Al dente

The service was very Good. The atmosphere lovely. The food was so so. The owner was very attentive and hospitable. IDK, the food was blah. They claim to be 100% authentic Italian Sicilian and I believe they are, but they put sugar on the potatoes? So I asked, owner says that Puerto Ricans don’t eat their veggies, so he dusts brown sugar on the veggies so they’ll eat them! Yikes. I ordered the eggplant, there were 3 quarter sized rounds of eggplant topped with sauce and cheese. I was not satisfied with it at all. I could have made that at home. I don’t think I’ll go back.

Amazing food, manganer was so welcoming, he made special drinks and vegetarian dish as my friends wanted to eat veggies. They served very delicious pasta, we didn’t have any place for desserts. All in all great place for Italian food.

Went here spur of the moment to find vegetarian friendly food. I had the homemade pasta with pesto, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes and pine nuts. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! Exactly why I felt five stars was necessary. I was treated very well and the customer service was excellent. I was thoroughly impressed.

Good food and ambience. Sat outside, weather was beautiful. Food was delicious. No space for desert.

We stopped by Al Dente tonight and the food and customer service were excellent. The banana bread was delicious as were the risotto balls. I would definitely recommend.

Had dinner here last night. Pleasant experience for the wait staff to the busboy to the owner. Service from Carlos was impeccable. Try the risotto balls — amazing!

Ruth C. said «If you enjoy scrumptious Italian dishes, cozy atmosphere with beautiful paintings, and impeccable service, you will find Al Dente in Old San Juan the place for you. My husband and I recently had lunch there and had such a wonderful dining experience, we elected to have dinner there later in the week. Giancarlo, the owner, greeted us with a warm smile and chatted with us at the bar. Enrique and his staff made certain that we had a marvelous evening complete with delectable food paired with perfect wines. It is easy to see why Al Dente is beginning it’s 27^th year in business!»

The best Italian restaurant we’ve been to! The calamari was AMAZING! Everything we ordered was vey good. Whenever we are in PR we will definitely be visiting this place again!

If you want really, really good food and delicious wine, this is the place to go. Hands down. I am used to only the best Italian restaurants in NYC, so my expectations are high. The owner, Gian Carlo, from Italy, is the real deal. He knows his wine and serves really good food. I had the pumpkin ravioli and it was absolutely delicious. I’m still thinking about it. Thank you, Al Dente!

Absolutely love this place! The food is awesome! The raviolis BEST EVER! The service 5 star! Will definitely be back when back in San Juan!

Friday, 1:45 PM.
Quickie:
+ Food
+ Service
— Slow turnaround
— Hygiene
And then???
Chicken Parmesan may be next.
**********
Stuffed my face in:
1. Risotto balls
+ Tomato sauce was a nice touch.
Constructive comment:
*Source ingredients

They have service second to none. The wine list is amazing both by the bottle and by the glass. Definitely making this one a regular stop when in San Juan.

Had a very tasty meal here tonight. Calamari appetizer was cooked perfectly, caprese salad was nice. Daughter & I shared rigatoni with lamb bolognese sauce. Very nice. Husband had chicken Parmesan served with potatoes and veg, not pasta, which he was a little disappointed to not have pasta. I’m sure he could have asked for it had he known. He thought the chicken was very well prepared.

I don’t know from whom I inherited this need to coordinate and organize everything to the very last detail. Perhaps from my very military-​minded, authoritarian father or, maybe, from a very bossy OCD mother who, due to my father’s career, was left alone to fend for the three of us in a fierce environment. Regardless, I think that I use my DNA as an asset and can pull off stuff that most people would shy away from. Six days to flip the house with the help of various professionals. Six days to hand the reigns to others and pull out a check book as I oversaw destruction and re-​buildings… but all can’t ever be one thing or the other. I still had family to see and friends to gossip with. I still had and have plenty of reasons to laugh aloud and be silly… and lucky. Certainly lucky.
How could I visit the island and still see old friends using the time wisely? Let’s go back to the past and meet at Al Dente. I needed to see Old San Juan which will always remain my favorite place in Puerto Rico. Yes, everyone raves about the beaches… but I am not a beachy girl. Or am I? No. Never that kind of beachy. I like the night life more than the day life. I like dressing up more than dressing down. I like food and drinks which otherwise become sandy and unpleasant. Al Dente belongs to my life since I returned from UCLA to the island. It has remained so throughout the years. Constant and stable… and as lovely regardless of the evolutions it has endured. I know Giancarlo and Margie (the owners) because, for a while, I was there at least twice a month. My friends began to join me in the monthly wine tastings and the table kept growing and growing until, the very last time, it was one huge banquet table which crossed the entire room. This time a smaller table crossing the room with so much love and longing…
So I returned.
The new décor is invigorating. The color palette has changed little but has been toyed with plenty. It looks modern and chic, but still friendly and welcoming. I loved the new bar with its moving shelves… Margie’s paintings of the Old San Juan interchanged as some get sold and some new ones are created. Such a gifted artist she is! The idea of the Thursday 3−3−35 is wonderful. Three different wines, an appetizer, a main and a dessert for $ 35. Each Thursday a different choice is presented. Never boring and forever fresh. I have enjoyed this restaurant for many years and through the hands of different chefs, but this last time, for me, felt the food was most authentic to what the Al Dente experience is. The balance of earthy and acidity, the perfect pairing of wine and dish, the timing of the plates and beauty of the plating all memorable to me. Yet, new. I had never had any of the dishes or specialty drinks before… but somehow, I recognized them. The entire experience of the restaurant organically changed to become what and who they are now. I love when a restaurant grows and adjusts to the needs of the new generation of foodies and the social changes… the cultural and political changes as well. Giancarlo seems younger and more energized. Al Dente has been infused with new food, new vine and new life. Mille grazie.

Food was great.

While I cannot vouch for the food, I can vouch for the drinks! I had the champagne mojito on separate nights and it was delicious!, both times! Just through observation, you can see they take pride in making their drinks.

Great food and service. Entrees were reasonably priced. I had the tortellini stuffed with veal and banana bread pudding. The entire staff was pleasant and helpful. Will definitely go back again.

Ate dinner here and was merely satisfied. Given its proximity to the docks, I only saw tourists at the one other table with people. The price is higher than the quality of dining experience commands. Bread is very good, but they are stingy with it. Meal was sub-​par, especially for the price. Plenty of other great restaurants to check out before I go back. Service was good, not great.

Worst experience I ever had. They served main course first before my salad. When asked to take it back & bring after my salad. Server refused to do it. I cancelled my salad & started to eat my eggplant Parmesan. It was cold as if made an hour ago.
My wife finally gets her order. Her Pasta was also cold. I asked server about food being cold. His answer «this is busy time».
Good luck.
I am forced to give rating before I can post. There is no choice below one.

We got there fairly early, the place was empty. Risotto balls for an appetizer. They were excellent, something I would definitely recommend.
I got a lamb & pasta meal (can’t remember what it was called). It had good flavor and was cooked well — not an awesome meal but I had no complaints. My wife got pasta with spicy marinara. She loved it but be warned, it was very spicy.
A couple negatives:
They bring bread but if you want extra you need to pay for it (this place is pricey so additional bread should be at no charge)
No refills on beverages. I don’t like places that charge for refills. They charge $ 3 for a soda and give no refills. They didn’t tell us this, we found out when the check arrived.
Overall I would say it was a good dinner but probably would not go back.