Punta Cana Restaurant Reviews

My husband, sisters-in-law and I wanted to try a new restaurant for dinner. We chose to try Punta Cana because the menu looked interesting and it was something different. We were definitely not disappointed! Both the server and the owner gave us recommendations and described the dishes. Our food was served quickly and hot. We tried 3 appetizers; ceviche, which was fresh and wonderful, shrimp and crawfish empanadas, delicious, and a fried pork appetizer which was good, but our least favorite. For dinner we had salmon, goat and ox tail. All entrees were wonderful. The owner told us everything is cooked fresh daily. The goat and oxtail are cooked for fourteen hours, and served with mofongo. The only disappointment we had was they were out of tres leches for dessert! But, we split a coconut flan, which was very creamy and yummy! Then, the owner brought us a cheese flan, on him, because he said it was his favorite. Both were delicious! Also, the coconut mojito was incredible! We look forward to going back here many times!!

My wife & I was on a hunt for trying something new. I can say that this was a great choice! It's a very nice establishment. Can't go wrong with the stew chicken!! It's a great must try

Recommended by a friend. My wife is Puerto Rican and after viewing the restaurants menu online, we went for lunch one Friday. The food was authentic and delicious. The service was friendly, atmosphere casual. The price was reasonable and would recommend anyone yearning authentic Latin cuisine from Puerto Rico or Dominican Republic.

The ceviche was terrific, wonderfully fresh and light and very much like Panamanian Ceviche. The pollo quisado was more like a chicken barbeque with bones and less like the soup we expected. The sancocho had very little meat and at least 5 large yucca pieces. If you love yucca, you will like this soup. All in all I would suggest for lunch versus dinner as I think the prices are more in line for lunch..

The restaurant had a great family atmosphere. The menu had variety and it was properly priced. The food was fantastic, the seasoning was authentic to the Caribbean (Dominican Republic & PuertoRico), the plating was simple but clean and appealing, and the waitress was very friendly and cordial. The owner came to the table and interacted with our group as well (11 persons). I will recommend the restaurant to persons looking for new alternatives and Caribbean persons looking for a little taste of home. I heard it gets very crowded at lunch and weekends. So call ahead of time to ensure a table.

Do yourselves a favor and try Punta Cana. We have been 3 times since in the past 2 months since my wife and I discovered this warm family feeling restaurant. The owner / chef Jarlis Lugo makes us feel like we are invited for a delicious meal in his home. My wife loves the house magarita. SALUD!

Came to this restaurant because of a friend recommendation! Nice and smiling people!! Service was terrible, they do mot have enough cooks for the restaurant so we waited a lot for our food Dishes were all overcooked and too much condiment; presentation okay atmosphere poor and mot very clean either! I will not come back

I recently went to Houston to celebrate my sister's 60th birthday. We went here for dinner. The food was quite delicious and the staff was friendly and attentive. It had been a while since I had eaten a good "Mofongo de chicharones". I was not disappointed. We also had a Coconut mojito which was perfect. The cuisine is Dominican but the food had Puerto Rican items. Next time I visit my sister again, I'll be sure to go back.

We were close to Willowbrook mall and decided to try this restaurant, it had good reviews. The food is pretty good. We tried Rabo encendio, Mofongo de pollo (dry for my test), empanadas, chivo guisado, and flan de coco. We were a party of 6 and they did not take a lot of time to serve us. We spent a good time there .

Beef empanadas have a great taste especially the pink sauce that accompanies the plate. Service was good and attentive to our needs. The fresh fruit drinks were great too.

If you're craving a taste of the Caribbean then this place is worth a try. The yucca fries are amazing and the food is very flavorful. A bit pricey, but good.

We hosted our last dinner at the Isla restaurant, located within the Hard Rock Punta Cana Resort. Although we made it an hour before closing. The manager Jose Minguel and his staff made dinner remarkable. The food was amazing and hot. He even made our birthday girl feel special. We are all ready to go back. What a night to remember. 5 stars

First time trying PR/Dominican food. I liked the atmosphere of the restaurant, the coconut mojo to was delicious. We ordered Shrimp Mofongo, crab Mofongo, tostones and pork shops. My favorite was the shrimp mofongo and the pork shop. The portion was ok, each plate runs between $13-$20 depending on what you order.

I have had authentic Puerto Rican food and this was close. The rice was lacking spice though. Overall it was pretty good. The Pernil was good and I would go again for a change.

We went here for supper. It was quiet, but clean with nice lighting. The music suits the theme of the restaurant Dominican/Caribbean. We got the ceviche to start and it was really great. Fresh and citrusy. I had the Dominican fried chicken and my husband had the pork shoulder. Both meals were equally delicious. They both came with mofongo that was very tasty! Service was fantAstic and we came away from there thinking our next vacation should be to the Dominican Republic!

Excellent food and service! We ordered the Pollo Guisado and Cuban Sandwich. Everything was tasty and perfectly cooked. Service was friendly and prompt. Will definitely be back.

My wife and I attended a private birthday party at Punta Cana, which is quite small and intimate. We had a chance to sample a number of the restaurants fare, including mofones, pulled pork, and some appetizers. The sangria was particularly tasty on a warm spring evening! Staff recommended mofones (potato pancakes), but we preferred the pulled pork and beet potato salad. The party included Karoke and a DJ/dancing, and the staff joined in for some of the salsa and Latin dancing songs. They treated us very well and we would certainly recommend Punta Cana for a nice couples evening or date, and for a light business lunch as well.

We were impressed with our first visit to Punta Cana. We had read a review of the restaurant and wanted to try it out. The restaurant is small and modern-looking, with a great Caribbean vibe. The staff was helpful and welcoming. We were told "it is like grandma is in the back cooking", and I think it was! Everything we ordered was tasty, and we enjoyed our meal very much. The pork shoulder and garlic shrimp were particularly good. One of the kids even tried the goat and liked it! The house mango margarita was quite good, and the kids liked the natural juices and tried more exotic flavors like guava and tamarind. They really liked the fried plantains, but didn't care for the cassava as much. At least they were adventurous in sampling some different foods and flavors! We will go back again for more authentic Caribbean food!

Best chivo guisado or stew goat in town, the natural juices 100% natural was very good. Enjoy the atmosphere good music.

this is the best Caribbean Restaurant in Houston! food, service & ambiance is great at this place. great attention to detail and food is impeccable! This place reminds me of when I visited Punta Cana last year! I come often because it's simply awesome!

I have been here three times, the second time, the Mofongo didn't have much chicharrones, wasn't happy with that, I returned and had chicharrones that time. The food in this place is great, some dishes are better than others, just like in many places, the shrimp Mofongo is to die for, the chivo was good, but I had better at another place. I enjoyed their food and will be returning again.

Its a really small place, the service was nice a friendly. Our food came out quickly and I thought it was very good. I enjoyed the mixture of plantains in the food. A good change from normal places I go. My only complaint would be it took a very long time for the waitress to bring us our ticket when we were ready to go. I guess that is what you get in a small low key place.

The wife and I wanted something different. She found this place on Yelp so we went. Nice atmosphere, family friendly. I had the mofongo de chicharron de pollo. Pretty good, loved the chicken. My wife had canaries guisados. The shrimp was very good. For dessert we had the coconut flan and cheese flan. They were both very good. The cheese flan was like a mix of cheese cake and flan. I recommend it. For a finisher I had the Dominican coffee. Nice and strong.

My first experience at the restaurant was good thanks to Edwin our server , that was very attentive to our needs. Our meals took a little time , I believe becuase it was fresh cooked mostly. I had the lechon or pork , my date had chicken and rice and it taste like something cooking at home. We share flan for dessert,We spend more than two hours there and we were so comfortable. I will go back again.

Punta Cana is a small window front restaurant in the Willowbrook area. The personnel are friendly and attentive and were not in a hurry to scoot us through our meal. I was told the selections are typical for Puerto Rican food, however I was unimpressed with the taste. There was no seasoning and everything was quite bland. What little vegetation was provided was in a splash of spring greens that came with the empanadas. Plantains were in most of the dishes and the lack of flavor consistent in all bites of food I had. I know some people love this place but I found it inspirational.

First time eating at Punta Cana today. I had the Pernil (Slowly roasted oregano, pepper, bitter range, red wine, and adobo marinated pork shoulder) and it was very very good. It's a small little restaurant but had excellent service and was full but not crowded at lunch. It's a surprising little gem in NW Houston.

Good selection of Dominican, Puerto Rican and Cuban food, feels quite authentic and the food is fresh and good, and so is the service. Good option in the Willowbrook area.

I went to this restaurant as presented in a google search for Puerto Rican food in Houston. Knowingly that it was Dominican, I went none the less. The restaurant is nice size, I went for lunch and there were about half full. Seem like some group that goes there often was having a good time for their lunch. The food that I ordered came fast and it was very tasty. The service was excellent, do not I was there around 2 p.m. but the waitress was very attentive and very pleasant, All in all I do recommend this restaurant.

My husband and I just had lunch here today and it was so delicious I wanted to review it right away! He lived in the Dominican Republic for a few years and we have been on the hunt for some good food for awhile. We started with chicken empanadas which were amazing and then for the main course ordered the pollo quisado (stewed chicken with rice and beans) and mangu tres gulpes (mashed plantains topped with fried egg and pickled onions and salami and fried cheese on side) plus a side of tostones. We shared it all and every bite of every item was amazing. We also had tres leches cake for dessert and it was great as well. We live in Katy, so it is a bit of a drive for us, but well worth it! Highly recommend!

The best Caribbean cuisine north of downtown in the Spring-Willowbrook Area. Very well cooked and excellent tasting Bistec Encebollado to goat stew-Chivo Guisado, Mofongo and the oxtail-Rabo Encendio. We've never left disappointed. The great food shows in the owner/chef, Jarlis who never fails to greet us at the table when we come for a visit monthly. Look no further if you're looking for home cooked Caribbean food for formal dining or casual fare. 🍹🍸🍾

First of all I am a born and raised Dominican living in the USA. The prior review that gave a 2 star talking about "overly priced" needs to understand that finding true condiments and seasoning and main mofongo/mangu and of course you have to take that in consideration. Pricey compared to back home and northeast of the country ...now back to my review, I loved the red beans, and pernil. My friends are Americans and they loved the ropa vieja, mangu and pernil. They have traditional sodas and presidente beer!!

Excellent food, hospitality, reasonable price. We will recommend this placed if you like spicy, authentic Caribbean food. There are imported bear from the region. We all had a good time today noon after a 5k run.

Great food! Came with Mom, Dad & Sis and we all loved it! Everything tasted fresh and delicious! It felt like I was back in Punta Cana! Loving the newly redecorated ambience, gives it that 'elegant/refined' touch & feel. I've been here a few times and will definitely keep coming back and telling my friends about it!

I love the food here! I am new to Caribbean food and have fell in love with this place. We ask many questions and they are great to help with any questions on the menu. I would recommend this restaurant for anyone!

I got mofongo and pork, and my wife got pork chop and red beans/rice. The mofongo and pork was excellent, although I cannot say that I am experienced with this type of food. They also have a good selection of latin American sodas. Service was excellent.

Decided to go to dinner here with a few friends based on the reviews on here and yelp. Glad we did! The service is awesome, our waitress was very helpful. We ordered the guava and queso empanadas to start off.. My faves were the guava ones. We all ordered the strawberry juice, which is fresh and so sweet. Our main entrees were the salmon ajillo, which the waitress said she would have them prepare it a special way and now I forgot what she did different, haha. But it was SO good. We also got the chicharron de pollo and camarones al ajillo, which were pretty decent. The prices were very reasonable, too. Overall, great food and experience, will likely visit again.

This has become one of our favorite restaurants in the area. It features Caribbean-style cuisine and we are enjoying working our way through the menu to find delicious new tastes. Their food definitely features large measures of pungent garlic (no such thing as too much in my book). Many of their plates are accompanied by mafungo, a mash of plantains and pork cracklings served with some of the aforementioned garlic sauce, which is definitely worth a try if you've not tasted it before. I was less impressed with their Dominican-style fried chicken - mine was a little overdone. I also have to warn you that they pour their cocktails strong here. If you have a second margarita, you're likely to find yourself on your keester before you realize it.

This is a small mom & pop restaurant in a strip mall adjacent to the Willowbrook Mall. I ate dinner here twice in one week. The first time I had camarones guisados. The second time I had mofongo camarones ajillo. Both times I had maduros as a side. It was wonderful! Very flavorful! I had different servers each time. Servers were helpful. I liked the taste of the food very much.

When they said “authentic” I thought they were referring to the food, not the scam-the-tourists experience you find when visiting the Caribbean. A $6 menu item was $12 on the check. A main course with sides included on the menu was charged a la cart. $75 per person is what you expect in NY or LA, not a mall-adjacent, hole-in-the-wall eatery in northwest suburban Houston.

Found this little Dominican restaurant near Willowbrook Mall. Across from the closed Baker St. Pub. I had a excellent Cuban sandwich. So large taking half home. My wife had the beef steak Dominican style, called Mofango Bistec. She loved it. Not at all pricey. Small restaurant but clean and friendly service. Would reccomend if you are in the area.

I was quite surprised to find this little restaurant that served mofongo. While the pernil mofongo was a tad salty, it was vey nicely presented and quite enjoyable.

Great Caribbean food, good presentation, tasted great. I always leave satisfied with my orders. Can be a busy place on weekends but service is reasonably fast.

Having spent three weeks in the Dominican Republic, we were anxious to see if "Punta Cana" would meet our expectations. Boy did it ever! The food was incredibly authentic and delicious! We were able to meet the owners who were friendly and enjoyed talking with us about our trip and the local customs and politics of the Dominican (read: the service was great!). The "Presedente" beer was nice and cold and there was even some Brugal to enjoy in your Cuba Libre.

I'm unfamiliar with this cuisine, but want to get more intimate with it. I've visited twice and had a couple of dishes, pulled pork and something like lasagna but made with plantains. Really tasty. The service was excellent too.

We basically stumbled into finding PUNTA CANA because we were staying at a hotel near Willowbrook - and every place I read about on TRIPADVISOR wound up having closed in the last couple of years. SO GLAD we found Punta Cana - and it will now be on our "go to" list when in Houston - whether staying near Willowbrook or not! Dear spouse had the salmon and I had the fried chicken (which is not at all like what we think of as fried chicken). Everything was wonderful and the staff was so friendly and welcoming. We'll be back.

This place is a hidden gem. The Ropa Vieja was AMAZING w/ platano frito (maduros/fried plantains). The juices were very good!!! I will be returning.

Mofongo is EXCELLENT. Chucharron with rice and beans also very good. Sweet plantains excellent too. That's all we had. We will be going back for sure. Closest PR joint to my place. I'm still on my mofongo high writing this review!!!

I've been a couple of times. Small gem with excellent Caribbean food. I love their fried plantains. Shrimp, goat, and oxtail were all very good as well. Great find.

First off the place is very clean and the atmosphere is nice, it wasn't crowded when we went at 5pm on a Friday night. Being our first time and not speaking spanish the manager came to assist us with menu and food choices. We started with Alcapurrias and Ceviche, the Alcapurrias had a very good flavor with just the right hint of spice to it. My wife claimed the ceviche was to die for! For our main course I had the Pechuga Ala Parilla/ grilled and my wife had Mofongo Camarones Al Ajillo. The chicken was very moist, tender and flavorful, and came with rice & beans. Everything was perfect and even though I don't eat beans they had a great flavor as well. My wife wasn't crazy about the Mofongo just due to her personal tastes, but it too was flavorful and had a nice consistency, the shrimp and sauce she said were amazing. We also had the fried sweet plantains with our meal but they tasted more like a desert. Very good indeed. Everything we had was hot, fresh, and the presentation of the food was equal to a much higher priced restaurant. Between the hospitality of the staff, and the quality of the food I would highly recommend everyone try this place. You won't regret it.

Food was just ok. Nothing out of this world. I have been to better latin/Dominican food places here in Houston. My mofongo did not come with rice and beans and I was charged $6.99 for plain rice and beans. No tostones or bread with the meal.

We had a great meal with friends who had never tried Dominican /Puerto Rican food! Enjoyed all the appetizers and main dishes. Love the Mofongo!

First off, the crawfish empanada was so delicious that it will be memorable. I'm going to remember that. The Mofongo de Bistec was so perfectly seasoned and cooked. That red sauce is such a great compliment, as is the dressing. The mofongo is so well balanced with flavor. That cheese flan is the best flan....ever! I'm going to be dreaming of that thing. If calories didn't exist, I'd have that all day everyday. It was so magical lol. It was that good, I'm seriously not exaggerating! I want more of everything. Customer service is stellar. They are on top of it and super friendly. Feels like home. Every single staff member checked up on us. This is the best service I have ever had. Top notch place, a must!

My hubby and I went to Punta Cana for our honeymoon in March and really enjoyed the authentic Dominican food, so imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon this restaurant in Houston! The food was absolutely delicious and authentic! I had the empanadas for an appetizer (chicken and beef) both were incredible. I couldn’t decide what I wanted, so I ordered both Ropa Vieja and the Cubano Sandwich. Everything was so flavorful and seasoned to perfection. I did not try a dessert or the yuca, but I wish I had. I will definitely be returning really soon.

You wouldn't know by looking at it, but Punta Cana, tucked away in a strip mall outside a shopping mall has great food! Our server was very friendly, giving us recommendations since we hadn't been here before: we started with his favorite juice; strawberry/pineapple, and then had two empanadas, trying the chicken and cheese. Both were good (really, what's not to love about fried dough and cheese?). I ordered the mofongo bistec, hubby went with the friend chicken. The mofongo was delicious! Hearty and tasty. My steak was well cooked and hubby, a fan of all things fried chicken, really liked his dish as well. We had no room for dessert, after. Our water glasses were kept full and we were checked on a couple of times to make sure that all was well. We were also thanked when we were on our way out. Really, everything was delicious and we will come back!

Honestly; I need to give you guys a 2 ⭐️. Food was ok. I'm a real Puerto Rican born and raised and you can compare my Alcapurrias, and please don't start with the Mofongo con Pernil. Nada que ver. Las empanadas another story. Way overpriced for the quality and sizes. I won't go back to this place at all.

great place to eat, very clean, cozy enviroment, for a moment i thought i was i domincan republic the flavor are truly amazing, amount of food was perfect highly recommend this place! come and tey it you womt regret is a gem in this area! thank you to all the servers great service and the owner always making sure everything was up to spectations

I have yet to give a 5 star rating, but this restaurant deserves it. Excellent food and service are incredibly important and this place delivered (I read other reviews saying they are slow, but we did not experience that). We had the following and enjoyed it all very much: crawfish empanada, beef alcapurria, garlic shrimp mofongo, peril mofongo, coconut flan and coffee. The dishes are very authentic and flavorful. I had a good portion of pernil with my meal, which was nice and tender. The shrimp was also tender and had a good level of garlic. The mofongo was well seasoned. Our waitress, Nina, was friendly and attentive. Our water was consistently filled. Another nice touch was Harley coming around and asking us how we were doing and if we were having a good experience there. He was charismatic and engaging. You could see his love for this restaurant and desire for his patrons to enjoy their time there. It's nice to find a place that gives the same delicious flavors I get when I visit Dominican Republic. I wish they had this restaurant where I lived. Definitely check it out!

Truly a great find! We happened to find this place as we were looking for good food on an overnight excursion to this part awesome. We were not disappointed. Have the ceviche!of town.

Stomachache and threw up after visiting this place we paid $60 tip because the guy said he had no change so we walked off and paid $100 it was horrible food

Went with my parents...as they live in Texas, and I was visiting. Had the mofongo with pernil (roast pork). They serve it with a small salad. It was about $13.00, my mom and dad had the fried pork pieces with mofongo. I enjoyed my meal, this is Texas, and to get Puerto Rican food here is not easy. So it was a nice surprise. The mofongo had the crunchy chicarones (pork rinds), and could use more garlic, but they did serve it on the side. The red sauce (from stewed chicken) was excellent as well. Service was great, seemed family run, everyone friendly. Would definitely go back.

For appetizers, I ordered the shrimp empanadas. It was ok. A dipping sauce to complement would be nice. For the lunch special, I ordered Bacalao Guisado con Arroz y habichuelas, which is diced cod in a tomato stew with onions, red bell peppers with white rice and red beans. Not too bad. I wish I was blown away but I wasn't. I feel like something was missing. The food temperature was warm. Not cold, not hot. Great presentation of the appetizer and entree. Customer service was good. Waiter was very nice, friendly, and polite. Latino music was being played in the background.

The food was excellent and the prices reasonable. I wish they were closer to my home - I would eat there often!

A bit far from city center but definitely worth the trip if you’re looking for affordable yet gourmet style Dominican & Puertorican food. It was better than most of the restaurants in South Florida and in Boston. The chicharron de pollo with rice and beans are delicious and the empanadas are def worth trying. As a side, you got to try the plantains (tostones) and sancocho soup. The Cuban sandwiches from here are also very good. Lastly, the coco flan is to die for!!!

I'm no expert on Puerto Rican food having mostly experienced it as quasi-fast food when visiting Florida, but my wife wanted to try something different so we headed over to Punta Cana after a shopping trip to REI right across the Freeway. The food was excellent. My wife had the pulled pork lunch special (a Puerto Rican spin on carnitas) that was basically the best "carnitas" she's had in Texas. I had the shrimp in butter/garlic sauce with mofongo and it was also excellent. In fact, had the sauce been paired with clams and fresh pasta/parsley it would have been the best clam linguine (one of m benchmark dishes for Italian restaurants) that I've had in Houston. The side of fried yellow bananas would have been worth the trip by themselves. The attention to detail in the food prep was readily apparent and nominally reflected in the price (I've had many less impressive meals elsewhere that has cost me several times more, and killed most of an evening). All that in a casual family atmosphere with friendly and efficient service. We will be back (with friends and family).