Dining Out
Dining out in the Playa Cofresi area is a wonderful experience and not to be missed. While you will enjoy having meals prepared for you at the villa, there are many restaurants nearby. The food is delicious and reasonably priced. The ambiance is delightful. No matter where you go, dress is casual so wear your jeans, shorts and sandals, sundresses or other comfortable attire. Ties are not required anywhere.
In many places you'll be able to enjoy your dinner and a drink and probably not pay much more than $20 US after the tip. Some restaurants, but not all, accept credit cards. The following are some of our favorites but there are others, check with Gabino for other suggestions. Be sure and try some of the local dishes, they are delicious. Try paella, sans cocho, arroz con pollo, plátanos, and tortilla de jamón. Local beers include
Within walking distance
Chris and Mady's Guests have been pleased with this sprawling, ocean front thatched roof restaurant that also has a pool table to keep the kids amused. You can watch the Cable TV while your dinner is being prepared. This was a favorite evening hangout for our 20+ year old sons.
If you don't feel like eating out, you could ask Chris to prepare some of the items from his menu for take out. Even though hamburgers are part of his lunch menu, he'll do them at night for kids who want something they recognize. Open every day 11-11. Credit cards accepted.
The Ahora Grill & Lounge is also located on the beach road.
Desperados and Los Charros are two Mexican restaurants on the beach road that do a good job of Mexican food. Los Charros also delivers to the villa.
Near Cofresi in Villas Cofresi
Le Papillion is in a community called Villas Cofresi. Turn left as you exit Cofresi; go down the highway a few hundred yards and the entrance will be on the right. This Ion-time favorite spot is where you go for beef. Thomas Ackerman always has interesting blackboard daily specials to augment his standard menu. Cap it all off with his chocolate mousse. Closed Mondays. The ambiance is quite attractive. Credit cards accepted.
Los Dos, also in Villas Cofresi near the entrance on the left, is our favorite, featuring a variety of delicious specials. Very reasonable prices, payment is in pesos and U.S. dollars. There is usually a special event on Friday nights such as an all-you- can eat Barbecue for $15 or a suckling pig roast that is to die for. Put this on your “must go” list. Hours:
Tyroleon is located on the left, at the very entrance to Villas Cofresi. The menu is German with exceptional weiner schnitzel. Portions are generous and the prices are modest. There is not much ambiance. Someone said it is like eating in someone’s carport or garage. We agree. Pesos only. No credit cards.
*****Note the restaurants listed above are located on the road to Villas Cofresi less than a mile from the entrance to Playa Cofresi, but we do not recommend that you walk there at night. Crossing the highway is dangerous! Please take a taxi from Cofresi.
La
“ the Spencer family favorite”
La
Restaurant Stefy and Natale is the area’s popular Italian dining spot. Featured dishes are their homemade pastas and sauces and fantastic thin crust pizza available with a variety of toppings. Langostinos (small lobsters), Cordon Bleu, shrimp, beef and veal dishes are also a good choice. Good place to come with large groups because the prices are so modest. Open Tuesday-Saturday,
Bahia de Maimon
Exit right from Cofresi and go down the highway about 3 1/2 miles to an area where many small stands and restaurants offer fresh cooked fish. Fresh cooked chicken and meats are available, but the specialty of the area is fish, caught fresh from the local shores .You can take-out or eat the food on the premises at picnic style tables. It's very popular with locals and tourists alike. The prices are quite cheap, too. Talk to Gabino about which stand in this area is best. This was a highlight of our last two trips. Unbelievable fish! Cash only. Use bug spray before you go.
Costambar
Costambar is a large, ocean-side community adjacent to Playa Cofresi. Exit left from Cofresi and go about a mile down the highway toward town. The entrance to Costambar will be on your left, and opposite the Free Trade Zone. The road is about 1/2 mile long before you come to the gated entrance. We suggest you have a taxi take you and come back to get you. There are many restaurants but we haven't tried them all. These are our favorites.
Solo Mio, at the corner of Anacoana and Higuamota, has excellent brick oven baked pizza, barbecued meats, seafood, and Italian pasta dishes. Good place to bring the kids because they’ll love the pizza and the prices are so modest. This is a perennial favorite with all the expats. Open every day. Credit cards accepted.
Cafe Caruso, on Calle Castilla at Condo Lisa in the area known as the Italian Village, has weekly specials and a good variety of seafood, chicken and meats in their regular menu. The ambiance is pleasant around their terraced pool. Open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner from November until the end of April. Rest of year, dinner only.
Don Quijote is in a converted home with a pleasant atmosphere on Calle Cadiz. Excellent Austrian and International food featured at very modest prices. Open Tuesday-Sunday from
Thon's shack right on the beach, near the corner of Almirante, is probably the biggest bargain around. Enjoy delicious meals for less than $10. It's all at the surf’s edge under the palms with plastic chairs and tables so don't go when it's raining. No printed menu, just a few black board specials. Try their chili con carne, beef soup, Weiner Schnitzel, or chicken curry with rice. This is for the truly adventurous souls. They are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, weather permitting.
In Puerto Plata
The historic and colorful city of Puerto Plata, just three miles from Playa Cofresi offers a variety of local restaurants that are colorful and reasonably priced.
Quo Vadis Restaurant at #47 Avenida Luis Ginebra is in an elegant home surrounded by lovely gardens. White tablecloths, romantic atmosphere, attentive service compliments the delicious food. Best surprise, the prices are very modest. Worth a trip into town, but easy to miss with the high walls that surround the property. Open daily from 11-11. Credit cards accepted.
The Swiss Garden (Jardin Suisse) on the ocean boulevard in Puerto Plata is a favorite. The varied menu has appeal to all age groups. The owner is Swiss but his Dominican wife is the talented chef in the kitchen. You'll love their German potatoes, or Potatoes au gratin or dumplings. The prices are bargains and everything is delicious. It's worth a trip into town. Closed Sundays. Credit cards accepted.
Portofino, located off the traffic circle on Avenida Hermanas Mirabal (on the side street next to the stadium going toward the ocean), is another bargain when it comes to delicious food and low prices. They even have a play area for kids. Menu offers seafood, traditional foods and good pizza. Open daily. Credit cards accepted.
Playa Dorada Plaza
The Playa Dorada resort complex, on the other side of Puerto Plata about 6 miles from Playa Cofresi, has a few restaurants in the hotels that are open to the public, and a shopping plaza with fast-food places.
Hemingway's, right in the Plaza, is popular although we found the service slow and the food just OK. But if you want to relax over a drink, the Havana-like atmosphere is pleasant. Credit cards accepted. ily.Open da
