Barrachina

If you come here stick to the Pina colada drinks!!! Read more and you’ll find out why. Let’s start with the outside, gorgeous exterior, great photo opportunities. We walked inside and waited for the hostess. We debated whether on grabbing drinks to go vs enjoying drinks at the bar but it was crowded. After waiting a couple of minutes at the to go bar we decided to dine in. Service was still slow at the dining area and the waitress made a comment that she would not be able to greet our table anytime soon since she had other tables. We were there for almost 20minutes or so before we were able to place our order. Eventually she greeted our table and she was fairly pleasant. Of course we ordered Pina coladas which were absolutely delicious. My homegirl is a slow drinker and surprisingly she finished her drink before me! The tostones with pollo and plantanos with mariscos were decent. It lacked flavor but for the price and how hungry we were at that moment we still ate it.

My God, the food was excellent our servant ( Javier) was full of life, knowledgeable, detailed. Describe every bit of our meal and some. We had the Grouper and the Ribeye. We had the alternate rice called mamposaeo which freakin delicious. The Pina Colladas were on point. This where it somehow began, don't know the facts. Thank you Javy

The BEST piña colada ever!! I went specifically because I heard they made the best! I was on a piña colada tasting spree throughout the island.. and barrachina DEFINITELY had the best! Even have them to go!

We tried their famous piña coladas—they were good, though I was hoping for a thicker, creamier texture. The appetizers were solid overall, but the standout was definitely the stuffed plantains. They were packed with flavor and absolutely delicious. A tasty start to the meal in a lively atmosphere.

The Original Home of the Pina Colada, this restaurant didn't disappoint. A great lively atmosphere set the stage for a great dining experience. Our appetizers were served hot and fresh and arrived in a timely manner. Our entrees arrived just as we were finishing our appetizers, perfect timing. The fish was perfectly cooked and the pork chops were seasoned to perfection. A great dining experience with a touch of history.

Food and drinks were good but the waitress was terrible she had below average service nothing special so we did tip her $25 but not what the receipt SUGGESTED. She kept saying the tip is this amount see on the receipt. She needs to learn tips are OPTIONAL we don’t have to tip at all. We tip based on service not what the receipt says. If they want full percent it should just be included on the ticket and stated on the menu this percent is added to the bill. Due to the terrible attitude of the waitress we will never go back. Be warned if you go they want full tip on the receipt.

The restaurant that invented Piña Coladas. Wait was not long for a party of 4. Of course I got a Piña Colada. The Piña Colada was very tasty but Im not sure if it was made with fresh fruit. The service was good and professional. The food was also okay. Not many choices. I ordered the Rib eye steak as a safe choice and the meat was tough but seasoned well. Prices were okay.

We had a great experience at Barrachina! Our waitress was super friendly and attentive, making us feel welcome right away. The atmosphere was beautiful, with both indoor and outdoor seating options that really captured the charm of Old San Juan. We started with the Puerto Rican sampler appetizer — it was on the smaller side but absolutely delicious, especially the sauce. The piña coladas were finally not overly sugary like you sometimes find — they had amazing flavor and were perfectly balanced. Our shrimp and chicken platters came out quickly and were fresh and tasty. Overall, Barrachina was the perfect quick stop during our visit to Old San Juan — highly recommend!

Very touristy but nice and great piña coladas.. Open air and fun I did not eat any food so I can't count on that

With all the incredible food and hospitality in San Juan, Barrachina was a major disappointment. The service at the door was rude, as if we should feel lucky to be acknowledged. Their claim to fame--the "original" piña colada--was watered down, as were our other cocktails, yet two simple rum drinks set us back $44. The dorado was overcooked and dry, making it the worst meal we had in Puerto Rico. It's a shame that so many American cruise ship tourists may leave thinking this is what Puerto Rican food is about. Do yourself a favor and eat anywhere else.

Avoid this place if you want to eat. Food is super bland! Food is overpriced! We opted to sit at the bar rather than wait 30 minutes for a table. Bartender was nice but could see that not everyone was receiving the same level of service. Vegetables are not fresh. The mushrooms came from a can. Baby carrots definitely came out of a bag. Salmon was okay. Beans were horrible. Cream of Broccoli soup was luke warm & and served after the meal was delivered. Mofongo with overcooked shrimp was tasteless. Perhaps they are counting on cruise ship passengers coming in and overpaying and they figure they won't be coming back anyway so who cares what we serve them? ‍ One star because I did enjoy the Pina Colada.

The birthplace of the piña colada. It was so good! A plus is they hold your luggage for free. Highly recommend!

I started off with the soup of the day which was chicken and rice. For my entrée I ordered the shrimp mofongo and that was out of this world!!! It was flavorful, fresh, delicious all 10's across the board. Barrachina is known for their famous Piña colada; it is a must. I tried it and I see why people were lining up just for the Piña colada. I had to restrain myself from ordering another! My time there was great.

Was in search for some Piña Coladas and grabbed some from here. They were served frozen in a cute souvenir cup. Definitely recommend!

Do not get food here. It was borderline inedible. I got stuffed plantains as my appetizer and shrimp monfongo as my main. The plantains in the appetizer was extremely hard although the chicken stuffing in it was pretty tasty. The monfongo was terrible. It was extremely stale and had no redeeming qualities. I'm happy that this was one of the last restaurants I went to because if I wouldn't have had it before I would've thought I hated mofongo. The Pina coladas were ok. It's nothing special outside of the fact that this was the place that invented Pina coladas. Doesn't really taste special and they don't do anything cool/interesting to it. I got alcohol in mine and they pretty much just dump a shot of rum on top. The service was pretty bad as well. Our waiter disappeared throughout the meal so we were forced to have another waiter try to track him down for us. In his defense, we did finish eating a little early because we hated the food. The outdoor chairs are pretty uncomfortable too due to the hard plastic they cover them with. Some of the corners kind of stab you in the leg.

Nice spot with a bunch of lovely options. Great place for tourists. Delicious pina coladas. Cute shop with a bunch of souvenirs. Service was excellent. Waiter was very attentive and helpful. No language barrier for English speakers.

Stopped in with a friend to have a Piña Colada where it is said to have originated over 60 years ago! The Piña Coladas are now premixed and frozen (they weren't 60 years ago), served out of a slushie machine and then topped with a tropical garnish and a small rum floater which you stir in. While enjoyable, it's nothing like a homemade Piña Colada, and probably not much like the first ones served. Bartender Brian (pictured) was very pleasant and made our visit enjoyable. If you haven't been, stop in and see where history is said to have been made!

Had to pop in for the infamous pina coladas! They did not disappoint!! We tried one with and one without rum, both were delicious, although the virgin one had a better frozen consistency. For lunch or dinner, I'd recommend the chicken mofongo! The shredded chicken was juicy and accompanied the mofongo well. The appetizer sampler was also fun to try. The wings, croquettes and sorullitos were tasty. I will say the outdoor bar area was much nicer than the indoor seating. It would've been nice to enjoy the nice weather outside. Overall, I'd come back for the pina coladas! There's a separate line if you just order drinks, whereas the lunch dine-in line took about 1.5 hours. Come here to try their infamous pina colada!!

This in the place that created the piña colada over 60 years ago. So with that, you can expect this place to be busy. The menu is adequate although I went there specifically for pastelón which I was told they served. They do not. I did eat and had these mini mofongo bowls with shrimps and served with a broth. Very tasty. The place is typical of a tropical restaurant. Lively music and great service. Everyone I encountered was fluent in English so no struggles there. I'd definitely return the next time I'm in PR.

We had to make a stop at the Birthplace of the Pina colada's before leaving PR. The atmosphere was chill and the bartender was very real and talkative. Gave very good suggestions on places to go to (thinking that was our first day lol).

It was a really long wait. Only one person working the bar and they seemed to have had a problem with the machines. Great place to visit and a must see as its claim to have made the first pina colada is a staple for visits here. Pina Colada itself was delicious.. a little watery (as I think the machine problem was going on) but it was good and priced reasonably

My husband and I stopped by to try their Piña Coladas and ordered the garlic shrimp appetizer. While the appetizer portion was a bit small--only five shrimp--it was delicious. If you're ordering for a larger group, you'll likely need more. So, why have a Piña Colada at this place? According to the building's sign, "The Piña Colada was created here." And they didn't disappoint--the drinks were delicious!

Barrachina has become a bit of a tourist trap for its claim as the place where the pina colada was invented. Nonetheless, I still think it's a must to have a Pina Colada ($8.96) here. It's one of those places you need to go at least once in your life. We also had lunch here and ordered the Mega Sample Platter ($29.95) and Mofongo Flank Steak ($20) to share. The sample platter included chicken wings, chicken tenders, tostones, empanadas, and croquettes. Some items had 3 pieces while some had 4, so a bit uneven to share. Although it was nice to try everything, the best thing here was the wings and croquettes. Everything else was a bit on the dry side, but the sauce helped. We also had to try the mofongo dish while in PR. It turns out I'm not really a fan of mofongo as it was bland and chunky, so really needed the meat to give it some flavor here. Overall, food was just OK but you're really here for the pina colada anyways. Unfortunately it was raining when we came, but the outdoor patio is perfect to enjoy a nice pina colada here.

What I ordered: pina colada and calamari Overall thoughts: overpriced IMO but tasty and interesting to see where theybinvented the pina colada. PRESENTATION & CREATIVITY- I believe all food is art. This meal was very neat and good. The pina colada was decorated with an umbrella QUALITY & TASTE- Everyone has their own opinion of preferences of taste. The calamari eas good and the drinks were good. If you get the Pina Colada, a local told me to ask for dark rum on the top. Game changer!!! SERVICE & HOSPITALITY- One aspect of a great experience at an establishment is the service of the staff. At this location, they were friendly. I decided to sit at the bar. The bartender, I forget his name, was so nice. VARIETY OF OPTIONS- Some establishments offer very diverse menu. At this establishment, I feel like they could have more on the menu. BANG FOR YOUR BUCK? Is this too expensive for the quality of food? A little overpriced. I'd recommend only getting the pina coladas here. But if you're hungry, they have good food too. EXTRA NOTES: pina colada with DARK RUM!

Ate here once in 2022 but will going back during my visit this year. Can be a busy spot and can have a wait, but it is worth the wait. Best pork chop is the can a which was gigantic. Also great fried chicken wings. Fav pina collada I've found in San Juan Service was solid.

We came here on a Monday afternoon and after waiting in line for several minutes to talk to the host; we were seated immediately in their patio. Our server was very welcoming and friendly. To start, we of course had their famous Pina Coladas. They were so good! For lunch, I ordered the Monfongo de Pollo and it was so delicious! The chicken was tender, juicy and seasoned very well. The base was also flavorful and tasty. Portions were great for the price! The ambiance was nice, as well. I would definitely come back the next time I'm in Puerto Rico!

Unfortunately this place definitely seemed like a tourist trap and was the worst food we had all vacation. The chicken tenders were very rubbery and our waiter never came back so I wasn't able to get any sauce with it. We had an appetizer with plantain and the plantain tasted old/stale. My boyfriend got the mofongo, which he's had a few times and loved at other restaurants. Unfortunately here, it was almost inedible because neither the plantain nor the chicken tasted fresh. It is cool that this place is where the pina colada was created though and you can get one with or without alcohol. I got mine without alcohol and it was enjoyable - not too sweet. Overall I'd only recommend going for a pina colada because there are so many other great places to eat in the area

Barrachina Restaurant a "must stop" in Old San Juan recognized as "the" place where Piña Colada was born . Crafted in 1963 by Don Ramon Portas Mingot. At Barrachina Restaurant Old San Juan, one can cater events , and casually stop by to"dine in," or have a drink : piña colada of course !! The ambience is coupled with Latin/ salsa music and traditional regional art in the background . This place activates one's taste , visual, auditory senses. I had their piña colada and It was amazing - liqueur and natural pineapple taste , in my opinion , was well balanced. I assume they use natural pineapples , not a chemical, over processed , sweet syrup that is mass produced . I highly recommend this drink after a long hot day and long walks in town . Barrachina was an enjoyable experience. Service was friendly , helpful and courteous. All the servers had a warm smile ! Great local /tourist stop while in old San Juan P.R

Many have said that this place has the best piña coladas. Do I agree? Not really. The line gets pretty long especially if you've arrived from a cruise ship. It's about a 20 minute walk (depending on how fast you walk) from the cruise ship port. There are 2 lines when you get to the restaurant. 1 is to dine in/to be seated and the other is to grab a piña colada to go from the bar. We waited a good hour for the to go line. I was expecting a better tasting piña colada but it the taste was pretty basic to me. If the line is too long, don't waste your time on it and would recommend exploring the beautiful city.

Love it here for the piña coladas alone! The staff was attentive, quick, and funny. Amazing service overall and can't wait to come again. Piña colada with rum was $10 and as a celebratory souvenir for their anniversary, you can get a different cup for $12. The atmosphere was very open and breezy. Counting down to the day I return haha!

Barrachina is a must-visit in Old San Juan. They're famous for their piña coladas and I loved that they offer a delicious virgin version for those who don't drink. The plantains were absolutely delicious too. It does get crowded (especially around lunch time), so I recommend getting there early to put your name on the list, then taking some time to explore Old San Juan while you wait.

This place is very commercial. The waiters are extremely rude and they don't have a good way of connecting with people. They don't even put efforts to understand what we are saying or try to ask question they are extremely upfront and rude in saying things we didn't have a pleasant experience going to this place I understand, but there is a history behind this restaurant and how the piña colada was created over here, but that doesn't give them Any right to treat their customers bad especially the bartender that I was working with was extremely rude. he didn't even responded to some of the questions I had. We also asked him for the coffee which he did even care to come back and say he don't have it and even for the food they were they were not answering the questions properly. I don't think we're gonna go back just to have a peanut again but I don't recommend this place.

We came and tried the original pina coladas that many people have been raving about! It was super refreshing and lived up to the hype in my opinion. It was sweet and icey and amazing super glad that I got to try it at San Juan.

Ordered only drinks: Piña colada: 7/10- More of an icee than a smoothie, pineapplish BACARDÍ 10 yr: 8/10 Bacardi 8 year: 9/10 10yr has a different taste as expected, but I'm not a big fan of it. Customer service was excellent! The bar is mid building so the breeze and upward view is beautiful. Nice place to stop after sight seeing.

Service is a little "island time-y", but the food is delicious and the pina coladas are legendary! The grouper isleno was delicious! My wife wanted something simple and just got the grilled chicken plate and it was tasty and well cooked! A worthwhile stop in Viejo San Juan!

I will start off by saying I am Puerto Rican myself and was visiting San Juan with a friend who was visiting Pr for the first time. She chose this restaurant after searching for a bit and honestly I regret not examining the reviews before agreeing to go. The service was good, we were sat and our order taken in a timely manor, and the food came out fairly quickly. The place itself is cute, it has an outside seating area and also inside seating. The issue I had with this place was the food. No flavor!!! The beans were so lack luster, the chicken was bland, and the vegetables were obviously from a frozen microwaved bag. I was very disappointed with the lack of seasoning, and over all taste of the entire plate. I have to agree with the reviews, this place is not authentic AT ALL. in one word: Bland. The Pina colada was okay, it wasn't the best I've had, definitely not the best in Puerto Rico by a long shot, but it wasn't awful either. For a place advertising being the best at Pina coladas I was expecting a lot more. Very disappointed in my visit here overall.

Home of the Piña Colada and I was sure to get one !!! We stopped here on Sunday August 11th while it was raining and we were impressed! Everyone was so nice, the food was delicious and fresh! Drinks were great! For appetizer we got Wings 10/10 Puerto Rican delights 10/10 For entrees 24oz Red Snapper 8/10 Seafood Mofongo 9/10 Piña coladas 10/10 Thank you!!!!

We showed up at 8:30 the place was packed and we were turned away because they closed at 9? What bar restaurant in a city closes at 9? I politely asked if there were any restaurants nearby she could recommend and he waved me off telling me I could look on my phone and it would be easier. I have typically never experienced this level of hospitality in PR but it really felt like she didn't like tourists and shouldn't be a hostess. I would normally try again to go back but all the other reviews of the service prices and food would make me Stay away

Only stopped for the famous pina colada but it was quite delicious. It was frozen and from a machine so that part was a little disappointing but it was delicious nonetheless

Definitely a tourist spot kinda place - it's good for a reason but caters to tourists. Busy - had to wait about 35 min but the host was helpful. Refillable tap water is a blessing. Supposedly the home of the pina colada - delicious but it separates quickly because of the ingredients. Flank steak mofongo was good - my friends chicken one was better and had more flavor though. The lettuce was annoying to pick around. Shrimp in garlic sauce appetizer was good but also served on a bed of iceberg salad which was weird - only 5 shrimp too. Pretty restaurant.

A must stop on your San Juan bucket list for the OG piña colada! I stopped in for a drink and was quickly sat during the afternoon. I only had a piña colada but it was cold and refreshing on hot day. I loved that it was blended nice and smooth! It was a sweet treat and a nice place to stop for a break from the heat. Their menu offered Puerto Rican food that sounded great but I didn't get to try any. Our waiter was friendly and service was quick!

Service was good and friendly. Pina colada good, strong. Ambiance is nice. There is an area to sit outside as well as air conditioning areas. We got wings, salad and grouper fritters. Food came out quickly and everything was tasty.

We only got pina coladas at the bar so I can't speak on the food but this place was such a great pit stop to make when it started raining. The drinks were so refreshing! Definitely pop by here when you're in Old San Juan.

I had avoided this place for years due to the low rating on Yelp, but I was persuaded to try the piña coladas today. Although the service was confused (gave us the food menu when we said we just wanted drinks) and slow, we did enjoy the piña coladas. They are served with umbrellas, a cherry and a slice of pineapple and rather reasonably priced at $10 for a substantial drink. I can't comment on the food as we didn't eat here but I'd definitely stop in again here for the piña coladas or another drink. They have both an outside courtyard with nice atmosphere and an interior dining area with AC but less ambience. There is also a traditional bar, if would prefer to sit at a bar.

We added Barrachina to our do list because we heard that they were the home of the pina colada and people said it was a must include online. Upon arrival on a Tuesday afternoon, there was a 45 minute wait, so we added our names to the list and went to kill time walking around in Old San Juan. When we returned, we were seated inside within 1-2 minutes. Our server was kind and welcomed us with menus and asked us what we would like to drink. We opted for the pina colada (with rum) and water. Because we were trying to make an excursion, we only ordered appetizers. My friends ordered chicken wings, grouper bites and I ordered a side of calamari and some plantains. My food came out lukewarm and it was underwhelming. My friends like their wings. The grouper bites were sweet. I liked them better than the calamari, but it was still on the warm side versus hot. The pina colada was delicious. Once I returned back to our hotel room, I had an upset stomach and had to run to the restroom. I hope it was not because of the food or drinks. Overall, it was not worth the hype or wait time AND I would only go back for a pina colada.

Honestly I will say only come here for the pina colada. It's for the culture, and very tasty, not very strong, but still very cute and festive. The food is only okay. The grilled salmon barely came with veggies and the sweet plantains were very dry. The grilled steak stir fry was very good but reminded me of pot roast. Our appetizer was good but seemed a little over fried. I wouldn't come back for food. We enjoyed our pina coladas but definitely didn't catch a buzz from them. They also don't have many other drink options. The restaurant does have a very beautiful set up. I recommend wearing a nice outfit to take pictures.

We visited for lunch on a Friday, and it was fairly busy with quite a few diners. We ordered the piña coladas, which were reasonably priced and quite good. For food, we had the red snapper, chicken mofongo, and lobster tail. The lobster was overcooked and overpriced, while the snapper was good but somewhat lacking in flavor. The service was great, and the ambiance was nice. Overall, I would definitely return for the piña coladas.

Yum yum yum. The original Pina Colada definitely lived up the expectation. This is the BEST pina colada I've ever had and I did not like this drink before coming to Puerto Rico. I've now been converted, but now back in California it cannot compare, sadly. If you come to San Juan and do not make a stop here, then you just wasted your trip JS !!! lols We also got some chicken wings for my friend because she wasn't feeling the best. They were perfect. The bartender was super nice and helpful as well! Overall a great experience here.

Look. Are you here to get this place off of your bucket list? Most likely. Is the pina colada good? Yes. Are there a hundred places around PR where you can have equally good pina colada? Also yes. During my visit, I tried pina colada and a mojito. They were good, don't get me wrong. However, you can get the same experience next door. There is nothing distinct about this spot. For the food, I had shrimp stuffed tostones. They were objectively mid and the tostone texture was very hard. PR has so many great food spots that the food here was underwhelming in comparison. It's not bad, you're probably ordering it as a chaser for your alcohol either way so it doesn't matter. The patio outside where we sat was nice and pretty.

Pina coladas were great We had chicken plantain and a sampler from the apps (chicken empanada croquettes and corn fritter) all great

This place has soooo much potential. It's located in Old San Juan, close to a cruise port also. All of the bartenders just seem to hate working there, the energy was dead, environment was dead, it was disappointing. The service is very slow. The lead bartender would help one guest then come to the other side of the bar and complain out loud that "there was too many kids", specifically talking about the adults not knowing what they want; theirs no kids on the premises. Overall, they were kinda rude and killed the experience. I wish they knew, that on social media this place is one of the top spots a tourist wants to visit. They could be thriving! $30 a bit overpriced. You're better off going to a local spot to grab food and drinks!

Little old restaurant tucked away in the heart of Old San Juan serving authentic puerto rican food. Decided to come here based off of the numerous amount of suggestions by locals, and the food did not disappoint. I ordered the fried red snapper and a pina colada and my friends ordered other dishes and also a pina colada. This restaurant in particular is known for their pina coladas and for double the price of the regular one, you can get a souvenir cup with a logo celebrating their 60th anniversary of their pina coladas on the side of your drink. Personally I am not a fan of coconut, but I enjoyed the colada, you can definitely taste the rum, wish it were more frozen though. The fried red snapper was delicious, wish they gave a little more vegetables on the side, but other than that it felt like eating a typical meal at home: bowl of rice and a fried fish as the entree. Tried some of the pork belly which was very crispy and flavorful. Service here was alright, kept asking for utensils because there were only 2 set, when there was three, took quite a few tries of asking them to finally get some silverware. For the price, I would recommend coming here for some Puerto Rican food if you are in the area.

Fantastic food and very very cool ambience with somewhat slow confusing service. Overall a solid 4 star experience. 5 star food: the truly excellent Puerto Rican specialties are the star of this show. Try anything involving plantains and you can't go wrong. Unlike many other places nearby, their food is not a pan-Caribbean/Latin mixture but primarily local PR specialties. 5 star ambience: the space is primarily the interior courtyard of an old colonial building and oozes charm. They have a very crowded bar aside the restaurant. Sleekly designed but authentic. 3 star service: the front desk was overwhelmed with 4 mega cruise ships at once. Check-in was confusing with a large mob unaware there was a signup sheet for an hour wait on dining, but a faster moving bar line. Inside was a little better but also slow with overwhelmed servers.

The restaurant is walking distance from our hotel. Since we had a great experience last year, we decided to come back and eat lunch at here. We were seated right away. We shared a plate of grouper fritters and Mofongo with beef, chicken and shrimps. The fritters were excellent as I remembered. This is our first time to try their mofongo and unfortunately it was not great. Still a beautiful place though.

Beautiful Puerto Rican restaurant. Gave the feel of being in the city. Indoor and outdoor seating. This is the originators of the pina colada and they were delicious. Make sure to grab one to go. Server was nice and the food was good. There were also TVs at the bar if you are trying to catch a game. Food and drinks: pina colada, sautéed shrimp, puerto rican delights, grilled chicken, side of beans

The place was cute and stayed pretty busy especially the bar. They're known for their Pina colada so we tried one. The service was great, he was fast, attentive, and friendly. The food was good but not spectacular. You're really going in to try the Pina Colada and live it's history. It's part of what you do.

Birthplace of the pina colada has a delicious list of options and a quick service area if you're just popping in for drinks