El Quenepo Vieques

We made reservations through the app on the website and were immediately created with smiles and shown straight to our seats. From the wine list and cocktails to amazing duck and goat dishes, we had an amazing time.

Update: 2025 Last year i gave this place 5 stars, this year it’s not even close. It’s hard to judge a restaurant based on one experience, but that’s the business. The service is still slow and not excellent. The fish and ceviche are very good. Do not get steak here! They have no clue what medium rare means and the price is 67$. It’s still an ok choice for fine dinning and still not cheap. The drinks are still good. 2024: Great food, but somewhat limited menu. Probably one of the best on the island. Service is slow, but not unusual for the area. Great drinks. Make a reservation here. Not cheap.

We had such a pleasant experience at this restaurant. It was a nice atmosphere. A few large parties and several couples. It never got obnoxiously loud. Our server was very helpful with his suggestions. I thought the food took an appropriate amount of time to come out. The dessert was delicious. I did remove one star from the food rating. I asked for my meat medium. It was more of a medium-well.

An excellent dinner! Everyone enjoyed their meal and finished most of them. They would have all been eaten but the portions were very generous. The seafood mofongo was the best along with the carefully crafted cocktails.

2025 update- our server, Samantha (Sammy) was amazing-extremely attentive and engaging, and excellent at describing dishes we did not understand just from reading the menu. We only ate at El Quenepo one time as a splurge this year. First I had a delicious mocktail, and grilled pears while my husband had “la sopa de la noche” which was a seafood bisque/chowder. As main course, I had the yellowfin tuna “BLT,”and my husband had duck with peas and pomegranate seeds. All were delicious and innovative, as we have come to expect at El Quenepo. Google would not let me write a whole second review or I would include more detail. Quenepo is still the best, most innovative haute cuisine we have had in Vieques, but it is pricey, so we only went once this year. Written in 2024- Quenepo is the best place in Vieques I have found for a gourmet “foodie” meal. We dined in for the second time tonight and it was amazing! We were greeted at the door and escorted to our (reserved) table. Our server, Adam, was attentive, knowledgeable, friendly, and noted every detail. We started with a piña colada and a tall glass Moscow mule. Adam understood exactly what we wanted, and both drinks were expertly made. Our appetizers were the Mariscada Martini (ceviche) and the mesquite grilled prawns. I cannot overstate it- the ceviche was the best I have ever had-fresh squeezed citrus, tomato, jalapeño, fresh ginger, and cilantro -served with crisp arepas. My husband had the pan seared Long Island duck breast over fontina risotto cake with mission fig ratatouille and pomegranate molasses, and I had the Sicilian shellfish sautee over linguine. Both were outstanding!

This is our fourth visit to Vieques since 2018 and our second time dining at El Quenepo. Tonight's meal was one of the best meals we've ever on the island, which is saying something, as we've had some very memorable experiences in previous visits, both here and at other restaurants on the island. We are always amazed at the culinary expertise and experience that can be found on this tiny little island. We had the Yellowfin Tuna “Poke" and Warm Housemade Focaccia Bread for appetizers, the Yellowfin Tuna BLT and Filet Mignon for entrees, and the Goat Cheese Cheesecake for dessert. The Filet Mignon was melt-in-your mouth tender and the combines flavors of the Yellowfin Tuna BLT, with the tomato, arugula, tuna, pancetta, and sauce, were amazing. If you've made it to Vieques, but haven't visited El Quenepo, do yourself a favor and make reservations. Be prepared for the "island time" service experience, which isn't a bad thing. This place is always at or near the top of our 'must visit' list when we come to Vieques and we highly recommend it.

The service was a bit lacking and it's definitely the most expensive restaurant on the island, but the food made up for all of it. Great drinks as well. If you can afford to splurge some, give this place a try

El Quenepo was a delight during our trip to Vieques. At first, it appears many of the restaurants in Esperanza are traditional beach fare (nothing against that, but just nothing special). We started to think that the island didn't have a ton of great food to offer; at least in Esperanza. El Quenepo is genuinely one of the better restaurants I've eaten at in all my travels. Highly recommend checking it out one night in Vieques!

Soooo good. We were staying at the attached hotel, and we got take out from there on our last night. We'd had a long day, and were just looking to have something light so we ordered the soup of the day was a white bean with truffle cream, which was amazing. I ordered it from the bar, which afforded me the opportunity to chat with the gentleman working the bar Scott, who moved there from the states to run the restaurant. Scott shared with me all the different types of bread they had available, and we landed on a focaccia that paired with it perfectly for dipping. The ambience was classy and quiet, and if we weren't so tired from a long day in the sun we probably would have dined there. Next time! So, a long review for just soup, but that's how good it was. Do not leave without dining here, you won't be disappointed.

Perhaps the fanciest food I've ever had on Vieques! Drinks were all very good and the food was all excellent. My small criticism was perhaps the fish dishes were a tad salty but nothing a swig of their cocktails could not remedy. Loved sitting by the front and enjoying the beach breeze. A great experience!

Nice ambiance. I enjoyed the octopus appetizer. A bit salty but good overall. They had some interesting cocktails. Enjoyed the one with chaat masala, but they seem to have forgotten to blend the mocktail...the guava sunk to the bottom of the coconut milk and I had to stir and drink around the ice cubes to get the guava and seeds....good ingredients...but would have been better if it was blended... Also tried my husband's scallop entree...thought it was ok at best....the scallops were overcooked so it was a bit rubbery. Also not sure why they fried the veggies roll....def not worth the price. Overall, great ambiance, but not too jazzed about the food.

Service, drinks, dinner, and dessert were very delicious. We had Sam as our server. The drinks we ordered were the chat don which was savory and a special type of Guatemalan rum served on an ice cube made of coconut water. The mariscos martini was a great fresh appetizer, and the steak was big enough for two people to share. We had the berry cheesecake for dessert- decedent and creamy. Yum! Romantic vibe in there but good for couples and families

The best meal we had in Vieques - do not miss this. Everything was absolutely delicious, I wish we could go back and try more of the menu. Don't miss the goat cheese cheesecake for dessert. The service was also top tier - our waitress was kind, attentive and had great recommendations. The restaurant is calm, dim, perfect for a date night and a nice getaway after a long day in the sun

I had high hopes for this place, but it definitely disappointed on more than one front. It took a solid 25 minutes for anyone to even come to our table. We ordered, and then only half of our food came out. I thought maybe the rest was coming out soon but after another 20 minutes, I finally was able to flag someone down. I got the tuna pokey and I'm not sure that it was tuna. The color was very light and it did not taste like tuna, but it was fine. We also got the grilled pear salad. The pear was not ripe and extremely hard and the candied pecans were mush. My friend got the jackfruit bao bun and did not think it was a good dish. She said the jackfruit was slimy. We also ordered the "Burrata" but it was actually just melted mozzarella. It did have good flavor but again it was not actual burrata. We got Stillwater that was bottled at five dollars a glass of water lol. I definitely feel like this place has potential but it missed the mark. I will say the cocktails were good. I got the chaat dac and it was delicious.

Well. I'll be short and sweet. There was a metal shard (probably from a can they opened) in my soup, and the waiter didn't bother to remove it from the bill, nor send a manager to us, nor did they offer any sort of compensation. I repeat- a large staple sized metal shard in my soup. $14 soup, at that. After asking them to remove it, they did. But the damage was done at that point. Was the rest of the food and drinks decent? Yes. But this restaurant is banking on one time tourist visitors and don't care to provide basic customer service or recovery after an issue like this. If this issue had been handled well - a manager speaking to us, apologies and offers to replace it with something else, or another item offered on the house.. things would be different. We all make mistakes. But el quenepo did not handle their mistake in a forgivable way.

By far the BEST eatery in Esperanza. Amazing food, beautiful atmosphere, super friendly and professional staff. A definite MUST if you enjoy fine dining!

Delicious fusion foods in a very good neighborhood with welcoming people. Food quality is beyond expectations

Let me say the only reason I'm giving it 4 and not 5 stars is that it just wasn't fully my vibe. A little too fancy for me. I like a little cooler more down to earth vibe, especially when I'm on an island or if it's fancy I also want it to be super trendy. If you want more classic upscale island vibes though this is for you 100% and you won't be disappointed. Food was delicious. Swordfish had an incredible mix of spices including a curry type sauce and mango slices. Tuna tartar was also fresh and delish. The creme brûlée was *fire* - no pun intended - and the bread sticks they served with them were such a unique touch. The dry rose wine I had was a bonus! Overall great experience, good service, no complaints. Pretty lighting coming in at our 5:30pm reservation but no real view and I think I saw an upstairs patio spot so I'd request if possible!

Definitely the best food we had in vieques. The food has a Michelin feel to it, I'd say more so of a modern spin on the dishes itself. The service was great, honestly probably the best in Puerto Rico. Our waitress was polite, and compared to all the other restaurants we went to in PR, actually felt like kind and attentive service. We started off with the pan seared octopus, and wow, top three octopus/pulpo dish I've ever had. It was perfectly cooked and tender, and came with great sauce. Next we had focaccia bread - I was hesitant to get this, but this blew us away as well. You could very much taste the tomatoes/seasonings on the top portion of the bread. The bread itself was so soft, honestly have no idea how they pulled this off - some of the best focaccia I've ever had as well. We ended with the goat curry masala. We are Indian and were not expecting a super Indian dish, but the flavors came out quite well. The goat was tender, and the sauce basically melted in your mouth (seemed like a slow cooked spinach with sauce), and it had paneer as well. It came with rice, and had a dollop of great tasting yogurt to balance out the acidity. Just a phenomenal twist, and honestly surprised this came from vieques, given it's a much much smaller island. We finished with the goat cheese dessert, and this was probably our mistake. We never really get it, and we thought it was ok. But overall it wasn't too sweet, and actually ended the dinner quite pleasantly. The ambiance was nice, but feel like they could potentially improve this a bit. I definitely would recommend for anyone staying in vieques. Props to the staff/chef/owner!

Delicious food, creative and tasty drinks, quick service, friendly staff, very cute place with open air dining. The ambiance was perfect with nice lighting, decor, and music loud enough to enjoy but still have a conversation. We had the opportunity to eat here a couple times while we were visiting Vieques. I do recommend making a reservation because they stay consistently busy. We tried a few different plates over our two visits: Sea Bass with ravioli, swordfish, filet mignon, shellfish sautee, ceviche, one of their soup of the night, which was a cream root vegetable soup and it was incredible, and may have been my favorite bite. The filet mignon was also fantastic and another favorite of ours. Although, everything was delicious, the drinks we had were the Pelirojo, very light and refreshing, the Lolita, delicious tropical cocktail, and the espresso martini, which was excellent sweet end to our meal. We will definitely be back, couldn't ask for more when it comes to island waterfront dining.

Food travels well, trust me I fainted. I went with my boyfriend for dinner and unfortunately I fainted ( health problems, but everything is Gucci ). We had the chance to try the pear salad, the octopus and beef tartar and everything was delicious. So going back yo the fainting part, they were the sweetest with me. Very calming and very attentive We had to eat the main courses back in the hotel, for obvious reasons, and let me tell you, it was amazing. We had the filet mignon and the seafood pasta. Flavors were very rich and well balanced. The meat was very tender, and perfectly medium rare. The pasta had just the right amount of seafood and so fresh. Highly recommended

Kate and Scott have created a FABULOUS, top notch, every-detail-attended-to-experience. From the candles, wine list, lighting, superior service, and array of unique and varied culinary options to delight all palates- it was a night to remember. A MUST!!

The food and drinks were exceptional. Service was top notch. Great location especially for dinner or drinks before taking a night bio tour

are we in vieques? this place have some world class dining that you're not going to expect from island living. Not only that, there are international flavors that Are incorporated into the menu seamlessly You would think that you were in some metropolitan city. We had the duck and the curry monkfish as our entrees. both were amazing. asked for my curry to be spicy, they provided fresh Thai chilies that hit the spot. the octopus appetizer was the best octopus I've ever had. ever! perfectly charred. Trish, our waitress, was quick, attentive, and with a close attention to detail. didnt miss a beat.

So... this time we went, the menu had drastically changed. Appetizers were very nice. Octopus was fork tender and such a delicious flavor. Just the right amount of crisp on the outside. The focaccia bread was also pretty good and thoroughly enjoyed the tomato balsamic jam it came with. Very yummy. Swordfish plate was out of this world! The fish itself was so tender and juicy. Not dry at all. Just amazing. The rice was good but when u mixed it with the curry pineapple and the spicy siracha sauce on the plate - oh wow! Amazing! The black grouper was also tasty. Very flavorful with just the right amount of soy sauce to soak into the rice. Very tasty but small portions. Prices were very very upscale but totally understand why. Glad we tried it. But prob won't be coming back until the menu gets more "local" again.

The best upscale restaurant in Vieques that I experienced. It was such a welcoming environment and I had the best waiter. I was in vieques for a birthday trip and mentioned this and wasn't charged for dessert thanks to a kind waiter. Every dish I ate was 10/10. It did take time for the dishes to come out but the food was so fresh it was well worth the wait.

Ate here two nights in a row. The food, service and atmosphere was too notch. One of the better meals I have had in the states, Puerto Rico or traveling. The best, higher end restaurant in Esperanza on Vieques.

One of the nicest and the best dinner we had in Vieques! We made a reservation on their website for the same day and got the time we wanted. We started with cocktails, which were delicious and not too sugary sweet like drinks at other places. We started with the pan seared salmon, I got the lamb masala, and my husband got the filet mignon. Everything was absolutely delicious! Definitely a must-try if you go to the beautiful Puerto Rican island of Vieques.

The food here is unique , amazing and service was fantastic! The best dining experience I've had so far in Puerto Rico!

Such a wonderful place!!!! Our server, Adam was so much fun. I think I inhaled the pork belly app in one bite... but all of the food was delicious and fresh, my salad was amazing. so many fun & unique flavours. Very sexy atmosphere and men perfect birthday treat.

The martini as a starter is really good since it is very sour in a strong way. The sides bread is good and the salty. The raspberry chocolate cake has rich chocolate flavor but if you want to get a raspberry flavor inside the cake, you won't get that since it only has raspberry jam as a topping. The scallops is really good entree since the sushi is good . The pork tenderloin has juicy meat and good seasoning sweet potatoes. But the wine emm not my favorite.

I thought this place was decent. Definitely not as good as the reviews, and not as good as other food we had on the island (we enjoyed el plaza and even the Vieques food court more). For one, the food is the priciest we had (I think we spent $30 on 3 bowls of gelato!). Second, the food was quite meaty. Although they can make some entree vegetarian, a substitute for items, and it becomes watered down dish. We were surprised at the lack of options. Lastly, none of the items we tried wowed us, which we were expecting at this price point. All in all, an okay place and service was very kind, but we didn't feel it was worth the price.

This restaurant was completely on point!! I LOVED IT!! I had a very long day of travel and sitting down to this meal was the best cap of the night. The cocktails were perfect and the meal was too. I'm gluten intolerant and they were incredibly accommodating to me. They have gf listed on the menu too which isn't a given everywhere, which is so nice to be able to relax and not have to ask a lot of questions. The server even was very knowledgeable and reassuring. Warm people, great food and environment. It hit every sensory box for me. They are only open a few days a week so don't miss out!!

Amazing food and cocktails. Best we had on our trip in Puerto Rico. Great location and ambiance.

This was a perfect meal after a tiring kayaking trip in the bay. We loved the ambiance and the food. We ordered fried arepa and ceviche, truffle carbonara, and goat masala.

Amazing meal. Fine dining in a tropical locale. The tuna BLT was outrageously good! Drinks were delicious, food creatively presented. Best meal we've had on the island.

The space is lovely, and after reading all the positive reviews, we decided to book a reservation for our brother's birthday. Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there. We started with a round of cocktails mojitos for the table. They were gross. Completely unbalanced with not enough lime juice in the cocktail, served room temp/warm, with sad brown mint floating around the glass. The staff left much to be desired, the bartender and server specifically. The fact that they couldn't speak Spanish clued us into the fact that we found ourselves in a tourist trap, where the cuisine is trying to cater to an international crowd and failing to make any dish that would be enjoyable. The Pulpo appetizer was pathetic in portion size, so I couldn't tell you about the flavor because the serving size was so small no one could adequately taste the multiple orders that we purchased. The ceviche was pretty good, not life-changing. The Prawns were tasty, but how can you mess up fried shrimp? For the entrees, we all tried different items: Salmon w/ corn cake and mango salsa - this was just okay it was Edible, so I guess there is a plus. The salmon was cooked correctly, but the flavors in the mango salsa seemed entirely out of place; corn cakes were dry and meh. Short ribs- Dry, flavorless, inedible Korean style rib eye- meat was cooked correctly, there was a basic prepackaged Korean sauce on it which was fine, the cucumber and tomato salad (which you would hope had some acidity) were just dry pre-cut, dehydrated, undressed vegetables (technically fruits) thrown onto the plate. Seared Tuna w/ Asian salad - fish had no flavor, served on a slop of inedible salad that seemed like it was in a bag for weeks Smothered Pork Chop - *Inedible* Clearly we won't return. But our party of 9 will be sure to never recommend and go out of our way to suggest that everyone avoid this tourist trap at all costs. The wish when visiting this beautiful island is that there are ample local and Puerto Rican-owned businesses to enjoy; unfortunately, that isn't the case. Talk to the locals to find the delicious Puerto Rican cuisine that exists, you just have to know where to go, and El Quenepo isn't the place to waste your time or your money at.

Excelente ambiente, la comida es un poco cara pero el sabor es exquisito. Tiene tragos con muy buen sabor. El servicio es excelente.

All our food was delicious very nice service. Def recommend to visit. We made reservations and was very easy.

El Quenepo continues to be our favorite go-to restaurant and bar in Vieques. The food and cocktails are delicious, the ambiance is relaxed yet classy, and the team is the best. T rules, and this year we met Adam, who is also terrific. We would go there every night of our annual trip to Vieques if only it were open every night.

Probably the best restaurant in Esperanza. This is also one of the fanciest, and the prices reflect that. This is the only restaurant where we made a reservation, because we had a bio bay tour at 7 and wanted to make sure we could get in and out in time. For a place where things move slowly, I was impressed that we were able to get in and out in just over an hour! I had a Pinatini which was delicious - not strong, but I like it that way. We had the focaccia to start which was kind of like a small pizza - it had cheese and sliced vegetables on the top. It was good, but not exactly a traditional focaccia. For dinner, I had the deconstructed Yellowfin Tuna BLT - large pieces of seared tuna on a bed of lettuce with fresh tomatoes and bacon. It was delicious and plenty of food. My partner had the Swordfish - the best part of that dish in my opinion was the crab fritters that came with it. This restaurant has a very nice atmosphere and we had no issues with the wait staff.

Great service, quality dining. The carrot cake was expectacular. I really love it. Five stars

Muy buen servicio y la calidad de la comida . Lleve $$ $ porque los platos son caros. El ambiente excelente !

Upscale vibe, nice decor. Good service. Food was very good, although perhaps not as perfect as the prices would call for. Worth a special night out if you're in Vieques, if you're looking to splurge.

The nicest restaurant on the island, but a bit overdone and expensive. The serve was thorough, but not personable. It was my birthday, and we didn't get dessert there. I got the filet, no complaints. My partner got the Caribbean Spiny lobster--he said it wasn't good. Hard to eat. We are from Maine as well, so we have no problem eating lobster.

Perfect! Halibut and swordfish were excellent and the service was top notch Can't wait til next time

Ok so the focaccia is so good. Like probably some of the best focaccia I've ever had. It was so good that I got too excited and didn't take a picture. But basically 3 pieces of bread + dreamy tomato balsamic jam is a what you should envision. We also had the jackfruit bao buns. They were a really unique dish that I think even a non-vegetarian would enjoy. As a main dish we got a mushroom tagliatelle with an egg yolk served on top. It was also full of cheesy Parmesan and mushroom umami. Both dishes were imaginative and tasty, especially as vegetarian options. The atmosphere is beautiful and the restaurant was just redone post-Maria. The service was excellent. The cocktails were also very good. If you are looking for a culinary experience on the island of Vieques, this is the place to go.

The quality of the gradients does not match the price at all and the taste of food is very unpleasant...

Was lucky to wrangle a same-day reservation for 3 at 9pm. Tables turned slow that night so we had to wait about 20 minutes. Enough time to get a quick and cheap drink at the open air dance hall across the street. From the street El Quenepo looks beautiful. Felt special walking up to the front door. The dining room was a bit noisy but yeah, there's an open air dance hall across the street. Server was great - laid back, non-judgmental, and she recommended wine pairings throughout. The pulpo app was good, but a little crispier at the ends than I like. The shrimp pakora had a delicious harissa-type sauce on the plate. I got the swordfish, which was the simplest entree on the menu - no frills but still yummy. Also got to try the monkfish osso bucco, which was quite a treat. Came with some variety of ravioli and a whole langostino wearing a sort of caviar hat! All parts of the dish were fantastic, especially that tiny lobster's tail. I'd never seen a dish like that before. If it's on the menu when you're there, get it. Our third was our 8 year old who had filled up on pizza down the street at his usual dinner time. He was promised dessert if he'd hang with us at the fancy spot. He gave an enthusiastic thumbs up for the chocolate torte. He also liked the shrimp and swordfish, for the record. Server brought him a virgin cocktail on the house. Great experience overall. Hard to imagine how anyone but the fussiest patrons wouldn't have one too.

Make sure you get a reservation for a evening when there open. BEST meal we had on the island. Our waiter was excellent, and gave us suggestions. We had the grilled Octopus, duck liver pâté and for the main entree we shared, the Duck!!!! Sooo delicious! They also were very accommodating with the shared plate and plated our meal on 2 plates. Desert was a crème brûlée, yum!

The food and service is phenomenal. For main dishes we had the tuna and carbonara. For dessert we had the cheese cake and sorbet. Our food was served promptly and each dish was exquisite. The focaccia with sun dried tomato oil was a pleasant surprise. Make a reservation! This is probably how they keep high quality, gourmet food and service.

We had a wonderful, enchanted experience here. We made a reservation via email the night before. We were seated at an open window and though it rained we never got wet. The cucumber cocktail was crisp and refreshing. I had a generous, creative arugula salad and the BEST CEVICHE ever! I ordered the octopus appetizer as my main course and it was perfectly cooked and plated! My husband's tempura prawn appetizer, followed by a massive plate of Thai red curry were both excellent. Our server was on point and quite personable. The restaurant was clearly a place that long-term visitors love as many people greeted each other as they were seated. This was worth every dollar as it was our one "nice" dinner for our trip.

Best meal on the island hands down of our of four nights and five days. Stumbled upon it around opening time (5:30pm) and were impressed by the elegant interior with a fine dining atmosphere. The menu is refreshingly limited in contrast to places with an overwhelming amount of choices. The focaccia bread was a delicious starter - perfectly warm and soft on the inside. The goat masala and pork chop was incredible!! Such rich flavors, and the service was relatively fast, we were very impressed. The lemon tart with passionfruit meringue dessert was nice as well. It is a bit pricey but well worth the cost for a memorable meal.

Sophisticated option in otherwise laid back and non fancy island. The swordfish was phenomenal.

The absolute best restaurant and service on the island. A must stop every visit! It's my favorite restaurant. Wished I lived closer

Best food and service on the island by far. We have been coming to Vieques on and off for 25 years + ( back when the Navy was still bombing it!). Suffice to say, most dining spots are ok. If you want something special, El Quenepo is the spot. We had a fabulous meal (perfect check- apps, entrees,dessert). All were spot on. Also, our server, Adam (originally from Baton Rouge) was exceptional. Yes, it's pricey, but it's worth it. Highly recommended.

Three nights on the island. First night had an absolutely awesome meal at Coqui Fire. Tonight at El Quenepo; not even close. Beautiful location, decor and service, but not one thing we had to drink or eat was outstanding. Plus it cost twice as much as our Coqui meal. Sorry...