ZAMIA BY ITINERANTE — Restaurant in Las Terrenas

For anyone who just wants to enjoy a tasting menu, while my family didn’t enjoy the food, the ambiance was lovely (bring lots of bug spray). However, if anyone in your party has a dietary restriction or allergy–DO NOT GO HERE–unless you have your Epi-Pen at the ready.

Apologies for the length, but I wanted to provide an honest review. My family and I found Zamia as we were looking for a restaurant for my mother’s birthday dinner while on vacation. My mother has several serious allergies including an allergy to all nuts and seafood, so we were initially excited about the experience since Chef Alfredo advertised his comfort catering to dietary restrictions and allergies. We communicated my mother’s allergies in full and any other dietary restrictions in our party directly to Chef Alfredo prior to making a reservation, and he assured us he would be able to accommodate our needs. In the second course, my mother and I were served a different dish than the rest of the group since neither of us eat fish. On the first bite, we realised there were peanuts in the dish and my mother had to spit the food out, thoroughly wash out her mouth, take a Benadryl and pray she wouldn’t have to use her EpiPen. It was incredibly scary for all of us at the table and when Chef Alfredo realised what had happened, he acted as though he had never heard of my mom’s nut allergy and didn’t even apologise for the life-threatening mistake. Thankfully, my mom didn’t swallow the bite and the Benadryl allowed her to stay with us through the rest of the dinner. On the fifth course, she was served a risotto made with tuna jus and saltfish–despite the seafood allergy that was made clear before the meal–and on the sixth course they tried to serve her yet another one of her allergens. Our entire party remained kind, respectful and patient throughout the meal, despite the various incidents, as we recognised that effort had gone into the experience. From a customer service standpoint, we expected some kind of apology in the form of comping my mother’s meal or comping drinks since her experience was so frightening, but there was no such kindness and we were charged and paid in full. To Chef Alfredo and his team’s credit, the ambiance of the space is lovely and for those of us who faced the open kitchen, it was exciting to watch the team cook. However, Chef Alfredo showed little to no respect for allergies he was made aware of prior to the meal, and showed little to no desire to make the...

What a beautiful experience. If you do one special thing during your trip to the area or live here and are looking for a special occasion activity, this dining experience should be it. Look, reviews are weird and create expectations and all but this is simply a dining experience in an absolute out of a movie like setting that is just so worth it. The well traveled and passionate chef cooks and prepares multiple services in this open kitchen and explains each dish. It’s all indigenous or grown here ingredients prepared with sophisticated techniques. You don’t have to like everything, you have to try everything. You’re learning about the beautiful bounty of Hispaniola. The guests I shared the table were lovely, hope you don’t get weirdos, but if you do that’s also a story. The wine or drinks are extra, bring cash. I was drinking white wine like endorsed to and it was a special night and memory indeed. So happy I went, a highlight of this stay. Will be back, gracias por su...

This amazing experience is truly unique. You start the evening in their garden enjoying a cocktail at their backyard bar, the mango mojito was to die for! So yummy!

After cocktails you head up to their kitchen to learn about the process of cacao and how chocolate is made. This was super cool and very well presented.

After the Cacao experience we sat at their beautifully made and decorated Chef Table where we then embarked on a 5 course tasting menu which reflected the Dominican culture. Each plate had a touch of Dominican and was plated with such creativity. The tastes of each plate were equally amazing.

I would highly recommend this experience if you wish to tantalize your taste buds and get out of the city to enjoy an intimate dinner with friends or family!

Chef Alfredo opened his home to us and truly made us feel like we were at home! Great food, great conversations and great ambiance!

A michelin 5...