Spice — Restaurant in Higüey

Dining at Spice, a restaurant at Excellence Punta Cana, was a disappointment. Despite glowing reviews, the experience was far from what we had hoped. The sushi prep station emitted a strong odor of dirty rags and Clorox, which is not typical of a sushi establishment. The staff was polite, but the atmosphere was basic, like a pop-up restaurant with IKEA furnishings.

The food didn't meet expectations either. Our starter, fried pork shumai, was flavorful. The tuna tataki was fresh and well seasoned, but the slices were too thick for our liking. The sashimi plate, on the other hand, was a disaster - the salmon was poorly trimmed and very fishy. The ginger tuna was unenjoyable, with an unseasoned rice base.

At an all-inclusive resort, one would not expect a Michelin-starred dining experience, but it's reasonable to expect better quality than what one might find at a grocery sushi counter. Reservations are not required, but based on our experience, we wouldn't recommend...

You need to make reservations 2 days in advance so there’s that. It’s pretty busy during the peak times around the first two hours or so of opening. If you want to be seated be on time with all your party. The chef and staff are interactive and want to keep you entertained at the hibachi tables. For anyone with anxiety or issues with loud noise, don’t go. I’ve been to hibachi before and maybe because we were in the back it was way loud. Other than that, a really good meal. I really enjoyed it. I had chicken, beef, and shrimp with the veggies...

If you are asking yourself whether or not you should go here for dinner, you should! We did not do the show dinner because of the limited menu, however it sounded like a lot of fun.

We went here twice during our stay at excellence and both times ended up ordering our entrees twice (the portions are smaller but they are so good it’s worth two). Melvin was super attentive and great at helping us make our selections. Highly highly recommend - especially...