Rosa de Triana

After walking and wandering OSJ for hours we stopped in to just get a cold drink, we ended up staying for several plates and pitchers and found this to be one of the most charming spots in OSJ. The food was fresh and perfect and the Sangria was one of the bests that I’ve had (and yes I have quite a few, loved the apple chunks in it!). They bring you a green shot with your bill — its like a sour apple shot that they make themselves. They even let me buy some and found bottles to package it up into for me. We will definitely return here when in town. Thank you to everyone that took care of us here!

Found the nice little gem during a walking tour of Old San Juan. Made a reservation for two on Saturday night when they have its weekly flamenco performances. It was worth it! While the food was so so, the entertainment was stellar! It’s very interactive and they even get customers to dance. For food, we had fried calamari, Spanish omelette, mashed plaintains with chicken, and croquettes. We also had their famous sangria, which was slightly watered down. All in all, it was worth it and I highly recommend.

Great ambiance and a really old building. Food is delicious. Beware — tapas portions are quite large.

I usually do not write reviews – especially bad ones – for restaurants, but in this case, I have to.
When you spend $ 100 plus at a restaurant, you should expect – at least – courteous service. At Rosa de Triana, we found instead, pretentious and somewhat arrogant service, all at top tier prices.
Our waiter tried to sell us as many dishes as possible, but I told him that we had eaten some appetizers at a reception prior to getting to Rosa de Triana, and that we would be having some tapas and perhaps some paella. He told me that the traditional dish to have with the paella was the Salmon dish. I told him that the Salmon dish would be too much food for two people and that we would only have the paella.
The first dish brought to our table, however, was the Salmon dish that we had not ordered. I feel bad for him – since this is a small restaurant – but we could simply not have eaten this extra dish, so we had to return it!
The waiter seemed upset and changed sections (he did not serve us for the rest of the two-​hour evening). The rest of the meal seemed tensed and even his replacement waiter avoided eye contact with us.
To top this off, once we got our bill, we were still charged for the Salmon dish!
Sincerely, the food in this restaurant was priced at premium (I mean, at 4 – 5 star restaurant level), but the food we got was at a mediocre American burger place level; a bit greasy and the paella was somewhat tasteless).
I grew up in this town (Old San Juan), and I know its history and what it can offer, but I can tell you that this pretentious service is not it. Rosa de Triana does not have what the old great restaurants like Siglo XX or the old Zipperle had in years past (that is, great service and tasty food).
La Rosa de Triana seems to me more of a TOURIST TRAP that wants to get you into its doors and get as much money out of your pockets while giving you middle of the road food. Avoid it like you would avoid the Zika virus!

How does this place not get more stars? The atmosphere is amazing.!the building was built in 1523 and the back patio is awesome! We didn’t try many things as we have been eating and drinking our way through OSJ but what we had was great. Good Sangria, good heart of palm salad and great tapa of chick peas, chorizo and shrimp. I will definitely be coming back to this spot our next long weekend in OSJ.

Bread and mayo? So weird. The bread was good! We ordered the gazpacho (average) and the garlic shrimp (4 shrimps). This was not what I expected. The shrimp were fresh but it was 10 for 2 each and NO GARLIC SAUCE. This is the 1^st time I’ve gotten garlic shrimp with no sauce :(. The sauce itself was below average. It had a very lemony taste instead of garlicky. Overall the service was good but the food was far below their price point. I would recommend going to the little hole in the wall places for better food/​price.

My best friend and I came to Puerto Rico to celebrate our respective birthdays (⁴⁄₂₃ & ⁴⁄₂₆). He had mentioned tapas several time in the last few days, so we decided to have it tonite– on my birthday.
I’m sorry we did it here.
The food, what we had of it, was good, but the service was terrible. And I mean forty-​five minutes after the first dish was dropped before anyone came back to our table terrible. No water refills, no second (much less third or more) cocktails, no second dish– nothing. The next person to come to our table was the bartender, to ask of everything was alright. Followed several minutes later by our server (no name given) who forgot to put our full first order in. The second half of our first and only order came, and again the server disappeared. At this point we decided to cut our losses and go elsewhere.
Happy Birthday to me!!! Ugh. I would try it again, but only mid day, not in the evening.

Great atmosphere on the back patio. Tapas are pretty big portions. In a great part of old san juan with lots of galleries. Great place to take a break and relax

We went to this place because it was recommended by others and it is directly across the courtyard from the hotel we were staying at, El Convento.
The place was fairly empty and it was a weeknight so forget about the flamenco dancers.
The sangria was OK. Although the place was nearly empty, when my dining companion sent her dish back because it was not what she wanted, they completely forgot to return with her proper order. Meanwhile, although I was enjoying my vegetable paella, it really is not fun to eat while your companion is sitting there waiting to be served.
The waiters were nice enough but the service left a lot to be desired.
I will not return.

Stopped in for tapas. Be warned that they are very large sized and very tasty! The house sangria was delicious. Quaint and air conditioned with a cute patio area if you like. Would definitely recommend, very attentive staff. Bueno:)

Eh. Just eh. We stumbled into this restaurant for lunch while touring old San Juan. We didn’t do our homework, but wish we had. The tapas lunch was mediocre at best. The service was good, but didn’t make up for the subpar food. The fried food came out mostly blackened from being over done and most of the choices were very bland. The sangria was good, but it would have taken several more for me to enjoy the food. Sorry, but expected more.

We accidentally found this place on New Year’s Day (Saturday) when most other restaurants in Old San Juan were closed. How lucky were we! Amazing tapas, great service, and Flamenco dancers came in for a free show halfway through our meal. It’s a small, quaint little restaurant hidden at the end of a hall. The sangria was delicious. Great experience all around.

We stopped by here after touring the castles and ordered a free of the tapas dishes. First off, THEY ARE SLOW. There were only a few tables present and it took them forever to even bring out drinks. We say a table of two eventually give up and leave. We ended up sitting on the terrace and were eaten alive by mosquitoes while waiting for our food. When it finally arrived, we got one of the wrong dishes and the waiter informed us that we could wait for our actual order but out will take a LONG time. No thanks. The food was mediocre at best. Keep walking, you’ll hit several restaurants worth your time.

I went to Rosa de Triana after having a bit too much rum at the nearby Rum bar.
I needed to eat something and I ordered a few tapas.
The food a Rosa De Triana includes Spanish staples (like tortilla de patatas) and Puerto Rican favorites, like mofongo.
The food mas mostly OK, nothing spectacular, but not bad either.
The service at the bar was great, and very kind to a slightly drunk guy.
I didn’t get to enjoy the show they have, since it was mid-​afternoon on a Sunday, so I cannot comment on the experience.

Excelente restaurante!!! Comida autêntica é ótimo serviço. Um descobrimento no meio de tantos restaurantes pra turistas. Vale a pena tentar!!!

Open air, beautiful patio. They actually have two locations on the same block. Great, unpretentious drinks and friendly staff. Nothing fancy but very relaxing

Ok, the food wasn’t spectacular but the entertainment more than made up for it. The flamenco dancers were AMAZING!!! They were having so much fun you couldn’t help but want to join them and guess what that’s exactly what happened. The dancers and guitarist called my friends and I up to the stage and gave us a quick flamenco lesson. Then we danced with them. It was so much fun. I’d say it was in the top 3 of highlights from my trip. After the dance routine they stayed and danced to other songs including the Macarena. We couldn’t stop laughing, singing, and dancing. We had a blast. It’s a must when visiting Old San Juan.

A tourist magazine claimed this restaurant was noted for having a free flamenco show while dining so my mother and I decided we had to try it. I read a variety of reviews, but decided that I would have to try it for myself to make a determination. Located directly across from the famed Convento Hotel, Rosa De Triana is well marked with a welcoming ambiance. Although the restaurant is cozy (to say the least), there is a feeling of being at home and the waitstaff are extremely friendly and accommodating.
I ordered arroz con pollo, which was tasty and just as I was about to dine, the show began. It was very enjoyable and I was especially impressed with how well the performers interacted with the audience. I didn’t know what to expect, but I found the show to be extremely professional and well rehearsed. My mother and I even took a picture with the dancers who were super sweet. I was amazed at how a single dining experience just with my mother could be transformed into a communal experience complete with gorgeous music and other diners showing off their dance moves.
If you’re looking for cheap eats, this may not be the place, but it certainly is something different!

My wife and I had a marvelous dinner here at the recommendation of a local friend. Everything here was wonderful. We had the homemade Sangria plus 3 great tapas — Mofonguitos de Pollo, Churrasco con Garbanzos and Buñuelos de Espinaca. I would recommend all three! A the recommendation of our server, we finished our dinner with Cavier de Berenjena con Manchego Frito which translates to Eggplant Caviar with Fried Manchego Cheese. While this doesn’t sound like a delicious dessert, it was fantastic! The eggplant caviar was sweet and had nothing that tasted like eggplant. It was a very sweet marmalade type of sauce and quite tasty. The service was great and we enjoyed the Friday night Flamenco show!

Amazing place amazing experience
The best part is the dance with amazing food
Make reservations for dance on Friday and Saturday from 8:30 to 10:00 pm
It’s a must watch.
Food is great service is excellent…

Deeelicious! If Allan is your waiter you are set! He will help you order and steer you to the best things on the menu. Get the lamb chops and the Amarillo (sweet plantains) — they are the best we have had all week! Everyone loved their meals! Great food, great service and great prices. If I am ever in San Juan again, I’ll definitely be back!

There ambiance was nice, not vegetarian friendly menu but then you have wine to over compensate: P

The setting is great, a ton of character. The food I would say is just okay. Service is fair. Go for the experience but not because your are hungry and looking for fabulous food.

Beautiful setting, great location. Manager was friendly, did not make us pay for an expensive dish we did not enjoy. Food was not all that great, but it is a pleasant experience.

I Arrived and fell in love with the ambience, the sangria was very nice. I ordered ‘seafood rice’ which wasn’t on the menu and it was awesome. However my partner ordered a «parillada de mariscos» which in English means «grilled seafood» and it was terrible, boring and just blah… first of all it was not even grilled! It was like what we call in Spanish «guiso» i guess stew in English… anyway far away from grilled. I have downloaded pictures so you can judge the plates… if you come here, order rice. :)

Tourist trap in the heart of old San Juan ! Bad service, very slow and not very attentive and the food was quite horrible.
Did not like anything
Pan Catalan: disgusting
Just a reminder in case you forgot el pulpo a la gallega se sirve frío en un plato de madera.
And the Chuletitas de Cordero that were sold to me as the best seller and delicious were not good at all, had Some weird salsa that did not belong there and lots lots of garlic.
Not a fan. I won’t be back !!!

Disappointing.
My fiancé and i ordered a pitcher of Sangria ($ 20) and it was alright. We ordered 3 tapas: 1) a seafood medley with shrimp, scallops and mussels which was really bland. 2) Grilled octopus which needed more seasoning. I don’t rmbr the third item but it was not memorable. We sat in the terrace which is cute little spot. Overall, would not come back again. Our bill came to $ 70. Not a cheap place for the lack of quality. There’re much better tapa places in the area.

Second time in five days… Came for lunch on Christmas Eve and it was delicious. Came back on Monday as most of old San Juan is closed for dinner. Lucky us! Dinner at Rosa was just as good as lunch and we got to try so many more things… Chorizo with wine, churrasco with chick peas, rice with veggies and amarillos, prawns with garlic, papas diviorciadas (like patatas bravas but better!) and mahi mahi with sweet guava sauce. Service was friendly and attentive, again not rushed — we could have sat there all night! Finished off with rum raisin flan, café con leche and amaretto. What a perfect night! Highly recommend the quaint little patio as the restaurant can be tight especially if there is a group. There are a few seats at the bar, too.

Enjoyable, casual dining in a nearly 500 year old building. Excellent and varied tapas. Killer sangria. Friendly, attentive service.
Nice change from Fortaleza Street restaurants — a bit off the normal tourist path of restaurants.
Located across from the El Convento hotel. Recommended.

When I think tapas, I think small, but THESE tapas were very generous AND tasty. The sangria was very smooth; you didn’t feel the alcohol. The waiter (Alan) was so polite, friendly & helpful. The atmosphere is way cool. The building was built in 1523 & was originally the City Hall, with a jail in the back, which they have still preserved (evidenced by the photos). So the place has history, is charming & has delicious food too. AND… we don’t have to drive home after all that sangria! What more could you ask for?

Paseábamos por estas calles de San Juan y un amigo chileno me dijo: vamos a entrar a el español. Yo, después de estar fuera de casa por casi 6 meses, no me hice de rogar. El sitio muy cuco, un restaurante bonito, con un dueño malagueño y camareros españoles. Dentro, un patio andaluz en toda su definición. Nos sentamos mirando la carta y claro, todos me miraban a mi para que decidiera qué tapas pedir. Un chileno, una sueca, una mexicana y un español, tenemos el chiste servido.
Cuando me disponía a aventurarme a pedir, vi un surtido de tapas a muy buen precio: tortilla, chistorra, calamares, croquetas y no me acuerdo qué más por unos 35 $. Pedimos una jarra de sangría y esa fue nuestra perdición. ¡QUÉ BUENA ESTABA LA SANGRÍA!!!
La cena no nos salió por más de 20 $ a cada uno, y lo convertimos casi en un ritual cada vez que, por razones de trabajo, venimos a Puerto Rico… ¡¡¡MMM… SANGRÍA!!!

Every time I go I have a wonderful time — only had drinks though. The owner is always there interacting with the customers and directing/​helping staff. He’s also the author of all the witty puns written on pieces of wood decorating the walls: «No es lo mismo pelota vieja que vieja en pelotas». Rough translation: «An old ball is not the same as naked old lady.» Eh… much funnier en espanol.
Anyway, here’s why I go: super cold AC, marinated olives on the hous, fresh sangria (small pitcher = 5 glasses = $ 20!) and friendly peeps.
They have a flemenco show on Friday and Saturday nights at 8pm. Haven’t gone yet, but plan to!