LA MARAVILLA Bar Restaurante y Pizzeria — Restaurant in Santo Domingo

A Disappointing and Unprofessional Experience

I had an extremely disappointing experience at La Maravilla Restaurant (Zona Colonial) and feel compelled to share my experience to warn others. I ordered a pasta dish with vodka sauce, which, as anyone familiar with Italian cuisine knows, is a red or pink sauce. Instead, I was served a dish covered in a white Alfredo-style sauce—something completely different from what I ordered.

When I politely brought this to the attention of the manager, rather than addressing the issue professionally, he responded with sarcasm, asking me, “What color is vodka? What color is a Salmon ?” Not only was this condescending and unhelpful, but it also demonstrated a complete lack of customer service and culinary knowledge. Instead of correcting the mistake or offering a replacement, he became defensive and rude.

As a result of his unprofessional behavior, I was left without a proper meal and ended up not eating dinner at the restaurant. No customer should be treated with such disrespect, especially when the issue was due to the restaurant’s mistake.

I do not recommend this establishment to anyone who values quality service and proper customer treatment. A restaurant is not just about the food but also about how they handle their customers, and unfortunately, this place failed on both counts. After this we just paid whatever we consumed and left the place to go...

While having a cocktail, found a ROCK IN MY DRINK! BEWARE (see attached photo). My partner and I went to this location at around 12:00pm (noon time) to make a reservation to wait for the New Year. When we arrived at the reserved time, nothing... we had to wait more than 30mins and ended up sitting at the bar because “nobody passed on the reservation” as told by the waiter. I came to the Dom. Rep. Working with the Ministry of Tourism and the National Ministry Of Culture, to promote and highlight the greatest the country has to offer, but this place is just horrible - and I must be honest about it too. After spending time promoting places in Punta Cana, Santiago, and La Zona Colonial, this was the WORST place we visited on our marketing trip. We told the manager about the multiple incidents - NOT A WORD - we told the waiter about the multiple incidents - NOT A WORD - nobody cared or showed any signs. There are so many beautiful, wonderful, and great serviced places in the areas. The Don. Rep. Has so much to offer, gastronomically, and believe me, don’t waste your time here. Take it from experience!...

We ordered the Seafood paella for 2. It was good, not great. It was light on the seafood but a good value for the price. We also had the mushroom risotto. It was excellent, very creamy, a nice portion and with a side of grated cheese. We also ordered a bacon cheeseburger for my son. He loved it, he asked me to taste tge goodness. It had plenty of cheese on a brioche bun. Very good burger. It’s a great atmosphere sitting out on a street thats only for pedestrians. Fresh air, huge umbrellas for the sun and rain and light music for the digestion. The service is lacking, its very slow. It was a good 10 minutes before anyone approached us or brought over a menu. The restaurant was not busy and there were plenty of hostesses, congregating instead of working. The table next to us commented we should leave without paying, it’s been 20 minutes since we ordered the check. Great place just needs a manager. I...