Bartola

Ate here after arriving with my family. We had a great waiter named IAN who was SO polite and helpful. He offered us outdoor seating which was very nice and allowed us to sit in the wonderful breeze. The tables were crooked and bobbled which was annoying but that was the worst part of the visit… not bad at all. We ordered water and drinks (soda comes in a can and its not free refills but this is common for PR). We all ordered beef tacos. The steak was amazing. Seasoned perfectly w a little onion and cilantro. The soft white tortillas were delicious. We all enjoyed those completely. The chips and salsa that Coke w the meal were good but the chips were not warm. The salsa was very good. All in all this place was reasonably priced and very good. Ian was an awesome server which made it even better!

I stopped in for only a drink and guacamole as I had plans to get dinner elsewhere, but the food being served looked delicious and good portions. The guacamole was on point and the service was too. At night there is a ‘secret room’ in the back that you must have a password for, which can be acquired via their Instagram account. This is a more upbeat portion of Bartola for dancing and drinking. I will be going back on my next trip for a full meal and hopefully have the password of the night too!
If in San Juan, Bartola is a restaurant to have on your list of places to check out!

My husband and I took our elderly friend here and it was arguably the best Mexican food I’ve ever had. Our waiter Jose was charming, very attentive and excellent at his job. The vibe is young but we were quite at ease and the mix of club, Billie Holiday, reggae, etc was a great addition. Dining outdoors was a delight. I highly recommend this very pleasurable dining experience.

Came here while on vacation after hearing about the speakeasy located within. unfortunately, we went on a Sunday and Oveja Negra wasn’t open. However we did see amazing dishes being served and couldn’t pass up the chance for a cold drink, so we sat at the bar and ordered margaritas and guacamole. Bartender was friendly and offered us some good vacation tips, drinks were served quickly and the guacamole was a plentiful portion for two. We would have ordered entrees but we filled up on the margaritas and guacamole quicky! Those around us had giant portions of delicious looking soft tacos. had oveja Negra been open and had we gotten entrees, this would be a five star review. Definitely going back and skipping the apps so I can have some tacos all pastor! Very clean and reasonably priced as well.

Truth be told, we wanted to eat around the corner at Soda but it was closed. Not many options open nearby and we settled here. Truthfully not a great choice.
The food was tasty and the portions were fairly large. We had a little bit of everything — ordered guacamole $ 11 for an app and it was overpriced and underseasoned. We could pick avocados off a tree quicker and with just as much flavor as this concoction. From there we had La Bartola Carnitas tacos $ 12, a quesadilla $ 17!, fish tacos $ 13, enchiladas verdes $ 16, Bartola Burrito and some beers (Modelo Negro over Medalla). Tacos and enchiladas were actually great. Really good there. The burrito was massive and my daughter said it was great. The quesadilla was huge and my other daughter came nowhere near close to finishing it. But… as good as these items were, they were completely overshadowed by the lack of service and length of time it took to get this food. Guacamole… what, 5 – 10 minutes tops from ordering to receiving it anywhere in a civilized nation? Yeah — 30 minutes. 30. We actually thought that everything was going to come at once. Nah… the entrees came 30 minutes after that and that was with us asking multiple times on when we should expect them. So in Puerto Rico it takes just as long to make a cold bowl of guac as a fish taco. Hmm…
And the capper after this sub par meal? They overcharged my card vs. what I actually wrote on the bill. I call that stealing. They’ll call it a mistake. So we’ll agree on that… we made a mistake going in there in the first place. Don’t be like us. Don’t go to Bartola.

It’s been more then an hour and still no food in sight after we placed our order. We received plenty of water and tortilla chips though. At this point the food… will it ever arrive??? Is world class or not???

Terrible customer service. They giveall the attention to big groups of tourists but tto the locals and even moreif you are solo, it’s like you are invisible.
Food in the very high side of salt
They began with a brunch but it was suspended also.
If I am in the desire of mexican food henceforth I will go to Taco Maker and order to go and prepare my Margarita at home…

As I live nearby, I have been there many times. They used to be better when they had the smaller place initially (better service, better prices, better quality). Since they moved to the new place the service is horrible, the prices have gone up and the food quality has remained the same or worsened. Every time I go its the same, I end up leaving thinking I’m never coming back. Last night they sat us at a dirty table that they never cleaned once we were there. We had to keep asking the waiter for napkins, utensils and water, as he never came to the table. They took forever to bring the food, and the place was empty. My recommendation is to call and pick up the food for take out (since the service is so bad and the food is okay). Too bad, since I used to like them before and I literally live walking distance from the place.

Top quality food and good and attentive service! Food Was fresh made and authentic, and very good size portions. And again a very good service!

Terrible como siempre… Llegue a las 12:00pm, grupo de nueve. Dos de los nueve esperamos hora y media para que nos dejaran saber que hubo problemas con la orden. Pedi que me la cancelaran.
Comida mediocre, servicio pésimo.
No vuelvo.

I had been to this restaurant serval times before and had always thought it was a decent place. Unfortunately they are now experiencing some SERIOUS service issues. My last visit was very similar to the some of the last posts I read. They don’t not respond to the needs of their customers and do almost nothing to be accountable when they make an error. This is strange because I had understood that the people who own it to be good business people and would take steps to train there staff better. I don’t know exactly what it is happening but I don’t see myself being able to return again or recommend it to anyone.

This is my 10 time in Bartola, I’m thinking as a regular customer and as a recommendation for the best Mexican restaurants in Pr, you lost me
I went to dinner yesterday with my husband, luckily we got to sit at the bar, for me it seems that all the people working there are new, except for the Chef and su chef that I know .It was packed, service was terrible, and not just that, some waiter spilled the whole salsa on my husband pants, shoes, we couldn’t understand how that happened, the fact is that they did not apologize either, some girl brought mineral water for my husband to clean their mess. it did not stop there, he got the tacos al pastor that we order every time, and they did not come with cilantro, he ask for some, the brought parsley and even the manager that was i the kitchen for the un organization they have going on, came with the hole bunch of vegetable to probe my husband it was cilantro when it was really parsley, he made us feel like we were crazy, I guess the look is similar, but smell and taste hard to mistake.
I guess at the end of the day, out of the bad and slow service, this was the main thing, they showed us that they don’t care about customer service, they did not know how to handle the situation
It’s a pity for me being Mexican that I always recommend this place
I don’t think I’m going back any soon and as I saw the reviews I guess I’m not that wrong, you guys have a lot to work on it

My wife and I had dinner at Bartola on New Years Day. The food we got was very tasty, but the logistics were horrible. We waited 20 minutes for a menu and a waiter, because our hostess forgot that she had seated us. We waited an hour and a half between appetizer and main course, because the kitchen was apparently falling badly behind (though the place was only about 80% full). We didn’t get silverware or plates until we asked.
On the other hand, what food we did get was delicious. The guacamole was fresh and flavorful, and the accompanying chips were hot and crisp. It also came with three salsas (tomatillo, smokey, and a spicy carrot-​flavored one… weird but amazing) that were all great. For our main courses, my wife ordered the veggie tacos, and I got the vegetarian huaraches with cheese. Both tasted excellent. The flavors were similar, but I liked the corn masa base of the huaraches.
This place has potential, but has to get their logistics in order first. Until then, buyer beware.

Terrible service. On a Monday night we decided to try this place seeing as it was the only viable option. The service was incredibly slow, and it took over an hour for chicken quesadillas and fish tacos. Not to mention, our drinks were never refilled.
After finishing our dinner, we had to flagged down our server to please give us the check. I was disappointed that I didn’t get to try the churros but didn’t feel like waiting over an hour to get them.
The food was good, just not worth waiting for.

Great, fresh mexican food. Noisy place and slow, but friendly service. Mostly locals, but translated menus available. Good neighborhood feel.

We had reservations and wait forever. The food was average. Service OK. I don’t think I will be back

Good food, ambiance and very attentive waitresses. Margaritas are good. Too pricey for what it is though.

The overall experience was OK. The place was very trendy, and very gorgeous. The food was good, but for the price you’d expect you’ll get more food. Service was not great, server was courteous but very slow, even though restaurant was on a 50% capacity.
Comment for owner: Either lower taco prices or preferably increase amount of food in plate it would get you more than 4 stars.

The food was ok nothing exceptional and they didn’t have a good selection of wine, I think they only had two different kind of red.
Service was good, the waitress was very attentive and polite.

I live 5 blocks from Bartola and this is my second time. I’m giving it 3 stars because of it’s very overpriced. Abusively overpriced I could say. The food is ok, the space looks great but THEY DON’T HAVE HOT SAUCE. They did actually, Tabascco sauce from the bar.
And I say over priced because I ordered a scotch on the rocks, Dewars 12 and the waiter (she was pleasant) brought what it looked like tears of whiskey over some ice. I drank that in 3 short sips just to not embarass my wife and kid by shouting at the bartender.
First time we went it was a similar experience but that was about 5 years ago, they had just opened and it was in a smaller location next door. I figured «they probably where still adjusting and may have kitchen staff learning curve problems or something» so I gave them a second chance.
The owners of Bartola also own Lima, their first restaurant and it’s just across the street. Lima is much better. Expensive but worth it, because they understand Peruvian cuisine. Mexican cuisine, not so much.

Went here twice on my trip to San Juan before we left on a cruise. Little eerie to find Mexican food in Puerto Rico, but we decided to try it.
Started off with guacamole and stuffed pablano pepper, both very flavorful and delicious. Chips and salsa on the house was very good as well!
Next we decided to share 3 entrees:
Huaraches vegetariano
Very flavorful, fresh veggies and great corn base. The party o was with was very pleased with this one. Unique and definitely top 2 of the choices we got
Tacos de Pescado (fish tacos)
Our favorite by far, waiter told us that this was the house specialty, relatively small for the price, but definitely worth it. Fried fish segments with a special homemade sauce! Fantastic flavor presented on corn tortillas!
Quesadillas de carnitas (pork quesadilla)
First thing I noticed about this was the size, rather large, great presentation surrounding a side of guacamole. I would say this was the least unique (stock quesadilla), but delicious nonetheless!
Everyone on Unilocal raved about the CHURROS, so we decided to get them as well:
Relatively small length (4 in), fresh fresh fresh! Served with a traditional caramel sauce! Definitely worth getting and definitely lives up to the hype!
All in all, I would definitely say making a visit here during your stay in the Condado district! Little on the pricier side, but everything we had was out of this world! Some of the best Mexican food I’ve had in a while!
Should also comment on the wait staff, very friendly and humble to be serving us!
⁵⁄₅ stars! Until next time Bartola!