So you found a Dominican restaurant, the menu is full of words like mofongo and moro, and you do not want to order wrong. Relax: you cannot. Dominican food is generous, comforting and almost never spicy, which makes it one of the easiest cuisines to fall in love with on the first visit. Here is your cheat sheet.
Start with the classics
Mofongo. Fried green plantains mashed with garlic and chicharron, served as a savory mound, usually with a protein. Hearty, garlicky and the dish most first timers remember.
Pernil. Slow roasted pork shoulder marinated in garlic and citrus, cooked until it falls apart. If you like pulled pork, pernil will feel like meeting its Caribbean cousin who cooks better.
Sancocho. The Dominican stew: several meats and root vegetables simmered into a thick golden broth, served with rice and avocado. Order it if you want the most Dominican experience on the menu.
Pollo guisado. Chicken braised in a tomato based Dominican sofrito. This is weeknight food in every Dominican home, and the sauce over rice is the whole point.
The sides that make the meal
- Tostones: twice fried green plantain rounds, crispy and salty. The universal Dominican side.
- Maduros: sweet fried ripe plantains, caramelized at the edges. The counterpoint to tostones.
- Moro con gandules: rice cooked with pigeon peas and seasoning. Better than plain rice, every time.
A safe first order for two people: one mofongo, one pernil plate, tostones and maduros to share. You will cover crispy, savory, sweet and garlicky in a single table.
And a note on spice, because it is the most common question we hear: Dominican food is seasoned, not spicy. The flavor comes from garlic, oregano, peppers and slow cooking, not from heat. If someone at your table avoids spicy food, they are completely safe here, and if someone loves heat, hot sauce exists for a reason.
Do not skip the drinks
Dominican restaurants take juice seriously. Look for jugos naturales, fresh natural juices, and if a morir soñando crosses your path, order it: orange juice and milk over ice, sweet and creamy, and the name literally means "to die dreaming."
Breakfast counts too
If your first visit happens before noon, or honestly at any hour, Dominican breakfast is a fantastic entry point: mangu, mashed green plantains, with fried salami, fried cheese and eggs, a combo known as los tres golpes.
Where to try all of this in the Triad
La Cocina de Mama is a family owned Dominican restaurant in Jamestown, NC, minutes from High Point and a short drive from Greensboro. Everything is made to order, breakfast is served all day, and if you come on a Tuesday, Thursday or Friday evening you will catch our domino nights from 7 to 10 pm, which is about as Dominican as an evening gets.
Take a look at our menu before you come, or just show up hungry at 1002 Gardner Hill Drive and ask us what to try first. Recommending plates to first timers is one of the best parts of this job. Call 336-285-8242 if you would rather take it to go.