It was a Saturday night at about 10pm. We didn’t have a reservation, but we were still seated right away. It was my cousin’s bday. We flew to P. R. To celebrate. Koco is supposed to be a fusion of Caribbean and Latin influences. I saw more Asian influences than anything. This was our 3rd and last night on the island. Our waiter Mauricio greeted us with a big smile and hearty laugh. He was OUTSTANDING! He catered to our EVERY need. The table we were at was right under the air, but he had another staff member move the vent. The décor and ambiance was really nice. They have a big mirror when u walk in surrounded by lights and 2 clear chairs. Great picture area !! The lights were very dim and candle lit. He knew the menu inside and out and was very honest about the quality of our choices. I appreciate a waiter that doesn’t just try to let me order anything just because. I added an extra $ 10 to his tip for that gesture alone. For appetizers I had the chicken dumplings, which were so delicious I had to order another set. The salad which consisted of jicama, tomatos, mixed greens and a passion fruit vinegarette(which I switched for a balsamic vinegarette), was pretty good. I added fresh blk Pepper to it as well. They had the Koco Coconut shrimp. They said it wasn’t too sweet and it had good crunch. For drinks, I had a glass of moscato, my cuz had a mint mojito which she said was really good. Her friend ordered a passion fruit martini, which was watered down. Her other friend had a Sprite. For our entrees, her friend and I ordered the shrimp lo mein. It had snap peas and red onion throughout. The noodles were cooked perfectly but weren’t saucy enough. The shrimp were placed on the side and had no flavor at all. They were a bit undercooked for my taste and they looked very white and bland. I had to ask for extra sauce on the side. It was thick and very salty. Once I blended it in tho, it made everything taste better. My cousin and her other friend had the BBQ grilled chicken thighs with corn and zucchini. The chicken was cooked perfectly and well done. It had a great crunch on the bottom and was seasoned nicely. We also ordered maduros(fried sweet plantain)! For dessert Mauricio suggested the pistachio crème brûlée. It was very creamy and rich without being abundantly sweet. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Overall the staff made a great impression, food was brought out in a timely manner and everything was served hot! I would come back here, but only to order the chicken dumplings They are really worth it. Our bill was $ 228 and we gave a $ 70 tip. I gave 3.5 stars but there is no half so I rated it a 4, mainly for service.
Tansy Thuy D.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Houston, TX
We went there on the weekday. The portion is relatively small to medium size. The service was good. Their best dishes were braised pork, chocolate desert and coconut shrimp. Bill came up about $ 50/person. They don’t accept discover card FYI.
Kari B.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Iowa City, IA
We had wonderful food and service. Such kind people with great food. Tough to find if you are not staying at the SJ casino and hotel
Jason R.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Manhattan, NY
Pleasantly surprised after reading ok reviews. Blackened Tuna entrée was delicious and coconut shrimp appy was great. Service was solid and ambience was blah but food made up for it. Pricey but reasonable compared to other options in the hotel.
Robin B.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Englewood, NJ
My boyfriend and I went to Koko for dinner last week when we were in Puerto Rico and staying at El San Juan Resort, where this restaurant is. I was really disappointed. I’m a picky eater, so I never go to a restaurant unless I see the menu first. I saw the menu on the Koko website and found a sweet plantain pasta dish that looked appealing to me. So we made a reservation and went. They sat us at a table for two in a really dark area, where there were no lights. The whole restaurant is pretty dark, but our table was extra dark and I later realized there was a light bulb on the floor near our table that was out. We had to use the flashlights on our phone to read the menu. When I read the menu, I was surprised to see the pasta dish wasn’t on it. When I asked the waiter, he explained that they haven’t had a graphic designer in three years, so the menu on the website is outdated. I think it’s unacceptable to not have a way to update your menu for three years! It’s that hard to replace a .pdf on a website! There was another vegetarian pasta option on the menu but it didn’t appeal to me so the waiter suggested I order some side dishes. I did — I ordered vegetable au gratin and fufu cubano. My boyfriend ordered the shrimp lo mein. While we were waiting, we asked the waiter for bread. He told us they didn’t have bread. He must have seen the disappointment in our eyes because he offered to go to the restaurant nearby and get us bread, which he did. But, he said, the bread isn’t baked, so they’re first baking it. We got our meals and when we were about halfway through, he brought the bread, and I’m glad he did because the two side dishes I ordered were not enough for a meal for me. My boyfriend loved the lo mein. My side dishes were tasty as well. The food was good, the service was good, and I appreciated that our waiter went to the extent of getting bread from another restaurant for us. But the fact that we sat and ate in darkness and the fact that they haven’t seen to it to update the menu on their own website in over three years makes me feel like this restaurant would not succeed if it wasn’t part of a resort where there’s a captive audience.
Hibah H.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Long Beach, CA
This is a nice place with a great vibe. Loved the beach cabana seating and water inspired décor. Great food and drinks! Loved the red snapper with coconut risotto.
Belinda E.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Cedar Hill, TX
Upon arriving we were quickly greeted by the courteous hotness. Our waiter Jesus was quick to take our drink orders. We had the grouper Mofongo and shrimp lo mein. Ok the food was AMAZING! Omg! Food orgasms!!! We had the Choco Cocoa for dessert. Very yummy. Oh and the drinks were made to perfection. Love this place. Would come again.
David A.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Miami, FL
Excellent above and beyond server Eduardo who made a world of difference for us on a Saturday night. Fun salsa music that made the Coconut shrimp unforgettable. Red snapper’s curry sauce had enough kick to pass through the coconut risotto. But the chorizo encrusted Mahi was hearty flavorful and perfectly served along fried Yuca. Looking forward to our return to this amazing establishment.
Kim N.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Brooklyn, NY
I went to Puerto Rico for Spring Break and decided to come here on a Wednesday Night and it was almost empty but it was a beautiful. And the food was PHENOMENAL! I’m not a drinker but Coconut Mojito was BOMB.COM. I had the coconut shrimp tempura and the dumplings as appetizers. I had mofongo for the first time. It was well seasoned and tasted great. Loved it all!
Renee M.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Bucks County, PA
Saturday evening my partner and I ventured to Koko Korean BBQ. The food was good. The service not so much. Our waiter was extremely inattentive and not helpful at all. I even told him this was my first time to Koko(hoping he would take a few extra minutes with us). I could honestly understand if it was busy but it was not. The brisket was amazing! I teamed it up with the fish and was in heaven. The shrimp were ok, nothing spectacular. I love the sides. Not sure what was offered to us to drink but neither of us liked it very much and again, our waiter did not answer when I inquired.
Jesse H.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Hamden, CT
This was by far the best restaurant we are at at the hotel. The drinks and the food were outstanding. The short rib empanadas were amazing. Tuna, chimmichurri steak was great too. Highly recommend this place. Very good service too!!’
Ben V.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Boston, MA
Coconut based flavors, very good drinks. Hidden in the back of El San Juan hotel. Solid seafood, apps and steaks. I have eaten here 3 times and it has been absolutely solid. The fish tacos are a great app.
Sarah L.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Roslyn Heights, NY
To start we ordered the coq au vin dumplings as an appetizer as well as Jamaican beef dumplings. The coq au vin dumplings literally came out half cooked and doughy. I didn’t complain because the food was so bad that I didn’t want them to bring me out something even worse. Needless to say that was just the beginning to a terrible meal and awful service. The food was as out dated as the hotel room. For the money go to the meat market. I actually had to go for a second meal after this dinner.
Annie J.
Rating des Ortes: 3 San Francisco, CA
Service was super slow(maybe because it was Christmas)? Forgot one of our meals, and the table next to us waited over an hour for their entrees. Staff seemed overwhelmed, though it wasn’t super busy. Paella was dry and disappointing, but shrimp and surf and turf were good. Overall, 3 out of 5. Appetizers were best part of meal for us. Sangria was good.
Takira J.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Tampa, FL
I enjoyed my CHURRASCO Steak. You must try this and enjoy the environment. Very beautiful restaurant and staff is Wonderful.
Jaimie R.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Bristol, CT
Great service. Maurice was our server and he was more than friendley and entertaining. The seared scallop appetizer was good, the scallops couldve been cooked a little longer. The bbq chicken spring rolls were delicious. Now… The COCONUTRISOTTO was the best thing i have ever had in my life.
Shawna B.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Seattle, WA
One of the nicest and most tasty dining experiences we’ve had in San Juan. The restaurant is well decorated, the staff was super helpful and very nice. The paella was pretty much the best paella I’ve ever had, and there was so much of it that I had to give probably a third of it to my husband. We ordered wine, and when we let our server know that one of the glasses was corked, he picked it up, sniffed it and replaced it right away. The flan is silky, rich, and delicious. I’m not big on sweets but it was probably the best dessert I’ve had in a while. It may seem touristy cos it’s in the El San Juan, but it didn’t feel that way. It felt like just a nice restaurant experience.
Rabia J.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Boynton Beach, FL
Yes, this is a gorgeous entity of a restaurant. At the same time, it’s much more than that. It makes you feel right in place while on vacation. So, if your visiting Puerto Rico or live there… Go have a nice dinner with your loved ones and eat something delicious. I love the sexy atmosphere of this restaurant. It was a perfect place to eat for a fancy intimate dinner. I love seafood, and this definitely was good quality seafood. I had the tuna steak and Sam had the snapper for an entrée. I tasted a few bites of the snapper and both entrees were equally good. This restaurant is in one of the resorts in Puerto Rico. So, you can get free valet as long as you show the restaurant receipt. Definitely will visit this restaurant again when I go to Puerto Rico again.
Steven T.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Brooklyn, NY
I have mixed feelings about Koco. Service by Alberto was excellent. The gnocchi stuffed with sweet plantain and topped with spinach and garlic that my wife and daughter selected was excellent, as was my grouper ceviche and tuna tartare(both appetizers). The coconut flan(not on the menu) was rich, smooth and very good. So far so good. But I must say that the portion size of the 2 appetizers was far too small for the price. We tend to eat well. When are not strangers to pricy menus, but as good as this was, value for price fell short. In summary excellent service, excellent food, some dishes were well overpriced for size. If you are going to have Puerto Rican /Caribbean food, there are a number of better options.
Amanda B.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Tucson, AZ
The wait staff was super nice. Though, a little slow on the drink order. The dumpling appetizer was really good. The bf and I split the Sweet Plaintain Gnocci and the Seared red snapper. Both were really, really good and tasted completely different. Overall, a good dinner to start off a great evening.