time!

Stopped in last week when we were in search of mofongo which they do not serve. Though knowing about the fabulous mallorca’s we decided to share a few with our friends. We ordered plain, with cheese and bacon as well as with cheese and ham.
These were just as amazing as they were the very first time we had them. The contrast of sweet and savory was perfect, which was all brought together by a delightful and delicate crispiness. The 4 of us were in silence as we all took in the ecstasy of each and every bite.
My only gripe. I wish I could have taken my shirt off to eat since the powdered sugar gets everywhere! What a sight that would have been, 4 bears eating with their shirts off all covered in 10X sugar?! Amazing!

I was in PR for vacay and came here for lunch.
Their fresh lemonade — YUM! I was craving breakfast so ordered a garden/​veggie omelet. It was good, as expected. My friend ordered the beef stew, which was really good, except for the fact that it was a bit too salty for me.
Otherwise, the place is pretty good. The bathrooms, however, can be a bit cleaner.