Punta Cana Dominican Restaurant — Restaurant in Charlotte

Rating this place was difficult because at times the flavors were magical and sometimes they were just non-existent.

Taking into account the whole experience: taste, ambience, service, presentation, price and portion size this place easily gets two stars, no doubt in my mind. That being said, if you were to go and order one of their Mofongos with the Morir Soñando drink, this place easily gets 4 stars, they are that good.

To start of the meal, I ordered a Quipe and a Pastelito. Both were completely forgettable and very over priced for what you get. What helped the first bad impression take a step towards the right direction were their juices, especially the Morir Soñando drink. I ABSOLUTELY loved it. In addition to that drink, I also tried their Marañon and Chinola juice. The former was not nearly as good or as refreshing as the latter. But that has to do more with personal taste than anything else. I would seriously drive out to this place just for the drinks. I then tried their stewed goat and one of their Mofongos. The stewed goat , which came with rice and plantains (your choice of sides), was a huge letdown. Nothing in that dish was savory or impressive. I found the rice to be a tad bit dry for my taste and the plantains were nothing to write home about. What really shocked me were the lack of flavors in the goat. It was not tender, it was not juicy, and it was not flavorful. The only thing that left an impression in my mind is how oily it tasted. My experience would have ended on a bad note had it not been for the Mofongo. This dish was magical! First of all, wonderful presentation! But what really made it impressive was the variety and complexity of the flavors/textures in this one dish. You are first greeted with what looks like a mountain of meat, which is already a treat in itself, but upon further investigation you discover that the meat is concealing a layer of plantains, which in turn, is concealing another layer of meat, in our case, pork. Every bite is a delight. You experience a plethora of flavors that are enhanced the deeper you dig in. This is a must try!

This place definitely has some dishes that'll blow you away and they are worth the visit, just be careful to avoid those that don't do the...

The service was terrible! The manager was even worse. Waited 30 mins for drinks our appetizer came out before our drinks. Entrees took another 45mins to come out. The kicker was when I went to pay my bill and I asked the person up front to please remove the automatic 18% gratuity because I felt that it wasn’t deserved. She went grabbed a manager and manager asked me what was bad about the service. I responded with everything from getting drinks, food, and no refills. The food was barely hot when it did come out. She then smirked and said we’re busy, mind you, the restaurant was only half full and giving a load of excuses as to why the terrible service was warranted. Regardless I told her to take the gratuity off. That I myself run a restaurant and granted I’m not perfect but I don’t have customers waiting 30 mins for drinks and even longer for food. She proceeds to give me my change and says “here you go don’t come back and go eat at your restaurant.” Then she wants to question me what about the service was bad. I said what I said to her for feedback and as a manager she needs to learn how to take constructive criticism instead then telling me well she has 7 people in the kitchen and that they’re busy and I must’ve never had a busy restaurant before. That’s when I shut it down and said my kitchen runs with 2 chefs and we push through 300-400 covers a weekend day so please don’t talk to me like I’m stupid. With them having 7 they should never have been behind that long with 8 tables. Not only that she shorted me my change and I told her this and she argues with me that she didn’t and I’m like yes you did here’s the receipt and cash the way you gave it to me. I refuse to give a penny more to this place. Idk what happened here but the service and food was NEVER like this. Whoever owns this place please find yourself a well mannered and transparent manager and if said lady is the owner please do yourself a favor and educate yourself on customer...

Absolutely enjoyed my evening dining here, what a hidden gem. It was annoying the uber driver didn’t know where it was and just dropped us off at the corner, luckily we walked a little further and found it.

We had Julissa as a server and an older gentleman I forgot his name. Wonderful service, made sure we had everything we needed at all times as well as kept the drinks refilled.

We had empanadas, oxtail, papa fritas, tostones and Camarones Guisados. The only thing I didn’t like was the cheese empanadas, it was barely any cheese in it. Such a waste of an appetizer, but the chicken ones were really tasty. I think they could have used a dipping sauce as well.

It turns out it server was actually the owner of the establishment. We talked to her for a long time after eating and learned about her husband and hers journey of owning the restaurant. She was such a lovely lady, great conversation and hospitality. Even with the tip she said she was giving all of it to her chefs, so nice. I couldn’t have asked for a better evening out in Houston.

My Dominican friend I went with was so happy to eat some good food that tasted like back home. Share stories of the Dominican, drink Dominican beers and even buy some Dominican coffee to take back to MN.

Good vibes, good laughs, good drinks, good food, good services and a great evening out. Will definitely visit every time I am in Houston. Thank...