La Marginal

I'm from Puerto Rico and I enjoy the food and the service, both server were awsome and treat me like a king...I will recommend this Restaurant to every Puertorrican who visit San Antonio and to all of those Gringo's who wants a good Puertorrican food...I'll be back

Pros: Great Mofongo and Alcapurria

Posted 08/17/09

The waiter was really nice and the restaurant stayed open after hours to feed me and my husband. The live music was great and set the mood. I loved it so much I have told all my friends about it. The food was cooked perfectly and very tasty.

Pros: The food was very good and authentic.

Cons: none

Posted 05/20/09

After the build up of Puerto Rican cuisine from the allegedly great La Marginal. I am sad to say that my dinner there rivaled one of the worst meals I have ever had from Mc Donald's. The prices' seemed fair, and the description of the plates seemed to be authentic. When we received our meal the high light to me should have been the maduros, unfortunately what should have been sweet plantains were no more than cold tostones. After diving into disappointment with the muduros, the rest of the meal seemed to be a downward spiral of mediocrity. Even though the food itself wasn't the greatest, it could have easily been made up for had any of the components been served hot or even made fresh. Maybe it was a bad night, or perhaps its' being happy putting out a non quality product.

Pros: Parking International market next door

Cons: food food food

Posted 01/09/09

The food is delicious and has an authentic taste to it. The service was ok, nothing great and not as bad of an experience as others have mentioned, just ok. The food is worth the visit and I must clarify that the rating I am giving is based on the food itself. We were in San Antonio for 4 days and went back 2 more times. In all three visits, we never had an experience as mentioned in some of the other reviews. My wife and I invited some family and they liked the food so much, they returned once more as well.

I recommend the mofongo with fried pork, the appetizer sampler and the tostones. The chicken was also very good. The seasoning used on the chicken was very rich in flavor. The buffet includes several dishes and dessert. Amongst the dishes is paella which is really a spanish dish but it was also very good. I understand the dishes are not the same ones everyday and may vary a bit but still will give you a good sample of Puerto Rican food.

I would hate for a food lover to automatically dicard this option from their list because of the previous reviews commenting on the bad service. As I mentioned, the service was ok when I went. Not as bad as others have mentioned. I would say, give it a try. Worst case scenario, you will have a delicious meal that may take a while to get. Not a bad deal.

Pros: Excellent food

Cons: below average service

Posted 12/18/08

I have really loved this restaurant for years despite the horrible customer service such as no one could explain what I was eating I REALLY LOVED THE FLAN. I went on Tuesday and there was a customer sitting at the table blowing his nose LOUDLY . That wasn't any fault of the restaurant just gross. The customer however left the filthy napkin on the table and a manger 3 minutes later wiped the table down with the dirty mucus filled napkin. Then more customers sat there the table had never been wiped with a clean napkin!!!! or disinfected or anything!!! My husband went to the restroom and came back and his plate was gone which is great because it is a buffet but the server left his fork just laying on the table and who knows WHAT are table had been wiped with !!!!!!!!! I will NEVER go here again and they need a class in SANITATION 101

Pros: great flan

Cons: dirty

Posted 12/13/08

The food smelt great and the presentations look amazing as well. I tried to take my father out for dinner for a different cuisine, but the poor service caused us to leave before we could try it. We waited over 20 minutes with closed menus and had yet to have our order taken. Only 5 tables were occupied, and ther what seemed to be 5 employees and a manager on duty. It is a shame, for this place came highly recommended by friends. We paid for our tea, and explained our reason for leaving to the manager and all that we got in response was "thank you".

Pros: Different cuisine

Cons: service

Posted 10/08/08

The food tastes like back home but the service does not match. I keep taking co-workers and the service is a dissapointment. First, I recommend to take the customer's name so at the ime of paying, the cashier is not lost. Servicing better will make this place very popular. Don't let it go ! Puertorricans serve better their customers.

Pros: Perni and arroz con gandules have a unique taste. Pasteles are great!

Cons: High prices

Posted 04/26/08

I really enjoyed the food. The place is simple and decorated with colorful painted wall murals. The fried pork is flavorful, the roast pork is moist and the yellow rice with pigeon peas was season well. I like the cubano sandiwich also. You are seated promptly, the servers speak spanish while taking your order until they realize that you don't understand them. The place is causal and family oriented. The service is fairly quick and the food served hot. The best time to go if you are new to Puerto Rican food is lunch...they have a buffet so you can try different items. The management recently changed, so the menu is a little different but still delicious.

Pros: Well seasoned food, cool surroundings, musical entertainment on the weekends

Cons: Parking can be a problem

Posted 03/15/08

I went here by myself for lunch one day and was pleasantly suprised to find a small buffet. I had never had Puerto Rican food before, so it was nice to be able to sample several dishes. The pork melted in my mouth. Someone carved me some pork right there. It was great! the waitstaff was very helpful. The fried plantains were really good too! They inspired me to make them at home.

Pros: good food quality

Cons: tucked away next to a subway

Posted 12/28/07

Can't say enough good things about the wonderful food here. Especially if you have their lunch time buffet which has their roast pork, beans, and occasional "Paella" which is da bomb (and they have other items on their buffet menu as well)! The only place where I'd had Paella that came close to comparing was in Spain! their flan is awesome as well!

Pros: Authentic Puerto Rican cuisine

Cons: Can't think of any

Posted 12/22/07

In all of San Antonio, we have not found another Puerto Rican resturant that takes us back to the island like this one.
1st timers, when you pull into the parking lot, you may think "what have I gotten myself into?" But don't dismay, and definately don't drive away.
It takes just one step in the door, and you will find yourself on the island (of PR).

Oh, and before I get ahead of myself, I should warn you, Mexican and PR cuisine are nothing alike, so don't go in expecting spanish rice, borracho beans, or tortilla's!

For an appitizer, try the "canoe." We know it back home as a simplified version of peonono's. It's a large ripe plantain fried and filled with ground beef and smothered with cheese....my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

The dinner plates are large portions, with most giving you a choice of white rice and beans or arroz con gondules (we call it "yellow rice")...if you've never had yellow rice don't pass it up....mmmm as Dora the explorer (and my two children) would say "delicioso!"
And if you just want to gorge yourself, you can buy penil (roasted pork) by the pound.

I almost don't want to say it....(b/c I selfishly enjoy it so much), but the best kept secret is the Sunday buffet. We've never been disappointed!

Finally, the most important reason we go so much is because the owner and his staff make us feel like we are at home. With two children under 4 years old, it's wonderful to have some place we can go on a Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon, that is adult enough for my husband and I to enjoy, and yet laid-back enough for our children to join us.

Pros: Family friendly, good food, large portions, live music, romantic at night

Cons: parking, small building

Posted 09/02/07

La Marginal has the best tostones in all of San Antonio. Their mofongo is to die for. If you want some authentic puertorican cuisine then I highly recomment this restaurant.

Pros: The live music is great.

Cons: Wish it were bigger

Posted 11/12/06

My husband and I arrived at 2:05. After waiting for the waitress to get off of her cell phone, we were seated. We looked at the menu and asked if the buffet (which was still set up) was available, even though it closed at 2:00. We were told that it was not available. However, there were two people that had walked in a moment before us and they had just been served from it. So we ordered from the menu instead. At about 2:30, another couple came in, spoke to the staff in Spanish, and the man was served from the buffet.
We had a beer each and would have had another during the thirty-minute wait for our food, but the waitress never checked on us. Finally, our food came out and it was delivered by another waitress, at which time we were able to get another drink. When the original waitress finally checked on us, ten minutes after receiving our meal, I had to remind her to bring my side of beans.
Terrible service. The food was good, but not great. Not worth the trip.

Pros: Authentic food.

Cons: SERVICE and parking.

Posted 08/31/06

Very unassuming place with tasty puertorrican cuisine at a reasonable price. Service is very good and fast. Atmosphere is that of a tipical fonda and very clean. Forget your diet if you want to really enjoy your visit. I loved the live music too!!!

Posted 05/08/05

With a physically unassuming location and a name that does not do justice to the food, La Marginal stands to be a hidden gem for the near future. The food is very good and the flavor is certainly authentic. Take it from me, a Puerto Rican from the island. The roasted pork (Lechon asado) is the type tha melts in your mouth. The rice and beans will take you on a journey to simple indulgement. It is very comforting. Warning - do not expect hot stuff. In Puerto Rico the use of hot sauce is barely practiced. The food is savory and simply delicious but with no heath in the mix. Enjoy!!

Pros: Taste, Service, Parking

Cons: Crowded

Posted 05/04/03

My family and I really enjoyed this place, but don't go if you are on a diet - everything is fried. My favorite was this fried white fish my husband ordered. I got a pork chop and I also tried some roast chicken someone ordered. Most of the dinners cost $7.99 and are served with rice and beans or yellow rice and pidgeon peas and sweet or green plantains. The sweet plantains taste like chunks of fried bananas. The green are mashed into a star and then fried and taste sort of like french fries. They are better if you add salt and avoid the garlic butter dipping sauce. The waitress did not speak good English, but she was very sweet and did not mess up our orders or anything. This was a very small eatery in a strip mall, but they were able to accomodate our party of 7.

Posted 09/23/02