Atirantado Bar and Grill Review

In the eastern rural region of Puerto Rico is Atirantado Bar and Grill, an iconic dining experience situated on top of a mountain with spectacular views. Towards one side, you can see the famous Puente Atirantado, which finished construction in 2008. To another side, the view is more nature-oriented and consists of the Río la Plata (The Silver River). This river extends towards the bridge and passes under it. 

Some years ago, a drought had affected the river so much that the part under the bridge dried up completely.  The recent storms and hurricanes helped the water levels rise back to a normal level so it’s a great place to take photographs. Another unique part of this place is that the parking lot is at the bottom of a hill and a golf cart will take customers up toward the restaurant.

The Bar and Grill started as four small gazebos but the owner, Chef Carlos Sierra, slowly invested more into the property to expand it, transforming the place into a fine dining restaurant with high-quality local products.

The menu has a wide selection of delicacies. There are many options of Puerto Rican themed foods like “Nido del Chango”, a mofongo (fried and mashed plantain mix) with cheese and meats, “Puente Atirantado”, bbq and sweet guava sauce ribs with fries. These are part of a special menu that brings a large amount of food that is intended to share between two people.

Appetizers include fried cheese, soups, spicy crab, other seafood and more. For groups of people, there are two large samplers to choose from. “Atirantado para compartir” has crispy treats such as chicken cracklings, fried meat, tostones (plantain wheels) and mofongo (fried and mashed plantain) balls. The other sampler is called “El Chango que Pica” and it features breaded shrimp, chicken cracklings, fried meat, tostones, mofongo balls, corn fritters and fried codfish.

For the main course, there are sections of different types of chicken, red meat, fish, shrimp and lobsters dishes, but that’s not all; they even offer penne pasta and burgers. For those that are looking for vegan options, there is a veggie burger on the menu.

To end the meal with some sweets, the dessert menu consists of cakes and flans, plus unique options such as crème brûlée and baklava.

Every Friday the restaurant has a "Jazz Night" event with live performers and a Happy Hour Heineken special. There’s also a Wine and Cocktail menu with Classic, Creative and Tiki sub-sections.

They list upcoming performers on their Facebook and Instagram pages. The artists are usually local musicians and it’s not limited to Jazz; they have hosted Rock bands like Vivanativa and others.

Their Hours of Operation are: Thursday through Sunday from 12pm to 11pm. 

They are pet friendly so feel free to bring your fur friend!

It must be highlighted that although the bridge will close in the future for repairs, the restaurant will continue to open as usual. It’s near the bridge but people can drive there through other routes and explore Naranjito’s scenic views.