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Some restaurants carry the tourist board's meson gastronómico designation. Such establishments specialize in typical island food. The eastern region has both formal restaurants, where reservations are necessary, and casual beachside eateries, where you can walk in unannounced in beach attire and have a fine meal of fresh fish. Bills generally don't include service charges, so a 15% tip is customary and expected. Most restaurants are open for dinner from late afternoon until about 10 pm.
Chef Daniel Vasse's French country-style dishes are some of the island's best. The Marseille-style bouillabaisse is full of fresh fish and bursts with the flavor of a white garlic sauce. Something less French? Choose steak or fish simply prepared on the grill, and pair it with a bottle from the extensive wine cellar. A Sunday brunch buffet (including a brunch cocktail) offers a seemingly endless seafood bar, drawing people from all over the island.
Northern Italian dishes—such as veal marsala or fillet of beef with a caramelized shallot Barolo reduction—are the star attractions at this top-notch restaurant, where the staff is attentive and amiable. The dining room, with its black-and-white checkerboard floor and dark-wood paneling, is elegant and refined. Before sunset, you can catch a glimpse of the sea through dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows. After dinner, specialty coffees are served in mugs engulfed in blue flames, a showstopper that has people at neighboring tables applauding.
Located in the Wyndham Grand Río Mar Rainforest Beach and Golf Resort, Roots Coastal Kitchen serves Caribbean comfort food. It was developed by executive chef Ramón Carrillo in collaboration with top chef finalists Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth. The grilled swordfish with coconut sticky rice and kataifi wrapped shrimp is a signature dish. They have a selection of ice creams available for dessert, in the restaurant or at a busy to-go window.
