Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

Eating out in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

Puerto Plata offers an impressive variety of dining choices in many different settings. Take your meal in an old colonial palace or a street-side café. Sample the wonderful Italian, French, Middle Eastern, Argentinean, or native fare. Typical Dominican cuisine tends to be heavy in meats and is usually centered on a stew of brown beans, plantains, and rice flavored with very mild spices. Local dishes include sancocho, a thick stew blended with meats and vegetables, mangu, mashed green plantains, and arepa, a sweet cake served with your main dish. Presidente is a high-quality local ale and a jugo is a refreshing drink made with fresh fruit, crushed ice and sugar. Care should be taken when eating outside of hotels or tourist regions, including drinking only bottled water. All-inclusive meal plans are usually your best option.

Gourmet

La Puntilla de Piergiorgio, perched on a cliff at the edge of the sea, offers a charming setting and fine Italian cuisine. Dine on the garden-style veranda while sipping your mimosa, a house specialty! La Puntilla 1, Sosua.

Highly Recommended

Acuarela, located in the birthplace and home of the artist Rafi Vasquez, is one of the finest and most attractive restaurants in Puerto Plata. The painter's watercolors hang on the wall and the hip, well-heeled clientele dine on a delectable international cuisine that includes New Zealand lamb chops, seafood, curried goat, and other Caribbean specialties. Prof Certad 6.

Local Flair

Otro Mundo (Another World) is an unusual and fabulous restaurant situated in an old Victorian building with a resident ghost and a number of exotic animals that include a tiger, monkey, and wild birds. The animals were rescued by the owner, who has created an equally exotic menu that includes frog's legs, river prawns, and Caribbean crab. P Dorada.

Romantic

El Coral, situated in the garden of a Spanish-style building, features a flavorful menu with Creole specialties. Sosua Beach.

Going party in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

After dinner, Puerto Plata buzzes with excitement as several bars and discos entertain late into the night. Enjoy jazz, dance music, and the latest in Latin rhythms, or try testing your luck in one of the big hotel casinos, usually open until 4:00am (weekends until 6:00am.).

Common events in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

Major religious holidays such as Good Friday, Easter and Christmas are marked by lively festivals and parades. In addition, each town in the Dominican Republic honors the day of its patron saint with a fiesta patronal. These events typically include street fairs, food, drum music, horse races, bullfights and, of course, dancing. A list of the upcoming fiestas is available from the tourism office.

New Year's Day

Celebrate the New Year with a grand fiesta along the waterfront of Santo Domingo. Later in the month, an island-wide celebration on the 21st honors Our Lady of Altagracia, the patron saint of the Dominican people. January.

Carnival

The festival season continues with this annual celebration held during the weekend nearest the 27th when islanders mark Independence Day with various parades and patriotic events. February.

Fiesta de San Felipe and Fiesta de San Antonio These are two of the more notable fiestas patronales. San Felipe is honored in Puerto Plata on June 5th and San Antonio in Sosua on June 13th. June.

Merengue Festival

This is pretty much the biggest event of the year. For ten days, Dominicans celebrate their traditional dance and music with countless performances in folk costume by professionals and amateurs. Other attractions include fairs and lots of native cuisine. October.

Christmas

The celebrations run over 12-days with religious services and many public events. December.