Verde Mesa

Had one of the best meals of my life here at Verde Mesa! Everything from the fantastic and friendly staff to the food to the atmosphere was fantastic. It is walk in only but before 5:30pm it really had no wait time. You can really tell it is a farm to table experience and the drinks were very special and balanced. The highlights were the house special rice dish, the sourdough, the tomato ceviche, and the purple cloud dessert. The food was sooo good here I had two appetizers and desserts. They do not have tap which is fine just be aware you can choose between still and sparkling and it is on their website. I was so pleased with their large vegetarian selection and truly this would be my first stop next time in San Juan.

This was our last night PR and truly what a magnificent way to send us off. Everything was phenomenal! What a gift. Food 20/10. Atmosphere 12/10. Cocktails 10/10. Service 15/10. So special, truly a must! Our server Steven was incredible and guided us to some of the best things on the menu!

Beautiful space with creative plating and a menu that clearly aims for a more modern, elevated style, but be prepared for a lively, somewhat loud dining room. The meal started strong with the tiradito de atún, easily one of the highlights. Fresh, clean flavors with a bright, citrusy sauce and crisp radish slices that gave it great contrast. Light, refreshing, and very well balanced. The side kofta was also enjoyable, nicely seasoned with a good char on the outside. It had a comforting, almost home-style feel and worked well as a small starter. The arroz VM was another standout. Fragrant, nicely cooked rice with vegetables and subtle seasoning that made it feel both hearty and refined. It had depth without being heavy and was probably the most satisfying dish on the table. The sirloin was just so-so. It was cooked properly, but the flavor and tenderness didn’t reach steakhouse quality, especially for the price. It felt more like a supporting dish than a centerpiece and didn’t quite match the creativity of the other plates. The green infusion cocktail wasn’t a hit. It leaned heavily into a briny, herbal flavor that tasted more like pickles than a balanced cocktail. Also worth noting: on this particular night they were completely out of scallops, which was actually the main reason we chose the restaurant, so that was a bit disappointing. Overall, Verde Mesa has a beautiful atmosphere and some thoughtful, flavorful dishes, especially the tuna and rice. Just note that it can get quite loud, and the steak and cocktail weren’t the highlights of the meal. If you stick to the seafood and house specialties, you’ll likely have a better experience.

Really nice dinner here last night - interesting flavor combos, beautiful interior, fabulous service. We shared the daily special which was conch in some sort of delectable lime sauce, like a ceviche. Oh, dear, it was unbelievably delicious! I had the lamb triangolis, little lamb ravioli-type packets of goodness over sautéed kale with a side of gnocchi. My daughter & her boyfriend had the lamb chops in an incredibly flavorful broth. My husband had the tuna, my MIL had the scallops. Everything came to the table piping hot. Our server (sorry, can't remember her name) was wonderful, cheerful and very proud of the food, as it should be. Highly recommend!

Top of my list! Truly a gem. Everything we tried was spectacular, from cocktails to appetizers to main dish to dessert. Our waiter, Pedro, was telling us you can't go wrong with any dish in this place and I believe him. Nice decor, classical, but magical. The infusion Cocktails were unique. Tiradito de Atun with Passion Fruit was gone in seconds. Lamb-filled Cappelletti, nice Moroccan flavors. For mains, we were recommended their Verde Mesa house Rice (Vegetarian), a MUST try. And we also shared the Pork Cheeks, and they were a perfect blend of flavors with the rice. Both enough portions to share for two people. Almond Flour Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake to finish a perfect dinner, so rich, but very well balanced in sweetness. I believe this place has been in operation for 16-years, I wish them many more to come. They seem to have achieved culinary perfection. P.S. Pedro was so cordial, welcoming and friendly it really made our night special, Thank You!

Adrian was amazing at explaining the food and ingredients. The food was amazing! Love the textures, flavors & taste. Will definitely return! The purple cloud was absolutely delicious 🥰.

as an LA foodie - i travel for food. san juan has been very special. verde mesa was for real incredible. best lamb i’ve ever had. service by christina was awesome - she gave the best recommendations in the menu. pls don’t miss the fried rice as well. andres at the door was very personable. this is worth the travel worth the wait too.

This is definitely one of the best restaurants in Old San Juan . (Discovery)Found this from the James Beard list . It is mentioned is several travel recommendations and rightly so. (Going there and reservations) - the restaurant is first come first serve. The timings listed on the website and the real timings did not match . The communication was also inconsistent. There were several people waiting for the restaurant to open foe lunch but were not really sure whether it actually will. (The food) - We ordered a few small plates seafood and vegetables- see in the photos- each one of them was EXCEPTIONAL . we didnt want to order alcohol but I tried ordering a mocktail . It never came despite a reminder. which is why I have given service 4 stars instead of 5. Its definitely innovative and delicious , so a must try if you can navigate and dont mind the initial hassle regarding timings. We didnt get to try desserts so there is some FOMO related to that :) Prices were on the higher side compared to other places in OSJ but very reasonable for a restaurant of this caliber in cooking.

Absolutely transcendent experience - my daughter and I were looking for a light dinner to finish our evening and the owner graciously found a spot for us despite the holiday crowd. The Yellowfin appetizer and warm date cake with lovely cocktails were so flavorful and fresh. The staff was attentive but not hovering and are clearly so committed to Loyda's vision. There are plenty of nice places in San Juan if you want volume of food. Come here to nourish your soul and body.

This was our last meal in San Juan. Everything was good!! Some favorites: Appetizers: tartare, tomato salad, oysters were meatyyy Entree: fried rice and ribeye We ordered all 3 desserts and demolished those :)

Lovely night! You feel that you are in a magical place as soon as you enter the restaurant with unique decoration and seductive aromas. The atmosphere is cozy with friendly staff. Is a farm to table concept so I was very excited to try the chef creations with the freshest local products. Chef Gabriel Hernandez has won a James Beard Award back in 2018 and is nominated again this year. The menu is simple, but all the dishes we tried were packed with vibrant flavors and brilliantly balanced. As appetizer we had the oysters with caviar and the tuna passionfruit sashimi both really good. To me the highlight of the starters was the sourdough toast made with egg spread, date jam, cheese and sunflower seeds, DELICIOUS! We also ordered a special that they had that night, "carrucho ceviche" very fresh with lovely citrus flavors. Another HIT was the Verde Mesa Rice combining eggplant, zucchini, pumpkin, mushroom, caramelized onions, walnuts, cranberries and pepper topped with pecorino cheese. OUTSTANDING! I had the seared tuna with pumpkin as entree and my husband had the scallops, both amazing. For dessert our server suggested the cloud which consisted of blueberries with some type of whipped cream and merengue. Perfect way of closing our delightful dinner. They don't make reservations is first come first serve. I recommend get there early evening, close to when they open. My only regret is not having gone sooner!

Scallops with Caviar ($34): Absolutely not worth it. An appetizer for $34. You have to really like caviar to want to pay $34 for this. Tasted fine, but truly a ripoff. Verde Mesa Rice ($26): this was delicious. Every bite had a whole world of flavors. Such a great melange of ingredients coming together. At $26, the price is pretty hefty for a vegan dish. Swordfish ($38): swordfish was decent. The swiss chard was way too salty, which detracted from this dish. Tasted okay otherwise, but 100% not worth the $38. Ambiance/Service: when we were seated, our table was dirty. There were still crumbs on it. When they brought over wooden utensils holders for us, one of them still had some food encrusted on it. This was unacceptable. When we informed our waitress about it, she didn't really apologize. Otherwise, interior decoration was nice. I was between a 3 and a 4 for this restaurant. It's a 3.5, but I'll round down to a 3 because this place is so overpriced. We basically got everything the waitress recommended, and the only one that MIGHT have been worth it was the rice.

Incredible service. This was one of the best meals we've ever had. We ordered oysters and tomato ceviche as an appetizer. Both were delicious, but the tomato ceviche with the thinly sliced melon and an avocado crema was stellar. My husband ordered the pork cheek stew with sweet potato gnocchi. It was a special that day...a show stopper. I ordered a cucumber salad with pitaya and trout caviar. Very bright and refreshing. The ambiance is cozy and a little romantic. Our table was an antique Singer sewing table.

They were very accomodating to my vegan diet. The food was great, and Andres, our waiter, was certainly one of the greatest waiters I've ever been served by. As someone that used to work in a hotel and a restaurant, it is easy to recognize great hospitality. The service was exemplary

This was a fantastic find for lunch after sweating our way through Old San Juan. It was a beautiful little oasis in the midst of all the hustle & heat of the city. Most of our meals in PR had been super casual & it was a nice change of pace to have such an exquisite meal. I cannot say enough about this lunch - from the house-made cocktails (mocktails for my kids), from the beautifully executed courses - everything was perfection. Service was attentive & helpful. This is not an inexpensive meal, but was worth every penny. Heirloom tomato salad with pickled melon was ice cold & so refreshing. The "toast"was a beautiful combination of textures & flavors. I had the scallop special with some of the most beautiful scallops I've ever tasted. The yellowfin tuna over burnt papaya was outstanding. We were not sure what to expect with the Mangu stuffed with smoked pork, but so salty & yummy. We topped it off by sharing the date sponge cake & the purple cloud. Then rolled out there much happier than when we came in!

I would not recommend Verde Mesa for vegans. The food was OK but definitely not worth the very high prices. If you're meat eater, it might be a different experience. I had their signature rice, and it wasn't very flavorful, but it was edible. Definitely not worth the money, with so many other options, like Aliando's around the corner.

To me, it's the best restaurant in PR! Dinner, dessert & drinks were amazing! Scallop dish with dotted dates was excellent and the best I've ever had anywhere! No kidding. Dessert and drinks were original and delicious! Fantastic night and the entire staff was beautiful, gracious & attentive!! Looking forward to returning to old San Juan soon and visiting this place to see what farm to table creations they come up with next.

Verde Mesa is a magical haven off the beaten path in aols San Juan! I was given a last minute recommendation and am so happy I followed through. Walking in took my breath away ... immersion in beauty and whimsy. Sat at the bar and was greeted by Willie and Nola Who was In training. Both were so personable and made my visit truly noteworthy. Willie whippped me up the most amazing specialty rum and bubbly cocktail and I noshes on the most tasty egg/cheese/nut toast. YUM! I can't wait to return!

We read about Verde Mesa... farm to table.. yes, we are captured by their mission. We enter the most charming, delightful space! The decor is magical. The service exquisite! We ordered numerous small plates, a couple of entrees for our group of 5. So fresh! Amazing flavors , combinations! We got 2 desserts, a date cake and the Cloud. The coffee service almost made me cry. Such beautiful cups, delicious brew. This is a must go to restaurant in San Juan.

Great meal at Verde Mesa... awesome cocktails and food was great. Started out with the Tuna Meatballs and then had the Verde Mesa Rice with chicken (incredible). Could have gone without the pork gnocchi but it was still good. Service was top notch. Only knock is that it is a bit overpriced.

Right on the ocean in Old Town this little local sustainable farm to table restaurant is so charming, filled with a hotchpotch of art and antiques in the dining room. The food packs a huge punch of traditional Puerto Rican flavors with creative and modern twists. Chef Gabriel Hernández is a James Bierd Nominee this year for good reason. The staff was just lovely, especially Sofia, our waitress who was so patient and kind, and the amazing bartender that kept up with a ton of special requests from us. Great experience, great food, and great way to celebrate with friends, thank you!

Outstanding restaurant, very nice ambiance, great service, and phenomenal food. Thoroughly enjoyable.

I stumbled across this restaurant in 2018 with family and friends and truly had the best steak of my life. I've been back to PR multiple times since and searched for it (I couldn't for the life of me remember the name) and never could find it. Turns out they just reopened this year post-covid! We went this trip and it was phenomenal. The restaurant itself is gorgeous and the food still is stunning. Would absolutely recommend.

Unique food choices, great decor and ambience, attentive service. They even have tea which is unusual for Puerto Rico.

Not sure if it was because I'm on vacation or because they don't take reservations and we spent two nights looking in the window trying to get in but probably the best meal I've had in recent memory. All the farm to table restaurants in New York that I seek out honestly aren't as good. The menu wasn't overly complex but the items we ordered were extremely well balanced and had insanely vibrant tastes. It's like with every bite you could taste each ingredient individually ....it's hard to explain. The cloud desert thingy at the end matched well with my espresso and had a very light but sweet taste. I have never had a desert like it. The setting made me feel like I was at an 18th century grandmas house that somehow completely enhanced the experience