Pikayo

My husband made reservations for 7pm on 2÷13÷2016 to celebrate our 7^th wedding anniversary, we called and asked if we could push the reservation back as we were running late. The hostess told my husband we could come no later than 7:15 in order to get one of the best tables in the restaurant. Which is what he requested when he originally called as it was a very special night. We literally RAN trying to make this reservation, upon arrival we were shown to the tiniest most ridiculous table in the place (or so I thought)! I asked the hostess for another table and was shown to a room off off the dinning area with minimal decoration and plastic chairs. We ordered Gouda cheese as an appetizer, and two filets. The appetizer just wasn’t what I expected, it was fried cheese yes but somehow not very flavorful. It was actually comped because neither my husband or I were eating it and the waiter noticed (side note: the waiter was AMAZING and so kind!). The steaks were cooked correctly but even with the gravy and Stilton cheese they were sort of bland and really not meeting our expectations. What is most frustrating is that my husband made reservations a month ago at 1919 and we canceled them to go to this restaurant because of the amazing reviews! This was a special occasion for my husband and I that would have been made more even more special if the experience was a better one.

Pikayo will offer you food, service, and ambiance worthy of Michelin consideration! Chef Benet personally guided us thru the menu making his recommendations and explaining the sourcing of his products. Chef Benet was described to me, by the owner of Marmalade, as an innovator of continental cuisine, with the addition of his Puerto Rican roots incorporated into his menu. The dishes pictured below were all spot on! The service was paced appropriately and recommendations on wine were excellent! The ambiance with white leather banquets was stunning. My only complaint would be I didn’t get back a second time! Looking forward to next year. Thank you Chef!

We went to several local highly rated restaurants during our visit to PR and Pikayo and Chef Wilo Benet blew them all away from the incredibly friendly staff and outstanding service. Every dish was absolutely delicious, cooked to perfection and presented beautifully. This isn’t just about great food, this is about a well-​oiled machine. Every member of the staff working together seamlessly to provide the best all around dining experience. Truly my favorite and most memorable restaurant. Excellent in every way. Don’t even THINK of trying another restaurant first. Can’t wait to go back!

PIKAYO STAFF SAVED OUR ANNIVERSARY!!!
We are two couples celebrating both our anniversaries and one for each couple celebrating cancer remission. Planned a trip to San Juan and made a reservation at another restaurant for our special night. We got there promptly to find that they had a wedding and we were going to have a long wait or sit in drab area in back of restaurant. They could have cared less so we left. Now we had no place to go on our special night. Someone referred us to Pikayo and that was the best suggestion we ever got! Omg the food, the service, the hospitality was simply amazing… so much so that we are going back in a few days and the chef is giving us a tour of kitchen. Pikayo saved the night for us and honestly we couldn’t have been happier with our dining experience! Shame on that other restaurant for how they treated us after booking weeks in advance but Pikayo and their wonderful staff saved our special night.

The highlight of our experience in San Juan was our special night at Pikayo! We don’t give praise lightly but in this case we can’t give enough. The waitstaff and ambience set the tone for a very classy dining experience. Above all the food was spectacular. I knew I was in for a treat when I tried the beet and goat cheese salad. My husband’s favorite was the chef’s special, Grouper served over a bed of mashed purple sweet potatoes. The tuna served over mushrooms and snow peas was also divine! We also enjoyed the tuna tartare, the pistachio carrot cake, and the unique and fabulous cheese and guava soufflé! We thank Chef Wilo for an intensely personal and one of a kind experience!

If you would like to have an absolutely incredible meal along with a fabulous dining experience then Pikayo is the place for you. Everything I put into my mouth was delicious! The Sea Bass was scrumptious! Hats off to each of the wait staff. They were incredible! Bravo Chef Wilo Benet!!!

Great Restaurant. Excellent Menu and great wine selections!
We went on a Tuesday night after dinner and the restaurant was fairly busy for a Tuesday night. Although this is part of the San Juan Hilton, it is far from a boring Hotel restaurant.
Excellent food choices, tasty menu and the food was indeed delicious. I had the lamb chops and my associate had the Sea bass. They both were wonderful.
It is indeed an expensive restaurant. I would have given a 5-​star for this place if not for the waiters who were a little rushing for a classy fine restaurant.
And the wine was too pricey for the quantity serviced — a tad below acceptable wine-​glass level. Great wine selections though — the Pino was fantastic. The waiters were a little hesitant to allow a taste of the wine before the order. Not a great etiquette for an expensive five star diner.
But a great recommendation for a nice evening in San Juan to taste fine food!

We chose this restaurant as our last nights dinner and didn’t regret it. I had the beef and my wife had the scallops. From the start the service was superb. The potato soup was fantastic and very well seasoned. My steak was excellent but since I’m not a fan of blue cheese I skipped that. I could see it being even better if I liked blue cheese. My wife’s scallops were cooked perfectly and overall very good. The sides were unusual and not exactly my thing but came exactly as explained by our server. We had the vanilla/​chocolate soufflé for dessert and it was perfect. Highly recommended.

Checked out Pikayo while I was visiting Puerto Rico, as it came highly recommended by Unilocal and had decent reviews on OpenTable.
The hostess and the waiter were super nice and very helpful in assisting me w/​a special surprise I had planned. I ordered the lamb chops, and they were perfect. My waiter even paired it with the perfect red wine to compliment the lamb.
I’m giving this restaurant ⁴⁄₅ stars because I wasn’t that impressed by the décor which I feel takes away from the overall experience. However, this is a safe choice and the cuisine makes up for the décor, and the price tag.

The food is out of this world!
Came here after reading reviews and great articles on the famous chef. I was by myself and dined at the bar.
The service is on-​point — everything was timed spectacularly well and they gave great recommendations. The bartender even made me a coconut martini that was off menu and out of this world!
Order the grilled octopus and tuna tartar with wasabi infused toppings. Fantastic!
Be warned that there is nothing special about the view and restroom is awkwardly outside of the restaurant, but it is not a big hindrance to the experience.
Recommend!

I’m a bad vegan. I know you should probably call ahead and let a restaurant know that you’re coming (if you have that kind of a restriction) so they can be prepared. But I didn’t. I just showed up.
At first glance, the menu didn’t seem to include very many vegan friendly options, so I was ready to just have a salad. I talked to the waiter and all he said was «don’t worry, the chef will take care of you».
I just sat back, and what followed was one of the most amazing, delicious vegan meals I’ve had. So skillfully prepared, so beautifully presented, you’d think these plates were part of the regular menu.
At the end of the night, I asked the wait staff to thank the chef for being so accommodating, and for making sure that I didn’t miss out on an exceptional culinary experience along with the rest of my group. Chef Wilo Benet came out personally to greet me and thank me for my words.
What a great meal, and what a great night. Thank you, Chef.

Great place to dine with a nice ambience. I had the beef cheek dumplings which were top notch.

This is a beautiful restaurant, the décor, Lights, ambiance, makes this place romantic and intimate .
The service is an overdose of attention from every single staff member, all the staff is very well mannered and refined.
But what makes this place Heaven is the wide selection of food, combined with guava sauces, a very different risotto, thin crispy tostones and the mofonguito with chicharrones. And to end… the soufflé !!!
We absolutely love this restaurant.
To chef Wilo: We were the to guys with shaved heads visiting on friday after Thanksgiving day in the corner table.

This was our second time to Pikayo. As the first time, this service was incredible and most importantly so was the food. The Iberian ham was an excellent appetizer. Our party had four orders of the New Zealand lamb chops and one order of the blue nose snapper. The lamb chops were cooked to perfection and the snapper was the best I’ve ever had. The wine menu is extensive and will have the perfect pairing to what ever you order.
On our first visit we ordered the cheese soufflé with guava sauce. With it being one of the best I’ve ever had, we ordered it this time as well. This food is worth every penny so treat yourself to some excellent food and wonderful dining experience

This establishment was recommended by a professional colleague and I am glad that she did so.
The restaurant is located inside of a beautiful Hilton hotel. We went while on vacation on a Wednesday evening. Sort of an off night, but with arragements being made every day while on a week’s vacation, this is where Pikayo landed on the tight schedule.
The ambiance is very elegant and fancy, if not a little stuffy. The servers and host are incredibly professional and informative. I only wished they opened up a little more; they seemed super focused which is great don’t get me wrong, but a little friendly chatter goes a long way.
The foie gras appetizer was amazing! I was almost tempted to order another one! Truly sensational.
For entrees, I ordered the tenderloin while my partner ordered salmon. Both were marvelous. The salmon was cooked perfectly and was a decent portion size. My beef was cooked perfectly (medium rare) and the sauce was fabulous. The only critique on this dish would be the steamed asparagus. Personally, I would never steam asparagus and would grill it instead. I feel steaming overcooks it and it really didn’t add anything to the beef being placed under the steak.
We had pre-​ordered the cheese soufflé in advance for dessert and it was absolutely out of this world.
Next time I visit San Juan I will definitely be coming back to Pikayo.

The food was simply wonderful. A five star experience through and through. We were greeted with a chefs taste of beet gazpacho and the kicked off our evening with signature cocktails and champagne. For the appetizer course we shared octopus, foie gras and their signature tuna pegao. The octopus was a unique thinly sliced preparation with more complex flavored than your standard grilled version. The four over plantain was a great tropical inspired version. The tuna pegao was a great portion size. We followed with steak and swordfish entrees that were amazing!
This was worth every penny and rivaled 5star meals anywhere.

The servers tried very hard, but they spilled our wine every time they poured it. The carpaccio was so covered in grated cheese I couldn’t taste the beef. Food is mediocre at best and that’s being generous. This place is living off of tourists reviews and had really high prices. It was empty when we were there. I’m not surprised.

Heard this was one of the best restaurants in all of Puerto Rico. Everyone was recommending we come here.
For parking you have the choice of valet parking at the hotel or self park which is right next to the valet.
First off I love that they use Fiji water instead of tap water. Fiji is my favorite. We were told reservations were a must… When we got there (Sunday night 8:30) we had our choice of any table.
Then the bread and honey butter they brought to the table was to die for! I’m not generally a carb person and it’s not like I was starving but it was delicious.
Foie gras– I don’t generally like foie gras and actually was disappointed that we were ordering it. Turns out I just do t like foie gras that is not from pikayo! I loved their foie gras! I highly recommend it, even at $ 30.00 for a small amount, it was totally worth it!
Sea bass– oh my yum! I would think this can’t be topped. Possibly the best sea bass I have ever had. Not fishy at all, nice and flakey and crisp on top with an amazing sauce. Beyond worth every penny paid!
Bistec and cebolla– we were warned that this steak comes thinly sliced and well done. Being a medium rare type of girl I’m thinking this will be the dish I won’t like. I was wrong. They are right there is no drop of blood but it is juicy and delicious. Can someone please roll me out of here please.
The chef came out to each table and introduced himself… I would too if I were him so I could here all the glowing reviews. I don’t believe I heard a single complaint.
We used self control and didn’t order dessert. To be honest I wish we had split entrees since portions were large and we all had leftovers. Better then leaving a restaurant hungry though!
I will be back for sure… To Puerto Rico and to Pikayo!

Honestly don’t get what the fuss is about. I left kind of underwhelmed.
Good décor, excellent service but the food was hit or miss.
Both tuna tapas were delicious. The mini burgers were super dry. The risotto was flavorless.
Overall, nice restaurant but I don’t really think it was worth the price tag.

Es un restaurante súper excelente en todo. Las comidas son especiales, el sabor espectacular y el trato de los empleados esta por encima de las cinco estrellas. Es el mejor lugar para celebrar todo lo que usted no quiere olvidar. Mary y Ricky

Pikayo was the culinary highlight of our trip to Puerto Rico. Fine dining at its best — I never knew Latin food could be elevated to such Michelin star heights (I always considered Latin food to be more like comfort food). We ordered and savored the following:
— Tuna Tartare on Pego (ingenious use of this crunchy latin delicacy)
— Cheese Empanadas in Guava Sauce
— Risotto with Gandules & Pork Rind (this became my death row meal — I need this recipe!)
— Seabass in Chorizo Emulsion (perfectly cooked fish; impressive portion; amazing use of acidity in the sauce)
— Duo of Souffles (cheese and chocolate) — perfect ending to our stunning meal
If you’re in San Juan and want to celebrate a special event (I went for my birthday), need to close a business deal, need a vacation highlight, or just want a good meal, go to Pikayo (the food and service are on a Michelin star level). I’d welcome Pikayo with open arms if Chef Wilo Benet decided to open a location in NYC.