Nonna Cucina Rustica

Stayed in the area on family vacation. Ate here the first night during restaurant week. Started with a sausage/​cheese board. Three of us had the prix fixe menu. All the food was excellent. The wait staff was super attentive. Bread continually refilled. Water/​drinks topped off. Such a pleasant atmosphere and meal. In fact, we loved it so much we came back for dinner the next night. (We NEVER do this.) Meals/​service the second night, just as good. Prices very reasonable for portions/​quality. LOVED THIS PLACE!

Nonna is one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve been to. Great food, atmosphere and staff. If you’re looking for an Olive Garden, you won’t find it here. It’s not traditional for American standards but its traditional Italian. The food is very flavorful and is priced high but appropriate for the quality. My family and I went back-​to-​back nights because the menu had so many things we wanted and because the food was so good. Our waiter was very friendly and made us feel like we knew him. Overall an amazing experience.

Nonna was a fantastic dinner with a great authentic Italian menu made from scratch ingredients. Jan, our waitress and I believe one of the managers made great recommendations for appetizers and meals to share. The electric went out during our meal but they didn’t even change our views of this place. The staff brought out candles and still did a great job of making it work. A must eat in San Juan.

Amazing italian restaurant near Calle Loíza. They make their own pasta so you get a very fresh flavor when your food is served. They also have a variety of plates in their menu, including a couple of risottos (the lobster & champagne one is my all time favorite). Try the arancini and the meatballs (polpette) as appetizers. Their ricotta gnocchi are so good and flavorful. They have a very small space and it gets packed, particularly during the weekend so I recommend you make reservations beforehand. They also serve pizzas; I’ve never tried them but some of my friends have and they love them. There’s no parking but they have valet service, which has never been a problem for me. Service & the food in general are great so give it a try!!!

My husband and I are in Condado Beach for a week and have had a fabulous dinner each night thanks to Unilocalers. Nonna Cucina Rustica was no exception. Being Italian we hold our standards high and this did not disappoint. I had the gnocchi with Gorgonzola sauce and pistachio pesto. It was rich but the pesto gave it a fresh taste and texture amidst the delicious cheese flavor. The gnocchi were soft and light. Loved it and I have to admit, they were better than my own. My husband had an appetizer with eggplant, prosciutto and fried mozzarella. He enjoyed but thought it would taste better without the fry on the cheese but I have seen it on other menus so I think it is a regional twist. His entrée was fresh seared tuna with cassava mash and eggplant. Outstanding. I snuck a few bites of the cassava, since I had never had it. It which was rich and creamy. Dessert-​Tiramisu served in a small glass with lady finger garnish.
Jen, our waitress was efficient and knowledgable. All around excellent meal.

Loved it! We came in after a long day of sightseeing and driving. It was welcoming and delicious from the bread all the way through the dessert. I had the ravioli with pine nuts and figs, and my husband had the mushroom risotto; both were fantastic.

We had a party of 6 this evening and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Nonna’s.
Our waiter Egbert was efficient and full of information regarding menu items and ingredients. We all ordered different entrees after sharing three appetizers — and then three desserts.
We had a great experience and we will return when back to Puerto Rico.

We went to Nonna on Saturday to celebrate a birthday. Good thing we had a reservation, because this place was full (that’s a good thing). Our server was amazing (I think her name was Jan, but I’m not 100% sure). Since we were a larger group (9 people) and none of us had been there before, we had no idea what to order. Our server was very helpful, and suggested we may want to order several different dishes to share; she even offered to choose for us, and since we’re an adventurous bunch and everything sounded so good, we let her — best decision we made! Everything was amazing, including the service. Also, very reasonably priced. Strongly recommended, and will definitely be going there again!

Absolutely delicious food ! Home made, sophisticated taste, great service from the host, to the waiter, manager everyone is very attentive.
The atmosphere is very Cozy romantic homey, best of all — food is amazing. We didn’t leave a drop !
We ordered lasagna, gnocchi (Amazing !!!) meatballs, mozzarella & tomatoes, wish we would have gone there two other nights we paid same amount but food was no where near as good as Nonna’s! Also good for couples, groups, we came with our two kids (so kid friendly as well)
Originally recommended by a friend who is a local. Great recommendation !

I sometimes dream with the ricotta gnocchi and the risotto ai funghi. I haven’t been able to try anything else from here, because I crave these two plates. Sometimes, deciding between these two becomes a burden and I try to convince a friend to order the other one so we can share. It’s not machiavellic, it’s genius!
Also, brunch is pretty awesome. I had the eggs Benedict, because. they’re eggs Benedict! They’re not crave-​worthy as the first two plates I mentioned, but they’re pretty amazing.
A little pricey, but the portions are good. Don’t get too stuffed on the bread, though. Save some space for the meal, and then if you still want the bread, go for it!
Also, if you want to have great drinks ask for Joey. Great bartender!

Fuimos un grupo de 10 a celebrar un cumpleaños. La comida, especialmente el risotto de langosta, es excelente. El fried sampler estaba grasosísimo, un desastre. Los precios son altos en relación a la calidad de la comida. El servicio es bueno pero podría ser mucho mejor. Al final, no querían dividirnos la cuenta como deseábamos. Si desean que la clientela salga de su casa y pague sus altísimos precios por comida de segunda y servicio de tercera, deben flexibilizar las formas de pago. Tres estrellas porque el risotto está fuera de liga! No volveria!

Italian in Puerto Rico? why not. We stopped in for dinner while visiting after multiple locals had recommended it and we were not disappointed. We started with the Arancini and then split the Paccheri and the Salsiccia pizza. All three things were very good. The Paccheri was probably the best. It is a large kind of flattened tube shaped pasta in a meaty ragu made from braised shortribs. This was a very hearty ragu with a good portion of meat.
5 stars for the very friendly staff, tasty food and the unexpected find of great italian in PR.

Had an amazing meal at Nonna Cucina Rustica. When we walked in, the restaurant was packed (good sign) and there was only seating available at the bar. Fortuitously, this led us to be served by our bartender, Joey.
After speaking with Joey, it was blatantly evident that he is passionate about his art. Case in point, when my wife ordered the bucatini all amatriciana, he could tell that she was a heat seeker. Immediately, he pulls out homemade habanero bitters and gives us both a drop to taste. Mind-​blowing… although spicy, its flavor was not overpowering and pleasantly lingered on your palate.
I made the mistake of ordering a glass of Chianti. Although they have a great wine selection, you’d be remiss to not order a cocktail from Joey. He makes his own bitters, dehydrated fruit garnishes and flavored salts that go into his bespoke cocktails. Additionally, he will recommend specific types of liquors for your drink and let you sample them. This was by far the most impressive cocktail program that I saw on the whole island.
We started with the arancini which was massive enough to share for 2 – 3 people. The freshness of the sauce and the cheese stuffed into the rice ball was delightful.
For mains, my wife had the bucatini alla amatriciana while I had the maile al latte (pork shoulder braised in milk). The bucatini was a perfect al dente with a fresh tomato sauce that Joey kicked up with a dash of the habanero bitters. He asked us about the level of spice as he flashed a bottle of sriracha and winked at us.
The pork shoulder was extremely tender (no knife necessary) and went well with the creamy sauce was made with peas and pancetta. The dish was luxuriously rich with the black truffle potatoes.
Joey let us taste his homemade fermented pineapple vinegar and sage sea salt. He also let us try a margarita that he made with the pineapple vinegar and rosemary simple syrup (delicious).
The meal ended perfectly with a digestif — a glass of his homemade limoncello.
What blew me away about this restaurant was Joey’s attention and detail for his craft. Watching an artist at work was one of the most exciting things to experience. Just as important, the food was also a reflection of the high level of service the staff look to meet. If you want to try something different from the local flavors, I would highly recommend coming here and saddling up to the bar. Ask for Joey and he will make sure to take care of you and provide a memorable experience.

We enjoyed the appetizer and almost nothing else. Honestly, I have never wanted to leave a place as fast as I wanted to leave this one. The restaurant itself is nice, not too noisy or overcrowded. The overall experience was just really unpleasant. We are a group of 4 and were seated quickly by a very nice hostess. Our server at that time took our drink orders and brought them to us within a couple of minutes. We were seated in the direct path of a blasting air conditioner and when we asked to be moved they were really cool about it. Our new server came around to fill our glasses with water. He filled 2 glasses and I politely informed him I would pass on the water. He smiled and moved on to my wife’s glass. She also informed him she would pass on the water. He said, «I have to serve everyone water or else I get in trouble.» He then proceeded to fill her glass and mine. At this point I told him fine, fill the glasses and then remove them because the table is starting to feel cluttered. He grabbed both our glasses and walked away from the table without another word. Awkward.
The menu is not your typical entrees you find in most Italian restaurants. So if you want Baked Ziti or Garlic Bread you’ll be disappointed.
The appetizer was the only thing we all enjoyed. An assortment of cheese and meats with olives. Had we know how bad the food would be we would have stopped there.
I ordered Margherita Pizza, decent flavor but there was way too much cheese and the crust was undercooked. Total fail.
My wife ordered the fish cooked in s bag. The fish had nice flavoring but the potatoes were undercooked. Disappointing for the price they charged.
My nephew had their version of spaghetti and ragu sauce. It was dry.
My brother ordered a seafood pasta dish. He was the only one who enjoyed his meal but he said he would not eat there again.
The waiter was smart enough to plaster a fake smile on his face when called over but you could tell he «just was not that into us» after the «watergate». We had to ask for the check 4 times. Each time we asked he would remove a dish from our table and run off for 10 minutes or so. Maybe it was his way of letting us know he was the HBIC of our table. Whatever it was, the food sucked. I mean it really sucked! We actually left there angry over the whole experience. Nonna is a No-​no in our book.

Our first trip to Puerto Rico and Nonna’s was our third dinner out. Jan is the manager and was our waitress. She was AMAZING! She recommended all the best food. We had a bottle of wine, the alle patate pizza and the lasagna. For dessert, we had the best dessert I’ve ever had. She recommended the tiramisu affogato. It. Was. Amazing.
If you come here, you have to check this dessert out. And their food, of course. Service was excellent, conversation superb and the atmosphere was great. Definitely check this place out of you have a chance and ask for Jan. Five stars!!!

I enjoyed my meal at this fine establishment — it was a welcome addition to the San Juan dining scene.
Pros:
— Food is good — they use quality and fresh ingredients. Nice variety of pasta, pizza and other italian dishes. Nice presentation of food.
— Extensive drink menu
— Friendly service
— Nice ambiance
Cons:
— A bit on the pricey side, but pricing is on par for the area
— Avoid the tiramisu dessert — yes, it’s different but in an oversweetened, non-​tiramisu way.

I have to say I really enjoyed our meal at this establishment. .
Was a bit expensive for a group of 4 no drinks but did have desert.. $ 210 with tip.
Parking was plentiful but they do have valet parking.

Excelente comida, servicio y atention. Platos exquisitos y postres suculentos. Ambiente romantico. Se recomienda reservar porque el salon es pequeno.

SO happy we stumbled upon this spot on Unilocal thanks to the reviews! Great service and sweet ambiance.
–No Sauv Blanc by the glass.
–Lamb Lasagne was exquisite and so was the Lobster Risotto!
–Prosciutto de Parma salad was very yummy but a little too sweet for my taste — balsamic overwhelmed the prosciutto and not enough eggplant. The fried mozzarella was the primary flavor. Kind of a bummer.
Overall, wonderful rustic Italian dining experience in PR!

LAMB LASAGNA!!! It’s very very delicious!!!
We had 10 days trip in Puerto Rico. My friends visit this place for 2 times! This is how delicious the food is in this restaurant. The servers are very friendly and nice. Bartender really know how to make the drinks!
We had wonderful girl time here!

Man, I am striking out in PR. Side note, I am here for work, so I am always looking for reasonably priced options. So, while I would love to have gotten the lobster risotto or something… my budget prevented me from doing so.
I got the Farfalle, as I love Parmesan and peas. I found the pasta to be a little too hard for my liking… like hard to stick a fork in. The sausage was made in house, it was a bit sweeter than what I would probably prefer. Overall the final bill was $ 20, and for a bowl of just okay pasta, that seems a bit much for me.

What a fabulous dinner!
This restaurant helped me throw my dad a birthday dinner and the service and food were great… especially the custom cake they worked with me to design!
Our favorite food items were the Squid Ink pasta and Margherita pizza… delish!
The lobster risotto was also great… generous amount of lobster and the sauce was VERY rich and creamy.
The chicken thighs over polenta were not amazing and I wouldn’t order again… the chicken was cold but the polenta was warm which was a bit off putting.
For dessert they brought out a custom cake I had asked them to make in advance. It was beautiful and delicious (dark chocolate with espresso buttercream)
Overall a great experience!
Tip: they take American Express (unlike many places in San Juan!)
Tip: if you’re a tourist walking there, be careful at night.

Espectacular!
Profundisan y son creativos con la comida italiana. Esta es la verdadera comida italiana.

Excelente servicio, excelente comida. El brunch es divino. Es la verdadera comida italiana sin ningùn tipo influencia gringa.
100% recomendable para el que quiera verdadera comida italiana. Olvidense de salsa alfredo o de pasta con pollo…

Muy buena comida italiana. El ambiente acogedor, buen servicio también. La pasta es fresca y la preparan frente a ti. El servicio es muy atento. Pedi el fondue de queso de aperitivo. También pedimos la pasta con ragú y la lasagña de cordero. Todo estuvo excelente.