With a view of the bay of Bayahibe [1], 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 [2]. 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 [1].
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.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/dominican-republic/the-southeast/bayahibe
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/dominican-republic/the-southeast/bayahibe/sights/bayahibe-and-dominicus-beaches