Merengue

“Combonacion de Mariscos.”

“Bistec en Segullado.”

“La Yaroa Mercedes.”

“Mofongo.”

It doesn’t matter if you can pronounce it, because you’ll be too busy eating it.

“Hi, I'm Hector Pinia. Welcome to Merengue.”

For over thirty years, Merengue Restaurant on Blue Hill Ave in Roxbury has been serving authentic Dominican fare in a warm, welcoming space.   Owners Hector and Nivia Pinia are a fixture in the community, and the duo behind several local Latin restaurants.  But their delicious legacy began right here at Merengue.

“Merengue is your authentic Dominican spot right in the center of Boston.   We are the essence of the Dominican community. Everybody, the first spot that they visit when they're here in Boston is Merengue.  We have never left Roxbury. And even though we have offers to move our place out of here, I think the community here deserves us to be here as well.”

“Merengue is now like a landmark. It's been 31 years, and who thought that in 1994 when I opened a small place with only 4 tables,20 seats, it was going to become what it is now.”

This local institution is always buzzing, with an energy that greets you at the door.  Drawing in everyone from Big Papi to politicians, actors, athletes and more.

“It's very family oriented. I would say, very mellow, happy and chaotic in a way, but it's very mellow. You can come in shorts or whatever. It's not like, super fancy. It's very, you know, very normal, very casual. We wanted to bring the island's color to the restaurant inside. So when you walk in, you forget where you are and you're happy. Colors make you happy, and the food makes you happy. So that's what we want. We just want to make sure that when you're here, you're happy.”

First timers should always start with La Insuperable which is basically a sampler platter of Dominican finger foods.

“It has meat, it has plantain, it has Mofongo, the mashed plantains, it has sausages. And so people love it. It has a little bit of everything. So for the people who have never been to the island or have never experienced the Dominican food, it's a really good sample.”

There are handmade pastellitos, great for snacking, fried Cheese with spicy salami and this Dominican take on a Canadian classic.

“So the Yaroa it's our version of the Canadian poutine.  But it’s our version.  We have the fries. We make our shredded chicken.  We put it on top, and then we put the cheese and mayo ketchup.  Mayo ketchup is a pink sauce.  So with that concoction of flavors, imagine. So it's really good, and people love it.”

Another globally inspired plate is the Chofan. A Dominican rice dish by way of China.

“Chofan is the Dominican version of the fried rice. You put eggs, you put chicken and of course vegetables, and then you fry the rice with a little bit of soy sauce. And that's it. That's what it is. It's our Chofan.”

For a dish popular in both the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, try Mofongo.

“It's the fried plantain mashed together in a big mortar with garlic and pork rings, chicharrones and ice really, really popular.”

And while it’s great on its own- it’s even better when made into a bun for Merengue’s Chimifongo Burger.

“So the bun, instead of being bread, we make Mofongo, and then the meat, we make our own meat.  Ours is the traditional ground beef and then you can put the sauce on top.

You take the big bite. It's very messy, it's very fun. And again, it's all those flavors.  You have the softness of the buns with the pork and the crispy part of the pork, you have the mash plantain, and then you bite into the meat.  You definitely have to try it. You need to come and make sure that you're gonna just get messy with it.”

Since “the DR” is an island, seafood is a specialty.   And at Merengue, it’s as fresh as it gets with ample dishes like this grilled platter of lobster, shrimp, tilapia, calamari and mussels, grilled lobster and shrimp topped with peppers and onions and a seafood medley tossed in a flavor packed coconut sauce.

“The coconut sauce is creamy, but it's not super creamy. It's mostly like a real like a regular tomato sauce, but it has the actual texture of the coconut. It's really, really nice. I definitely recommend somebody to try it, even if you're never going to have it again. But try is super good.”

And nothing ends a meal at Merengue quite like their flan.

“Flan is a classic in many cultures, but for us, it's our traditional Spanish custard pie. It's not a cake, it's not a pudding, it's something in between.  It's soft caramel. And it's not super sweet. So it kind of like kills everything at the end of your meal, and it gives you that sweet that you just need, right on point.”

And with just one bite, you’ll see why after all this time  people keep coming back to Merengue.

“We've been here for 31 years for a reason. People love it.  People want to try our food. People want to experience the ambience.  To get out of whatever it's outside, spend a little bit of time here with us and just have a good time.”