Playa Papaya

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#27 of 222 Restaurants in CarolinaCaribbean, Cafe, $

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Playa Papaya

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About

The healthiest place to eat breakfast and have lunch in Puerto Rico. Smoothies, juices, and mouth watering breakfast and lunch daily specials.

Features

CUISINES

Caribbean, Cafe, Healthy

Meal types

Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

FEATURES

Accepts Credit Cards

American Express

Cash Only

Discover

Free off-street parking

Free Wifi

Highchairs Available

Mastercard

Outdoor Seating

Seating

Table Service

Takeout

Visa

Wheelchair Accessible

Location

Ave Isla Verde 5757 Ocean Tower Condo, Carolina 00979 Puerto Rico

Free off-street parking

Does this restaurant offer highchairs for toddlers?

Yes

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Hours

Suggest an edit

Closed now

• Opens at 8:00 AM

Sunday

8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Monday

8:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Tuesday

8:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Wednesday

8:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Thursday

8:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Friday

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Saturday

8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

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3.9

296 reviews

Excellent

143

Very good

Average

Poor

Terrible

The Traveling Couple

2 contributions

Fantastic food, if you don’t mind waiting....

May 2021 • couples

10/5 stars for food. The food is healthy and delicious! However, I’ve been here 2 times so far, the first time we were put at a table in the back, and they must’ve forgotten about us because we were never checked on, not even once. We just went up to the counter ordered sat back down waited to be checked on, went back up to the counter received our food sat down and ate, and then got back up and paid for food. The second time we sat right in front of the order counter as soon as we order drinks we got them on the spot, however once we ordered our food it took an hour and a half to get it. Once I had mentioned that we still hadn’t gotten our food, they realize that our order hadn’t even been put in yet, so they put it in in about 15 minutes later we got our food. This restaurant has fantastic, healthy, eco-friendly food and supplies, if you don’t mind waiting or you’re out with friends and you’re not that hungry then this is the spot to go, but if you’re looking for a quick food fix this is not it. Also once you pay for your food and if you’re hanging around, make sure you keep that receipt because they had forgotten that we paid and tried to make us pay twice the first time we went in. I just brought up my bank account and showed that I had already paid and they didn’t make a big deal out of it but they were pretty determined to make sure that we paid which is understandable.

Written May 22, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ramona A

Elkins Park6 contributions

Be Prepared To Wait

Jul 2021 • family

Cute little restaurant that serves a wide variety of breakfast/brunch/ lunch options. When we sat down for brunch last Saturday, we (family of 3) were seated immediately and then we waited for at least 15-20 before anyone took our order…afterwards, it was another 20-30min before we got our food ( which was great, by the way). If nothing else, come with your appetite AND plenty of patience!

Written July 21, 2021

Carlos C

Puerto Rico4 contributions

Brunch

Nov 2020 • family

I went to this restaurant for a brunch on a sunday morning. The food is good. If you have a large party you should call to make reservations. The only thing i would say is that they were not prepared with ice or the different juices they should have since is a juice bar. The service is slow. Plates came out of the kitchen by batches. There were moments that two of us were eating and then when we finished other plates came out. I think that they should have more people in the kitchen. Other than this i think is ok.

Written November 16, 2020

Joy C

Winston Salem22 contributions

Needs better service

Jul 2024 • family

We went for breakfast and it took 45 mins for 3 pancakes, an omelet, and a bacon cheese croissant. Our waitress was not on top of her game and the seating was not comfortable. I will say, the drinks (tropical cherry and mango) were good. I’d only return for the drinks. Although the food was good it took too long.

Written July 11, 2024

Beth L

4 contributions

Restaurant nightmare

May 2023 • couples

AVOID!!! The food was alright but the service was a nightmare. After 45 mins we received one plate of food, then 25 mins after that we got our other plate but it was the wrong dish. After finally getting the food we were supposed to, we were charged for MULTIPLE dishes that we didn’t order. We were warned that the service was bad when we sat down by another couple but decided to take our chances. Don’t make the same mistake we did.

Written May 24, 2023

Michele M

Northfield8 contributions

Burnt food, missing waitresses.

Apr 2024 • family

We went here 2 days in a row . My family liked it but each day the service was awful and the food was burnt. They served warm bottles of water with no cups with ice. Asked for OJ, no OJ . I got the eggs potato onion omelet . The eggs were brown , and there was no ham/ bacon on the side. When I asked the manager said they would bring it and they never did . The next day I got the coconut pancakes with bananas. The waitress puts the plate down and says oh yea we are out of bananas here are strawberries. What if I was allergic ?! So I start cutting and I can’t get through. They were completely burnt on the underside and the waitresses are no where in site. So I flipped it over and left my family sitting there I was so done with this place .

Written April 4, 2024

Jan D

Longs7 contributions

Terrible Service

Jul 2023 • family

The food was going but the service was the worst I ever experienced. Once we were seated, we could not get service. We flagged three different staff to get our coffee and juice. We had to get our own menu’s from the bar. We kept trying to get someone to bring our drinks 15 minutes after ordering them. Then no one came to take our order. The food took 20 minutes to come out. We could not get anyone to give us the bill. We will never visit this place again 😕

Written July 12, 2023

thetravelingblondie

Miami281 contributions

Waited 1.5 hours for water and mediocre food

May 2023 • couples

We waited 1.5 hours and no one ever even brought us water-after asking for it many times. Finally the food came out (I ordered eggs and toast with bacon, my husband ordered turkey sliders), but each plate was delivered about 15 minutes apart. The food was mediocre and certainly not worth the wait. We’ve travelled the world and have never ever seen such poor service in our lives. This place has SO much potential, but is honestly the worst restaurant I’ve been to in a long long time.

Written May 26, 2023

Sylvia DrSoul Fernandez

San Juan12346 contributions

Great breakfast and lovely company!

Mar 2023 • friends

Amazing place and service. We spent $50 for two and we each had an amazing breakfast and a freshly squeezed power juice. We were walking. For those with cars it might be a bit of a challenge to find parking on the street. The place is clean and comfortable with a/c. The coffee seemed great, but we didn't have any... this time 🤭

Written March 18, 2023

JS5280

New York City24 contributions

Wish I could buy this place

Nov 2021 • none

This place is a GOLD MINE with the wrong people running it! It has a great menu (when they have what's on it) and it's the only place in the area offering what they offer - good breakfast, green juices and great coffee BUT the service is absolutely horrible and the quality of things like the acai bowls is embarrassing. After vowing I would never go back there again here i am on the fifth visit (giving them another chance) and yet again angry with myself for going. The food is great if you don't mind waiting two hours and not eating at the same time as the person you are dining with. You are better off at Alambique and buying an apple from 24 hour marketplace.

Written November 12, 2021

Laurie E

1 contribution

Epic experience Vanessa a star

Apr 2022 • family

Rated 10 star superb what a hidden gem! Vanessa was such a phenomenal server to host and guide us through the menu. Her passion for serving and personality really shine. Amazing the place was fully open by the time we left it was packed. Food was exceptionally delish. We kept ordering papayadise a smoothie absolutely addicting. We were party of 5 happy to try different unique plates off the menu while everything was unique & amazing with flavor. what shined was the Oreo waffles and the tropical turkey sliders flavors we want to revisit. The owner checking in with enthusiasm and also recommended a few local spots to visit. Thank you for making are brunch such a memorable experience we could see are kids dancing in there seats as the explosion of flavors soared.

Written April 1, 2022

Camilla K

4 contributions

The food is fresh, the portions are large & the prices are reasonable.

Mar 2022 • none

I love all things breakfast, especially brunch. My husband doesn't like eggs, and would rather eat something like a sandwich or burger. Playa Papaya's menu had options for both of us, so many options that we both ordered something different each time we went...and we went pretty much every day. We were lucky enough to find this place on the first day of our trip, and after being disappointed with some other places in the area, we decided to keep coming back to get at least one solid meal a day. Couple things to note - they do a kind of team-serving thing, which may catch you off guard. Also, there is a gentleman who works there that is a little rough around the edges* Having said that, we were in an unknown place, dealing with a language barrier (at least for us), so we kind of just went with it, and the found that the food is awesome. *the owner, though, you would know him right away. Friendly, helpful...hustles. You can tell he enjoys what he does. Kudos to him and this small business.

Written March 19, 2022

Christine

6 contributions

Horrible Service

Jul 2021 • family

The staff was super rude. I arrived with my family it was 5 of us in total. We were seated immediately and waited over 30 minutes before the menu was even shown to us. We asked for water the waiter took another 15 minutes and then said he only has 2 hands. At that point we just got up and left. Terrible customer service

Written July 21, 2021

Merie M

1 contribution

HORRIBLE

Jun 2021 • friends

Be prepared to wait for one hour and then when you’re finally about to get seated they tell you it’s going to be an hour wait for the food because they are understaff. There is no problem to be understaff understandable but the host should’ve told us from the beginning before we waiting for an hour when she stated the wait was only going to be 30 minutes. I’m not a person to give reviews but I just feel like I really had too for this location and it’s my first time in Puerto Rico not to mention the first day. Horrible horrible customer service. The worstttt please avoid from coming here!

Written June 11, 2021

Matthew P

20 contributions

Not worth the wait

Mar 2022 • couples

The real story of Playa Papaya. We went on a Tuesday around 10 am. Line out the door. We decided to try to order takeout. Went inside and it was chaos. We walked out. We went back on Thursday around 10:30. A short line this time. There was an empty two-top. We had to ask if we could have it. The employee grumbled something we took as “yes” so we sat down. Twenty minutes later no staff had even come to our table. We got up to ask someone to take our order. After another 10 minutes someone came over to take it. We ordered two coffees and two breakfast plates. In the meantime, guests were crowding the tiny dining room and lining up outside. Butts in our faces from the people standing at our table. Finally the owner/manager had to yell at people to wait outside. Still, guests were coming in to order takeout and wait in line, so the chaos continued. After we ordered, it took them 20 minutes to bring two coffees. Our food came about 10 minutes later. So that’s 50 minutes from the time we sat down until we got our food. The wait was not worth it. One dish that called for balsamic vinegar on top was literally swimming in it. Another dish had Serrano ham. But this ham was so cheap. Very fatty to the point of being inedible. I realize PR restaurants across the island are short-staffed. But this place was a mess.

Written March 24, 2022