We made last minute reservations at Platos for our final group dinner out in San Juan. The walk was easy from the hotel and we were greeted warmly upon arrival. We headed to the bar to order a pitcher of coconut sangria while we waited for our table to be ready. The drink was different - looked like milk in ice and was very sweet with little hint of alcohol. So we switched to regular white sangria, which still lacked alcohol flavor but was much more sour and not to my liking at all. The dining room itself is a decent size and painted in bright colors with tribal masks decorating the walls. Our server, Jose, was extremely nice and informative about each menu item. He did an outstanding job throughout the night.
Again, we started with a few appetizers to share. First we noshed on warm bread rolls with a sweet guava butter - the house special. Next, we tried fried chicken with plantains; plantains stuffed with stewed pork and covered in melted cheese; and a dangerously delicious fried cheese with a guava dipping sauce. The flavors were rich and authentic with subtleties of tropical fruit. I was debating between two fish entrees so I asked which was fresher, and Jose highly recommended the Mahi Mahi, so I went with that. The portion size was perfect, but my fish was slightly overcooked and overpowered by the sweet fruit glaze. The mash on the other hand, was overloaded with pepper and spices, so it helped to balance out the sweet fish. Others in the group ordered the steak mofongo, Halibut, or the steak wrapped jumbo shrimp which looked ah.may.zing. We all left stuffed and happy with no room for dessert. For a last minute find, Platos was great and I recommend them for casual/non-hotel Caribbean fare.
Total Rating: 3.825
Food: 3.5, Price: 4, Service: 5, Ambience: 3.5, Accessibility: 5
What I ate:
El pequeno Jibarto
fried plantains stuffed with stewed pork
covered with melted mozzarella cheese
Queso Frito
deep fried Puerto Rican cheese served with a guava-coconut sauce
Mahi Mahi
with coconut-passion fruit glaze and tuber mash
Plus others ate:
Chicharrones de Pollo
served with fried plantains
Jumbo Tiger Shrimp Brochettes wrapped with Skirt Steak
in white garlic balsamic sauce served with plantain mash
