EAT IN ASIA / Destinations / Other destinations / Northern america / Dominican republic
TOP 21 Dominican dishes - What to eat in the Dominican Republic?
Check our ultimate guide to the Dominican cuisine and find your TOP meals! No matter whether you are staying in the Dominican Republic just a couple of days or weeks, there are some dishes you cannot miss. Although some of them might not be your favorite at the first time, but every next time, they will be more and more tasty for you. Finally, you will end your stay with a full love of the Dominican cuisine. Let’s go!
Top 7 Dominican main dishes you MUST try
1. La Bandera
Literally the flag. This meal is served during the lunch time, and definitively it is not to be skipped. Not only it is the most popular and the most typical Dominican dish, but it is also part of the Dominican’s history. It represents three colors from the national flag – blue, red, and white. Each of them, is an allegory of another value – liberty, blood, and salvation. And each of them is symbolized by another product. White rice is salvation. Red beans – the red color on the flag, represent heroes’ blood lost during fights for the independence. Finally, the blue color symbolizing liberty is represented by meat. Here is no rule what kind of a meat it should be. It can be either chicken, or pork, or beef. Actually, all other kinds of meat might be served too, however lamb, goat or fish is seldom. The most popular is chicken, what is caused by its price and affordability for most of the population.
2. Desayuno dominicano
While La Bandera is the most important lunch meal, a traditional desayuno dominicano is definitively something you should start your day with. It is a good portion of carbs and some proteins. Mostly it consists of some kind of plantains – fried or mashed. When fried, their form might be completely different from place to place. Served in slices, in stripes or almost like small pancake fritters. Finally, if served in a purée form – mangú.
Apart from plantains, the breakfast might also include eggs, fried cheese, Dominican salami, yucca or guineos.
So, step by step. If it is about eggs. As everything is prepared just in this exact moment, you can choose between scrambled eggs, boiled eggs or fried.
The local, Dominican salami is also served slightly fried and what is different from the traditional, European way of serving it, it comes in quite thick slices. And, well, actually, I must admit, it definitively does not either resemble salami, or even taste like it. It is, let’s say, a better form of a sausage (however it is not a pate).
As mentioned before, guineos might be an alternative for plantains. These unripe (almost green) regular, edible bananas are cooked and served just with a little bit of salt.
Finally, what is really worth mentioning and trying, is a Dominican fried cheese. It is known as a white fried cheese; however, it has nothing to do with any kind of a cottage or creamy cheese, that we know from other countries. Dominican’s cheese that is sold as a white cheese is more like mozzarella. It is then not surprising, that is also known as a queso de freír, what means in Spanish, cheese for frying. It is delicate, a little bit chewy, and for me, rather tasteless.
3. Mangú
Caribbean cuisine cannot exist without plantains. Actually, not only Caribbean one, as plantains are very popular in other Northern and Central America’s countries like Costa Rica and Mexico. Mangú is a special way of serving plantains in which boiled plantains (both ripe and unripe usually) are mashed, mixed with some kind of oil, and served like a purée. However, it is not as smooth as a potato purée is. It also does not have such a delicate, almost foamy texture.
4. Chofán
Although it is not the meal that is originally from the Dominican Republic, chofán is extremely popular. It is similar to the Chinese fried rice; however, it is prepared in a local, Dominican way. Chofán also demonstrates Asian influences in the Dominican culture and cuisine. Usually, it comes with meat, fish, or seafood. It is slightly seasoned, but definitively it is not hot or extremely spicy. I would rather say, it is mild, however it is not tasteless.
5. Mofongo
It is a traditional Dominican meal that basis on plantains mixed with delicate spices, cheese, eggs, and some meat. It might be pork, chicken, beef, fish or some kind of seafood. It is served in a rounded shape, like a ball. It is well fried and in consequence, has a relatively crunchy crest.
6. Pica pollo
Even if you are not the biggest fan of KFC and fried chickens, pica pollo is another MUST. It is one of the most favorite and most popular dishes in the Dominican Republic. It is relatively cheap, well-seasoned and has a wonderful, crunchy crest! Here, different parts of the chicken might come, but usually, while ordering pica pollo with fries, you will get three to four different chicken pieces. Each piece would be another part of the chicken.
But what is really interesting, is that there are places that server only pica pollo and nothing more. Every day starting at about lunch time. They are operating till it gets dark when the traffic starts to decrease and when business hours are over.
7. Pastelón de platano maduro - Sweet Plantain Lasagna
Finally, this section cannot exist without a sweet plantain lasagna, known in the Dominican Republic as Pastelón de platano maduro. This dish might be resembling Mexican tamales; however, it is slightly different. Pastelón de platano maduro is served wrapped in a banana leaf and with additional sauces like ketchup or mayonnaise aside (If you are interested in Pastelón de platano maduro, here you might read more about it). The banana leaf is stuffed with any kind of meat (as always, usually chicken is used, but can also be pork or beef) and mashed plantains. Apart from that you will find there eggs and some basic spices. It is tasty, different from its Mexican colleague and a little bit spicy.
Top 2 Dominican Snacks you MUST try
1. Empanadas
Dominican empanadas are slightly different from what you might know from Mexico. However, there is still a lot of common things for both of them. (You can read more about Dominican empanadas and get an empanada recipe in this post – ‘How to make Empanadas? A Dominican recipe’.)
Empanadas in the Dominican Republic are very popular during the whole day, starting from an early morning and ending in the late evening. Deep-fried, big dumplings’ shape pastries can have different fillings. Usually, empanadas are with chicken meat, cheese or with a mix of them. They are also purely vegetarian versions of empanadas, like these with a vegetables’ filling. Carrots, potatoes, chayote, or yucca vegetables are only some examples of vegetables used for the filling. Another option is to choose empanadas with a hard-boiled, or with a fried egg.
2. Quipes
This dish is a good example of influences of other cultures on the Dominican menu. Quipes originate from the Lebanese cuisine and show a good combination of local, Caribbean flavors, and these from the Middle East. Dominican quipes are mainly prepared from three ingredients. The base for the dough is formed from a relatively fat, minced meat, wheat flour and onions. The rest of the list includes tomato sauce, herbs and spices like garlic, peppermint, and salt.
Quipes are formed into oval-shaped balls (a little bit like a rugby ball). Their size depends on the size of the hand or palm of the cook that forms them. Finally, quipes are deep-fried, and served just after frying.
This snack is popular in all Dominican regions. It is sold not only by local, mobile vendors, that prepare it just at the moment, but quipes are also part of the restaurants’ and comedores menu. Some Dominican cafeterías (here, you can read more about cafeterías in the Dominican Republic, and here about different place where to eat in the Dominican Republic) serve them too as a quick, ready to go snack.
Top 3 Dominican Non-meat alternatives you MUST try
1. Cheese - queso de freír
Fried cheese is one of the main dishes served for a traditional Dominican breakfast – desayuno dominicano. Although, according to its name and definition, the cheese that is used for frying is a white cheese. However, it has nothing to do with a regular, creamy, white or cottage cheese that you might know from other countries. Queso de freír is more like an Italian mozzarella. It is ideal for frying, but it is a type of a yellow cheese. After frying, it is slightly melting, but definitively it is getting chewy. Queso de freír is sold in big, square-shaped blocks per libra. Before serving, it is cut into, more or less, 1 cm high slices. It is fried from both sides and is added as an extra toping to the morning or to the late-evening meal. It is relatively salty, and with no dominating notes.
2. Fish and seafood
Given the fact that the Dominican Republic is an island, fish and seafood should come in abundance. Well, actually, it is not exactly like that. Although there are many places where you could buy mariscos, this type of food is not the most popular dish. As mentioned above, all the most traditional meals, are mainly based on chicken, pork, or beef meat. Seafood and fish appear seldomly in the everyday Dominicans’ diet.
The best place to get it and to try it, is to buy freshly fished pescados or mariscos from the fisherman. Even in such big and touristic spots like Punta Cana, Las Terrenas or Las Galeras, local fishermen sell fish and seafood either directly from the container, or from a big, touristic fridge. The best thing in it is, that these products are really fresh!
3. Bacalao
Bacalao is one of the dishes in the La Bandera lunch that can replace any meat. Bacalao is a salted, and slightly cured fish, served in a light, tomato and onion sauce. Cod is usually used. It comes in chunks of different size and from different parts of the fish. However, heads, tails and fins are, more or less, removed. This cannot be said about fishbones, that might be a big surprise for you.
However, bacalao can also be a dish on its own. In this case, it is served in the same, stewed form, but you can choose the rest of side-dishes. Usually, it is eaten with deep-fried plantains in slices and with a small plate of fresh vegetables (julienned white cabbage, a little bit of tomato and some cucumber, however, 90% of the salad consists of cabbage).
Top 7 Dominican Fruits and vegetables you MUST try
1. Plantains
Plantains are, with no doubt, the most popular fruits in the Dominican Republic. They are rather treated and used as vegetables than as fruits. The most common way of preparing them, is frying them like fries or potatoes. However, there is plenty of different ways of serving them. They can be mashed and served as purée. They can be sliced or cut diagonally. Deep-frying is the favorite way of preparing them. However, depending on the meal they are served with, the way of serving them may vary. During the breakfast time, they are usually served as mangú – plantains purée. During the lunch time or in the evening, the frying method dominates.
2. Guineos
Although you might think you do not know what is that I am pretty sure you know it very well. And what is more, it might be, that is one of your favorite fruits. Guineos are regular bananas. The same bananas you know from fruit plates, milkshakes, and banana-split. Their specific name derives from the country, they started to be imported from but are, generally speaking, ripe, yellow bananas.
As almost all fruits in the Dominican Republic and in the whole Caribbean region, they are aromatic, sweet, and delicate. Comparing to these large bananas you probably are accustomed to, these guineos are smaller and have a thinner skin.
3. Yucca
Yucca is one of the most popular tubers in this region. It is nutrient dense, packed with carbs and very often treated as a substitute for potatoes. Yucca is almost three times as caloric as regular potatoes are! Large, long, white, yellow, slightly purple, or just a little bit spotted. Yucca is starchy, a little bit fibrous in the central, core part, and is ideal for boiling, frying, and making puree.
4. Corn from the cob
I might say, it is almost my favorite one. It is really great. Known as maíz dulce – sweet corn, it is usually served from stalls or better said from enormous pots on wheels. The peak time is in the afternoon or during an early evening when people are coming back home from work and are in transit. Served hot and dipped in a super salty water, corn from the cob is a great, valuable snack. Relatively light but still not deprived of minerals and vitamins.
5. Okra
This vegetable is probably well known for you if you traveled to the Middle East countries. However, here, in the Dominican Republic, okra is served in a slightly different way. It is stewed in a mild, oily tomato sauce. Usually, when it is mature and large, it is cut into smaller parts. Or when it is young, it is prepared in whole.
Okra is also a popular dish served as a part of the plato del día. In this case, it is a replacement for any meat or fish.
6. Red beans - frijoles rojos guisados
If you eat at least once a traditional Dominican lunch dish – La Bandera, you cannot not know it. Although fried or stewed beans are popular in almost all Spanish speaking countries, each country has its own way of preparing it. And, although you might already know it from the Mexican Cuisine or from Costa Rica, here in the Dominican Republic, red beans would be served in a different way. While usually La Bandera is served with red beans, some other beans’ varieties might come too. White, black, or even pigeon pea. But that is the red bean that is the traditional one and the most popular one. It is not only due to its availability, but also due to its symbolical meaning. Actually, red beans represent the red color on the Dominican flag (La Bandera). This color is a representation of heroes’ blood. Blood that was lost in the name of liberty. Liberty of the Dominican nation from Haiti.
Frijoles guisados are served stewed. They are rather deprived of spices and relatively mild. Their form and density may vary from place to place, and from one house to another.
7. Fresh fruits
That is what cannot be missed not only by all Vegans and Vegetarians, but also by all meat lovers. These exotic fruits are aromatic, juicy, full of flavor and just beautiful.
Their flesh is perfect. Thanks to the amount of sun and rain, local fruits can profit the most from the soil and from the surrounding. Buying canned or already packed fruits in the Dominican Republic is a murder on their naturality and purity.
Try local, seasonal fruits. Choose these sold from small, local vendors. From these guys that go with a trolley and have only a very limited number of different fruits. Or buy fruits from these vendors, that are just specialized in one of them. Eat mangoes, pineapples, papayas, zapote, oranges or watermelons. Depending on the season, pick these that are in their peak.
The Best of the International cuisine you MUST try
Club sandwich
Are you tired with local food? You cannot bear anymore red beans, rice, plantains, or fried chicken? If so, then the solution would be to find and go to any international restaurant. While pizzerias, fast food stalls and restaurants like Mc Donald’s, Burger King or KFC with chickens are in Santo Domingo, then other cities and regions are rather deprived of them. It would be really hard for you to find their good substitute if you decide to leave the capital.
In such a case, a Club Sandwiches might come with help. Toast bread with cheese, some vegetables and meat are served in different ways and forms. In little triangles, in full squares or half-toasts. Sometimes, the crust is cut off. Sometimes it is nicely glued by the melted cheese and sometimes it is just loose and shows what is inside the sandwich.
Asian food - Sunday morning Asian market in Santo Domingo
You cannot skip it if you love Asia. Here, apart from a number of local, Asian home-made dishes, you will be able to meet these people too. Immigrants from China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Malaysia are only some of them. Here, at this market, you will be able to try their national staple food, their spices, herbs, and vegetables. Here, you will also have a chance to try Asian meals prepared according to their original recipes and following Asian cooking methods. Special ingredients, a specific food adding ideology and combining process. That is here, where you would be able to eat steamed Chinese buns, Japanese gyoza dumplings and try Thai bubble tea. This Asian Sunday Morning market is also the best option to try the best and the most famous dishes from the Asian area in one place.
