Magdalena Cocina Creativa

Review summary

1. J

   José

   Caribbean1 review

   5.0

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   Excelente servicio. Nos atendió Dimas con mucho profesionalismo y diligencia. El Smoked Old Fashioned estuvo 10/10. Los aperitivos eran buenísimos. El New York Steak y el Salmón son de excelente calidad.
   

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2. Y

   Yahaira

   New York City2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   Excellent and Dimas' attention is magnificent volveré
   

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3. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Philadelphia2 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on 23 March 2025

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

   I hate writing bad reviews bc I root for everyone to succeed, but given the prices at Magdelena Cocina, and the low quality of the food, it needed to be done. The steak cuts were low quality— I’ve never had a NY strip or a ribeye so hard to chew (or even cut). The raviolis were 5 min of cooking short of al dente, still basically completely uncooked on the edges. The crab cakes were an abomination. DO NOT order them. The service was very good and the staff very attentive and polite, I’m rooting for them to get a job at a restaurant with better food. For $300 I expect much better.
   

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4. OT

   OpenTable Diner VIP

   Caribbean1 review

   4.0

   Dined on 16 March 2025

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

   Great service.The flavor of our plates was a little bit strong for our taste, but were good. The drinks were awesome.
   

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5. T

   Thomas

   New York City37 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 1 March 2025

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

   Our waiter Demas was exceptional as was all of the staff. Wonderful experience. Great vibe and very creative and delicious dishes.
   

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6. H

   Hector VIP

   Caribbean30 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 1 March 2025

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

   Everything was perfect. From the moment you arrive your experience is on the right foot. The place has an excellent location and has valet parking just in front of it and out of the street. The valet comes and opens the passenger door first: professional touch. We were greeted at once and taken to our table. Not too many tables and ample space so you don’t feel crowded or like you’re too close to other groups. The waiter, Dimas is a professional: attentive and knowledgeable, lets you know that he is at your service 100%. He knows the menu, knows how the dishes are prepared and gives out excellent suggestions. The menu is interesting and different but at the same time familiar and comfortable with no exotic, rare ingredients but things that you don’t usually find elsewhere like wild boar and ox tail. The cocktails are intriguing and fun. We had the limoncello spritz. Excellent. For appetizers we had the wild boar dumplings. Very good. For entree we had the duck raviolis and the ox tail over polenta (Dimas suggestion). Both were excellent. Delicious, savory and a good portion for enjoyment of the experience. For dessert we had the quince pastafrola. Everything was excellent. The service was insuperable. The place was comfortable, not noisy and they serve fast and efficiently. We had a reservation at 7:15 and at 8:00 we had the check already. Everything was perfect. Will definitely return to try the other menu items that seemed interesting.
   

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7. W

   William

   New York City4 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 24 February 2025

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

   Amazing hospitality. Great menu and dishes well execute. Drinks were sublime. The ambiance was charming.
   

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8. OT

   OpenTable Diner VIP

   Orlando2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 20 February 2025

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

   Our waitress was the best! Wish I recalled her name. Everything we had was delicious!
   

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9. E

   Elsa VIP

   Baltimore15 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on 16 February 2025

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

   Great food, very friendly and helpful staff. Fresh options and great options on the menu
   

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10. C

    Catherine

    Washington DC1 review

    2.0

    Dined on 16 February 2025

    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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