Must see restaurants in Santo Domingo

The most happening and deservedly longest-surviving of Plaza España’s restaurant row, Pat’e Palo is for anyone tired of the same old bland pasta and…

One of the best Japanese restaurants in the city, with yakinuku-style tables (grill the meat and seafood at your table), a sushi bar and a large dining…

Class it up at Lulú, a stylish Zona Colonial tapas bar that lures a fabulous after-work crowd looking to unwind over cigars and cocktails and nibble on…

One of the city's more spectacular dining rooms, with light streaming through the greenhouse-like ceiling several stories above and a flowering vine…

Small and casually sophisticated, this old-school family-owned trattoria serves up delicious and large portions of pasta including pappardelle ragout,…

The simple, bare bones dining room belies the quality of the cooking here in delicious dishes such as grilled spicy goat, a whole snapper and okra…

You might leave this oasis of comfort and sophistication (on an otherwise gritty stretch) feeling envious of the regulars who are welcomed like family. It…

A Zona Colonial institution popular with tourists and sophisticated capitaleños (Santo Domingo residents) on weekends, Mesón D’Bari occupies a charmingly…

This casual, open-air restaurant perched over the ocean (and unfortunately the oft-polluted Playa Montesinos) just a few blocks from the Zona Colonial is…

Occupying almost an entire city block, Hermanos Villar has two parts: the bustling diner serving classic Dominican cafeteria food such as rice and beans…

In tranquil Parque Mirador del Sur, this cafe and culture center beckons artsy Dominicans and travelers in the know. The menu is all over the globe, with…

Unashamedly touristy, El Conuco is stereotypically Dominican in the same way the Hard Rock Cafe is authentically American. Nevertheless, Dominicans as…

A towering and cavernous restaurant brimming with Dominican style, Jalao is over-the-top theme park touristy but attracts local crowds, too. The walls and…

The new and fashionable outpost of one of the Zona Colonial's most popular places for traditional Dominican fare such as crab-meat empanadas, stewed conch…

This popular family-friendly chain occupies a spectacular location overlooking the Caribbean. Waiters scurry throughout the two floors and outdoor dining…

Get back on the healthy straight and narrow at this palette cleanser of a cafe with a loungey outdoor seating area with hammocks and outlets good for…

This sleek restaurant, located in a nondescript building in an upscale business and residential district, serves a creative and ecletic fusion of Asian,…

From the candlelit open-air patio to the soft melodic piano, La Bricola embodies romance – a meal here is the perfect place to pop the question. Set in a…

Ensconced in the hip courtyard of a gorgeous 16th-century edifice, Monte Andentro triples as an erstwhile design store and cocktail lounge. The atmosphere…

Decked out like a burlesque club, this lavishly and curiously decorated space, seemingly inspired by modeling, is in the middle of the Plaza de la Cultura…