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AlterEgo

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Jan 9, 2009
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South Coast
Top 5 Places to Eat in the Dominican Republic

A trip to the Dominican Republic can include a range of activities, but the one you simply cannot live without is dining. Meals are a big deal here, and the culinary scene has exploded thanks to the surge in tourism over the past decade. While the traditional local diners continue to serve sancocho and mofongo, the newer, more modern restaurants have jazzed up typical Dominican fare with the help of internationally trained chefs. These Caribbean-inspired gourmet offerings can be found at resort and hotel restaurants, beach bistros and eateries throughout the country. Here is a list of our favorites for you to experience during your next trip to the Dominican Republic.

1. Passion, Punta Cana
Internationally acclaimed chef Martin Berasategui is the mastermind behind Passion at the Paradisus Palma Real in Punta Cana. Known for delicate and avant-garde dishes, his seafood-heavy Spanish cuisine is served a la carte or on a sampling menu. His desire to make this an unparalleled dining experience is evident by the wine pairings that he often draws from his personal collection. Passion is open only for dinner.

Paradisus Palma Real Resort
Playa B?varo, Punta Cana 00000, Dominican Republic
Get Directions
Phone: +1 809-688-5000

2. Eze Bar & Restaurant, Cabarete
It?s obvious why Eze Bar & Restaurant is the top choice for locals, tourists and expats who call the windsurfing town of Cabarete home. This Italian-owned, laid-back beach bar is set under beautiful palm trees and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. With items ranging from fruit smoothies and green veggie drinks to fresh langoustine and Italian delights, Eze seamlessly caters to couples, families, surfers and jet-set crowds. Just beware: Its convenient location, quality and charm can keep you there all day.

Eze Bar & Restaurant, Cabarete
Plaza Carib Wind, Cabarete 57000, Dominican Republic
Phone: +1 809-571-0586

3. La Yola, Punta Cana
The romantic La Yola restaurant is a true culinary and architectural experience at the Puntacana Resort & Club. Designed to inspire the feeling of being on a yola, or small fishing boat, the restaurant is set on stilts on the Caribbean Sea. Oscar de la Renta designed the al fresco eatery, which is covered by a palm-thatched roof and supported by glass floors with views of the sea below. After you take in the beauty and atmosphere of La Yola and the marina, indulge in the Mediterranean- and Caribbean-flavored dishes, including the Puntacana ceviche and the fresh catch of the day.

Puntacana Resort & Club
Higuey 23000, Dominican Republic
Phone: +1 809-959-2262

4. La Palapa by Eden Roc, Cap Cana
When a team of culinary experts from Italy, Switzerland and the Dominican Republic get together, magic happens. The proof can be found at La Palapa by Eden Roc in Cap Cana. The menu at this open-air restaurant at Calet?n Beach consists of seafood, traditional Italian specialties, sushi and Asian fusion dishes. The Cote d'Azur-like ambience and panoramic ocean views make La Palapa a hot spot for well-to-do locals, jet-setters and couples looking for a high-end dining experience. On Sundays, delight in the signature surf-and-turf brunch.

La Palapa by Eden Roc
Calet?n Beach Club, Punta Cana 23000, Dominican Republic
Phone: +1 809-469-7593

5. The Beach Restaurant, Las Terrenas
Steps away from blissful Playa Coson sits a quaint colonial cottage that is home to the Beach Restaurant. The elegant beachfront setting ? part of the Peninsula House, a 6-suite guesthouse ? can put your mind at ease while you relax to the sound of the ocean and sip on tropical drinks. This place is off the beaten path, but the charm, the pristine beach and the cuisine make the journey worth it. Order the grilled lobster with passion fruit and locally grown vegetables. It is open only for daytime dining (10 a.m. until 5-6 p.m.) and is closed Mondays. Towels and lounge chairs are provided if you wish to spend your day on Playa Coson. Reservations are recommended.

The Beach Restaurant
Playa Coson, Las Terrenas 32000, Dominican Republic
Phone: +1 809-962-7447

Article, photos, links:
Dominican Republic's Top 5 Best Places to Eat : Dominican Republic : Travel Channel
 
Aug 21, 2007
3,043
1,970
113
Interesting. Perhaps I will make a New Years resolution to try each. I have been to Eze many times. I like it, but am not sure I would flaunt it as one of the best on the North Coast, let alone the DR.

Lindsey
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
113
and you can save your gas in LT by not going the Beach Club...IMO

The little place next door is better to my liking
 

LTSteve

Gold
Jul 9, 2010
5,449
23
38
Top 5 Places to Eat in the Dominican Republic

A trip to the Dominican Republic can include a range of activities, but the one you simply cannot live without is dining. Meals are a big deal here, and the culinary scene has exploded thanks to the surge in tourism over the past decade. While the traditional local diners continue to serve sancocho and mofongo, the newer, more modern restaurants have jazzed up typical Dominican fare with the help of internationally trained chefs. These Caribbean-inspired gourmet offerings can be found at resort and hotel restaurants, beach bistros and eateries throughout the country. Here is a list of our favorites for you to experience during your next trip to the Dominican Republic.

1. Passion, Punta Cana
Internationally acclaimed chef Martin Berasategui is the mastermind behind Passion at the Paradisus Palma Real in Punta Cana. Known for delicate and avant-garde dishes, his seafood-heavy Spanish cuisine is served a la carte or on a sampling menu. His desire to make this an unparalleled dining experience is evident by the wine pairings that he often draws from his personal collection. Passion is open only for dinner.

Paradisus Palma Real Resort
Playa B?varo, Punta Cana 00000, Dominican Republic
Get Directions
Phone: +1 809-688-5000

2. Eze Bar & Restaurant, Cabarete
It?s obvious why Eze Bar & Restaurant is the top choice for locals, tourists and expats who call the windsurfing town of Cabarete home. This Italian-owned, laid-back beach bar is set under beautiful palm trees and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. With items ranging from fruit smoothies and green veggie drinks to fresh langoustine and Italian delights, Eze seamlessly caters to couples, families, surfers and jet-set crowds. Just beware: Its convenient location, quality and charm can keep you there all day.

Eze Bar & Restaurant, Cabarete
Plaza Carib Wind, Cabarete 57000, Dominican Republic
Phone: +1 809-571-0586

3. La Yola, Punta Cana
The romantic La Yola restaurant is a true culinary and architectural experience at the Puntacana Resort & Club. Designed to inspire the feeling of being on a yola, or small fishing boat, the restaurant is set on stilts on the Caribbean Sea. Oscar de la Renta designed the al fresco eatery, which is covered by a palm-thatched roof and supported by glass floors with views of the sea below. After you take in the beauty and atmosphere of La Yola and the marina, indulge in the Mediterranean- and Caribbean-flavored dishes, including the Puntacana ceviche and the fresh catch of the day.

Puntacana Resort & Club
Higuey 23000, Dominican Republic
Phone: +1 809-959-2262

4. La Palapa by Eden Roc, Cap Cana
When a team of culinary experts from Italy, Switzerland and the Dominican Republic get together, magic happens. The proof can be found at La Palapa by Eden Roc in Cap Cana. The menu at this open-air restaurant at Calet?n Beach consists of seafood, traditional Italian specialties, sushi and Asian fusion dishes. The Cote d'Azur-like ambience and panoramic ocean views make La Palapa a hot spot for well-to-do locals, jet-setters and couples looking for a high-end dining experience. On Sundays, delight in the signature surf-and-turf brunch.

La Palapa by Eden Roc
Calet?n Beach Club, Punta Cana 23000, Dominican Republic
Phone: +1 809-469-7593

5. The Beach Restaurant, Las Terrenas
Steps away from blissful Playa Coson sits a quaint colonial cottage that is home to the Beach Restaurant. The elegant beachfront setting ? part of the Peninsula House, a 6-suite guesthouse ? can put your mind at ease while you relax to the sound of the ocean and sip on tropical drinks. This place is off the beaten path, but the charm, the pristine beach and the cuisine make the journey worth it. Order the grilled lobster with passion fruit and locally grown vegetables. It is open only for daytime dining (10 a.m. until 5-6 p.m.) and is closed Mondays. Towels and lounge chairs are provided if you wish to spend your day on Playa Coson. Reservations are recommended.

The Beach Restaurant
Playa Coson, Las Terrenas 32000, Dominican Republic
Phone: +1 809-962-7447

Article, photos, links:
Dominican Republic's Top 5 Best Places to Eat : Dominican Republic : Travel Channel

Very short sighted list. I doubt these are the top five . Nice try.
 

donP

Newbie
Dec 14, 2008
6,942
178
0
Paid to be on the list

The quoted website and the wording suggest that it is a PR article. ;)

They say there is nothing like a free meal?
I guess, Teri Johnson got five... :rolleyes:

donP
 

tee

Bronze
Sep 14, 2007
1,044
427
83
Cabarete
Everyone is entitled to their opinion and the OP has made their choice, (and my apologies if this is not your own choice but in an article that you have seen), but I would challenge their choice of Eze Restaurant. It is OK, but nothing in comparison to lets say Casa 21, Papi's La Casita, Casa Valerio (nice because you can bring your own wine).
 

Criss Colon

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
21,843
191
0
38
yahoomail.com
It IS just advertising!
If it was a REAL REVIEW, they would include more menu items, and PRICES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They gotta fill copy space, that's all!

'Pichardo" could not have done better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
 

Koreano

Bronze
Jan 18, 2012
1,546
0
36
Maybe I will try the list when I have time. I've noticed restaurants(at least in Santiago area) have changed a lot. No decent to few decent.
 

barker1964

Silver
Apr 1, 2009
3,413
2
38
Most of the food critics these days are not chefs. For example how can you expect a person who has never had Sancocho the rate it. They have nothing to compare it to. Any idiot with a blog can rate anything. With the advent of the internet we are all critics.......
 

SKY

Gold
Apr 11, 2004
13,470
3,604
113
The only thing I learned form this was not to pay any attention to the Travel Channel.
 

arturo

Bronze
Mar 14, 2002
1,336
97
48
Top 5 & possibly #1 worst name

It is clearly a tourism oriented list. Three to 4 of the restaurants are on resort properties after all. As someone else stated, it's subjective. Further evidence the list is tourism oriented - who the hell would name a restaurant "La Yola" unless most of the target customers don't know what it means? Props to "El Conuco" because for all its cheesiness, at least its name is not culturally insensitive.


It IS just advertising!
If it was a REAL REVIEW, they would include more menu items, and PRICES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They gotta fill copy space, that's all!

'Pichardo" could not have done better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
 

TropicalPaul

Bronze
Sep 3, 2013
1,366
614
113
The sad reality is that the budget available for someone to put together this type of list is nowadays so little that very little, if any, real research goes into it. I run a hotel and we have been featured in "best of" guides based on a phone conversation, without anyone setting foot in the property. I use Tripadvisor's restaurant section, this is usually a pretty good and up-to-date way of working out the best restaurants in town.
 

CFA123

Silver
May 29, 2004
3,512
413
83
Interesting. Perhaps I will make a New Years resolution to try each. I have been to Eze many times. I like it, but am not sure I would flaunt it as one of the best on the North Coast, let alone the DR.

Lindsey

Agreed, Lindsey. I find it good for lunch, somewhat disappointing for dinner.
Others are more deserving.