Merengue House Bar & Restaurant — Restaurant in Wilmington

Being Latino my expectations for the presentation and taste of Latin food, and in particular Puerto Rican food are high as the comparison always goes back to mom's cooking or my wife's cooking. Latin restaurants have always seemed to disappoint. Even so I like to support and eat at local restaurants particularly in the city and particularly if they are ethnic as many people stick to the foods and safe spaces they know. The location is a good one as you can pop into the city from route 4 or from 141 and onto 52. Both safe routes in the city. During the early evening till 7 pm is a great time to go. Although if they serve lunch that would be good as well. The service was friendly, very attentive and very responsive. The one waitress spoke Spanish, some English but I think she understood most of what was stated to her in English. The food was amazing. Every dish, from every person at the table was well received with nothing but positive to amazing reviews. The appetizers of mofongo were well proportioned and very well done. We had the shrimp mofongo. Another person at the table had empanadas. They were full of meat, with the fritter lightly done with a crisp taste, not oily at all. I had the Churrasco steak which is a thin steak, hard to cook but came out medium nicely spiced. The red snapper was lightly battered and fried. It came out like it does in the Caribbean, head and all. Don't get freaked out by that. The presentation of all of the entrees was amazing. I asked who the cooks were. I did not get there names but these gentlemen cooked like professionals. Jasmine our waitress rivaled any waitress we had at the Quion, Bardea or the restaurants in Philly. I have chased and eaten at many of Philly's top 50 restaurants. This place is not sophisticated as many of them are or the Quion or Bardea but food wise, very good. The best Latin restaurant in Delaware and top five in Philly easy. And, lol, I am not family nor do I know the owners. I hope them continued success. They deserve it. One knock. Only one half bottle of Cab was available. The restaurant out of red wine! Get more red wines to offer customers! I had no way on Google to give 4.7 or 4.6 stars but that would be my true rating for our...

Restaurant was nice inside. The negative were several We order from the menu to go When it was time to pay the calculation was much higher. When I address the issue they said the menu prices were old. Not good so why wasn't I told from the beginning and why are customers looking at a menu with old prices. 2 A friend order a margarita from the bar and seems like the prices were schecy. Three different people that worked their gave three different prices. 3 I had to request a receipt for my order because I was not given one. 4 As I proceeded to leave something told me to check my bag before I leave because I wanted to make sure what I paid for I had, and yes they forgot to give me a plate of food that I ordered. 5 The mini mofongo was bare no crackling in it, was like bananas mashed and that's it. So 5 things in the negative, I wish them well, but no I won't be going back neither would I recommend anyone. Nothing personal staff was nice but too many errors done...

Mira, ser dominicana viviendo en Chicago y ahora en Fresno es básicamente vivir en un desierto sin plátanos por AÑOS. Pero entré a este sitio y me chocaron de una los tres poderes: merengue, típico y bachata sonando como si fuera sábado en Santiago. Mi espíritu se elevó.

Primero que nada, un aplauso pa’ Christine, nuestra mesera—súper dulce, súper atenta, y con energía de que ya nos conocíamos de antes. Y después llega Jasmine, aka la Reina del Mamajuana 👑. Ella notó que mi felicidad en ese momento era corta, y se propuso sacarle el jugo a cada segundo. Y boom—nos trae unos shots de Mamajuana curada. No es cualquier trago, esto fue medicina ancestral. Ahora… LA COMIDA. Sushi dominicano. Sí, leíste bien. Tres golpes en forma de sushi roll. Casi lloro. Después llegó el churrasco con tostones y mira… nunca le he tenido tanto respeto a un plato. Mi esposo pidió chuletas con arroz y habichuelas, y mi amiga se devoró los chimi tostones como si fuera su última cena.

¿El lugar? Limpio. Bonito. Con vibra 100% dominicana. Y si no estás listo pa’ irte después de comer… ¡hay una discoteca arriba! Cena abajo, bailadera total arriba . Eficiencia dominicana nivel Dios.

Veredicto final: Este lugar es una experiencia completa. No es solo comida—es vibra, cultura. ¿Eres dominicano y estás homesick? VE. ¿No eres dominicano pero amas la sazón y la alegría? VE. ¿No te gusta este lugar? Mira, con todo respeto… no confío en tu paladar.

In English now

Okay so listen—being a Dominican in Chicago and now Fresno means I’ve been living in a plantain-less wilderness for YEARS. But then I walked into this spot and was immediately hit with the holy trinity: merengue, típico, and bachata blasting like it was a Saturday in Santiago.

First off, shoutout to Christine—our waitress—who was sweet, chill, and had us feeling like VIPs. Then there’s Jasmine, aka the Mamajuana Queen 👑. She knew my happiness window was limited, so she made it her mission to turn the vibe ALL the way up. And then… she hit us with the cured Mamajuana shots. Not just a drink—this was ancestral medicine. Now let’s talk FOOD. Dominican sushi. Yes. Tres. Golpes. In. A. Sushi. Roll. I almost cried. Then came the skirt steak with tostones and baby, let me tell you… I’ve never looked at a plate with that much respect. My husband had pork chops with arroz y habichuelas, and my friend smashed the chimi tostones like it was her last meal on Earth.

The place? Clean. Cute. Culture-rich. And if you’re not ready to go home after dinner, guess what? There’s a club upstairs. That’s right—dinner downstairs, dance battle upstairs. Dominican efficiency at its finest.

Final verdict: This spot is a whole experience. Not just food—this is a vibe, a reunion, a spiritual realignment. If you’re Dominican and homesick, GO. If you’re not Dominican but love flavor and joy, GO. If you don’t like this place… honestly, I can’t trust...