Best Restaurants in Zona Colonial, Santo Domingo

We lived and worked in Zona Colonial for years. This is the list we hand to every guest who stays at Fixie Lofts. No paid placements, no travel blog filler — just the restaurants we actually go back to.

Fine Dining

1. Casarré

The most serious restaurant in Santo Domingo. Our friend, the chef Olivier Bur — Swiss-Dominican — travels the entire island hunting down hidden local ingredients and flavours. The result is something with no real equivalent in the Dominican Republic: technically precise, deeply rooted in local produce, and completely unlike anything else here. Reservations only through their website. Book before you arrive.

2. Don Nestor Parrillada

The setting alone is worth coming for: outdoor tables facing the Diego Colón Renaissance palace on Plaza de España. The food matches it — high quality meat, well executed, in one of the most beautiful dining locations in the historic centre.

Local & Traditional Dominican

3. Jalao

Honest disclosure: it is a tourist spot, and it is not cheap. But the experience justifies it. The live band is genuinely excellent and the energy of the show is unlike anything else in Zona Colonial. If you go for the music and the atmosphere, you will not be disappointed.

4. D' Luis Parrillada

Traditional Dominican grill on the seafront, with sea views at sunset. Order the Angus beef. Come early enough to catch the light over the water — it is one of the better views in the city.

5. Mimosa Para Llevar

Family-run Dominican home cooking inside a colonial house. Inexpensive, honest, and the kind of meal that does not appear in travel guides. Exactly the point.

Casual & Good Value

6. Quantico Restaurant

The best plato del día in the zone. Simple, healthy choices alongside Venezuelan food — order the cachapas con carne y queso. Air conditioning, good service, delivery available. Consistently reliable.

7. CachArepa

Inexpensive Venezuelan food, done well. The kind of place locals eat at. No decor, no concept — just good food at a fair price.

8. ZonaTaco

Tacos, Beatles, and cold beer. Run by Carlos, a friend and one of the genuinely independent local spirits this neighbourhood has. Cash only, unpretentious, and worth every peso.

Coffee & Breakfast

9. Hotel Conde de Peñalba

A sidewalk café directly in front of the cathedral. The best breakfast spot in Zona Colonial — the location sets the tone for the whole morning. Unhurried, well priced, impossible to beat for setting.

10. Casa Barista & Co.

Reliable coffee and a comfortable spot to pause mid-walk. Nothing more complicated than that, and sometimes that is exactly what you need.

Staying in Zona Colonial?

Every restaurant on this list is within walking distance of Fixie Lofts — a boutique villa with 8 suites and a private pool in the heart of the historic centre. Rated 4.9 on Google. You might also book the entire villa for your group.

→ See our suites → Check availability