Great location in the old town. Very nice interior. Fast and friendly service. Goat tacos were excellent. The Caribbean salad was not as good as expected. Sancocho-revive muerto and Pati mondongo were good.
Warning: on most (all?) places in this region, you pay the price on the menu + 18% VAT + 10% charge (service?). For example if a beer costs 200 DOP (on the menu/drink card) the amount to pay is 256 DOP (36 DOP VAT + 20 DOP charge), that’s 28% higher.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$1,500–2,000
Food: 4
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Typical tourist trap kind of place. Avoid if you can. The food was subpar, drinks were really sugary and weak. The staff was cheerful but unfortunately didn't speak any English despite being in the middle of a tourist hotspot. We ordered their highly recommended cocktail - Jalao and it was a mixture of sugary syrups over ice. For food we ordered the Bombones De Yuca, Deditos De Berenjena, Mofongo and Avocado Salad. The Bombones were regular.. nothing special, the Mofongo was really dry and hard to chew, the Avocado Salad was literally just slices of Avocado and the cheese in the Deditos was overcooked and hard to chew and the eggplant was undercooked and hence was also not edible. We also ordered Rice and Beans as a side dish and that was OK. I will not recommend this place.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$1,500–2,000
Food: 3
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 5
Definitely a must try when visiting Santo Domingo! Interior and exterior aesthetics is top notch. Customer service was great. Not sure when the live bands perform.
We tried the cativias de Queso (8/10) croquetas crujientes con chivo (10/10), el criollito (7/10) and rabo encendio (9/10). Some of the dishes were too salty for me but likely just fine for others. Tried the Jalao drink (as recommended by others) but was a bit sweet and not keen on the banana flavour.
Price per person
$1,500–2,000
Food: 4
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Ordered traditional pork feet stew. The pork feet was cooked well and the sauce was flavorful. There was chunk of pork stomach in the soup as well. The restaurant has a live stage inside.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$1,500–2,000
Food: 4
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 5
The food was great the atmosphere was amazing and great service as well! The only issue I had was I had to get 3 beers changed because it was terrible. Looks like it was frozen then unfrozen. It had no carbonation and it was stale. However, the exchange with no issue. They guys was very apologetic and brought out the next one out which was good.
Price per person
$1,000–1,500
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Lasagna DRM
nice vibes with music. the food was good overall (we had shrimp creole and sancocho). thought the restaurant might a tourist trap at first but thankfully the food did not disappoint and the price was reasonable.
Meal type
Lunch
Food: 4
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Shrimp Creole
Honestly I assumed it was a tourist trap. However after being reccomended by several different groups of people and it being one of the few places I haven't tried that was open in the colonial zone on a Sunday I gave Jalao a shot. I am glad I did. Fot the chivo and chenchen. Goat and a cracked corn dish. Delicious. Goat was a bit dry but bathe it in the accompanied sauce and it was delightful. Never had chenchen now I want to learn how to make it. At 1495 pesos it was higher than I usual pay for a meal in the DR but the quality of this dish and its prime location was worth it. The server was more concerned with the larger parties but i didn't need much attention.
Food: 5
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 5
Jalao has great atmosphere, and live music. The aesthetic of everything is very dominican feeling. The workers are country dressed.
While we felt great initially with the music, we found two tiny roaches. One in my drink, and the other in the table. Felt very disgusting right after that and decided to leave.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Food: 4
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 4
From the outside it looks like any average restaurant, but inside it has beautiful decorations. I arrived when live music was playing, and I have to say, it was highly enjoyable. When the band needed a break, very nicely dressed dancers appeared in front of the stage. The food was tasty. Considering the whole experience, I think that the prices are an absolute bargain, and the restaurant is an absolute must-see.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$1,500–2,000
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
This is a must visit for the food, atmosphere and service.
Ice cold drinks good music and an overall great time.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$5,000+
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Red Snapper
