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    Santaella

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    700 reviews
    #40 of 896 Restaurants in San Juan
    $$$$, Caribbean, Latin, Contemporary
    219 Calle Canals | La Placita de Santurce, San Juan 00907-3021, Puerto Rico
    +1 787-725-1611
    Website
    Menu
    Closed Now:See all hours
    All photos (255)
    All photos (255)
    Certificate of Excellence
    Reserve a Table
    Sat, 3/23
    8:00 PM
    2

    Ratings and reviews

    4.5 700 reviews
    #40 of 896 Restaurants in San Juan
    Certificate of Excellence2015 - 2018 Winner
    RATINGS
    Food
    Service
    Value
    Atmosphere

    Location and contact

    219 Calle Canals La Placita de Santurce, San Juan 00907-3021 Puerto Rico
    3.0 miles from San Juan National Historic Site
    Website
    Email
    +1 787-725-1611

    Menu

    PARA PICAR. . .
    12.0
    Croquetas Del Día
    croquettes of the day
    14.0
    Empanadillas Del Día
    puerto rican turnovers of the day
    9.0
    Risotto De Orzo
    orzo risotto with ham and corn
    16.0
    Rulos De Morcilla
    blood sausage bread curlers, puerto rican 'pique' dip
    17.0
    Frituras De Malanga
    italian chicken in pesto
    16.0
    Escargots
    à la Bourguignonne
    16.0
    Steamed Buns
    japanese-style panko-crusted shrimp, avocado and sriracha
    16.0
    Calamares Empanados Asiáticos
    calamari fritti asiatic-style, mildly spicy
    17.0
    'Popcorn Chicken'
    in agave and curry
    19.0
    Alcapurrias De Cangrejo Blanco
    puerto rican grated green banana and taro root fritters with wild-caught white crab, herb salad
    BARELY TOUCHED & SALADS. . .
    16.0
    Pinchos De Atún Marinados
    ahi tuna pinxtos marinated in oriental spices, rice paper 'chicharron'
    26.0
    Ceviche
    fresh hawaiian wahoo (ono) with citric juices with cilantro, pineapple and tomato, served with 'tostones'.
    24.0
    Tartar de Salmón
    salmon tartare in citrus dressing + mango, cucumbers, ciabatta bread toast
    9.0
    Sopa Del Día
    soup of the day
    22.0
    Ensalada 7-Pisos
    7-layer salad with varieties of lettuce, tomato, sweet plantain, green peas, bacon, red onions, boiled egg, croutons + herb dressing
    16.0
    Ensalada Tibia De Coles De Brusela
    warm brussels sprout salad with white cheddar cheese, cashew nuts, pancetta and arugula
    16.0
    Coliflor Asada
    roasted cauliflower over goat cheese in jalapeño + roasted red pepper vinaigrette
    FROM THE SEA. . .
    35.0
    Chillo Frito
    crisp whole red snapper, herb chimichurri served with 'tostones'
    33.0
    Camarones Al Ajillo
    shrimp in garlic cream sauce, plantain, yucca and sweet-plantain 'mofongo'
    29.0
    Filete De Salmón 'Asiático'
    wild caught salmon fillet 'oriental-style over sautéed market vegetables
    48.0
    Lubina De La Antártida Asada
    roasted antarctic sea bass, sweet potato purée, piquillo pepper and capers vinaigrette
    MEAT AND POULTRY. . .
    46.0
    Filete De Res
    certified angus beef filet mignon with roquefort cheese butter, caramelized carrot and mushroom 'aracinis'
    34.0
    Churrasco Asiático
    asiatic skirt steak served with malanga'shoestring fires
    27.0
    Lacón Asado
    braised pork shank caramelized and served with potato salad
    32.0
    Pork Belly
    over root vegetable ápio'puree + orange vinaigrette, local white cheese
    32.0
    Honey Roasted Fresh Cut Organic Chicken
    with mashed potatoes in truffle essence and asparragus
    33.0
    Cachetes De Ternera En Fricasé Criollo
    veal cheeks in creole fricassee over root vegetable puree
    per person19.0
    Gratinado
    au gratin pulled pork + mashed sweet plantain puree, varieties of cheese (minimum 2 persons)
    POR EL LADO. . .
    sides
    7.0
    Arroz Del Día
    rice of the day (rice and beans, mamposteao, with vegetables)
    7.0
    Tostones
    fried green plantains
    8.0
    Aguacate
    fresh local avocado
    7.0
    Arroz y Habichuelas
    rice and beans
    7.0
    Majado del Día
    mash of the day
    7.0
    Amarillos
    sweet plantains
    7.0
    Vegetales salteados
    sautéed vegetables
    7.0
    Enslada de Arugula
    arugula salad
    9.0
    Trifongo
    mashed sweet plantain, green plantains and yucca mofongo
    Show full menu

    Details

    About
    Chef José Santaella has trained with some of the best chefs in the world, including Ferrán Adriá, Eric Ripert, and Gary Danko. His apprenticeships and successful catering career paved the way for Santaella, his signature restaurant in Santurce's La Placita Marketplace. The decor is rustic yet elegant, with exposed walls, Edison light fixtures, an interior garden, and a sparkling bar. Chef Santaella fuses local and international ingredients to perfectly execute Puerto Rican nouvelle cuisine. The menu is dominated by tapas, which you can easily make into a meal. Favorites include the ahi tuna skewers, goat cheese quesadilla, 'alcapurrias' topped with crab, and foie gras terrine with fruit jelly…
    PRICE RANGE
    $25 - $100
    Special Diets
    Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
    Meals
    Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
    CUISINES
    Caribbean, Latin, Contemporary, Puerto Rican
    FEATURES
    Delivery, Takeout, Parking Available, Free Wifi, Reservations, Seating, Waitstaff, Street Parking, Validated Parking, Valet Parking, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Accepts Discover, Accepts Credit Cards
    Reviews (700)
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    473
    120
    35
    14
    12
    Show reviews that mention
    All reviews goat cheese quesadilla sea bass veal cheeks nutella dessert ahi tuna morcilla baked alaska warm chocolate cake brussels sprout salad empanadillas blood sausage sliders tapas crab ice cream red snapper marmalade
    FilterEnglish
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    1 - 10 of 654 reviews
    Reviewed 5 days ago via mobile
    Food and service are great

    The place was suggested by a couple of friends... they were correct, the atmosphere and the food was excellent. The parking is a challenge, although they have valet you have to give and pickup the car in the middle of a busy street. The personnel...More

    Date of visit: December 2018
    Thank ellidramos
    Reviewed 6 days ago
    Nothing short of excellent.

    One of the best meals I have had in my life. From the service to the food, I would recommend this restaurant to everyone I know. I loved every moment in this restaurant I wish I could have tried everything on the menu. In summary,...More

    Date of visit: March 2019
    Thank Leanna D
    Reviewed 1 week ago
    The waiters and the host are sexist and incompetent

    I live in Puerto Rico and I have been to Santaella many times and I think I won't return. I entered the restaurant on a busy Thursday night and stood in line to tell the host that I had arrived for my reservation. I was...More

    Date of visit: March 2019
    Thank Alexandra A
    Reviewed 1 week ago via mobile
    Outstanding recommendation from our hotel’s Concierge

    We already had reservations at Marmalade, 1919 and Océano and needed a recommendation for our last night. Our concierge at the Marriott recommended Santaella. We Ubered to the restaurant (by the way an Uber is a fraction of the cost of a taxi in San...More

    Date of visit: March 2019
    Thank rickr939
    Reviewed 2 weeks ago
    Awesome

    Went here tonight for dinner. Would definitely recommend going here. The tuna tacos were excellent! Pork shank was great. Would recommend this to everyone!

    Date of visit: March 2019
    Thank dixie28468
    Reviewed 2 weeks ago via mobile
    Wonderful

    Our meal at Santaella was wonderful as the food, service and atmosphere were terrific. The mixologists deserve credit for a fantastic cocktail menu and the chef has created a menu with a great variety of delicious flavors. Overall, this is a great choice for dinner...More

    Date of visit: March 2019
    Thank EasyTraveler2000
    Reviewed 2 weeks ago via mobile
    Treated like family

    This restaurant was recommended to us by a friend and also everyone we spoke to about it. I would like to say, so we were walking out of the restaurant, because we had no made reservations, there was a cancellation. We were lucky! This place...More

    Date of visit: March 2019
    Thank Sungr8t
    Reviewed 4 weeks ago via mobile
    Disappointing

    I really wanted to like this restaurant... The night started on a bad note when we arrived on time for our reservation and were made to stand in the doorway for 25 minutes waiting for a table. There were no seats at the bar so...More

    Date of visit: February 2019
    Thank NawlinsNewYork
    Reviewed 4 weeks ago
    Incredibly over priced.

    Staff was great, drinks were tasty. But the menu for what it was, it was significantly overpriced. The alcapurrias did not have any twist or improvement other than topping them with white crab, empanadillas were simple. I just don't think that they elevated the dishes...More

    Date of visit: January 2019
    1  Thank DoctorLexus
    Reviewed 4 weeks ago
    Good Food

    Arrived today around 3:45pm and were promptly seated. Very friendly staff. Food was really good and the flavors were superb. Very good desserts. We had no drinks or alcoholic beverages. Waitress had some troubles taking our orders and in two occasions missed one item; I...More

    Date of visit: February 2019
    Thank JustinodelValle
    View more reviews
    123456…66
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    Questions & Answers
    Ask a question
    See all 4 questions
    MaggieMegG
    June 5, 2018|
    AnswerShow all 12 answers
    Response from CarlosR262 | Reviewed this property |
    I will dress Casual Elegant, the bar gets REALLY crowded after 7:30-8:00pm, so enjoy your dinning experience in a regular table. I would recommend a sample of both experiences since they have the BEST bartenders in the... More
    1
    Vote
    AmyBethF
    June 27, 2017|
    AnswerShow all 3 answers
    Response from vidalarn | Reviewed this property |
    If you want to partake if all the activities in La Placita go Thursday, Friday, or Saturday - always a party especially Friday and Saturday after 830. A reservation any if those nights is a must and I think toured better off... More
    0
    Votes
    elliotw840
    April 9, 2017|
    AnswerShow all 9 answers
    Response from jessica_cavallini | Reviewed this property |
    I would say not expensive is you come from the USA but can get pricy for locals. Average high ... 18 to 35. On the other hand cóctails are around 15 per cóctails.
    1
    Vote
    12
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