When I travel I like to eat the local food of the place... unfortunately SD has left ALOT to be desired if you are a "foodie". You have your traditional " Comedores" which serve traditional "bandera " ( see rice beans and stewed meat) and joints that sell " fritura" ( see every part of the pig fried)
. If your coming from NYC , don't eat the pizza ( we have the best here and nothing compares) and just stick to the traditional food there.
I had one of the best meals in SDQ airport where all the employees eat at the " Esquina Criolla" and had a great bacalao with rice and beans.
Barra Payan while not anything amazing ... it is a good deal and a good sandwich for what is available I guess. I have been to adrian tropical and several places in el malecon and zona colonial and its just OK .
Somone on here said it best when they said " Cuba and DR are the islands that spice forgot.
In comparison ... I am obsessed with Mexican & Peruvian food... the flavors, aromas and gastronomy is just simply does not compare !!
I believe eating for pleasure & not for survival is a past time of more developed nations and not that of developing countries. I still love the DR for vacation and will continue to visit... just lower your expectations when it comes to cuisine.
Now if there are ANY suggestions PLEASE let me know