Magdalena Cocina Creativa

Review summary

1. C

   Catherine

   Washington DC

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 1

   Magdalena Cocina may look impressive on social media (so great that we selected it for a special family celebration), but the experience was not what we thought it would be. From the moment we arrived, the service felt off. We were placed in an empty, dimly lit dining hall with a broken table under the advice that our party of three couldn’t be accommodated in the main section—only to watch a group of four seated there half an hour after our arrival. It set the tone for an evening of feeling like an afterthought. The food was just as disappointing. The filet mignon was a poor-quality cut, seemingly seasoned only with salt. The empanadas arrived burnt, a clear sign that attention to detail is nonexistent in this kitchen. The lobster ravioli? Good—but nowhere near good enough to redeem the rest of the meal. And the “potatoes gratined” turned out to be a baked potato cut in half, topped with cheese and caramelized onions—a fancy name for a dressed-up budget dish. Service was equally underwhelming. Our wine request was forgotten until we reminded them, and the tasting was sent to the wrong person - a faux pas in fine dining. The appetizer took nearly an hour to arrive, which might have been tolerable had we received a single check-in during that time—but we didn’t. The host, meanwhile, seemed more interested in theatrical engagement than genuine hospitality, coming across as forced and insincere. Ultimately, this place is a tourist trap with an inflated sense of self-importance. The food was definitely not worth the wait, nor the money. I gently recommend that you spend your money elsewhere—San Juan has other dining options that don’t rely on smoke and mirrors to justify their price tag. Please note: the online site requires reservations; and our group DID make those arrangements ahead of time. However, there were spare tables in the dining hall we were seated in (for context: Winter Season, on a Sunday).
   

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2. E

   Emisael

   Caribbean

   5 reviews

   4.0

   5 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Food is great, service is good, ambiance is nice. Only we had to wait too much for the food.
   

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3. C

   Conrado

   VIP

   Caribbean

   46 reviews

   1.0

   46 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 2

   Valentine’s Dinner Reservation at 7:30pm…seated promptly 👍 Cocktails very good and served promptly 👍 From here on everything went downhill…. The limited menu consisted of five appetizers and five main dishes (three pastas and two beef). We ordered the arancini ($19 for a single piece) and the octopus (also very small portion)…both average. For dinner we ordered the lobster ravioli ($37) and the duck ravioli ($45), both salty and average for such high prices. The side of grill vegetables never arrived. It took over 2 hours for dinner to arrive. The server was friendly but overwhelmed with too many tables, had to remind him to refill water, order more drinks bring new silverware. Did not have dessert, to late and tired to wait more. RUINED VALENTINE’S DINNER!👎🤬👎
   

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4. E

   Eduardo

   VIP

   New York City

   10 reviews

   3.0

   10 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   The food was delicious but the appetizer portions were rather small. The main courses were just right. The ambiance did not really work for a romantic evening as the noise level was high. The service left a lot to be desired. The pace of the courses was slow and I could see that the other diners were having a similar situation.
   

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5. J

   Justin

   VIP

   Greater Boston

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   I had the elk for a Valentine's Day feast. One of the best meals of my life
   

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6. D

   DAN

   Southwest Florida

   10 reviews

   5.0

   10 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Very authentic and beautiful restaurant in the Condonado district. Exceptional staff.
   

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7. J

   Jaime

   VIP

   Orlando

   22 reviews

   5.0

   22 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   As always, this restaurant never ceases to surprise us with the Chef's creations, the quality of the food and, above all, in an elegant and quiet atmosphere with first-class service.
   

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8. V

   Veronica

   San Francisco

   16 reviews

   5.0

   16 reviews

   Dined on 6 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Loved it here. Was not really expecting much from the bar, but they served drinks that were delicious. I am very picky and send drinks back a lot, but not this time! Our waiter was wonderful and got me a pashmina when I was a bit chilly. Good was great too. Recommend!
   

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9. P

   Priscila

   VIP

   New York City

   7 reviews

   2.0

   7 reviews

   Dined on 25 January 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 1

   I made the reservation via Open Table and then called the restaurant to confirm dining options since I'm a vegetarian with food allergies. The staff member who took the call was very friendly and assured me that there were plenty of options and that my server would walk me through them. He called me back a few minutes after our initial call to let me know that one of their pasta dishes was unavailable but that they had a cauliflower steak and quinoa salad dish plus some pasta dishes that could be improvised. I remained hopeful. When we got there, the restaurant was a little too warm, like when the A/C wasn't cooling properly. The server (although very nice) wasn't familiar with the menu and kept having to go back to the kitchen to list the off-the-menu options, such as daily specials. We asked for sparkling water, but they didn't have any. My brother asked for a Kentucky Mule cocktail, but they didn't have Jack Daniels. However, our server (who was also our bartender) was kind enough to offer to make the Kentucky Mule with a different whiskey. We asked for a bottle of wine, and the server let us know that was their last one (of that kind). Maybe that's why a few other tables seemed to have brought their own wine (hindsight and all that); they don't really advertise themselves as a bring-your-own wine restaurant though... We dine out often and were really trying to be open-minded about this place as it was our first time giving it a try. It has decent reviews and the menu seemed promising enough, plus it has a killer location. In short, the restaurant has every single element to be great, but it was an incredibly lackluster experience. We arrived at 7:30 pm and did not get our main dishes until 9:30 pm. The place was not incredibly busy, but they did seem understaffed and underprepared. What nice restaurant lacks so many key items on a weekend? The food was okay, but nothing to wait over an hour for. It was also very expensive for such an underwhelming experience.
   

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10. N

    Neftali

    Caribbean

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 25 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    The place is very amazing, the service was over the top from the beginning. Our server was Edwin and he was more than excellent, he makes us feel like we were at our home and every recommendation that he gave us was excellent, I would definitely visit this place again.
    

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