Reigning King of Doughnuts – Krispy Kreme is expanding their empire by adding the Dominican Republic to their recent conquests. Let the masses rejoice! (let me know if I’m a little “Over the Top” on this intro).

What can I say? Of all the donut chains nobody compares to Krispy Kreme’s in my opinion. I was hooked the first time I walked into the store and was offered a sample, right out of the oven and barely cooled. It was their Original Glazed Donut, normally a little plain by my standards ( I favor the custard filled), but this “plain” donut was about the best I have ever tasted.

I now have another reason to visit the Dominican Republic capital of Santo Domingo. Krispy Kreme is opening their first of 14 stores in the DR on Winston Churchill Avenue in Santo Domingo. Over the next 5 years they are expecting to open 14 more of the franchise stores throughout the DR. No doubt these will be in the mostly tourist areas giving people a little taste of home while on vacation at one of our beaches.

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Located along the North Coast’s route 5, only 20 minutes from the Puerto Plata International airport, Cabarete Beach is the perfect place for a laid back, and inexpensive, vacation. Restaurants line the beach, shops run along the main street, there is kite surfing, and several inexpensive hotels.

Restaurants
There are many restaurants to choose from along the beach. They generally have indoor, and outdoor, seating, and several are very good. Here are a few favorites:
If you’ve gotten tired of the traditional beans and rice dishes of the region, and just want a good beer and burger, Jose O’Shay’s Irish Pub is the place for you. There is also the option of pizza, cottage pie, steaks, and a few other tasty dishes. The dishes run from $10-20 dollars U.S.

My personal favorite place to eat is Casanova because it is inexpensive (happy hour runs from 4pm-7pm and gives you everything half off), and the ambiance is lovely. The most popular things on the menu are the pizzas and pasta dishes. During happy hour, a meal with a couple of beers will cost around $13 dollars.

On the main road, across from Ocean Dream Plaza is Bayerischer Hof. This restaurant offers savory pork fillets with mushroom and onion sauce, with the option of sautéed or mashed potatoes, or noodles. There is also a good Hungarian stew, Schnitzel, steaks, and other dishes. The prices run from $11-20 dollars.
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Burgers, oh yeaaaaah. When you think of a classic American meal very things if any beat a big juicy burger with a hefty serving of fries. You might be happy to know that it is not all yucca and plantains in the Dominican Republic. You can find the classic meal we all know and love too. You just need to know where to look.

We have found such a place. It is called La Costera (Translates: The Coastal). It is located in downtown Sosua, about a half mile from the beach.

First looking at La Costera, didn’t look like much. Nothing fancy, but it looked like a nice clean little sit down place. It was outdoors with a roof over it, which was great to get the nice cool evening breeze.

To be quite honest what really attracted us was the menu. It was posted on a small billboard type arrangement, including all the prices. They had hamburgers, fries, steak and other stuff us foreigners are used to.

And it was a pretty decent price 120 pesos (about $3.50) for a burger and 200 pesos (about $5.50) for the steak. So we decided to go with it, as we sat down we were reassured by a Dutch fellow sitting next to us that this is the best place to eat in Sosua.

Now I can’t verify that statement because I have not been to half the restaurants in Sosua, but I can say it was one of the best burgers I had in my entire life.

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Located about mid way down the main Cabarete farrow way, Casanova is one of my favorite places to eat whenever I’m there. I actually think about the place even when I’m not in town, which is why I’m writing about it, biding my time until I can talk friends into a nice weekend or day trip.

The Look
The Middle Eastern Bohemian décor is lovely. The crème colored couches and assorted tables scattered below palm trees create a wonderful atmosphere for sitting and chilling with friends as kite boarders add splashes of color to the oceanic background scenery. And at night it is particularly striking. They hang lamps out as you sit under the stars, listen to music as it waifs over from outdoor speakers, and chat.

The Food
The Casanova the pizza is always a favorite with many in our dining group. There are several types that they offer, including a tropical ham and pineapple, vegetable, pepperoni, and meat lovers. Each one has thin crust and a fair amount of whatever toppings that are ordered with it. (more…)

The quality and variety of food available in Santo Domingo is incredible. You will be able to find food of every style and that fits and budget. The problem is Santo Domingo is huge! Figuring out where to go and how to get there can be a little tough. I found that relying on a taxi drivers ability to both know a restaurant exists in the city and where it is usually is not a good idea. This can often result in a very long drive around the city as he tries all the areas he thinks it might be in, and of course this is going to be on your dime. This can get expensive real quickly as well as waste most of your time. It helps to know where you want to go where it is located and even basic directions on how to get there.

That doesn’t mean you have to settle for something near the hotel. It just takes a little preparation. This is a list of some of the nicer restaurants in Santo Domingo with the number to call them. (more…)