Tantra

I can’t believe i never wrote a review for this place. This is where my then boyfriend (now fiancé) took me to celebrate our first Valentines day back in 2010. I do not recall exactly what we ate, but i do remember i loved the drinks: Pom. Martini and Chocolate Martini. They had an exotic ambiance and live entertainment of a lady belly dancing. I was looking foward to returning again but it says its closed now which is unfortunate.

It was pretty late, like 10pm late, and Tantra was still open.
I had curious, somewhat cautious reservations about what a location with such a name might entail, yet my hunger and my curiosity got the better of me, and my wife and I decided that the possibility of passing up good Indian food in OSJ wasn’t something we could do. I was truly happy we went in!
The food and drinks were memorable and quite good.
The hot sauce, for this fire breather, however, was out of this world good.
It was Tantric. Those of us who know what hot peppers do to the endorphin system, (and I do mean the truly hot peppers), they know what I’m talking about. It’s Tantra on a plate. ;-)
I hope to go back.

Exotic ambiance and excellent menus. Love the homemade spicy sauce!!!
Great and awesome martinis!!!

One of the best restaurants in Old San Juan. My wife and I visit Puerto Rico about every 9 months and always spend a couple of days in Old San Juan walking the streets, visiting the shops and trying out the wide variety of food choices. Tantra has become a «must» place to eat. This time we were there for my wife’s birthday and she didn’t hesitate when I asked her where she wanted to go for her birthday dinner — «Tantra!»
As usual, we ordered an appetizer and one of their unusual martinis. (They have a huge selection of unique martinis, do yourself a favor and try a couple different ones.) Our waiter was extremely helpful and polite. His service was quick and spot on. He made great suggestions and explained some of the different menu items to us.
The food is fantastic! Just enough curry and spice to make your tastebuds very happy!
At the end of the evening, we met the owner and thanked her for another wonderful dining experience at Tantra. It was then, as we complimented our waiter for his outstanding job, that we learned he was her son!
If you love Indian cuisine, you will love Tantra.

This is my favorite restaurant in the world, and the only Unilocal review I’ve ever taken the time to write. Amazing food, staff, ambience, drinks, and Bollywood music videos. You can’t ask for more.

This place is so good that I’ve decided to
Leave my first Unilocal review ever! Amazing food, drinks, atmosphere & service. This was the best meal out I’ve had in a long time! Don’t miss this great place in Old San Juan!

We booked a reservation for two at this restaurant a week in advance. But when we arrived at the appointed time, the restaurant was not even open. We were not notified at all, else we would have changed the timing. We called up the restaurant folks and were informed that it was opening late that day.
Very disappointing and unprofessional.

terrible indian food. Would have given 0 starts if possible. We went in just hoping for a decent meal but every item we ordered was unfortunately very badly made. It is very hard to screw up simple things like dal but tantra managed to do it with style. The vegetable curry tasted weird. The only good thing about the paneer makhani was the paneer itself. We scraped off the gravy and survived by having the raw paneer pieces. To top that off, the servers dropped food on my friend’s shirt and didn’t apologize or stop to clean it even though they were aware of the incident.
It was unfortunate that we were a group of 10 people and a18% gratuity was automatically applied.

Really bad food
Frozen at best
There is bAD indian, worst indian and Tantra indian food
It is so bad that I am writing this just after tasting food here
Please avoid

Very bad. .no taste in the food. Quantity was a joke. Better options available in the area.

We went there with a lot of expectations. Unfortunately totally disappointed with the customer service and the attitude of the manager and waitress. I called the restaurant at about 7.30 pm to check if we would need to make a reservation for 4 as it was a Sunday night. We were on our way, about 15 mins away and they said that we could walk in and no reservation was required.
We were seated right away. However we were not attended till I called out for the server. (ie after waiting for 10 mins). We ordered drinks and appetizers. Drinks came out quickly but the 1^st appetizer (1 portion of Papad) took 15 mins. Anyway the mint chutney which came along with the Papad was inedible. Since lot of time was wasted, we ordered the main course as well. After 15 mins the server informed us that they ran out of Samosa. (2^nd appetizer). I wonder why it took 30 mins to figure that out hmmm…
Well we still kept calm… now comes the worst part… at 8.50 pm… we check with the waitress again as to when is the food expected. (this is 1hour after we have been seated). She informs us that the food is going to take another 20 mins. this was the last straw in the hat.
We called for the manager and were shocked by this attitude. He said that they were running full and this was inevitable. I am not sure when half of the restaurant is empty, how can they be running at full capacity.
At this point we decided to move out and eat at some other place. We paid for the drinks and papad.
I understand that delays can happen and sometimes the restaurants are not prepared. The issue is that we were kept waiting without being informed about delay for 1 hour. We had to keep chasing the waitress to place and check the status of the order.
Thumbs down for this overrated and over priced place.

We started off with the Noori Roll and Latina Chicken appetizers. Both were delicious. Till the appetizers arrived you could have died. But the Bollywood dance sequences being played over the bar provided a mild distraction. We then had the Dal and veg korma entrees. The Dal was fine but the korma was not what I expected. I was expecting the vegetables to be rolled up into a ball in a creamier sauce. That didn’t happen.
The food was good. I can’t say I’d return but there are worse places to eat and I do need my curry fix while away.

Okay food, and bad service. Took 2 hours to get our food out and it was weird. Naan and parathas didn’t look like any I had seen before. I guess that they took the fusion to the limit. The curries were decent though.

This place gets NO stars! Literally the worst food ive ever had. You can’t call yourself an Indian restaurant (not even fusion) when you can’t even make naan. We ordered garlic naan and hummus. There was no garlic in the naan. Instead it was flavored with what can only be described as dirty bath water. The hummus was floating in oil and no salt. The ceviche was mealy and strange with no flavor. The chips it came with were soaked in grease. We got the garlic churrasco and tandoori chicken mofungo. The steak had no garlic, has a strange gaminess and must’ve been sitting in salt for days. The mofungo again was drenched in oil and had no flavor. It also came with some sort of sautéed veggies. They were definitely frozen veggies thrown into a microwave before serving.
All this plus our waitress ignored us for the first 15 mins we were there. She had ONE other table of 4 to serve (we were a party of TWO) and she forgot we were there.
Ugh. Do NOT go there!!!

Indian food in Puerto Rico? Yah! As a vegetarian I always have good luck with Indian restaurants so when we look for places to eat I start with Indian. and this showed up on our radar and luckily we had a chance to stop in and try Tantra. I eat a lot of Indian food — mostly between NYC and Boston. Tantras quality was on par with just about any restaurant back home, and maybe even better — they plated our lunches uniquely and overall it was a great dining experience. We were here off season at lunch time and it was quiet. We got to talk to our waiter a little and he was very friendly and from NY. Service wasn’t super quick, but we weren’t in a rush. Compared to other places the service here was actually pretty fast and attentive. Tantra is another one on my «must return to here» list.

Located in Old San Juan…
The martinis were delicious… Coconut, Mango, Lemongrass, Chocolate Banana, Apple…
The bartenders were inviting…
The overall ambiance was charming…
Definitely a place to stop if in need of a drink.

OOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!
If you visit Puerto Rico and don’t eat here, shame on you. If you live there and don’t you’re a DUMB ASS.
Indian, Latin, and Asian fusion? Sign me up soldier.
Upon entering we were blown away. I’m serious. It’s sexy, chill, loungy, and it smells great. There’s a giant cobra on the bar. Cushions and rugs. Absolute heaven.
We ordered the tandoori chicken roll. Wow. mindblowing good. The tuna tartar was on point. The naan featured with it was soft and flavorful.
For dinner I got the lamb chops. Seriously I wish I could have licked the plate. Partner in crime got beef tenderloin that also featured a whole sausage.
For dessert we got the chocolate cake with home made whipped cream!!! Insanely good.
We meet the owner/​chef who was beyong sweet and super cool. Our server was nice and funny too. His name was Yumir. Come here.

:
mofongo (m –f ng g, m –f n -). n. pl. mofongos. A Puerto Rican dish made of mashed plantains, garlic, and pork cracklings.
More on my Mofongo Vow later.
:
It was somewhat late on a Sunday during our first night in San Juan. My friend and I had spent the day on the soft white sand and within the crystal blue waters out at Ocean Park, and then had a nap. But, it was night time, and we were ready to hit up Old San Juan…
…but it was a Sunday night.
As we walked around, we found many places were closed or their kitchens were closing. We walked by Tantra once, and their sign proclaiming Latin & Indian fusion perked me. After we truly found no other viable options, I swung our sails and we were Tantra-​bound.
We were greeted by the lovely Laira. She seated us on a table near the bar. There were other people here, but it wasn’t super packed. The dark and wooden interior was painted with warm colors, and welcoming ambiance.
When Laira asked us for drink options, she mentioned that they had several infused cocktail options. I believe lemon grass, passion fruit, and chili were among the several of housemade infused elixirs offered. I have to admit, I simply have an attraction to spice, so I went with the Chili Martini. (Laira DID warn me that it was going to have some hot kick. I was undeterred… but maybe sweating a little.)
Their menu is truly unique. Menus such as Tantra’s are what instill wanderlust. There are things which make traveling the world worth every penny, second, blister on your foot, or daunting Customs line. Latin and Indian cuisines are two of my culinary Heavens. And the genius of Tantra is fusing these two types of food. This is how a travel memory is made.
I was in Puerto Rico. One thing I personally vowed to do, was make sure mofongo was an integral part of my life while on-​island. Of course I’ll eat it, but if I had to sneak it into checked bags on my trip home, I’d do that, too. Sure enough, mofongo was on the Tantra menu.
I pounced [like a «mofo”].
I went with the Garlic Churrasco & Tandoori Mofongo (
). My entrée was brought out to me a like a plated Picasso. The large rectangular white plate was the canvas. The spicy garlic beef was a swirl of red brown color on one corner. The spectra of color from the vegetables on the side were framed catch your eye. Then there was a cyllindrical shape of mofongo in the middle (most other mofongos are plated in a spherical manner, so this was different).
I love when I can eat art.
This food was also like a jazz band. The meat was clearly a star. The spice and succulence of the garlic meat was off the chart! Next was the vegetables. They were more subdued, but they also had a kick. Finally there was the mofongo. It was the percussion and bassline for the meal. Together, they made music for the mouth.
Speaking of music, there were some interesting Bollywood videos on the TV behind the bar. We ended up watching those quite a bit… and I won’t say anything more about that.
Thank you Laira, Tantra, and mofongo, for giving us a great Old San Juan first night, and staging us for a nice night of salsa dancing later that night.

With the dearth of vegetarian food in Puerto Rico, this was one of restaurants I was looking forward to trying. We got there around 1 PM, which is when they open. The waitress was very knowledgeable and friendly. She gave us recommendations and what all she likes.
The ‘Ginger Lemongrass Lemonade’ was refreshing. The ‘Avocado Uttapam’ (photo uploaded) was the best thing I had there. Its an appetizer that was recommended by the waitress. The ‘Masala Dosa’ was unfortunately very oily. I am a fan of dosas and was really looking forward to it. But it was way too oily for my liking. I would recommend asking for the stuffed potatoes on the side and requesting them to make it less oily. For dessert, we ordered the ‘Gulab Jamun’ — probably the best we have had in a while. Beware — they don’t just serve 2 – 3, but around 6 – 7 (photo uploaded). So dont order another dessert if you order this. The ‘Masala Chai’ was average.
I would love to go back and try other things on their menu. The ambiance is intimate and romantic. They show Bollywood songs on a big screen TV (very loud) which kills the intimate mood. I would recommend them to tone down the volume so people can enjoy a quiet dining experience. Its not the traditional Indian food — but a great find in Puerto Rico.

A quick disclaimer first: This is not authentic Indian food. It’s fusion Latino/​Indian so keep your minds open people!
I’m Indian so I know what good Indian food is and I also appreciate the way Tantra plays with the concept for fusion cuisine. My compliments to the very creative chef!
We went to Tantra around 3:00 so we we were only looking to get appetizers and drinks, and I honestly think that’s the best way to do it so you could get a range of dishes. This place is expensive but you’re paying for a great experience.
We had the avocado bacalao (cod fish) on uttapam. I don’t want to underestimate it with the word «delicious.» When I took a bite, I literally sat back, stared at the ceiling, and said «oh my god.» It was a revelation. We also had the Latino Tandoori Chicken (my second favorite) and Plum Duck Taco. These were all well-​suggested by our very nice and attentive waitress/​hostess/​bartender.
Not to mention, the exotically flavored martinis were out of this world. I had the Cinnamon/​Clove martini (which tasted like Thanksgiving in a good way) and my husband had the Ginger/​Lemongrass martini.
One of my favorite parts of the experience was the Hot Sauce on the table. This is unlike any hot sauce you’ve ever had and I literally tasted a spoonful without any food and kept coming back for more. They are pretty secretive about the ingredients but my husband and I guessed some of the ingredients correctly. I won’t reveal them here, but if you’re a fan, ask to buy the hot sauce. It’s $ 15 for a big bottle.
The atmosphere is great. Beautiful décor. Bollywood music playing in the background. We would have definitely gone back at night if we had the time!