Casa Vieja

Gabriela was the person who attended our table, and she provided excellent service. The entire experience was amazing the food was absolutely delicious, and the view was both relaxing and breathtakingly beautiful. To make it even more special, we had an esperanza visit our table, which was just magical. From the outstanding service to the excellent food and serene atmosphere, everything exceeded our expectations.

Everything about this place just was perfection. The staff was very organized and knew exactly what to do and where to go. The service was excellent. The fooooodddddd. Omgggg. The best pork I’ve had so far living on the island. It gets packed so make sure you have a little patience waiting for a table or your food but trust me. It’s worth it.

The food is good but nothing to go crazy about. Their signature dish is the pastel al caldero, which is good and best part is, one can order it at the bar. The atmosphere and the views is what one comes here for. The place is a great party with really well made drinks and very cold beer. The staff are very nice and attentive and definitely make this place what it is. The views of the mountains are out of this world. Prepare to wait a long time for a table, if you want one, however one can go here without getting a table, it is perfect for chinchorreo.

Small local spot with great food. Worth the drive. Was one of my best meals in PR and had a breathtaking view. Slow days in PR are basically M, T, W. Go on a Saturday evening. It's a 40 min or so drive from San Juan.

Truly a five star experience all around. We sat in the same spot as Anthony Bourdain and we got the empanada sampler and appetizer sampler and everything was top 5 best things I've ever had. The view is second to none, the service was excellent. Highly recommend this place.

Anyone that would like an honest review giddy up because this one is a long, down to earth review from a dissapointed customer. The most important thing about this place is that it is one thing and one thing only: a chinchorro. Nothing more. If you want to try anything in their menu you can find it anywhere else in the same road that takes you there and it surely has at least a parking spot that isn't on the side of a tiny road and with MUCH less waiting time. To summarize my visit, we had to arrive hours before opening since the wait time is very long and parking is a nightmare. In fact, there is NO parking, you have to leave your car on the side of the road and pray it's still intact when you come back. At 10am we had a 4 hour waiting time, which would be done on the side of the road with amazing views but nothing to do except walk a very dangerous downhill road to the nearest chinchorro to sit, eat and drink while waiting. When our turn came around we were seated on a table outside where people could bump into us and the best view was of people's clothes and their dogs. The place is LOUD with bustling crowd and people showing off their cars on the narrow, curved road. There's little chance to talk with anyone in your table, but after 4 hours the expectation was that the food would make up for it. It didn't. Drink prices are high for half-assed mojitos... Who pays $4 for a chichaito shot? Did they add Barrilito just to have an excuse to jack up the prices on a shot that costs $1 on literally any other chinchorro? Most likely. Worst offense is that they used the cheap 2 star Barrilito, not the flagship 3 star to at least justify the price on 1oz of alcohol. I don't know if we just had a bad day with the bartender but the wait was way too long for our drinks which was mostly canned beer and one cocktail. My appetizer came fast which was the famous pastel al caldero, but it was like if they took bland pasteles, mashed them with a fork and served that in a metal cup. I'm not expecting fine dining, but I was at least expecting seasoned food. The longanizas were alright but very dry and reminded me of La Aguadilla brand sausages you get from any Econo around the Island. The tastiest part was the mayo ketchup. After snacking on this place we went somewhere else to eat. Service was great, Gabriela was excellent and very kind, honest and through the massive crowd was always attentive to our table. The place isn't bad but not worth the hype at all. Bland food and expensive drinks aren't worth the danger.

Wow, this is definitely Puerto Rico! The service was amazing and personable. Everything from the moment we arrived. We were greeted and it was a hit from there on!!! The bar tender was great and Julmi our waitress was super helpful on choosing what to eat. Definitely , this needs to be a stop . I forgot the views are breathtaking 🥰🥰 The prices were very reasonable.

After a two hour drive got up there and first of all there is no parking. Must park on the main road if you find room. After about twenty minute was able to park the vehicle but it was not safe. We walked to the place and was told there was at least a three and a half hour wait maybe four. We were also told there was an hour and a half wait at the bar and you could only order pastel soup at the bar. And most important that if the food finished they would make more but that would add to the waiting time. There were no seats available and were also told that they only had a six table seating and no more than four people could sit at a table. After all that we decided to leave.

Casa Vieja represents Puerto Rico in every sense of the word. They have known how to capture the essence of Puerto Rico not only in the amazing food, but also in the friendly service of its employees, in its spectacular views of the green mountains, in the fresh smell of the countryside mixed with fried empanadas or tostones, in the sound of folklore Puerto Rican music, in the little room decorated with antiques and old photographs of this beautiful country. Every detail is this place is perfection. I advise you to arrive early, before opening hours. They don't make reservations, is first come first serve. Because of the hype it gets packed really fast and the place is small. We order almost the entire menu. Every time a dish arrived it was better than the previous one. The "pernil al caldero" might be the best I've ever eaten, soft and tasty. Pastel al caldero is a MUST! Don't leave without trying it. Comes steamy hot, delicious. The "pastelillos" are really good, we tried the bistec. They also bring it to you freshly made. We had a side of morcilla and longaniza, I would had skipped the longaniza and just had the morcilla. The "Tamarita" cocktail was my favorite made with fresh tamarindo juice. I don't drink beer BUT they also have the iconic old school beer Schaefer, I thought that was cool. This place definitely is worth the trip!

The view from this place is unbeatable. But it came with a price. We had to drive 1.30 from SJU on a windy road. Then you'll end up in this iconic and decorated kiosk. One of the best things we had here were the pastels. Anthony Bourdai was right. Try the beef one with cheese especially. The pastry dough tasted great as well as the fillings. We also tried the pasteles soup in a hot tin cup--which was pretty popular. It tasted interesting. Tostones were good. The pernil was a bit dry for my taste. Drinks here are good and cheap. Waiters were attentive. Expect to have snacks, a few drinks, and enjoy the view if you visit this place. This is not a place to have meals. It's one of the kind experience. I'm happy I visited.

We came here with friends while we were in town for Bad Bunny's residency. On a Saturday around 1pm we had a 40 minute wait for a table. Our friends recommended the soup and the mojito de parcha from the bar. Enjoying those items helped the time go by fast. I also tried a can of the Santurce Brewing D29 Passion Fruit beer. It was refreshing and just what I needed on a warm day in the mountains. Once we had a table we all ordered some tostones and pastelillos. We saw a couple of chinchorreo buses go by while we were eating which was so fun. This place is a gem and has a great view. I would recommend visiting if you have time while in Puerto Rico

Aaaaamazing restaurant. Loved everything about this place! The atmosphere up in the mountains with the fog, low temperature of 72° mid day. Beautiful mountain views. Great customer service. They make you feel at home! I ordered the Pastel al Calderón, Bolitas de Bacalao, Bacalao Guisado con Tostones. Everything was Espectacular! Even decided to take one Pastel de Calderón to go!

This is a unique Puerto Rican restaurant in the mountains of Ciales. We were there during the holidays - the pastel al caldero tasted great. It was a rainy day so hot soup felt even better. Casa vieja means old house. Their name fits the vibe and feel of the restaurant perfectly. The ambiance is set in an old house with a friendly staff and epic views. We ordered several items off the menu and were very pleased with their authentic puertican flavors. Overall, Casa Vieja should be a place to try on your next trip to Puerto Rico.

Everything was delicious and reminded me of the food from my childhood in Trinidad and Tobago country life

This place was recommended to us from another restaurant one day when we were in the mountains. We drove by the day before Christmas Eve and it was crazy busy, we wanted to eat there but the wait was too long! We did get the pastel soup to-go and it was as good as we hoped. So we came back here on Christmas Eve and had one of the best meals of our stay. The cocktails are great, we really enjoyed the tamarind margarita and peanut bourbon shots. There were little pieces of cacao in the shots. So good. We probably ordered too much food, as usual, but we were excited. We got the bacalao pastelillo: 10/10. We also ordered the morcilla (blood sausage), pernil, and mofongo balls: all 10/10. This place is seriously a gem and worth the drive into the mountains. Everyone is very friendly and the view of the mountains is absolutely beautiful.

Excelente calidad del servicio, comida exquisita y rapido el servicio. No cambio este lugar por nada.

Worth every bit of the hype. Found this place because it was featured on Anthony Bourdains parts unknown. About an hour and 15 min drive from San Juan. The view. The food. The drinks. The service. Incredible. Thank you Andres for taking such good care of us.

Casa vieja is a little out of the way from San Juan but an absolutely must visit. The view is unparalleled and the drive up is almost worth the trip alone. The restaurant is very clean and has a charming interior to match the exquisite location. The food was amazing. Drool worthy empanadas and some more local Puerto Rican dishes like the corn balls with cod and black pudding sausage. Loved everything about eating here. A great selection of food to choose from too. My only regret is not getting more empanadas to go.

My family and I are part of the diaspora in the US and miss our native food and rum drinks terribly. I've been following Casa Vieja on Instagram for a while and I was anxiously waiting for the opportunity to travel to PR and visit them. This place lives up to its hype! The views and ambience is just what we needed to feel right back at home. Best coconut mojitos we've had and the blood sausage is to die for. The staff is super welcoming, cheerful and made sure we were well taken care of. It's a must if you are in the area. Can't wait to come back!

The food was great! We tried the empanadas, the guanimes and the pasteles bowl. Everything was delicious. The service was amazing. Beautiful little restaurant in the Puerto Rico mountains with and awesome view. Loved the vintage atmosphere and the nostalgic ambiance.

Amazing view and very cool rustic Puerto Rican decor. Food is great and very reasonably priced. Cold beers, great games, I don't want to leave!

Excellent location, environment and service of its employees. But unfortunately the management lacks "costumer service".This is the place of ONE time and that's it. Management only sees $$ at their convenience and so on, even if you are consuming they expel you when they feel like it. Unfortunately, it's not worth the long trip

old house !!!! in the center of ciales !!! tremendous mojitos and delicious pasteles al caldero !!!! steak turnover too !!!! recommended

Went to the "famous Casa Vieja" for lunch on a Sunday. The drive was good. Reminded dime going to visit my grandparents who were from the area. When I got to the place, it was a cluster f@&$! No parking people are parking on the road. (The small county road allows for one car on each side unless you want to send your car down 300-400 feet ravine). The staff was unhelpful. Most of the place is open, outside seating and people are wearing mask because is a requirement by the establishment. I was not impressed and will not recommended due to the lack of parking and how unsafe is to have all these car's parked on the side of the road.

Overall great food. Tourist friendly. Staff is helpful, attentive, and speaks some English. Place is quite small, might have to wait if you come during busy times

Casa vieja is one of those gems you visit all your life and it never changes. Locals come here to "chinchorrear" which is basically restaurant hopping where you eat and drink on each restaurant. This is a very local tradition and usually takes up half of the day. It's done in large groups since it's a not so short ride from the capital. You're surrounded by great people, good drinks and really good Food! I only tried the steak, ground beef And chicken pastelillos and OMG I just wanted to eat a dozen all by myself. They also serve stew in a aluminum cup which looked really good! Just another reason to go back

This place is a rustic Puerto Rican gem. It has a small menu, more like Tapas or appetizers. The menu includes Pastelillos and such. I tried the pastel, tostones, and a beef pastelillo. Everything tasted great. I came on a Sunday and they had live music. Sitting room is a challenge since it gets so full. A great place to make a pit stop while exploring the island around the Ciales area.

Waoo what a place, food was great the passion fruit mojito out of this world. The pastel de caldero must try, beautiful scenery up in the Puerto Rican mountains.

I found this place through Facebook and decided to give it a try. The drive to Ciales is about an hour from San Juan, but we figured we'd make the drive. When we arrived it was pouring rain, but we could see that the place was packed. It is a small place on the side of the road. Once inside we were taken back to old time Puerto Rico. It's like walking into your grandma's house in the mountains of Puerto Rico, from the view, the architecture and the decor. As it is a very small place, you might have to wait, but I promise it is well worth the wait. The empanadas were outstanding! We had all 3, shrimp, codfish and steak. Also the fried pork and fried plantains, chicken and rice with beans and their delicious pastel al caldero soup. I also tried their passion fruit mojito and it was outstanding! They had a local duo playing acoustic guitar, cuatro, etc. and you truly felt like you were in the real Puerto Rico, a magical place in the mountains. This is not a huge restaurant, but well worth the wait to sit at a table and have a few drinks, listen to music, enjoy the view and food. The service was outstanding as well! We'll be going back soon!

Great enviroment, local tipical native food simply amazing! Support our traditions. Vamos pa lante

We call before to come here, and they said that we don't need a reservation. Everything was expected, and it was in order. The road to get here is a country area, so it's no easy to get here. The waiting time for a table was 1 1/2 hours, and during this time, they don't want to sell me even bottled of water when it's nothing more around here; this it's lost in the woods if you're going to come here doing with an ice chest to make it through the service. No sense; you can find the same food or better in a closer area to you.