El Mesón de la Cava — Restaurant in Santo Domingo

I gave this restaurant four stars for the ease of making a reservation and communicating with the restaurant, the quality of service, the unique ambiance, and because the restaurant has an elevator. I took off one star for the limited food options and price.

It was easy to communicate with the restaurant. Staff contacted me soon after requesting a reservation online, and they responded to my emails rapidly. I was able to communicate with the restaurant via telephone, email and WhatsApp.

The service was awesome because the wait staff was attentive, professional, and fast. I have resided in the DR for over a year and dined out a lot, and I received the best service at this restaurant hands down.

The restaurant has three sections to accommodate different ambiance preferences and each section has the same menu. The terrace is exposed to the air and has more of a cafe feel. The second area is outdoors but covered. The last area is in the cave portion and has a fine dining ambiance. It’s a bit cold so I don’t recommend wearing a sleeveless top or thin clothing. It’s a beautiful site. If you are bothered by more enclosed spaces, then don’t dine in this area because it is a bit dark and the space is packed with tables.

Be aware of certain aspects of the venue if you have physical challenges. The bathrooms in the cave are very small and do not accommodate persons with physical challenges of any type, including size. The restaurant has both stairs and an elevator. The stairs are narrow and steep. If you have joint or muscular issues or if you are wearing high heel shoes, then you might want to take the elevator. The view from the staircase is very nice, though!

The restaurant was almost perfect but it didn’t have private parking and the food options were standard and overpriced in my opinion. You will either have to park your car in the park or arrive by taxi. You could walk there if you are staying at a nearby hotel and wear comfortable shoes. If you dine out frequently at different types of mid to high-level restaurants, then do not expect to be exposed to new fare. The options are incredibly simple. The most unique (yet simple) options include grilled octopus and grouper. The octopus consisted of two tentacles - one really small and one medium-sized, two long potatoe slices that appear to be additional tentacles served over a bed of salad. This meal costs over 900 pesos or 19/20 USD. While the texture of the octopus made us believe that it was freshly caught instead of frozen, it wasn’t worth the price. The grouper tasted good but was slightly over cooked. We ordered two sides of grilled vegetables. Be aware that the vegetables are onions, red/yellow bell peppers, and eggplants. They are literally charred on a grill, and they are not marinated in a sauce or anything like that. I ordered a shrimp stew (asopao de camarones), it tasted like an asopao That you would get anywhere else and it was served with a literal serving spoon instead of a soup spoon, so it was ridiculously too big to insert into my mouth.

Overall, my family had a great time at the restaurant because we enjoyed the food, ambiance, and service. We would recommend you visit just go with limited expectations of the food and accessibility. Remember to bring a shawl or sweater and consider eating dessert and or a coffee in the cafe section...

This place seriously needs to work on their customer service!!

I received an invitation from my cousins this past Sunday for lunch. She made reservations for the four of us.

The lady at the front of the restaurant was extremely friendly and guided us to our dining area. The aesthetics of this place is beautiful, a nice terrace on the top with live music and views of the city, while also having a lower dining area inside a cave which is where we sat.

Our reservations was for 1:30pm and we were sat immediately. The restaurant knew we were there for the festival special so they already had our food orders. However, no one came to our table to even offer us a drink for at least 20 minutes. We all noticed that the floor was full of servers but none of them took the opportunity to ask for our orders, not even water! After waiting, one of the servers asked if we wanted anything to drink and we ordered a pitch of Rose Sangria. The Sangria took a while to come but overall the taste was good.

The food came almost 2 hours after we got there. Unfortunately I was extremely disappointed in the quality of the food and the flavor. It tasted like buffet food from a low quality restaurant. The meat was extremely dry and a bit cold, chicken tasted old/reheated. For the atmosphere and vibe they portrayed, this restaurant is not worth the price because of the quality of the food and service. It could be a good option to grab a drink, but not to dine in and be ignored. After I finished my drink, another server took my glass but didn’t even offer me the option to order another drink.

We had a lot of leftovers and one of my cousins asked the server to pack some of the food. The server literally said that they “charge for each plate”… we were all confused why the need to mention it. They ended up bringing plastic food containers and my cousin packed what she needed.

Not long after, the server brought the check to our table. We hadn’t even asked for the check and we were still waiting to get our desserts.

This is the first time in my life that I go to a restaurant that brings me the check without bringing the final course yet. Extremely UNPROFESSIONAL!!

I’ve dined in different cities around the world, Michelin restaurants, street food spots, local small business restaurants, and have never experienced such poor service.

As the owner of this place, please spend more of your resources to train your workers better and have proper etiquette. If you don’t have the resources for that, hire individuals who are professional and that seemed to love what they do. It was the middle of the day and the faces of most of them looked like they were tired and careless.

I was excited to try this spot, but will not be returning here. Spend your money elsewhere, so many food/restaurant variety in the DR to...

While the setting of this restaurant is undeniably unique and visually stunning, the overall experience fell far short of expectations. From the moment we arrived, there was a noticeable lack of warmth from the staff, making us feel more like an inconvenience than valued guests. There was no introduction, no explanation of the menu, and no effort to share any history about the cave itself—something that could have significantly enhanced the experience.

Service was indifferent at best. When we asked our server a few simple questions about the cave, the responses were vague and uninformed. The food was equally underwhelming. The bread service consisted of just two small slices of toast served with mayonnaise—an uninspired start. The grouper was both chewy and firm, the mashed potatoes were dry and flavorless, and the sautéed potatoes were drenched in oil. The steak lacked both color and appeal, looking almost boiled. Cocktails were overly sweet, poorly balanced, and garnished with random herbs that did not complement the flavors.

The ambiance, while beautiful, quickly became overwhelming. The cave’s acoustics amplified every sound, making it incredibly loud, especially with a mariachi band playing inside. Adding to the chaos were children watching videos on iPads at full volume.

Beyond the food and noise, the lack of professionalism was glaring. Staff members, including the waitstaff, bartenders, and even management, were openly gossiping about guests. The bar area appeared disorganized and chaotic, further detracting from the upscale experience this restaurant aims to present.

Given the exclusivity of this location, the service and execution should reflect that uniqueness. Unfortunately, it does not. The only refined aspects were the Aqua Panna water and the neatly folded napkins—everything else felt disjointed and poorly managed.

This restaurant has immense potential, but it desperately needs a complete overhaul in staff training, service standards, and food quality. As it stands, it offers a one-star dining experience in a ten-star environment. Sadly, I would not return nor ever recommend this...