With a view of the bay of Bayahibe, Restaurante Mare Nostrum (Calle Principal, tel. 809/833-0055, Mon.–Sat. for lunch and dinner, US$15–25) offers a first-rate Italian dinner in a chic setting. Homemade pasta, risotto, seafood, and a tasty wine selection are begging to be enjoyed.

Restaurante La Punta (Calle Principal 20, tel. 809/833-0082, 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m. daily, US$10–25) is a long-time favorite with tourists. The seafood is the best in town, very fresh, and a great break from the all-inclusive food, which can be bland and repetitious. It is right on the beachfront and serves seafood dishes and Caribbean-style cocktails. Grilled lobster is tops here.

Casual Bamboo Beach Bar Restaurant and Grill (US$7–20), right on the point of Bayahibe, has a wide variety of pizzas and seafood.

Café Restaurante Leidy (right on the point, US$5–15) serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the eastern side of Playa Bayahibe. Seafood, pasta, chicken, pork, and beef choices are numerous, all to be enjoyed in a breezy atmosphere.

Lively Big Sur (Playa Bayahibe, open nightly) disco is popular with tourists and locals alike. It is a casual, open-air (that means no air conditioner), thatch-roofed disco that really gets hopping with bachata and merengue when the locals arrive after their workweek is over. Big Sur is right on the point of Bayahibe.

Restaurante Yssamar (right on the point, no phone, US$10–20) is the definition of unpretentious dining. Renowned for its seafood, casual atmosphere, and location right on the point in Bayahibe, Restaurante Yssamar places its tables directly on the sand under a thatched roof. Especially good is the lobster or squid in typical Dominican sauces.

Colmado Billy (Bayahibe, no phone, 7:30 a.m.–10 p.m. Mon.–Sat., 7:30 a.m.–7 p.m. Sun.) is a typical Dominican colmado (small grocer). Standard staples include canned and dried goods, rum, bread, and cheese. But even more typical is how this colmado doubles as the get-ready-to-roll meeting point for the evening’s events. Have an ice-cold Presidente with the locals and chill out to the tunes of the tinkling bachata that is sure to be pouring out over the radio, because this is not just a grocery store; it’s a hangout joint.