This review is long overdue.. partly because I wanted to keep this place a hidden gem (just kidding…read more). It remains one of my all-time favorite Dominican restaurants and never disappoints. Starting with the location, the restaurant is in a small plaza, so there's usually plenty of parking available, which is always a plus. From the moment you walk in, you're greeted by the staff, and the interior instantly makes you feel like you're on a tropical vacation. I haven't been to the DR yet, but the vibes are definitely there. My go-to drink is the Morir Soñando--highly recommend it but it's sweet by nature so be careful. Over multiple visits, I've tried a variety of drinks, appetizers, and entrées, and everything has been consistently great. The tostones and empanadas always come out warm and fresh never dry, just perfect. The beef and chicken empanadas are my favorites; both are so flavorful. My boyfriend and I also love the mangú, and the fried cheese is SO good. Honestly, everything on that plate hits. Overall, the food is amazing, the staff is polite and reasonably quick, and I've never had a bad experience here. I seriously can't wait until the next time I'm in town to visit again.

An unforgettable Caribbean culinary experience!…read more From the moment we walked into Cafe Colao Restaurant, we were welcomed like family. The atmosphere radiates warmth, joy, and that island charm that instantly puts you at ease. The food? Absolutely phenomenal -- each bite was like a trip back home to Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic . The flavors were bold, authentic, and soul-satisfying. A special thank you to our wonderful waitress Yaima, whose heart and hospitality elevated our entire experience. She didn't just serve us -- she nurtured us, offering a level of care and attentiveness that made us feel truly valued. If you're looking for a place that delivers passion on a plate and service from the heart, Cafe Colao is it. ¡Mil gracias por todo! ¡Una experiencia culinaria caribeña inolvidable! Desde el momento en que entramos al restaurante Café Colao, nos recibieron como en familia. El ambiente irradia calidez, alegría y ese encanto isleño que te hace sentir a gusto al instante. ¿La comida? Absolutamente fenomenal: cada bocado era como un viaje de regreso a Puerto Rico o a la República Dominicana . Los sabores eran audaces, auténticos y reconfortantes. Un agradecimiento especial a nuestra maravillosa camarera Yaima, cuyo corazón y hospitalidad realzaron toda nuestra experiencia. No solo nos atendió, sino que nos cuidó, ofreciéndonos un nivel de cuidado y atención que nos hizo sentir verdaderamente valorados. Si buscas un lugar que ofrezca pasión en cada plato y un servicio con el corazón, Café Colao es el lugar indicado. ¡Mil gracias por todo!

Service was nice, Food was about $45 for the both of us. We got the beef stew with white rice &…read morebean large lunch with sweet plantains it was delicious! Although you can tell they use cheaper quality meat for the beef stew. It was still delicious

Cómo el único restaurante Boricual, La Palmera, cerró hace años, yo he comido y sigo comiendo en El…read moreCaribe (comida Dominicana) en la Hull St. Voy los Miércoles cuando hacen patitas de cerdo sancochas! Tienen un menú extenso con especialidades cada día de la semana. Las muchachas del Caribe son fantásticas y muy atentas! Es como estar en familia. Los veo allí!

The food is soooo good and quick and excellent delicious service. Thanks…read more They make a delicious meal and chimis Dominican style in Virginia

Love their food. Very authentic and affordable. Great humans making your food and delicious!!read more

Jennifer was awesome. The garlic chicken incredible and the sangria fantastic! We will definitely…read morebe back! Everyone should try it! Don't let the neighborhood scare you away from this gem!

Delicious food!!! Very welcoming atmosphere and their staff are all very friendly too!!! You must…read moretry this restaurant!!!

Limited menu. Expected more variety but menu had 5 items which could be served as a tacos, bowel or…read moresome version of a hand held. Ordered the roasted pork, in a bowl, portion was good but flavor left me unimpressed, being a native Puerto Rican, not what I hoped for. Service was good, midday afternoon. Try it, you may like it, but was not for me!

Was at rock wood park and wanted food nearby. Upon arriving it looked close as it appears dark…read moreinside and there's a fence infront with a closed gate. We pushed open the gate though and found they were in fact open. The waitress was very nice. The bar drinks looked very good but we ended up not getting one this time. We started with the 3 choice appetizer sampler and got the fried cheese, fried salami, and tostones with the salsa golf which tasted like ketchup. I got the nachos which were good but the chips honestly sucked. Tasted like they came out of a bag. I would imagine they make them so maybe they're just old? My husband loved his sandwich though and would get it again.

I was the sole customer for my first 15 minutes of my visit and I got the most elite service:) the…read moreserver... who may have been the owner was very pleasant and engaged in conversation with me immediately. We talked through the menu and while my food was being prepared, I walked around admiring the beautiful decor and colors. Ten minutes later, out was my food. The flavors were incredible! I had so much, I was excited to have some for dinner later.

Clean, beautiful, great service! I haven't had the pleasure of a sit-down meal, but I stopped in…read morefor an empanada and some yums from the dessert counter. It was so delicious! My son loved his chocolate cake and empanada, and they even let us try a strawberries and cream dish for free! Everything was wonderful! I need to go back for that strawberries and cream! Such a simple, delightful pleasure! Can't wait to try the pandebonos and entrees! I understand they also have nightlife to checkout --karaoke, Latin dance, depending on the night.

I'm never in this side of Richmond, but was today and HAD to stop in to give them a try. It's a…read moreLatino Market and restaurant combo with lots of grocery items, a few pharmacy items, fresh produce, meat, prepared foods in a hot box and a full sit down restaurant. I got 3 mixed pupusas and 3 steak tacos. The pupusas were huge, but they were kinda flavorless. The accompanying curtido wasn't sour enough for my liking, either. The winner was the tacos. Delicious, and affordable at like $2.50 each.

For the restaurant side, great food, clean, prompt, super reliable food flavor and quality,…read morereasonable prices, incredibly varied menu. I've never been disappointed, and they keep a busy line. Love their chicharrones and empanadas de plátano de leche, pasteles, and whatever else I have tried from the fritura (fried food) hot bar. They keep hot tortillas in the cooler by the hot bar. The usual butcher is the absolute best! He's very kind and helpful. He always has a wide variety of sausages plus beef shank, smoked pork chops (frozen), and basically anything I need for a good stew, with the exception of my auyama. They even have the most beautiful, very fresh cilantro/cilantro ancho at this location. Ask the butcher for more if you don't see it. I find it well worth going a bit out of my way to pass other amanecer markets to go to this one. The front register service is pretty blah, but they have what I need. Watch the produce though because the prices can be pretty ridiculous at this location, but they're one of few places that have guineo verde (Green banana) and plátano maduro (ripe plantain) always at the perfect ripeness at all times. I do pay the higher price for that there because I've never gotten weird plantains with soft spots or oddly hard ripe plantains here. The more basic produce like cabbage and corn tends to be the most ridiculous price. This is definitely my favorite amanecer markets overall. They have plenty of variety, and they have beautiful-looking seafood in abundance that never ever has an off smell, not even in the least. The habit of storing fresh herbs by the seafood and the butcher handling them would be my only complaint. I'm always cooking my herbs, so I don't worry so much.

It's really frustrating trying to reach Delicias del Caribe. They never seem to answer the phone,…read moreand there's no voicemail or message to let you know if they're closed or when they'll reopen. It makes it hard to plan an order or visit. I hope they improve their communication, because good customer service starts with being reachable.

I ordered their pork bellies with yuka fries and sweet fried plantains. I also ordered flan,…read morebecause I love it. It came with a sauce, a mixture of mayo and ketchup. I think most people would like this. I did not. But I hate ketchup. I'm not a good person to judge it. The pork bellies were good. They had a lot of meat on them. More so than other pork bellies that I have had at several other restaurants. They were very tasty but a little tough. I think a little marinating could resolve that. They had a wonderful crisp to them. The yuka fries were fantastic! Super crunchy on the outside and super soft and delicious on the inside. Yuka makes the best fries. The plantains were ok. Normally, ripe plantains are sweet and soft. These were not as sweet as they normally and were a bit too firm. The flan was great. It had a lovely silky texture and had a wonderful caramel flavor. I would definitely come here again. I would recommend anyone try it.

This food truck came to my work today and they are amazing!!…read moreI got the roast pork grilled cheese and the blackberry jam on it completed it 100%. I also got the Fried Plantains and they hit the spot, crunchy and still delicious with the sauce. I hope they come back for sure!

Chef Anderson is the best cook!!!!! The food has authentic flavor and amazing taste. From all the…read moretimes I have ordered Mamá Luisa, the food hits the spot every time.

Last month, I ordered takeout from this spot that's been frequented from Sophia and myself. The…read moreboth of us were never disappointed with our meals. Pre-pandemic, this was a place where we would have dine-in visits with friends of ours from a social group or just the two of us. It was probably close to a year since we last appeared so it was time to stop by. Similiar to the past visits, I called in our orders. They greeted me promptly when I walked in where there was only one table occupied. Quick and easy. For our orders, which both served as dinner and lunch for work at our respective sites, we chose their Cubano sandwich with our usual sides (fries for myself and plantains for Sophia). As always, the sandwich was pretty good packed with ham and roasted pork, pickles, cheese and mustard (both had no mayo). I would've liked for more fries in the box, but I had enough for both servings. La Pena Horeb came through once again. You know I'll be ordering takeout from here down the road. Till next time :)

Love my la pena Horeb! I saw it on door dash and I was ecstatic!!! Ahhh! Y'all don't even know! I…read morelive about 25 min away...but my food was hot when it got here...and it was correct! I put specifics and they actually read them and it was correct. I always get the mofongos, tostones, rice and beans, pernil...but I was sad I didn't see the flan! I hope they decide to add it. I am obsessed! This place is hands down better than any other restaurant on the peninsula and south side.