Totem Las Terrenas — Restaurant in Las Terrenas

Our last visit to this spot under the previous ownership left us underwhelmed, but we decided to give it another try under Totem’s new management—and what a difference! The decor is vibrant and inviting, and though we arrived for a late lunch as the only customers, the experience was anything but dull.

Our waiter/barman was knowledgeable and walked us through the menu. We kicked off with mojitos, which were not only generous in size but also beautifully presented and absolutely delicious.

From the tapas menu, we chose mini burgers, meatballs, fries, wings, and guacamole. The wings and meatballs stood out with just the right amount of spice, perfectly cooked, while the burgers were spot-on as well. Another round of mojitos led us to a sweet finish with two coconut egg flans—decadent and satisfying.

Service was attentive, even with the place to ourselves. Chef Francisco made a point to chat with us post-meal, adding a personal touch to the already pleasant experience. The location, right by the beach, only adds to the charm, and the fact that they accept card payments is a rare and welcome convenience.

All in all, it was a surprisingly delightful meal at 5,000 pesos for two, including two rounds of mojitos, desserts, and taxes—well within the usual Las Terrenas pricing, but with a noticeable boost in presentation, taste, and service. We’ll definitely be back, especially for their Saturday...

Extra ordinary culinary experience in Las Terrenas

After 16 years living in the country, my wife Véro and I are spending our last month in the DR in Las Terrenas, “notre coup de coeur”.

What is missing the most in this country is exactly what we experienced here at this restaurant.

On a quiet Wednesday night, we arrived at around 7:30pm and were warmly welcomed by Mery.

While enjoying two perfectly made Mojitos, she brought the chalkboard hand-written menu in front of us.

Mery accommodated us with a very reasonable price for opening our own wine bottle.

Vero picked a hamburger. Goat cheese with caramelized onion on homemade bread. Everything in it, including the home made aioli for the french fries, was authentic, original and outstanding.

I picked the smoked filet mignon, the only red meat option on the menu. I am rarely impressed here by a 1,200 pesos meat main course here. But this was GREAT. Smoked meant smoked. The real deal.

The salty caramel gelato was great.

We were delighted with the experience we had tonight. We will come back.

Please make sure you visit Chez Alex y Angie and share your comments. It is really hard to create an authentic and sustainable culinary experience here in the DR. We know because we did it a few years ago. Chez Véro in Jarabacoa was us.

With love. Jean-François &...

Im looking at the previous reviews and I think there must have been some big change in the restaurant. We came with a larger group but gave the restaurant a week advanced notice. The whole experience seemed like a bad dream. As we were arriving the bartender seemed to be single serving margaritas to the 20 guests. Not only could these have bene batched but even if not, it didnt make sense that we had to wait around 25 minutes to get our first pre ordered drink. After this round it was impossible for anyone to order another drink, at least without getting scolded by the bartender.

The food was even worse. The first course was something that seemed to be a reheated frozen hors devours tray. The next few courses were also comical. The flavors didnt make any sense, the courses took forever and were poorly designed. Whomever was in the kitchen had zero experience.

We eventually asked them to just stop the service so we could pay and leave. Had it not been a recommendation by a local, I think I would have walked out. To top it all off the hostess and bartender who were running our event were extremely rude. Nothing redeeming about...