Bananas Beach Bar and Guesthouse

*This is a review based on the restaurant only* We were nervous to go to a 3.9 stars restaurant initially then I realized the restaurant and the guesthouse are combined which I didn’t think it was that fair. And to the review below, no restaurant is obligated to split bills, they have this rule on their website and the menu. Anyways, our options were limited on a Monday night (same with Sunday) as many places were closed but their menu has a ton of options unlike other places we’ve gone on the strip. I really wanted the whole fried fish but that was sold out just before I got there (around 7:30pm) so I got a trio seafood with 3 different types of fish with lobster risotto. Which was good but not something I’d order again (I don’t like peppers.) My husband got carne Fritas with plantains and rice and beans - which were amazing! Crispy yet tender at the same time. Good flavor too. Generous portions which we took home and had leftovers for breakfast before our ferry ride in the AM. Our “small” hot honey wings came with 10 pieces, which were small and the flavor was alright, it itched my wings cravings lol. Oh and we got rum and coke and mudslide which were not skimmed on alcohol. It was an overall positive experience for us, which made it better with Daniel our server, who was so attentive and kind.

The restaurant is pretty good! Food was great, we ordered fish tacos and chicken tenders. We all really liked our orders, I enjoyed that they uave coleslaw and it was good. Service was great, our server was nice, friendly and warm. However, they don't split checks which is a big bummer! Also, they charge an 18% "service fee", which is really the tip and is OPTIONAL in Puerto Rico but they charge it as a mandatory fee. Should be left up to the customer. And i'm the kind of customer who always tips; but it's a choice.

Really nice waiters, good food, and good drinks! It's one of the only places in town open past eight o'clock so that's useful for fellow late dinner enjoyers. Wanted to leave a good review because this place deserves more praise than it's been given. Our favorite fish and chips we've tried around the island so far and the calamari is also great!

We ate at Bananas Beach Bar twice during our stay in Vieques, and both times the food was absolutely excellent — big portions, super tasty, and perfectly cooked. The staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming, and special shoutout to Kiara, the owner’s daughter and the sweetest hostess ever (give Kiara a raise ). Overall, an amazing experience — highly recommended! 🌴✨

We visited this restaurant in Vieques as a group of around 15 friends and family members, excited to enjoy a nice evening together. Unfortunately, the experience was deeply frustrating from the start. When we asked to divide the bill by family groups, we were told we would have to sit separately to do so. We cooperated and split into separate tables—only to be told shortly after that we either had to sit as one group or leave entirely. The treatment we received from one of the waitresses, a foreign staff member, was incredibly rude and dismissive. She spoke to us in a condescending tone and made it very clear that we weren’t welcome. What shocked us even more was the implication that they don’t like serving locals. Several other customers left the restaurant after witnessing how we were treated. It’s a shame to see a business located in Puerto Rico, run by outsiders, showing such blatant disrespect toward the local community. Hospitality should be about inclusion and warmth—not exclusion and hostility. We won’t be returning, and we wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone who values respectful service.

We had a very disappointing experience at this restaurant yesterday. Both the main dishes grilled red snapper (also did not taste as fresh as what you would expect in an island like Puerto Rico) and pork chops seemed unseasoned. The “homemade” guava cheesecake was not good either. Not creamy and the guava taste was almost nonexistent - just a small swirl of guava jam on top. Maybe because it’s off season and all the regulars are on vacation. The drinks (non alcoholic passion fruit shake and a frozen banana alcoholic drink) were also mediocre for the price $7-9. We were the only ones there but the waitress wasn’t clearing our plates before we had a dessert.

Great place to stay over for the bio bay tour! Food and services were all great! Anyone who complains about this spot doesn’t enjoy adventure. Room was clean and perfect. Noise was very minimal compared to what we read, extremely reasonable!

Service was good, food came out hot and fresh. The food however was not good. Alfredo was watery and flavorless. Lobster risotto was way too mushy and flavor okay. Fish and chips were good. Paella was about a 3out of 5. Shrimps were a pretty good size. Overall, I would not return.

First meal on the island for us, and it was great. The kids devoured barbecue wings, and I had some tasty mofongo. Nice view, too.

I went on a solo trip to PR and took a day trip to Vieques. First of all - the island itself is incredible. Wild horses, black sand beaches, and IMO the friendliest locals. I spent my afternoon under a palm tree/exploring and worked up quite an appetite. I looked up places nearby and the island is so small that everywhere is pretty accessible, but I'd been near Esperanza pier and Bananas was like a 5-10 minute walk away, if that! I sat on the patio and had the most amazing view. The patio overlooks the Caribbean ocean and the most beautiful water. There's chickens and roosters that wander around the streets and restaurants but i think it's cute, and they don't bother you. I ordered a Diet Coke and the mussels to start. The coconut milk and garlic in the mussels made for the best flavor, and the bread that came with them was perfect to soak up all of the juice. For my entree I got the key wester sandwich with coconut crusted fried snapper, which was a nice compliment to the mussels. The sauces were great and a nice option to pair with the fries. My server was attentive and friendly, and even gave me some tips for things to do around the island. I will 100% be back!!

The best part of bananas was the stunning outside restaurant. It's the perfect place to watch the sunset in Esperanza. Food wise, everything was alright. The mofongo wasn't bad. I expected better pina coladas, where they were tastier at other restaurants we dined at. I'd come here to enjoy the ambiance of the restaurant, but the food was pretty average.

Worst experience!! They didn't allow us to sit when we reach 10 mins early. Also juices taste are very bad. DONT PREFER !!

We ordered chicken wings, sea food monfongo, fish tacos and lobster mac cheese. The fish in tacks are very soft and tender. But the fish was overcooked in monfongo. Not too many lobster.

I'd consider this a tourist trap. Located on the strip with a pretty view the drinks are good I tried the dirty banana. The sweet plantains were good as well. The sandwich was one of the weirdest things I've ever eaten. It was a coleslaw filled panini with cheese and tomato. The panini was not warm though. They had a very limited selection of vegetarian options and the last thing I expected in a Caprese panini was coleslaw and it not to be warm. The sauces were good though with the fries. I tried the key lime aioli they do charge for it though. The key lime pie was ok nothing fantastic and it wasn't very lime flavored. Service was not great they didn't check on us once we had our food at all and just brought the check once we were done. Pricy lunch for what I'd consider below average food. No air conditioning open to outside restaurant.

Alicia was such an amazing server. Friendly, great sense of humor, and you can tell she loves enjoys interacting with customers. The food was excellent. The chipotle aioli on the chicken sandwich was the highlight. Also had the "Amarillos" and the coconut snapper sandwich. S

We did a "Hop on Beach Tour" so our tour guide took us to Bananas. Which was a perfect stop! Had a Pina Colada and a Bloody Mary! Both drinks were pretty strong. Menu had variety of options to choose from. Music was good, and loved the open space seating. They also have roof top seating but I was exhausted to walk up stairs. We tried the appetizers of fried calamari and Mahi-Mahi Bites. Which were both fluffy and crispy! I had the fish and chips which I couldn't finish. Husband had the Cuban Panini but only finished half of the sandwich. And daughter had the Shrimp Alfredo, which had huge shrimps and it was a large bowl. Of course had to have a Brownie Sundae which perfectly hit the spot! We had a lot of left overs! Our server was so helpful and tentative. She also gave great tips to do around the island. Love the view of the ocean and service here! Definitely will return!

This place has great service and drinks. I did try their signature drinks, and we were fans of all of them. We did have the wings and calamari. Wings were crispy, and calamari had some great flavor. They added some peppers and salad. I thought this was a neat place for what it is. If you are looking for a simple bite or interested in a couple of drinks, I think this is a good place to start. There are definitely several great options near as well.

Delicious fast service with an ocean view their mango piña coladas are tasty as well!

The food was barely edible. The location is great and I'm sure all the positive reviews have to do with the drinks.

Good food & drinks, great location, awesome desserts. What's not to like? I even got a chuckle out of hearing the host ask over & over "Have you been to Bananas before?" I enjoyed the Cobb Salad and a Pina Colada. For desserts my daughter & I especially enjoyed the coconut flan and tres leches cake. My wife preferred the Key Lime Pie.

Vieques only has a handful of restaurants esp in Esperanza - we tried most of them, and Bananas is probably my fav. It's been on the island forever, fun relaxed bar vibe but food is above average - HUGE portions (share an entree), drinks are great too. They can be packed but turn around is quick. Friendly, efficient service.

Excellent cuisine and even better service! Ask for Alicia, she is a sweetheart. If you are stuck on Vieques, Go Bananas, pun intended.

Bananas served me one of the most delicious burgers I had ever had. The fries were delicious, and I can't think of a single complaint I could leave about this restaurant. The waiter was incredibly charismatic and kind, and joked with us whenever he was at our table. The view of the ocean was incredible, and the occasional chicken passing by really tied it all together as an excellent local restaurant.

We loved the food! We ate here twice in one day! Between the 3 of us, for lunch we had the fish fry, fish tacos, and fish trio sliders with ginger/seaweed salad. The sliders were INSANE! For dinner my husband had chicken mofongo and absolutely loved it and I had the ahi tuna steak with seaweed salad, which was also amazing! Only reason for 4 instead of 5 stars will seem silly to some. We ordered sangria and rum drinks which were served in plastic soda glasses... I was disappointed in this as I would have hoped for at least a clear plastic cocktail glass with maybe a wedge of fruit.

Bananas is one of the primary restaurant/bars in not just Esperanza but on the whole island of Vieques. It's located on the main road that runs thru the small town directly across from the water. I'm not sure where you park especially during high season other than wherever you can find some room on a side street or near the boat launches by the El Blok hotel. Anyway, you'll figure it out. I had lunch here last week for my last meal before flying back to Puerto Rico. Bananas had just reopened about an hour before I arrived as I guess it closes during the low season. When I visited in early November an increase in tourists was expected in a couple of weeks. My taste buds wanted a good fish sandwich so I ordered the Key Wester with fries for $15 and added a Medalla brew for another $2. The food arrived in less than 15 minutes with the beer in a can. The sandwich was a coconut crusted grouper fillet with caramelized onion, guacamole, lettuce and some key lime aioli to bind it all together. That was a damn good tasting fish sandwich. The amount of coconut was just right and the other ingredients made it an enjoyable eat. The fries were your standard frozen out of a bag type which were uninspiring. Also, I am now a fan of Medalla beer and at $2 a pop very reasonably priced. Table service during the meal was very good too. I like Bananas a lot. It has 2 stories with great outdoor views of the water and people passing by. I'm sure the bar action can be enjoyable also. This meal was a 4 even with the french fries. I would love to come back and try something else on the menu but like I said I was on my way to the airport. Oh well... I'm sure if you come to Bananas you will enjoy it.

Tourist trap, but great location. The server hates her job, overpriced food and drinks, but the bartender was nice.

The most amazing food! Fresh. Delicious and phenomenal. We ate here for lunch and came back for supper it was so awesome.

Wonderful food and drinks. Service was very attentive.. we just walked in. Even the rain didn't deter us or the restaurant.

We had the churrasco and paella dinners. Churrasco was tender and cooked to perfection. The delicious paella had just the right amount of spiciness and was loaded with mussels, shrimp,chicken and sausage. There was a great selection of deserts. Service was impeccable and although the restaurant was packed with customers our food arrived promptly. Our server was pleasant and attentive throughout our meal. The atmosphere at Bananas is lively and it is a great place to watch folks as they stroll along the Malecon taking in the sights and street venders

I like to rate places based on what one should expect at a beachside, popular, marketed to tourists establishment. Bananas delivered everything I expected: decent rum punch, fried beach food, and a moderately high bill. The mahi bites were good but the sauce was the highlight. The key west fish sandwich was passable but greatly improved by adding sauce and cole slaw on the sandwich. Coconut flan dessert was above average. We spent $90 after tip for 4 cocktails, one app, one sandwich, and a dessert. I wouldn't rush back, but I also had no complaints given the location and type of restaurant.

Food is mixed quality, drinks are fine, and the staff is a hot mess. Some staff are working their butts off, while others are bickering with each other and causing drama. Some staff talk down to customers, and one yelled at a diner for no apparent reason. There's a few dishes that I will miss, but they are things I can get elsewhere on the island. It's sad to see such a long-standing business struggle so much.

This place is literally BANANAS. I got a $9 drink ToGo and it ended up being nearly $15. Seems like they charge MORE than 18% gratuity on everything, and on top of it they are rude. No need to waste your time here, go down the Lazy Jacks where they are fair and transparent. Two thumbs down to everything about this place.

I felt the need to write a review after I saw a 1 star review some what seems to me as a disgruntled human Lori. I've been to bananas 3 times in 2 days for lunch and dinner. The service is always amazing and the food is consistently good ! As you can see from the photo we clearly loved it because all of our plates are empty. I had the key wester sandwich and the fish was clearly very fresh and not pre packaged. My only suggestion is make sure you ask for the homemade hit sauce ! Kelly the bartender / manager is so sweet and is constantly walking around and making sure every table is having a great experience

Great service! The food was tasty! We really enjoyed the jerk chicken meatballs appetizer. The sauce was amazing. The entrees were great too! You must get the coconut flan for dessert! Very lovely location right across from the beach.

Amazing authentic food came out quick The service was fast The drinks were great the dirty banana is the best if you like bananas The ambiance was great it's right on the water

Food was absolutely terrible. The drinks were so bad we sent them back. Our server had zero personality. I would never go back.

After a day of exploring Playa Grande and Playa Negra, we drove into Esperanza for cocktails and dinner. Yelpers had given Bananas great reviews so we wanted to try it out. It was a perfect place to see the sun set over the Caribbean while eating delicious food. The Mahi Bites were fantastic, as was the Key West Sandwich, Caesar Salad, Fish and Chips, and Shrimp Mofongo. I LOVE fried sweet plantains and their Amarillos were yum, yum, yum! The Viequense cocktail was very good and I also enjoyed the Mango Pina Colada. The service was excellent and they are still masking up and providing a safe environment during this looooong pandemic. Now, get over to Esperanza and go (to) Bananas!!

Esperanza doesn't have many exceptional food choices and this was one of the options that promised our dinner would be out in time for the biobay tour. We had the seafood paella (more like just fried rice) and churassco steak. They have usual touristy food choices so safe if you need to get a quick bite.

We had dinner in this place. The service was really bad!! The food came very quick I think they have everything prepared and they just warm it up because it was impossible to cook it so quick! The food was good tho. We had mussels and ceviche as appetizer. Then I got the triple seafood and my brother got the surf and turf. The ambiance it's nice it's right next to the beach.

Pathetic service. OK food. We had escargot (too salty), Mahi bites (deep fried, no taste), baked feta cheese (not identifiable) and mofongo balls (excellent flavor!!). Several beers. Plus guava chessecake (yummy). Our table was not level and my wife accidentally tipped over her full glass of sangria. Waitress M (not friendly at all) offered a replacement but ended up charging us...oh well. Overall, we had 3 different servers and automatically were charged 18% service fee. It was just the 2 of us, and we challenged the automatically added charge, we got a huge push back saying thats the way they do it, no discussion. Normally OK but service just wasn't there and that's the whole point of leaving tip. It seems they get away with lousy service because they can 'stick it to you' regardless of effort. Would not recommend for lack of empathy and friendliness. ​

Wonderful Excellent place Food delicious and waitress Alicia THE BEST!!! We tried drinks and food All heavenly tasty Great experience on desserts as well!!

The service and food is top notch. Ask for server Alicia. She is very knowledgeable and has awesome customer service. Beautiful deck and great desserts.

The best thing about this place was Alicia. She was attentive, fast and made us feel right at home. I'd go back only if she's there. Drinks were great and food was descent.

0/5 would be more realistic. My boyfriend and I went here on our last night in Vieques. We were immediately rushed and given no time to look over the menu. The server seemed distracted and intent on getting us out of the door promptly, despite a large number of empty tables. The food quality was abysmal. We ordered appetizers and entrees, and all of them arrived at the same time, creating quite a clutter on the table. The food arrived in 5-10 minutes, which was suspiciously quick and made us doubt the quality of the food prepared. In terms of taste, all of our food was bland, and it was without a doubt our worst meal in Puerto Rico. I got the lobster ravioli, which arrived in a soupy, watery mess. My boyfriend ordered chicken sliders which tasted of a frozen dinner. All food was lacking in salt and seasoning. The marinara sauce for the mozzarella sticks lacked any flavor and tasted like it came out of a can. The only edible food on our table was the side of french fries, after dousing them in ketchup of course. This restaurant AUTOMATICALLY adds 18% gratuity. We normally would tip 20%+, but the food and service were so poor that we would have preferred not to tip. In fact, our hotel's owner warned us about the 18% gratuity and told us it was illegal. Would NOT recommend.

Tropical salad was definitely bad, didn't have ingredients that stated in the menu Chicken wings tasteless and dry service poor

This was the first stop when we reached the island. The drinks were weak, but I was in love with the fried snapper and rice and beans. I had to tell the server to shout out the chefs because they put their entire foot in this dish! The service was good for my small party of two. Enjoy the view of the ocean as you dine. The strip is pretty busy during the day and night with cars and people strolling by.

The sea trio is really good, highly recommend if you are a garlic and cheese person. The seafood is very fresh. The panini is just okay but there are many pork inside the panini.

Was catering to tourists which makes sense. Didn't taste like home cooked boricua food. Service was quick. Wouldn't recommend if you're desiring to eat real Caribbean food though.

The fish and chips was SOOO good except there were no chips. -Gus What we actually ordered were the coconut crusted mahi bites, not the f&c.. and yes they were so good we ordered three of them! -mom

My family and I visited the restaurant. The restaurant was empty because everyone was on the other side of the island enjoying the Fiestas Patronales. The food was delicious and the ambiance was enjoyable. However, when waitress took our drink order she offered the local rum but failed to mention that it was double the price for each drink. I asked for an explanation of the high bill. The manager said she will reprimand the waitress for her oversight for failing to inform us about up charge but did not offer to fix our bill. Bill for 4 was almost $200. Our dinner was overpriced! We will not go back. The experience was not worth it.

This place is essentially the Chilli's of Puerto Rico. Really basic but solid food and drinks in a playful environment run by a bunch of American kids. The menu consists of a ton of basic carribean food in addition to a couple of American options (burgers, salads, etc). I got the fish tacos and a "frozen banana" drink and I was impressed by the drink but not the food. 6.5/10

Dining here was the worst part of our Puerto Rico trip. Atrocious customer service. Food was uninteresting and mediocre. One member of our party brought up an issue with their order and the response was beyond unprofessional. We tried to bring the issue up to both the host and the younger waitress but their response was to just shrug it off. The older waitress then approached our table and was immediately hostile, rude, and immature, rolling her eyes and making exaggerated fake-nice expressions. Unsure as to why she even approached our table as she wasn't our original waitress and instead of offering a solution to the issue she unnecessarily escalated the entire situation with her attitude. She stated she felt she didn't have to deal with it (not sure what she thinks customer service entails, but it obviously does involve addressing customer concerns. Also, again unsure why she even approached our table if she wasn't interested in finding a solution to the problem). Our party had to suggest a solution which the waitress agreed to only after much protest and lots of attitude. After reading the many comments left on these reviews by the owners it's clear that the waitress' lack of decorum and class is not unique to her and is instead emblematic of this entire establishment (encouraged even). Based on the fact that the FOH staff are non-native to Vieques and don't even speak Spanish it's clear that they only serve tourists and don't care if their customers have a negative dining experience as they are only temporarily on the island. There's no desire to build a loyal customer base and it shows in both their food and service. "Dining out is not a necessity it's a privilege" Working in a customer-facing industry is also not a necessity! If you lack the emotional maturity to handle customer concerns you should not be in the service industry. If you are more interested in creating conflict with customers than serving good food then you should find a different line of work. You are too old to be acting like you're in high school. Grow up, find a job that you're actually passionate about and good at. Bill next door was fantastic and I would highly recommend their food and service. Rancho Choli was also a nice hole in the wall place with a great home style ambiance. There are good places to eat in Esperanza, Bananas is not one of them.

The views can't be beat. Located right on the Malecon, Bananas offers open air seating with stunning views of the ocean. Unfortunately, the views don't make up for the sub-par food and service. We came here twice for lunch during our two day stay in Vieques. Our first day, my friend was battling a stomach bug so she was just there to keep me company. I guess our server didn't like that very much and he tacked on an automatic 20% gratuity to the bill. Or, he just has a chip on his shoulder for whatever reason. - Mango drink of the day laced with some sort of small amount of alcohol: watered down and not good. - Key wester ($14): coconut crusted fried snapper with caramelized onion, avocado, field greens, and lime aioli on a sesame roll: Ok this was carb overload (even for me...and I love my carbs). I ended up ditching the bun and the "field greens" which was just chopped up dying romaine, and asked for extra aoili, which he also charged me for. The caramelized onions were nowhere to be found. The snapper was good with a sweet crispy coconut crust, but small. I must be a glutton for punishment, because we returned the next day for lunch again. - Fish and chips ($14): Both were fine, but what you'd expect of fish and chips anywhere. - Seafood trio ($20): filet of mahi, red snapper, and wahoo served over lobster risotto: All three fish were dry. So was the lobster risotto. This time, service was nicer and he didn't automatically add gratuity. So we tipped him more than the 20%. Take that, first server! The second visit, we were debating between Bananas and the taco truck across the street. We settled on Bananas because I wanted a sit down restaurant. In hindsight, we both wished we had gone with the taco truck.

I've been to bananas 4 times in the past 3 days and spent about $350. I noticed this past time on the check that an 18% gratuity is added to the check,Which is odd for small parties,(was just my wife and I) What's more is it is not mentioned on the english version of the menu as pictured,and the waiter(ess) never mentions it. Also when you submit your card to pay it asks if you would like to tip and I usually leave a 20% tip. Of course it's always a good idea to look over the check but this just seems scammy. Sheisty. Pretty sure I just tipped an extra $60 the past few days and instead of enjoying my vacation I'm now fuming. None of the other restaurants ive been to so far do this. Might be a good idea for the servers to mention the automatically added gratuity and to take away the option to leave a tip. Edit to respond to owner. Online it does. Not on the big english menu in the restaurant. Also you should really take away the option to tip if you're already adding gratuity AND/OR have the server explain that gratuity is added regardless of party size which is unusual Very shady which is unfortunate because you seem like a nice guy

Food was pretty good but the view and location were great. Loved the quirky decor and roosters roaming.

Professional services, one of the best food around. Relax and next to the ocean. Second time having lunch here. Don't miss it!

Fantastic view of the ocean, great ambiance, delicious food, great prices and the best waitress is Melissa!