camaro1257
05-22-2015, 09:45 PM
Camaro’s Puerto Plata Restaurant Guide
I have chosen to write this restaurant guide since I now live in Puerto Plata. This guide will be similar in format to my Santiago hotel guide. I enjoy eating out because it gives me an opportunity to try different foods and to interact with the wait staff at the different restaurants speaking Spanish and possibly meeting a nice soltera who is working or dinning alone.
I have discovered that Puerto Plata has many fine dining establishments that offer everything from comida tipica to traditional American foods such as hamburgers and French fries. This guide should be useful more so for the person who is interested in traditional dating not so much for the grab and smash monger. Puerto Plata like Cabarette make great date options but in Puerto Plata the restaurants are more diverse and there are more things to do.
This guide will cover restaurants in the Malecon, downtown Puerto Plata, Maimon, Costumbar and more. One thing is for sure Puerto Plata is not lacking in different places to eat.
Aquaceros the Malecon Puerto Plata
Aquaceros is a bar restaurant right down the street from La Sirena on the Malecon. This spot is an excellent date location. There is a private glassed in room for special events with a Flat Screen TV. There is a bar a sitting area down and up-stairs. The restaurant faces the Malecon and has a nice breeze off the ocean.
The food was decent with the typical menu of chicken steak and seafood, low end 300pesos high end 1000pesos. The service was good, the food was ok I had the Mero Limon which was tasty but a little over cooked.
I would definitely return with a date as the ambiance was EXCELLENT!
Resturante El Barco the Malecon Puerto Plata
I had breakfast at Resturante El Barco which is on the Malecon a few doors down from Aquaceros. You can dine inside or outside facing the beach. I sat outside and enjoyed the cool breeze and scent coming off the ocean.
Both the inside and outside of the restaurant were more rustic and less modern furnishings and ambiance than Aquaceros. The tables and chairs were a lot older. I ordered an American style breakfast. Depending on what you ordered for breakfast the cost ranged between 150 – 250 pesos. I didn’t study the regular menu but it seemed to have the normal dishes that most serve in the area.
I had a very nice waitress with a bright smile, although she was not my type she gave me the idea I should not only investigate Puerto Plata’s restaurant scene but I should also investigate their wait staff for possible extra-curricular activities.
I also enjoyed some nice eye candy walking by so I think I will be spending more time on the Malecon.
Tam Tam Café the Malecon Puerto Plata
Tam Tam Café is on the Malecon next door to Resturante El Barco. There is inside and outside dining that face the beach. Sitting under the awning is very comfortable because it provides shade and you can still feel the breeze off the beach. There is an upstairs balcony also.
I had breakfast for about 200 pesos and the menu included basic restaurant food ranging from hamburgers at 300 pesos to seafood at 800 pesos. They also specialize in different types of coffee. The staff was very polite and the food came out in a timely fashion although I was one of only a few customers at the time.
Las Caracoles Restaurant the Malecon Puerto Plata
Las Caracoles Restaurant is in the same row of restaurants as the Tam Tam Café, El Barco and Acuaceros. The restaurant has the same beach breeze as the others but the ambiance is different because it appears as if some parts are under construction and some of the furniture was old and other pieces of furniture was hard plastic.
The menu included soups and salads from 200 pesos to lobster at 900 pesos. I had the fried fish with a drink which was about 500 pesos. The fish was good but it was a small portion that wasn’t very filling.
One of my objectives in visiting different restaurants is to investigate the wait staff. My waitress was a approximately 40 year old hefty lady who smiled and gave me a little too much eye contact…I have no idea what she wanted. But seriously the service and the food was good but the restaurant lacked the ambiance of some of the others due to the construction.
Malecon Casetas
I counted 8 casetas on the east end of the Malecon. Each caseta has different venues some restaurants others bars and drinking venues. Some of the caseta are owned by one person and the other space is rented out. The caseta looks like 1 venue from the outside but sometimes a caseta can have as many as 4 different venues in the same caseta.
Big Lee’s Beach Bar- Malecon, Puerto Plata
Big Lee’s Beach Bar is one of many casetas on the east end of the Malecon. It is a bar and restaurant with a front view of the Malecon and a back view of Playa Puerto Plata.
Cigar Shop Vivonte – Calle Carmen Aresibi, Puerto Plata
I had an itch for Sosua but I decided to chill in Puerto Plata and went to Cigar Shop Vivonte which is located off the Malecon in Puerto Plata down the street from La Sirena. The venue is a cigar bar where they serve drinks and have a light food menu. You can chill inside or outside.
I had a chicken wrap and chips for just over 200 pesos. I sat and talked to some ex-pats and watched the waitress eye candy, this no Hooters but both waitresses would do in an emergency. This is an ex-pat hang out so I will probably visit frequently.
Tio Pan Pasteleria Calle Principal Tony Alta, Puerto Plata
I had lunch at Tio Pan Pasteleria. This spot has indoors and outdoors with a very modern décor. The menu includes different types of non-alcoholic drinks, sandwiches, salads and wraps along with an extensive dessert selection because it is a bakery.
I had a chicken wrap which was different because along with the typical lettuce and tomatoes there was a lot of corn in the filler. I am noticing corn is used from everything to soup to pizza. The sandwich was good and I had a piece of cake which was soft moist and not too sweet. My bill was around 400 pesos for the sandwich drink and dessert.
This is another great spot that I would return to!
Coma Familia Resturante Avenida Hermanas Mirabal Puerto Plata
Como Familia Resturante is a local restaurant located on the same street as the Palacio de Justicio. No one speaks English however the staff was very cordial and professional. I had the filet de mero in garlic sauce which was good but a little salty I told the waitress and she told the cook and he nodded his head and smiled. My meal was just over 300 pesos.
They serve comida typica every day from 11am -4pm and the plato de dia is generally around 200 pesos. The menu includes comida typical a few fish dishes and hamburgers etc. I don’t recall seeing anything for more than 300 pesos.
This is an open air restaurant with furniture that is very basic with wooden benches and chairs. This would be a good cheap date option and I would return.
Portofino Restaurante & Hotel Avenida Hermanas Mirabal, Puerto Plata
The Portofino Restaurant is part of a hotel complex. The restaurant is an open air venue with a nice vibe the tables are all neat with white table cloths. This is a pizziaria that specializes in wines and Italian food. They have the typical selections of pizzas that come in 3 sizes small medium and large. I had a Hawaiian pizza with chicken which was ok but the crust was kinda hard.
I only sampled the pizza so I cannot speak on the other items on the menu. The staff was polite and I liked the laid back atmosphere. I would return probably to try something else on the menu since I was not impressed with the pizza.
La Ponderosa Del Mar 12 de Julio, Puerto Plata
La Ponderosa Del Mar is primarily a seafood restaurant that is located in Puerto Plata centro in the area of the Parada de Metro. It is a small indoor restaurant with Wood tables and chairs. When I was there is appeared to be under renovation so the atmosphere left something lacking.
There is an extensive wine and liquor menu and the food ranged from 1200 pesos lobster to 300 pesos salads. I have the garlic chicken which was very tasty and tender for just over 600 pesos. The staff speaks English and my bill was quoted in pesos and dollars. With the exchange rate it is obviously better to pay in pesos.
My impression was the staff and the food was good however the food was on the high end. If I were to take a date there it would definitely be someone who I felt deserved that type of attention.
A search for breakfast:
I was looking for breakfast and ran into the below listed duds:
El Provocon Carretera Navarette, Puerto Plata
El Provocon is a parada bar- restaurant on the road to Santiago as you are leaving Puerto Plata next to the University. I went there looking for breakfast but they only serve light food like hamburgers etc. I spoke with the waitress and she advised it is more of a place “para llevar” than a place where people sit down and eat. University students sometimes come in but they get most of their food to go.
I did not sample any of their food.
La Sirena Malecon, Puerto Plata
La Sirena has a great food bar upstairs on the second floor. In the morning they have breakfast items like sausage fried cheese and mangu but the cook said they didn’t have any eggs…errrrrrrr? I didn’t understand that so I just kept it moving.
Pescaderia Los Primos Maimon
I had a date at Pescaderia Los Primos in Maimon. Maimon is just outside Puerto Plata city headed towards Santiago. There are several restaurants on the strip that are work investigating.
The restaurant has a ranch flavor with wood tables and chairs. You can sit facing the road or in the interior which is open air. The menu is fish and seafood lunch and dinner came to 700 pesos I am sure it would have been twice that in Cabarette.
You can go to the kitchen and pick your fish which are in a cooler. The fish I picked looked bigger than what it turned out to be after it was cooked. It wasn’t enough but it was very tasty I have no idea what type of fish it was.
The wait staff was excellent and I was impressed with the quality and taste of the food for the price. I am open to return and visit some of the other restaurants on the strip.
La Parada de Playa Restaurant Maimon
La Parada de Playa Restaurant is on the same side of the Street as Pescaderia Los Primos. It is similar ranch style set up with the exception the furniture appeared to be newer and nicer. The restaurant is open air and the menu is fish and seafood with a dessert menu included.
Unlike Pescaderia Los Primos the waitress brings the fish out to make sure it is the size you want because you pay according to the size of the fish. I had the garlic mero which was a fillet for 300 pesos.
The ceiling fans create a very nice breeze inside the restaurant even though it was over 80 degrees outside. I was impressed by the teamwork of the waitresses, I had 1 primary waitress but 2 others assisted in waiting on me. I asked if tips were shares and they said no therefore their teamwork was very impressive. Pescaderia Los Primos had a lot of waiters but this restaurant had all waitresses. There was one waitress that was a definite 8 but she said she was married so I saw no need to test the waters any further.
The dining experience here was good and I would repeat again.
Rick’s Café Calle Anacana, Costambar
Rick’s Café is part of a restaurant apartment complex (Atlantic One Residence) in Costambar. The restaurant is an open air venue with a bar, chairs and tables along with a flat screen television that plays Latin videos. You sit in view of the apartments behind the restaurant along with the pool.
The menu includes wines and varios alcoholic beverages. There are snack foods like sandwhiches and also an assortment of pastas. I don’t recall seeing anything over 400pesos.
I had a tuna sand which, chips and drink for about 400 pesos. The waitress took the chips out of the potato chip bag and put them in a dish, I thought that was pretty classy. The food was good with a nice casual outdoor sports bar kind of feel.
I don’t care much for Costambar but this was a nice place that I would recommend to others.
Conclusion:
The only American standard in the area is Burger King which is located on the main road as you enter Puerto Plata traveling west from Sosua. The above is a list of the restaurants I visited in the Puerto Plata area on this stay. There are a plethora of other restaurants in the area and I will update this thread as I discover different places to eat in the area going forward.
I have chosen to write this restaurant guide since I now live in Puerto Plata. This guide will be similar in format to my Santiago hotel guide. I enjoy eating out because it gives me an opportunity to try different foods and to interact with the wait staff at the different restaurants speaking Spanish and possibly meeting a nice soltera who is working or dinning alone.
I have discovered that Puerto Plata has many fine dining establishments that offer everything from comida tipica to traditional American foods such as hamburgers and French fries. This guide should be useful more so for the person who is interested in traditional dating not so much for the grab and smash monger. Puerto Plata like Cabarette make great date options but in Puerto Plata the restaurants are more diverse and there are more things to do.
This guide will cover restaurants in the Malecon, downtown Puerto Plata, Maimon, Costumbar and more. One thing is for sure Puerto Plata is not lacking in different places to eat.
Aquaceros the Malecon Puerto Plata
Aquaceros is a bar restaurant right down the street from La Sirena on the Malecon. This spot is an excellent date location. There is a private glassed in room for special events with a Flat Screen TV. There is a bar a sitting area down and up-stairs. The restaurant faces the Malecon and has a nice breeze off the ocean.
The food was decent with the typical menu of chicken steak and seafood, low end 300pesos high end 1000pesos. The service was good, the food was ok I had the Mero Limon which was tasty but a little over cooked.
I would definitely return with a date as the ambiance was EXCELLENT!
Resturante El Barco the Malecon Puerto Plata
I had breakfast at Resturante El Barco which is on the Malecon a few doors down from Aquaceros. You can dine inside or outside facing the beach. I sat outside and enjoyed the cool breeze and scent coming off the ocean.
Both the inside and outside of the restaurant were more rustic and less modern furnishings and ambiance than Aquaceros. The tables and chairs were a lot older. I ordered an American style breakfast. Depending on what you ordered for breakfast the cost ranged between 150 – 250 pesos. I didn’t study the regular menu but it seemed to have the normal dishes that most serve in the area.
I had a very nice waitress with a bright smile, although she was not my type she gave me the idea I should not only investigate Puerto Plata’s restaurant scene but I should also investigate their wait staff for possible extra-curricular activities.
I also enjoyed some nice eye candy walking by so I think I will be spending more time on the Malecon.
Tam Tam Café the Malecon Puerto Plata
Tam Tam Café is on the Malecon next door to Resturante El Barco. There is inside and outside dining that face the beach. Sitting under the awning is very comfortable because it provides shade and you can still feel the breeze off the beach. There is an upstairs balcony also.
I had breakfast for about 200 pesos and the menu included basic restaurant food ranging from hamburgers at 300 pesos to seafood at 800 pesos. They also specialize in different types of coffee. The staff was very polite and the food came out in a timely fashion although I was one of only a few customers at the time.
Las Caracoles Restaurant the Malecon Puerto Plata
Las Caracoles Restaurant is in the same row of restaurants as the Tam Tam Café, El Barco and Acuaceros. The restaurant has the same beach breeze as the others but the ambiance is different because it appears as if some parts are under construction and some of the furniture was old and other pieces of furniture was hard plastic.
The menu included soups and salads from 200 pesos to lobster at 900 pesos. I had the fried fish with a drink which was about 500 pesos. The fish was good but it was a small portion that wasn’t very filling.
One of my objectives in visiting different restaurants is to investigate the wait staff. My waitress was a approximately 40 year old hefty lady who smiled and gave me a little too much eye contact…I have no idea what she wanted. But seriously the service and the food was good but the restaurant lacked the ambiance of some of the others due to the construction.
Malecon Casetas
I counted 8 casetas on the east end of the Malecon. Each caseta has different venues some restaurants others bars and drinking venues. Some of the caseta are owned by one person and the other space is rented out. The caseta looks like 1 venue from the outside but sometimes a caseta can have as many as 4 different venues in the same caseta.
Big Lee’s Beach Bar- Malecon, Puerto Plata
Big Lee’s Beach Bar is one of many casetas on the east end of the Malecon. It is a bar and restaurant with a front view of the Malecon and a back view of Playa Puerto Plata.
Cigar Shop Vivonte – Calle Carmen Aresibi, Puerto Plata
I had an itch for Sosua but I decided to chill in Puerto Plata and went to Cigar Shop Vivonte which is located off the Malecon in Puerto Plata down the street from La Sirena. The venue is a cigar bar where they serve drinks and have a light food menu. You can chill inside or outside.
I had a chicken wrap and chips for just over 200 pesos. I sat and talked to some ex-pats and watched the waitress eye candy, this no Hooters but both waitresses would do in an emergency. This is an ex-pat hang out so I will probably visit frequently.
Tio Pan Pasteleria Calle Principal Tony Alta, Puerto Plata
I had lunch at Tio Pan Pasteleria. This spot has indoors and outdoors with a very modern décor. The menu includes different types of non-alcoholic drinks, sandwiches, salads and wraps along with an extensive dessert selection because it is a bakery.
I had a chicken wrap which was different because along with the typical lettuce and tomatoes there was a lot of corn in the filler. I am noticing corn is used from everything to soup to pizza. The sandwich was good and I had a piece of cake which was soft moist and not too sweet. My bill was around 400 pesos for the sandwich drink and dessert.
This is another great spot that I would return to!
Coma Familia Resturante Avenida Hermanas Mirabal Puerto Plata
Como Familia Resturante is a local restaurant located on the same street as the Palacio de Justicio. No one speaks English however the staff was very cordial and professional. I had the filet de mero in garlic sauce which was good but a little salty I told the waitress and she told the cook and he nodded his head and smiled. My meal was just over 300 pesos.
They serve comida typica every day from 11am -4pm and the plato de dia is generally around 200 pesos. The menu includes comida typical a few fish dishes and hamburgers etc. I don’t recall seeing anything for more than 300 pesos.
This is an open air restaurant with furniture that is very basic with wooden benches and chairs. This would be a good cheap date option and I would return.
Portofino Restaurante & Hotel Avenida Hermanas Mirabal, Puerto Plata
The Portofino Restaurant is part of a hotel complex. The restaurant is an open air venue with a nice vibe the tables are all neat with white table cloths. This is a pizziaria that specializes in wines and Italian food. They have the typical selections of pizzas that come in 3 sizes small medium and large. I had a Hawaiian pizza with chicken which was ok but the crust was kinda hard.
I only sampled the pizza so I cannot speak on the other items on the menu. The staff was polite and I liked the laid back atmosphere. I would return probably to try something else on the menu since I was not impressed with the pizza.
La Ponderosa Del Mar 12 de Julio, Puerto Plata
La Ponderosa Del Mar is primarily a seafood restaurant that is located in Puerto Plata centro in the area of the Parada de Metro. It is a small indoor restaurant with Wood tables and chairs. When I was there is appeared to be under renovation so the atmosphere left something lacking.
There is an extensive wine and liquor menu and the food ranged from 1200 pesos lobster to 300 pesos salads. I have the garlic chicken which was very tasty and tender for just over 600 pesos. The staff speaks English and my bill was quoted in pesos and dollars. With the exchange rate it is obviously better to pay in pesos.
My impression was the staff and the food was good however the food was on the high end. If I were to take a date there it would definitely be someone who I felt deserved that type of attention.
A search for breakfast:
I was looking for breakfast and ran into the below listed duds:
El Provocon Carretera Navarette, Puerto Plata
El Provocon is a parada bar- restaurant on the road to Santiago as you are leaving Puerto Plata next to the University. I went there looking for breakfast but they only serve light food like hamburgers etc. I spoke with the waitress and she advised it is more of a place “para llevar” than a place where people sit down and eat. University students sometimes come in but they get most of their food to go.
I did not sample any of their food.
La Sirena Malecon, Puerto Plata
La Sirena has a great food bar upstairs on the second floor. In the morning they have breakfast items like sausage fried cheese and mangu but the cook said they didn’t have any eggs…errrrrrrr? I didn’t understand that so I just kept it moving.
Pescaderia Los Primos Maimon
I had a date at Pescaderia Los Primos in Maimon. Maimon is just outside Puerto Plata city headed towards Santiago. There are several restaurants on the strip that are work investigating.
The restaurant has a ranch flavor with wood tables and chairs. You can sit facing the road or in the interior which is open air. The menu is fish and seafood lunch and dinner came to 700 pesos I am sure it would have been twice that in Cabarette.
You can go to the kitchen and pick your fish which are in a cooler. The fish I picked looked bigger than what it turned out to be after it was cooked. It wasn’t enough but it was very tasty I have no idea what type of fish it was.
The wait staff was excellent and I was impressed with the quality and taste of the food for the price. I am open to return and visit some of the other restaurants on the strip.
La Parada de Playa Restaurant Maimon
La Parada de Playa Restaurant is on the same side of the Street as Pescaderia Los Primos. It is similar ranch style set up with the exception the furniture appeared to be newer and nicer. The restaurant is open air and the menu is fish and seafood with a dessert menu included.
Unlike Pescaderia Los Primos the waitress brings the fish out to make sure it is the size you want because you pay according to the size of the fish. I had the garlic mero which was a fillet for 300 pesos.
The ceiling fans create a very nice breeze inside the restaurant even though it was over 80 degrees outside. I was impressed by the teamwork of the waitresses, I had 1 primary waitress but 2 others assisted in waiting on me. I asked if tips were shares and they said no therefore their teamwork was very impressive. Pescaderia Los Primos had a lot of waiters but this restaurant had all waitresses. There was one waitress that was a definite 8 but she said she was married so I saw no need to test the waters any further.
The dining experience here was good and I would repeat again.
Rick’s Café Calle Anacana, Costambar
Rick’s Café is part of a restaurant apartment complex (Atlantic One Residence) in Costambar. The restaurant is an open air venue with a bar, chairs and tables along with a flat screen television that plays Latin videos. You sit in view of the apartments behind the restaurant along with the pool.
The menu includes wines and varios alcoholic beverages. There are snack foods like sandwhiches and also an assortment of pastas. I don’t recall seeing anything over 400pesos.
I had a tuna sand which, chips and drink for about 400 pesos. The waitress took the chips out of the potato chip bag and put them in a dish, I thought that was pretty classy. The food was good with a nice casual outdoor sports bar kind of feel.
I don’t care much for Costambar but this was a nice place that I would recommend to others.
Conclusion:
The only American standard in the area is Burger King which is located on the main road as you enter Puerto Plata traveling west from Sosua. The above is a list of the restaurants I visited in the Puerto Plata area on this stay. There are a plethora of other restaurants in the area and I will update this thread as I discover different places to eat in the area going forward.