IMO many of the restaurants are more of a "to be seen" kind of thing rather than being known for good food. There are some good restaurants in Santo Domingo, however, most of the clientele would be considered "low key money types" (meaning they have money but are not there to be "seen"). So, these places you would not see plastered all over social media. Years ago, we used to like to go to El meson de la cava. Good food at the time, ambiance was nice, etc... Now you go and everyone is just taking photos for Instagram, that type of crowd. Just a different vibe now and the food is so-so. Of course, my favorite was always Vesuvio's on the Malecon. Miss that place.