Plantains, fried eggs and salami reign at this Dominican spot in Hialeah
The food of the Dominican Republic is very similar to Cuban and Puerto Rican but perhaps not as well known. The staples are rice and mangú, which is made by boiling green plantains and mashing them. Mangú came to the Dominican Republic with African slaves who made it from starchy roots called mangusi. Owner Jose Encarnacion is from San Pedro de Macorís in the south-east part of the island where he grew up on a farm. After working in a shoe factory in Massachusetts he came to Miami and worked his way up from a dishwasher at the airport Hilton to buying his own restaurant 12 years ago.
Start With These Dishes
If going for breakfast get mangú topped with salami, eggs and fried cheese topped with sautéed red onions known as los tres golpes or “the three hits.” There’s also breakfast sandwiches and toasted Cuban bread with butter or Swiss cheese. Appetizers include quipe (Lebanese-style kibbe balls) made with cracked wheat stuffed with ground beef; yucca dough empanadas with a choice of beef, chicken or cheese; ham croquetas and thin slices of fried plantain with mojo sauce. Or begin with the seafood salad in lime vinaigrette with calamari, octopus, shrimp and clams on a bed of shredded lettuce
Share These Dishes
Mofongo is a big tight ball made from fried and mashed green plantains seasoned with garlic and oil that is a good starchy base to add other things. Try shrimp in creamy garlic sauce or stewed goat (not on the printed menu so ask as they make it every day).
Soups are large enough for a meal and can be shared. All start with a sofrito base for depth. There’s mixed seafood soup made hearty with cubes of potato and carrot and Dominican chicken noodle. Pass around the chicharrones de pollo, chopped chicken leg quarters fried until golden, or share the garlic marinated fried pork chunks. Both are good with a mound of rice and bowl of soupy red beans.
There are also sandwiches including the obligatory Cuban—this is Hialeah after all. There’s also a thin pounded palomilla steak sandwich with peppers and onions and grilled chicken breast in lemon sauce. It is no frills but homey and the owner who speaks English and Spanish will make you feel welcome.
Save Room For Dessert
Order the coconut flan or slice of moist Dominican cake with a layer of pineapple jam, made by the owners wife Luz.
Contact Linda Bladholm at lindabladholmlola75@gmail.com. Hidden Gems highlights out-of-the-way restaurants in Miami-Dade County. It is not intended to be an anonymous, critical review.
Mangu Café Restaurant
Address: 2007 W 62nd Street, Hialeah
Contact: 305-828-3296
Hours: Monday-Thursday 8 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 8 a.m.-10 p.m.
Prices: Breakfast $4-$9, soups $10-$14, entrees $9-$14, desserts $2-$3
This story was originally published June 26, 2019 at 3:02 PM with the headline "Plantains, fried eggs and salami reign at this Dominican spot in Hialeah."