Where to Eat in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | My Favorite Restaurants
After eating at a handful of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic restaurants, we narrowed it down to the 4 best restaurants in Santo Domingo, offering delicious and authentic local food. It's no secret that I'm a big-time foodie; I love eating around the world.
On this solo trip I took to Santo Domingo (the capital of the Dominican Republic,) I made sure to add a handful of restaurants to explore in La Zona Colonial and Santo Domingo in general. Exploring the culinary scene was missing from our last trip to Santo Domingo due to covid restrictions, so this time I made sure to indulge in the best fine dining Santo Domingo has to offer! Here's your ultimate guide on where to eat in Santo Domingo.
I made sure to indulge in the best fine dining Santo Domingo has to offer!
Where to Eat in Santo Domingo at a Glance
Lila Modern Cuisine | Foodie Guide to Santo Domingo
Our first stop is Lila Restaurant. Lila offers modern Asian cuisine with a Dominican twist. I found Lila to be chic and contemporary in decor, with outdoor patio seating available and fantastic food. We ordered The Nachos (pork shoulder, guacamole, queso, jalapeño, tomate, and spicy gochujang sauce). Tiradito Pulpo Rocoto (Pulpo marinado en vinagreta de ahi amarillo rococo, aguacate y cilantro). Yellowtail Hamachi Tiradito (pescado hamachi, ponzu, puerro, y tobiko). Lila restaurant has delicious seafood platters to share!
We also had a Dominican sushi roll topped with sweat plantains-- I love maduros! This Dominican sushi roll's savory, crunchy, sweet mixture is just pure perfection!
El Meson de la Cava | Foodie Guide to Santo Domingo
El Meson de la cava is a romantic, hidden spot restaurant visited mainly by locals with delicious traditional Dominican cuisine. I had a local goat stew meal that was so flavorful and took me back to the authentic taste of the old-time Dominican cuisine I grew up eating. I love the ambiance and food of this restaurant and highly recommend a visit if you want to venture outside of La Zona Colonial and explore other restaurants in Santo Domingo.
Valiente Restaurante | Foodie Guide to Santo Domingo
Valiente Restaunte is sexy, trendy, and modern with an old-school flair. What's cool about a handful of these restaurants in La Zona Colonial is that some of the original colonial zone walls were kept and used in the modern arcitecture and design of the current restaurant/hotels. This wall, for example, is from the 1400s.
Maraca | Foodie Guide to Santo Domingo
Maraca is currently the trendiest restaurant in La Zona Colonial. Everyone who walks in wants to take their Instagram photo in front of the epic painting at the entrance, so there's usually a line-- 'cause you know, you never just take one picture for the gram, you take like 20!
After seeing this restaurant all over Instagram, I had to see for myself what all the hype was about. Maraca is a stunning restaurant with well-crafted cocktails and even better food!
The cuisine at Maraca is more modern and creative than traditional. One of my favorite appetizers was the Wagyu Beef Tartare topped with a Quail yolk marinated in soy sauce.
Thanks for reading! Have you been to Santo Domingo? We want to hear from you -- Tell us what your favorite restaurants and bars were, and we'll make sure to visit next time!
If you go to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic:
Santo Domingo General Info:
https://www.visitdominicanrepublic.org/santo-domingo
Zona Colonial Self-Guided Walking Tour:
https://www.wheretonau.com/post/santo-domingo-zona-colonial-walking-tour
Restaurants On Our List | The Best 4 Restaurants in Santo Domingo:
Lila Modern Cuisine
https://www.instagram.com/lila.sdq/?hl=en
El Meson de la Cava
Valiente Restaurante
https://www.instagram.com/valienterd/?hl=en
Maraca
https://www.maracamenu.com/eng
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