Little Dominican Republic Day Trip
What this foodstroll is
Our take on the best things to do, see, and eat in Washington Heights.
Why this foodstroll works
Not every ethnic enclave of NYC can be perfectly situated near a bunch of fun things to do. In fact many are in the middle of nowhere, surrounded not by green spaces, but instead, dense urban jungle in every direction. That is not the case with Washington Height’s Little Dominican Republic. This particular area includes several parks, the Hudson River, the GW Bridge, the Met Cloisters Museum, and NYC’s greatest sledding destination! If you add the best Dominican restaurants in New York to this embarrassment of riches, it’s easy to justify a trip to the neighborhood.
Strolling
We like to start the trip at Fort Tryon Park and work our way south toward the food spots, but you can take the Foodstroll in any direction you like.
Fort Tryon Park sits on a steeply perched 67 acres of upper Manhattan that was once a military fort occupied by the British during the Revolution. General Sir William Tryon, for which it is named, was the final British governor of colonial New York. It was designed between 1931-1935 by the children of Frederick Law Olmsted, architect of Central and Prospect Parks.
The Cloisters was built by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1935 to house a medieval art collection amassed by sculptor and art dealer George Grey Barnard. The collection was eventually purchased and donated to the Met by John D. Rockefeller, Jr, who also donated the land for Fort Tryon Park to NYC. We’re far from experts on medieval art, but even our young kids, who don’t typically have much patience for these sorts of things, agree that the mostly 11th-14th century works and artifacts are beautiful. The building itself was designed like an 11-12th century Romanesque church, with a large medieval courtyard in the center.
Fort Tryon Park is fun anytime of year, but when it snows you’ll find the best sledding in NYC. Just outside The Cloisters there is a wide open, uncrowded hill where kids (and adults) can catch 30-45 second long rides. In warmer months you can enjoy the miles of footpaths, many with views of the Hudson River and Palisades.
The Little Red Lighthouse in Fort Washington Park is a great piece of NYC history, much of it fictionalized in the 1942 children's book The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge. The park itself offers spectacular views of the GW, Hudson River, and New Jersey. The best entrance is the pedestrian bridge at the west end of 181st Street.
If all you want to do however is snap a quick pic of the GW Bridge, head to J. Hood Wright Park. It has a playground, an observation platform, and it’s one block from Malecon and La Rosa. The location features prominently in Lin Manuel Miranda’s new musical In The Heights, but we were here first ;) Pardon Eduard in this picture. He has frostbite…
Across the street from Malecon is the United Palace, one of five historic Loew's Wonder Theatres dating back to the 1920s. It was designed by famous theater architect Thomas Lamb, who drew inspiration from Indian architecture during the Mughal Empire (16th-18th century). The Palace is truly reminiscent of an era when the theater experience was considered more important than the shows themselves.
High Bridge Park runs along the Harlem River on Washington Heights’ east border. The High Bridge, which connects Washington Heights to the Bronx, is NYC’s oldest bridge (1848) and was built as part of the Old Croton Aqueduct, NYC’s first sophisticated water delivery system. Crossing the bridge gives you fantastic views of the river and High Bridge Water Tower, the historic site of an old NYC reservoir.
If you can make it down to 156th St, Audubon Terrace is a very worthwhile place to visit. It houses several cultural institutions, like the Hispanic Society of America, home to the most important collection of Iberian art and literature outside of Europe. The eight Beaux Arts buildings constituting the Terrace were commissioned by Archer Milton Huntington in 1907, designed by his cousin Charles Pratt Huntington, and elaborated upon by his famous wife, Anna Hyatt Huntington. The latter executed several sculptures of significant Iberian figures, including our favorite Spanish literary icon, Don Quixote.
Food Spots
1. Malecon
Malecon is our favorite overall Dominican restaurant in NYC. They fancy themselves the Kings of Roast Chicken, but if you’ve never been, we recommend starting with Mofongo. The Combinado allows you to choose two proteins, like Chicharron and Longaniza.
The Parrilladas, or combination platters, are the best way to sample a variety of Dominican flavors. The Mariscos comes with prawns, shrimp, squid, and fish. It’s incredible.
The Parrillada de Carne is their meat option and comes with chicken, skirt steak, pork chops, and Dominican sausage. They even throw a few shrimp on top, which we very much appreciate.
They have daily lunch specials popular with families, and an encyclopedic menu that covers all three meals, and a lively vibe. On weekends you can hear Latin music playing from the sidewalk.
Casa Del Mofongo is the place to go when you want the DR’s favorite dish. Their menu is long and distinguished, but our favorite thing is the Mofongo con Camarones.
If Dominican food is on your mind, it’s probably because of these. Mofongo Con Chicharron comes with giant pieces of fried pork belly as well as little bits mashed up inside the mofongo itself.
As is the case at any Dominican restaurant, Roast Chicken features prominently, and usually comes with rice and beans.
Elaborate presentations aside, our kids find Dominican food irresistible, and the Casa Del Mofongo’s huge indoor space is welcoming, fun, and comfy.
La Rosa Fine Foods is our favorite market in Washington Heights. They sell a bunch of Spanish and Latin specialties, including Chorizo, Linguica, and Dominican Longaniza.
They also carry lots of organic poultry, and the fresh seafood section is nice and really well priced.
Transportation
1 and A trains service upper Manhattan at all times and stop near each food spot and along Fort Tryon Park.
There are several free parking lots inside of Fort Tryon Park and right outside The Cloisters. Streetside parking in Washington Heights is doable.
It’s a little over a mile from The Cloisters to the food spots. You could walk it, take the M4 bus, or splurge on a quick Uber/Lyft.