Old San Juan Restaurant

This food is absolutely disgusting…. The chicken smells worst then it taste. It smells as if it was sitting in grease all day. The rest is super salty I’m pretty sure my blood pressure will be high after eating this.

We stumbled upon this place after driving to Camden, and decided to give it a try. Food was good, though my mofongo and pork tasted slightly overcooked. I was not the biggest fan of the guava and cheese patty due to the amount of hardened cheese, but I liked the beef patty a lot. My husband ordered one of their specials, and the food was delicious, especially the steak. It was a great value for the amount of food we had, and we ended up taking enough home for lunch the following day. Service was good. One downside is most of the servers seemed to only speak Spanish, which lead to some ordering confusion, but was fine in the end. The atmosphere is very casual, and you can tell that they have regulars. They have a bar in the back that serves cans and bottles of beer. We will definitely be returning!

Great staff and good food! Beautiful atmosphere

Authentic Puerto Rican food!! Love the fact that they give you a cup of Puerto Rican chicken noodle soup as you get seated to start with. Man, reminded me of Puerto Rico and my grandmothers house and cooking! I had the chicharrón de cerdo with white rice and beans … delicious!! Beans are superb!!! My wife had the Cuban sandwich but with tostones in placement of bread because my wife is gluten sensitive! Great alternative! Definitely will be back. It’s Camden but easy to get in and out of. The area isn’t bad at all.

The atmosphere here makes you feel like you’re in Puerto Rico! From the music to the murals, it’s very inviting. The service was just average. Sometimes, the waiter was attentive but other times, it took a while for him to come to our table, despite the restaurant not being busy. Right when you sit down, they give you homemade chicken soup. It was really good, however, they do not take the bones out of the chicken, so there’s lots of bones. You have to make sure you’re looking down at the spoon before you put the soup in your mouth or you’ll be eating bones without realizing. The empanadas were good and had a good amount of filling in them. However, when my pernil platter arrived, it was cold. I asked the waiter if they could heat it up more. After a few minutes later, the waiter brought back my food but it wasn’t reheated. It was still really cold, which lead me to believe it was never reheated and just sat in the back getting colder. As a result, I didn’t even eat any of my food, which was a complete waste. Overall, the prices are very reasonable and the amount of food they give you is great. They just need to work on being more attentive and making sure that the food that is being served is hot, instead of cold.

This time, we decided to eat in the restaurant. I asked for Cuajito con guineitos, and my mom ordered the chicken soup. Food was delicious. Just two things I didn't get. 1) Menu stated 18% gratuity for 6 or more parties... we were just 2, and the 18% showed on the receipt. The server was fantastic, and I wouldn't mind giving a good tip on my own instead of being imposed. 2) The party next table had a small dog in a stroller... didn't know dogs/pets are allowed in restaurants. Next time, I'd order to go as usual.

Very nice staff, answered all my questions as I wasn’t sure which meat was what. Portions are very nice too so you can have enough for now and later! Fair pricing too, will be back

Just had take out - Grilled Chicken and Spanish Rice - it really was incredible- for $12 I had a small full chicken grilled to perfection and really exceptional rice - it took just a few minutes to complete my order - and the adjacent parking made this whole trip easy and great in every way - I look forward to many more visits - the ladies on the staff had the best smiles too!!! I love everything about this place

This is my favorite restaurant to eat authentic puerto rican food. I have to drive around an hour or so every time I want to go. It is worth it. If I had to say something "not that positive" would be that the music sometimes its too loud for my taste, but Im not to only one there so I really don't mind it. This past month (May) a new Puerto Rican restaurant opened up and it's literally a 6 minute drive from my home to their parking lot, it is fine, not bad but I still drive the 1 hour to visit OLD SAN JUAN Rest. The staff is amazing, very friendly. Food is delicious, always. I went today again and Im always lucky to get the same server, had to ask her name today. It's either Kadie or Katy (sorry if I miss pronounced it, didn't want to ask her again) But if you are reading this, thank you for your great service and for let me pay the bread on the other register That was awesome! Muchas Gracias!!!

The best Spanish restaurant in New Jersey. You get plenty of food on each platter. The service is great. The place is very clean.

Old San Juan is a definite go-to in East Camden. The restaurant is split - one side is sit down and the left side is smaller for take-out. The food is delicious and the service is always great. I always order appetizer trays for holiday events. Catering is an excellent idea for any event. Can't ever go wrong with some Spanish food :)

Bring the heart of Old San Juan Puerto Rico right to your plate. The arroz has that perfect balance of sazón and the pigeon peas are cooked just right - not too firm, not too soft. Yuca is very filling and made so tasty for such a simple item. Priced very modestly considering the generous portions. Authentic flavors and experience here make it worth every penny.

We dined in on a Friday night and it was decently busy. We were given complimentary chicken noodle soup. Flavorful soup with a lot of pieces of chicken in it. For those who do not eat authentic foods from other countries, be warned that there are chicken bones in the soup. We ordered chorizo, beef, and beef cheesesteak empanadas. The empanadas are bigger in size than what I'm used to buying. The chorizo empanada was the best- flavor blast. The beef one was too salty. The cheesesteak one didn't have as much flavor. We all loved the Oxtail / Rabo - Yellow Rice with Pigeon Peas. The oxtail was tender. The stew was packed full of flavor. My Vietnamese friend said it reminded him of Bò Kho (Viet beef stew). We enjoyed the pernil with chicharrón mofongo. The pork had a Smokey flavor to it, but it was a bit drip. We drizzled the oxtail soup on top which made it delicious. This all came out to be $51 with tip included. We bought chicharrón to go. 0.72lb was about $7. It was super crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

I recently went to a Puerto Rican themed birthday party and old San Juan catered the food That was authentic and delicious and an excellent idea for a party. The mini empanadas were to die for and the Panini was moist without being greasy. I could go on but to give you an idea of how good this place is the person throwing the party drove 50 miles to pick up the food.

Found myself in New Jersey today and I found this place. Where I'm from there's not many Authentic Puerto Rican restaurants so when I came across this place I got excited. It did not disappoint one bit! The menu had great selections whether it was food, drinks, or dessert. Everything I had today was amazing. The server, the main course, and the dessert were all amazing. If you find yourself in Camden, New Jersey definitely try this place out! Great service, Great food, great atmosphere. Will go again at any chance I'm given.

Soup, empanadas, mofongo, pernil arroz con gandules, paella...everything was delicious! We enjoyed our Puerto Rican dishes

Absolutely delighted we made the trek to Camden for a Sunday lunch. Inside it was filled with lots of families and friends enjoying a leisurely meal. Promptly after we sat down and ordered, complimentary little bowls of chicken soup appeared on our table. SO delicious and when the server mistakenly brought me a second bowl, I did not send it back. Nope, I ate it like it was a sign from the heavens. I decided on the pollo guisado (chicken stew) -$14 and a generous serving it was, filled with chunky carrots and plenty of chicken. I could only finish half. I asked for the arroz condules (rice with peas) and it was so good - the perfect accompaniment. We wandered over to the take out counter - everything looked so good. Need to add pernil (roasted pork) for my next visit.

The food here is awesome lots to choose from. But here early because it gets busy . The staff is very nice and they will explain everything in English or Spanish

This was smack dab in Camden, NJ, however the risk was worth the reward. Walking in the woman working are laughing and seem like they're have a really good time making excellent food MADE WITH LOVE AND PASSION FOR COOKING. it's small but has a beautiful case of everything you can imagine. I went with the pernil platter with yellow rice and pigeon peas and oh my!! It took me back to Dominican Republic eating fresh mofongo with the music to match. I highly recommend this place and I will be back

Oh my. I was craving crispity pernil and had heard some buzz about the food here. Stopped by for a weekend lunch and was pleasantly surprised to get immediate seating. We started off with a complimentary chicken soup in a rich tomato broth. Delicious. My pernil platter was the bomb. Huge portions of rice and moist pork chunks with perfect skin sprinkled on top. I had ordered fried plantains but they delivered tostones instead. They replaced it quickly and it was also tasty. There's plenty of parking around the building. Wil be happy to return to try another meal.

I currently live in Camden so old San Juan is a restaurant that I've been to with friends and family. The food is authentic. Ambiance is authentic as-well. Service is great. Easier and quicker for Spanish natives. I don't say that because the menu is in Spanish it a Puerto Rican restaurant I expect nothing else, I say this because I am an African American women that expressed discrimination. The day I went into old San Juan to dine in by my self I was charged an outrageous prices. I order the sea food soup and mofongo. Delicious, even came with a soup on the house. Unfortunately when it came to the bill I was charged then I've ever paid. The proce for a seafood soup is 22.00$ and if mofongo wasn't included that was 5.00$ on the side. I did purchase 2 beers and those are 3.50 each. My total came out to be somewhere between 56$. When it's should be somewhere around 32.00$ and with tip 10$ would've came out to be 42 the most. Now I could be mistaken and the waiter added a 20$ tip or I could've been charged for a different meal. But at the time my waiter did not speak any English. This is not a problem for me because I have Hispanic family member. I worked around this. She was very polite and made me feel comfortable but when it came to the price, I was a confused I paid the bill but unfortunately this is not the first time I've heard old San Juan charging African Americans or those who are not of there cultured more money for there dishes. Be careful and review what you order pleasant restaurant!

My favorite spot. I found this place when I moved here in 2017. I have not found anything else that compares. The empanadas are so so so good. Pernil always on point. Reasonable prices & friendly staff

Exceptional PR food Good service Pleasant atmosphere. Tripe stew, rice and beans. Stiffed plantains, all were great.

This is still my go to place. I have started to eat inside for lunch and it never disappoints. Most recently I have had their mofogonitos with bistec and chicken drizzled in garlic sauce and it's so good. There is not one thing I have had from this place that I don't love from the rice, pernil, empanadas, tostones, chicken wings, carne guisada and more. If you are in the area stop in and enjoy an affordable Spanish meal.

Authentic and Delicious. This little gem offers amazing Puertorican cuisine and my wife and I could not be happier that we found this restaurant. The flavors and atmosphere made me feel right back at home. The service was excellent and the music was

I've been to Puerto Rico a dozen times and this is as authentic as it's getting in NJ! Absolutely incredible food & service! Will definitely be back again!

Really amazing ,tasty,gd food. Will kp gng everything we come down to jersey.This is wat u call Comfort Food and amazing prices.

I've gone here twice and I must say when they DO have what you want on the menu, it's delicious. If you get here past a certain time, things tend to run out. I've only had one server that was polite, the others don't really want to make conversation. They could be better with cleaning the restaurant as I did have to wipe our own table both times from the food of the people before us. They have a 'bar' but it literally only serves a couple different beers and liquor. Again, the food is good but thats it.

So you walk in, the food is out. So think of it like buffet style. It was good. The sazon they use is very flavorful because that food is amazing. The emanadas weren't all that. They were my least favorite thing and the tostones were hard as hell. I guess they had been sitting out too long. Other then that the wait was long when I got there. I waited about 20 mins but they took their time with me and treated me fair. Overall I would go back. Preferably around the time they're opening. Very good stuff. Also note the food is weighed. So for everything in the picture I paid $30. Which in my opinion wasn't bad at all.

Love this place! Authentic Puerto Rican food. Eat in or take out. Great to pick up to feed a big party. Food has plenty of flavor and the portions are great. Take out section displays the food so you see exactly what you're getting. Service is friendly and they are willing to help explain any of the dishes that don't look familiar to you. Extensive menu for eat in, with the typical feel of a Restuarant on the island not fancy so an cozy upscale place but you should enjoy the food.

I have no idea how I've missed this place being here for practically my life right around the corner from where I live, but we're untied now and definitely have a union ahead of us. I went with my family, and just ordered anside of rice with gravy, plantains, a chicken empandilla, and a cod fish empandilla. My sister got red snapper, my father stew chicken, and my mother shrimp. I didn't like my chicken empandilla too much. It wasn't traditional. I think it was lightly seasoned chicken with I think cheese. Had I known, I wouldn't have gotten it. But my cod fish one was DELICIOUS. They did it right. And just this item alone will keep me coming back. I wish my rice had olives in it, but it was still good. And I ate every grain. My family all devoured their food. I did taste some of the red snapper and it was GOOD. I'd go back for that too! This place has a constant flow of traffic over on their take out side. That let's you know the food is good!

Pro: Authentic Puerto Rican cuisine! Whether you elect for dine-in or takeout, the menu at OSJ will give you a feel of Puerto Rico comparable to a ferry boat ride from Fajardo to Vieques! My geography tangent notwithstanding, here are the highlights...the monfongo with pernil (roast pork) is the best I've had on the east coast thus far, the empanadas (to include the pork and bacalao (codfish) options) are great, and the octopus salad was worth its weight in gold! Con: The neighborhood surrounding OSJ is a bit on the rugged side. Bottom Line: Only a run of salsa music and a game of "capicu" dominoes can make this any more Puerto Rican. ¡Buen provecho!

One of the best Spanish restaurants in the area! Food always tastes amazing and the portions are great too.

I stop in this restaurant from time to time.... If you like Puerto Rican food, this is one of the best places in the area... I mainly just go into the takeout side.... They have plenty of your favorite dishes to choose from.. roast pork, stew chicken and beef, tripe, chicarrones, ribs, epanadillas, stew goat, puplo salad.. the selections are great..They also serve fresh fruit drinks, and have decent desserts.... I stopped in today with my son, had a meal and he left with coconut cake... The appearance looks more like a corner store, you'll see people from all walks of life coming through to buy meals, and parking there is a challenge.. But the food is well worth it.. Friendly service and they do serve drinks in the restaurant... I'll go as far as calling this place a local gem since you can't find any Puerto Rican food outside of the Camden/Philly city limits....

I was just there. I ordered the rellenos de Papa and una alcapurria. The lady behind the counter completely ignored me after I waited about four or five minutes and this is the same reason I have not been there in four or five years. The food, everyone says is good but the service stinks. I don't appreciate being ignored. I hate to suggest this, but maybe it's because I am a dark skin African American man. I do speak Spanish and the counterperson spoke English. So there was no language problem. She did apologize but as I said before I was ignored before as I was this time. I will not return.

Great food feels like San Juan foreal!

If you're looking for the best Spanish food experience. Old SanJuan is your place. They serve the best combination of the Puerto Rican and Dominican Cuisine. The Mangu, Mofongo and all kind of rices Is just an example of their menu. I recomend the Seafood Mofongo umm. Or the Bistec Encebollado. If you're into seafood, The Octopus salad is a must. One thing, make sure you're prepared before you go because their portions are VERY GENEROUS. and very affordable. Enjoy

The food there was awesome. I had fried chicken with mofongo. I haven't have mofongo that good since I was in PR. My husband had pernil rice and sweet plantains. It was extremely good. The people there were extremely nice. It's very busy .

Great service dine in service, food amazing. I had the sancocho. So good will be back for more.

The empanadas are not able to make it home. I always end up eating them in the car!!! Delish. All food is delish.

The food was absolutely amazing I enjoyed everything that I tried!! We ordered a little bit of everything. My fav was the lobster empanadilla and the tornillos! The service was excellent and everyone was very welcoming. I live in Virginia but would definitely visit again very soon. Even my picky children loved it!! The passion fruit juice was really good and the ambience makes u feel like you really are in PR. Highly recommend!

Can't afford to visit Puerto Rico, stop by Old San Juan Restaurant and you can eat like you are there. The food is always fresh, homemade, and plentiful. My eyes are always bigger than my stomach. Just means leftovers. Very reasonably priced. So prepare for a wait, there is always a crowd.

Some of the best Spanish food around hands down. . Friendly faces and customer service makes it easy to come back again and again.

Just went to Old San Juan last night with the Camden Supper Club, and I'm glad we finally got there. I'd been wanting to go here ever since they came to the Camden Night Gardens a few years back. Putting the event together was a little difficult on the phone; there's a bit of a language barrier, which complicated ordering in person a bit, too, but eventually we got it organized and (almost) everyone got what they wanted. Overall they hosted about 20 of us in the restaurant, which itself was an impressive feat. They were extremely welcoming and , giving us a large dish of what seems to be garlic bread and some empanadas (which were delicious). And afterward, they gave everyone a slice of flan (also delicious, possibly the best I've ever had). They were obviously very happy to have us, and that was really nice. For myself, I got the roast pork/pernil asado, and it was great. The meat was juicy and tender, and the yellow rice and beans was good too. The side salad was a more for show than taste, but that's not really why you're there. Everyone else's food looked great too, from mofongo to plaintains, shrimp to kingfish (which I'd never even heard of before). Camden has no lack of great Puerto Rican food, and Old San Juan is solidly in the top tier of restaurants in the city. I can't wait to get back here to try more things on their menu.

I'm Dominican new to the area and was pretty disappointed that the only Dominican restaurants near me are over the bridge in Philly. I settled for Old San Juan and let me say this place does not disappoint. I ordered the Rabo and rice/beans/pernil/maduros combo, all with perfect flavor. Buffet style food, which means you'll have to wait in line if stopping in.

A co-worker and I came here for lunch the other day for take-out. We ordered everything, pernil, rice and beans, chicharrones, octopus salad, tostones.... it was delicious! General portions, friendly and quick service, clean location I will continue to come back for excellent authentic puerto rican food!

Date of Visit: 2/20/18 1:30 p.m. I arrived at Old San Juan for lunch before classes and had a wonderful experience. By no means was the restaurant crowed, I was greeted by the savory smells of freshly cut meats on the deli side of the restaurant, and the tempting smells of lunch dishes carried out of the kitchen. There was a table with a small flower in the middle that I was placed at, and to the effect of how long I waited for service was nonexistent, service met me at the door with a smile that brightened my day. A menu was placed in front of me with silver wear and fresh ice-cold water. I began to order, "I'll take your blood sausage, your spiciest chicken wings and to top it off, a meat mountain." In review the blood sausage was made in an honest recipe true to their method with no substitutions, it reminded me of traveling back to Baton Rouge, Louisiana having Budan; I loved it, it was as if I drove twenty-five hours straight in a matter of seconds. Old San Juan's Blood sausage is a dish that is etched in my memory forever to be craved. As much as I would love to stay to enjoy talking about that salty and savory meaty treat, I must press on. The Chicken Wings with the conceptually odd request of increasing the 'heat,' so to speak was well cooked and presented with the usual with celery and blue cheese. The Meat Mountain is a Cubano piled with all sorts of different meats, pulled smoked pork, beef brisket, chicken breast all smothered traditionally marinated with a sauce called mojo which has orange juice, lime juice, garlic, oregano and cumin. Spice, is the spice of the live of food. I would recommend Old San Juan in Camden, NJ to any one of my friends and family. Although, as with most of Camden the parking is atrocious but the sites and foods are worth the wait. The food, the tastes, the smells are all wonderful authentic Puerto Rican food. The food quality itself was fresh, all were cooked through and through. Although, one improvement would be to increase the variety of drink choice all that caught my eye was a coffee and a mango juice. I give Old San Juan a ten out of ten rating. - Cody Lee Henson

I will start with the positive. So lets start by saying that this pplace has very delicious Puerto Rican/Dominican food. We live about 2 hours away but when we visit Philly we will come back. Now the MOFONGO was super delicious and brought back memories. Even my hubby that is from another country said it tasted boricua. Shrimp was delucious, rice was good, the tostones where awesome and the garlic sauce was crazy good. Now you might say why 4 stars, because the beans DON'T taste like home, they need ham or calabaza, sofrito, basically more flavor (I can go and teach you all) and the service was SLOWWWWWWWW We were in a hurry as we were pasing by from the beach but the girl was super slow. We asked about the to go food amd she assured us it would be quick but it was not. She forgot things we ordered and also forgot to get our sodas and we were choking...but at the end we had good food.

I was visiting Camden due to family emergency and all we had had was nothing but hospital food!! We really needed a home meal and this restaurant was one of the very few open on Monday, the day after NEW YEARS day....We ordered from the cafeteria side because the restaurant was closed. 1. Chicken soup.... was ok 2. Arroz con Gandules...was very clumpy (mogollado) 3. Pernil....very bland and dry, we asked for a piece of cuero and it was not crispy at all, it was super chewy and extremely undercooked. 4. Bacalao guisado..... don't order it!!!!! Flavor was ok, but it was not deboned at all. I had a WHOLE bunch of espinas everywhere including over my rice because they serve everything together in a plate that had no dividers. 5. Alcapurias de platano.....were super oily, the oil dripped to the bottom of the plastic bag they put it in that the bottom part of the bag and alcapurias had about 4 tablespoons of oil laying there. I gave it 2 stars because, looking on the bright side they were open while almost everything else was closed... and as a Puerto Rican I wonder if this was a very bad day for them (we've all been there...se quema el arroz las abichuelas se secan, etc.....)or if there even was a native Puerto Rican in the kitchen. Very disappointed will visit another place next time we are in Camden.

This place is amazing! I've been coming here since I worked in Camden years ago and still come from Philly for a pick me up and/or catering needs! Staff is always fast & helpful & the food is even better! Totally recommend!

With much better places around for Puerto Rican food like Jeritza's and Freddy's I don't make it here often and it would never be my first choice. Conveniently located across the street from Cousin's Supermarket it gets high traffic but I find the food to be bland and overly greasy (to the point that it makes my stomach upset). The rice is bland and dry. I had a pastellio that while limp and dry was dripping with oil that tasted old and the chicken was dry. Their meats especially the pernil (pork) is greasy and bland. At this point, I dont think I would ever return. I am a little harsh having many people in my life who are able to cook authentic Puerto Rican food. Therefore, i know what it is suppose to taste like.

Great food if you're not Spanish there's a little bit of a language barrier but very nice people.

If you want real Puertorican food, this is the spot right here. Not a lot of places like this, I just found a hidden treasure. Come on down. You won't be dissapointed.

This restaurant is a gem in New Jersey! The wonderful Caribbean aroma hits you when you walk through the doors. A small restaurant, very casual environment. The customer service is outstanding and our orders were served within 10 minutes of placing it. I had the mofongo con camarones (fried and mashed plantains with toasty bacon and garlic bits) topped with fresh shrimp in a creole sauce. Amazing! It's served with homemade chicken soup just like my mom made it! We also tried the octopus salad which was also amazing. Of course no Puerto Rican meal is complete without sweet plantains. Yummy! Highly recommend this place!

I saw a article on good Spanish and Caribbean food, and this place was listed. I always drive to Philly for any Caribbean or Spanish food. Decided to take a chance and try this place out and I was more than pleasantly surprised. When I walked in it was so much to choose from I had a hard time making up my mind. I was greeted promptly and the staff seemed friendly. I ordered a platter with rice and beans, pepper steak and cubed steak. I also ordered a codfish empanada/pastellio. The rice was very well seasoned, and the beef was really tender. My total was $11, and my platter was stuffed. It was enough for dinner for two days. I will definitely return and am looking forward to trying more of their dishes. They do have an eat in section, I don't think I will ever eat in, when I walked inside the place was burning up hot.

Back in the day when acrylics were "in", my friends and I frequented Camden biweekly for fills. Whenever we did, we would get take out at this dive. The food was always great, cheap and enough to feed a small army. Years later, I still love me some Puerto Rican food... but not from here anymore. The last few times I've come here, the food has been ok. I've broadened my horizons and found two other places with better food and much better service. However, last night on my ride back to Merchantville from Rutgers I figured I'd make a quick pit stop there to pick up dinner. Bad move! The "server" in the take out area was a miserable, nasty, rude woman. Her face was in a constant grimace as she asked what I wanted, threw my food into take-out containers, and stared at me with an attitude I would have liked to knock off her face. :) They didn't have steak in red sauce (our fave) and the rice didn't look so hot. After writing a humongous 0 in the tip area on my credit receipt and smiling as I handed it back to sweetie pie, we left for the last time. When we got home, the plantanos were amazing, as was the pork, but the rice was just ok and the chicken was dry. Either way, next time I'll be heading to Freddy's and suggest you do as well for service with a smile and food out the wazoo.

I had dinner at this place and it was super!! Am born and raised in the Island and a super critic of my traditional food... This place hit the spot. Service was great and affordable... You are welcome with a great soup to start your meal. In front of the restaurant there is a Super Market that you can get all latin products ... Recaito, Sofrito, Malta India, Salchichas Calmelas , etc .... I enjoyed a great meal while listening to Marc Anthony and a cold beer ... Like I was back in Puerto Rico !