Asao Steakhouse

Great ambiance in a crowded place. Very different from typical puerto rican place. Try the chicken guava risotto (sticky rice)!

La comida estuvo okay. Las costillas estaban bastante buenas pero no tan ricas como el de Jayuya. La ensalada de repollo era un mezcla de vinagre balsámico y mostaza y de verdad que no sabía bien. El servicio amable pero lento. Buen ambiente.

The best steak you have ever had, not just the best in PR.

Perfect weekend escape!!! Best BBq ribs in the island. Get the pollo con guayaba rissotto, trust me. And The mojitos in any flavor, they wont disappoint you. Not dog friendly, but the will let you tie the dog near your sight.

Asao is worth the trip from San Juan. Ask for the rissotto with guava and chicken. It will blow your mind. Also ribs are ok, the brisket is superior. Ask for ½ rissotto of any to complement any food. Don’t forget to pass through the coffee museum while going to Asao, for an excellent coffee.

Great location, excellent service… And the food is amazing. The risotto is «to die for…» And the ribs are incredible.

My husband, 10 year old daughter and I came here for some bbq food from California. We heard about the place from a friend who lives there. Asao’s food is indeed the bomb!!! It is located in the mountain away from the hustle and bustle of the city of San Juan. It is defintely a «hole in a wall» type of place where only the locals know about. Before arriving, we didn’t know what to expect. As soon as you get closer to the restaurant, there is a designated person to slow traffic and guide you to the parking lot directly across from the restaurant. Talk about service. Then, you walk into a rustic restaurant that has a casual openness to it. It was a hot day and it was wonderful to feel the breeze. After being seated and looking over the menu, we definitely wanted to try the ribs, pork, and risotto that we heard such raving reviews about. However, we didn’t want to have too much left overs since we were only visiting and not locals. While waiting for our food, a nice gentlemen came over to see how we were doing. We found out he was the owner. When he found out it was our first time and that we were from California, he said he would «take care of us.» He was so warm and friendly. He is the epitome of a wonderful host. He even performed a magic trick to entertain our daughter. She was laughing and commenting that, «he’s a really nice man.» When the food came, he gave us a sampling of different food. However, we really enjoyed the Esnua ribs. It was so good!!! Peter uses a dry rub. It brought out the flavor of the meat. Unlike other bbq places, usually the ribs are slathered with so much sauce that you taste the sauce, not the meat. He also gave us a try of 2 types of risotto. We totally fell in love with the Pollo Guayabo Risotto. The combination of salty and sweetness was so good. We are really grateful for Peter’s humor, kindness and thoughtfulness. He and his wife, Brenda are one of the friendliest people that you can meet. They are the best hosts. We enjoyed the whole experience 200%. If you want great food, service, this is a MUST when you are in Puerto Rico! Since it is a local place, go really early to beat the crowd. The place was packed by the time we finished our meal.

La comida es excelente y el servicio es aun mejor. Los jueves es mas suave, pero los fines de semana esto es un show. Vale la pena hacer el viaje.

The food is pretty good but I recommend not to go on holidays or days where you just think it’s gone be busy. We waited 35 – 45 min for a table and 1.5 hr to get our food.
Not worth it. We bill give it a try next time we are on the island. Only because my husband loves the meat… my son loved the rips… so if you think to get out there make sure it’s not too busy and you have to wait so long…

The food was great: meat well cooked, risotto very tasty, and couldn’t eat enough of the mofongo balls plus great value for your food. Problem? I am tired of these scenic restaurants in the countryside of Puerto Rico, where they expect something close to 500 patrons but only have bathrooms for two people at a time. It is extremely uncomfortable going to a restaurant and having to plan to waste 30 minutes of your day standing for every bathroom break you needed to take.

This was by far the best meal we had in Puerto Rico. We had so many different types of meat and all of them were amazing. Worth the drive!

My favorite BBQ place in Puerto Rico, great ambiance, great food, the owner is a great host. Lots of fun.

Definitely this place is worth more than 5 stars. The wait to sit down was not short. We ordered manchego and brisket mushroom risottos, «naked» and «sweet» ribs (esnúa and soba’), mashed viandas and ‘apastelado’ rice. Everything was delicious! Portions are enormous (1 ribs order is for 4 persons or more!). Really unexpected from a low-​key place like this.

So I think the best way to describe this place is like a boricua version of Famous Daves… it kind of look like it… lots of wood… pig decoration… big orders with combinations from the menu good for sharing. The local flavor is in the environment… the music… and the fact that its in the mountains… which is cool. The ribs are great… so is the rice… the chicken and pork were Ok, Good place to come with a group of friends or family… good service and even if you have to wait a bit to be seated once you sit down you will get the food really quick (like 15min)

Best barbecue in Puerto Rico. They actually did win the Cattlemen’s BBQ competition on the island in February. Being a barbecue fanatic and having eaten a lot of different cue, I thought I’d see how good they were. They’re the real thing, great tasting ribs and brisket, good chicken, and even a good cowboy steak. I tried it all, all the different meats they had to offer. All of them were good but the ribs were the best.
However, in addition to the barbecue, they have some of the best risotto that I’ve had. Who would have thought, risotto at a barbecue joint, but it’s amongst the best that I’ve had.

One word. .. Risotto. don’t get me wrong the meat is good too, but you must try one of the risottos. They are full of cheesy goodness and have BBQ or shrimp in them. We have tried almost everything here and the ribs are the best meat on the menu. Did I mention the risotto???

The hike to the mountainous center of the Island is part of the pilgrimage to BBQ heaven. Awesome flavors in what has to be a perfect menu offering: the best of American BBQ w ribs, cowboy steak, prime rib, brisket, baked beans, cole slaw, combined with the best of portorrican comfort food cuisine, lechon asao (organically-​fed), churrasco, pollo asao, mofongo, tostones, arroz con gandules. Had the cowboy steak and tried the smoked BBQ ribs. It was sensationally delicious. Great atmosphere. Can’t wait to come back.
This is home to several award winning Cattlemen’s BBQ Competition

This place is the best in Puerto Rico for sure. The drive from San Juan is totally worth it and that’s why the place is packed! Get there early and it’s only open from Thursday to Sunday. Cowboy steaks medium rare, risotto with steak was just right creamy cheesy and meaty. Their rubs have hints of sweetness and smokiness infused into the meat. The owner is a genuinely great guy that loves his people as much as his food. Remember to get the tres leches coconut!

This place was great and the owner of Fu Hou in Manati recommended it. He was right. We ate everything we ordered and it was a lot of food. My father loved the Asoa baseball cap our server was wearing and she actually gave it to him after the meal! They were so nice, the food was so good and the atmosphere way up in the hills is spectacular above the clouds. Its a drive but worth it.

Massive portions. Great food. Wonderful local place and great scenery! Amazing desserts as well!

Recientemente estuve en Texas y luego de haber llegado visité a Asao y tengo que decir que el Ribeye que me comí en Asao superó por mucho a los que comí en Texas. Lo siento Lone Star State. Por cierto no dejen de probar el mojito y la sangría de la casa.

Great surprise. Ordered the ½ sampler called the ½ Fogón Asao that includes ½ lb of roasted chicken, ribs and pork with arroz apastelado and mofongo balls. It was delicious. For dessert we had the Nutella chocolate cake, also delicious. We’ll be back for sure. The service was superb.

Beyond all expectations, and this is following the owner’s quote «best BBQ in all Puerto Rico.» After a long day of hiking in the rain, soaked to the bone, we stopped here for dinner. From the moment we stepped out of the car, you could smell the smoke. Not the «something’s burning kind» but the delicious, mouthwatering, «I just can’t wait» kind. We strolled up to the grill and put in personalized requests for a variety of cuts of meat. I wish I had a few more days to go back and try the all the ones I left behind when we eventually finished up and left.
Where they succeed, both great recipes and amazing grilling skills. It wasn’t enough that the variety of flavors were an amazing blend, but the succulent nature of the meat just hits the whole experience right out of the park. You have to do yourself a favor and try out it if you’re a fan of bbq. The flank steak was my favorite by far.
Oh, and they are not a simple one trick pony. The appetizers where traditional Puerto Rican, and tasty, but the desserts … even after so much meat I could room for such sweet treats.
Now, if only I could find my way back.

Excelente BBQ. ¡Las costillas estaban dementes! Y el servicio de primera. El mismo chef estaba de mesa en mesa preguntando como estaba todo y hasta nos dieron un mini-​tour de las facilidades. Tambn trajimos nuestro propio vino y no cobraron descorche.