Via Appia, San Juan

I live in Puerto Rico and I try to go as much as I can to upscale restaurants. This one has been the worst of all, slow service awful food presentation, unfriendly staff and as expensive as any good restaurant. The only good thing was the sangria. The restaurant is divided in two parts; one of them is a minimart and the other part the restaurant, not good for enough for $60 for two people with no drinks. If you want Italian food I personally recommend Al Dente, it is close by (less than 10 minutes. on car) they have excellent food and also a very good service.

The place is always crowd and real noise real hard to find parking and they need to put more cheese on the pizzas and stop reaping customers like a box of cigarrettes cost 5.50 and if you cross the street you can get it $4.50

On first blush this place looks like a happening place with lots of peopls, lively ambience and it seems to be a local favorite. BUT, BEWARE. If you order anything but pizza (and almost everyone was having pizza), expect to wait an eternity for your order. We ordered a clam appetizer, a seafood pasta and fish main dish, and tiramisu for dessert. The appetizer must have taken almost an hour to appear. Meanwhile the table next to us ordered pizza after we did and they were about done when our appetizer appeared. The marinara sauce on the clams was way too salty. Then another long period of nothingness. One of the waiters thought we were done asked if we wanted dessert? We were about to cancel the whole thing and just pay for clams, but then our main dishes arrived. Generous portions, but again the pasta sauce was too salty. The salad that came with the fish had no dressing and we had to ask for it. Then to add insult to injury, our tiramisu order turned into a minestrone soup order (of course, after waiting half hour for it)! So...if you go here, just order pizza and you'll probably be fine. Don't go near the other stuff unless you want sped your entire evening waiting.

I come eat here at least twice a week. The ambiance is always good, with or without kids. The pizza is excellent, and everything else as well. I've been coming here for 20 yrs or so. The servers, most of them, are the same, the service is not 100% excellent, but it's not bad either, and the food, price, and everything else makes it soo worth it. This would be the #1 place I would recommend if you want to have dinner and one of the most popular places that PRricans go.

This was a pleasant surprise in San Juan. We visited here a number of years ago on our first visit to PR and found it by accident. It's just up the street from the Marriott on Ashford Avenue and we stopped at the first restaurant but weren't expecting much. Upon visiting for a second time and repeating the experience (this time on purpose of course), I'm now letting you all know what a gem this place is... And they've grown since our last visit too. There's a formal, nice ambience half of the restaurant now. But nevermind that. The fresh food is amazing. My wife had the eggplant parm and I ordered the Gnocci. Both melted in our mouths upon each bite. Service was a PIA but we got over it. The chef there has some secret because he does an incredible job with whatever he creates... Go there and have the best italian...ever!