Service was prompt and friendly. The hostess sat us immediately and the menu was extensive. We ordered the appetizer platter and it was a great introduction to several delicious Puerto Rican fare! The ambiance was relaxed and inviting, nicely appointed! The food was very flavorful!! read more

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We live down the street from the original location. It's very hit or miss. This new location, was great! I ordered the Picadillo and it was so delicious and full of flavor. The rice and beans were very good. Service was good as well. It's a bit pricey, but the portions are massive. read more

De Rican Chef - Oceanfront - PICADILLO! - Puerto Rican Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

In the heart of Virginia Beach near the oceanfront is De Rican Chef. I loved the ambience of this location, both the murals painted on the walls and the overall cleanliness of the location. The service was also very good, our waitress accommodating of our asks. Since we went in at happy hour on such a warm day, I ordered a frozen lime margarita with salt on the rim, it was delicious and strong! The food was overall ok. We ordered a few empanada's with beef, one of them beef and cheese. They were very good! But one of the empanada's was blazing hot on the outside and frozen on the inside...it was kindly removed from the bill. I personally ordered the Chicharron de Pollo. It was a bit stringy, but the breading was good. Overall my experience with De Rican was positive but that it is a middle ground restaurant. Maybe the items I got weren't their signatures, but you can be rest assured that if you get their frozen margarita on a hot day, you won't regret it! read more

De Rican Chef - Oceanfront - Chicharron de Pollo with rice and beans. - Puerto Rican Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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Hubs and I stopped in last weekend for dinner bc this is a place we've had on our try list for a while. They have a couple locations around HR but we live about 5 minutes from this VAB location near the oceanfront. They do have a small parking lot behind the building (you access it between this restaurant and the ABC store) as well a free parallel parking right now in front and paid during peak season (metered). It was pretty dead when we arrived with only about three other tables - our waitress was prompt and very polite and easily gave suggestions and answered questions on the menu. It's cute inside and open and clean with very nice and updated restrooms for both male and female. We tried a ton of things including: -shrimp, beef and cheddar and pulled chicken empanadas -octopus civiche -yuca fries with cilantro crema -Pollo a La Parilla (entree) I loved the empanadas. Hubs loved the octopus but I didn't taste it bc I don't like it. My chicken entree was HUGE and came with a generous portion of delicious rice and beans. I took leftovers home and easily had enough for another full meal for lunch the following day. Wanted to try dessert but way too full - hubs did try their coffee and it was good. We will be back! Love their Happy Hour which is 2-6 for locals. read more

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Went for the first time on Valentine's Day. We had a reservation and was seat promptly. But the service was lacking and all over the place. When seated a server came up. Dump a container of water on the table and left, no drink order. She was gone for along it. We finally got drinks but it was wrong, took awhile to get right. Food was good but my husband received his first and took awhile to bring mine. Same thing with both tables on either side of us. We will be back though. They were very nice and like I said food was good. read more

Found this place while walking around looking for something for dinner and I'm glad I stumbled upon this Puerto Rican restaurant. I decided to try the Mofongo with Chicken since I've heard it was their most popular dish. I've never had it before but once I was done I wanted more! So many flavors and the mashed plantains added a savory-sweet flavor as well. It was also a big portion and very filling. read more

De Rican Chef - Oceanfront - Mofongo with Chicken - Puerto Rican Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

A little piece of home right in VA beach. The place is clean. The service was quick. I had arroz con gandules and pernil and it was very tasty. read more

Their menu met expectations. Food was really good and the mojitos will sneak up on you. There was a little bit of a wait so plan ahead. Music was in good taste and a bit loud so sing away! read more

De Rican is an amazing restaurant that specializes in Puerto Rican cuisine that my family absolutely loves to eat at, so when we saw that there was a new location near the Oceanfront, we had to try it. With parking being very limited in that area, I like how they have a parking lot in the back of the restaurant. As soon as we walked in, we immediately noticed the beautiful colors of the painting decor on the walls! It was so stunning! We got to the restaurant around 5:30pm on a Friday night and were quickly seated. We wanted to start with Papas Rellenas (which are fried potato balls stuffed with seasoned ground beef) because we order these at the Holland location but this location does not offer them, just FYI. I ordered the Spicy Mango Margarita to start. The presentation itself was beautiful and the drink was good but not spicy at all. For our entrees, my daughter chose the Steak Churrasco and I ordered the Red Snapper, both served with yellow rice (our favorite). The Churrasco was very good and cooked to perfection. The Red Snapper was seasoned well, fried perfectly and was absolutely delicious. I love that they serve the Red Snapper whole. Unfortunately, the yellow rice had a slight vinegar-like taste to it which was different from what we remembered but it was alright. The restaurant itself was absolutely gorgeous, from the decor to the paintings! The staff was also very friendly! It's unfortunate they don't serve every item that the Holland location offers and they automatically add the gratuity to your bill, so be mindful of that as well. For the two of us, our bill was over $100, which I thought was quite pricey so I'm not sure if we'll be returning anytime soon but it's a place to definitely try out. read more

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Edit to add since I can not reply to her directly: see below screenshots of our emails. I only contacted her on 1/11 not 1/9. No where did I say contact my dad... he lives in another state so why would I have her call him.. I never received a missed call from her. My event is 3/15. Not the 2 weeks she stated before. In the emails she didn't even ask what date my event was so how can she call me and say that we are in a rush. I believe this lady has people confused and instead of trying to fix the situation she is making it worse.. I still am trying to clear up the situation but she will not even communicate with me. Initial review: Contacted the catering coordinator for a party. She wouldn't email me information only over the phone. I asked if we can schedule a time after 4:30 when I get off but she only works until 4 and any "after hour" calls would be $25. So I scheduled it for 1:15 and I was going to clock out of work. 1:15 comes around an no call from her. I emailed her at the end of the day with no response. I finally emailed again today to tell her to cancel my inquiry and she said ok. No apology or reasoning on why she couldn't call me at our scheduled time. If you are looking for a place to cater your event I suggest looking elsewhere. read more

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This place was packed when my family and I stopped by around 17:00, packed with Latinos and Latinas (which should say a lot about authenticity). For starters, I ordered De Rican Sunset (Don Q, Bacardi Pineapple, Liquor 43, Pineapple Juice, Fresh Lime, topped with Cinnamon), my hubby ordered Coconut Martini, along with Vaso De Pulpo (Ceviche-style octopus). They were all good! My hubby does not like/eat octopus, but he ate this one! For main dish, I ordered Bacala Guisado (Shredded Codfish), and my hubby ordered Mofongo with Pollo (Chicken Creole). My hubby was so surprised how good his Mofongo was. It had a blast of good flavors, and my dish was good as well. I gave 4 stars cuz inside the restaurant was hot (we were literally sweating while we ate), and the lights above our table kept flashing... Overall, a great place!!! read more

De Rican Chef - Oceanfront - Bacalao Guisado (Shredded codfish cooked in a creole sauce) - Puerto Rican Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

We found this place during one of our many trips, vacations. We loved the Puerto Rican food we don't get back where we live. Last time we came, last summer of 2024, we had to order to go because they didn't have a table for us, too large of a party. They recommended we make reservations next time we came. Fast forward today, Memorial Day weekend 2015, we made reservations 2 days in advance with an email confirmation from them to which we confirmed we were still coming. Tonight, the day of our reservation, the "hostess" tells us they basically don't care we made a reservation and they are not honoring it. The manager comes out and tells us they are not honoring our reservation. I understand if they were overwhelmed, we were in no rush. I understand our food and service was going to take time and we did not mind. What we did mind was doing what we were told to do, make a reservation, and then being treated with the utmost disregard as paying customers. We do not need anyone to tend to our every need but we do expect to be treated with the same respect we treat everyone. This was by far one of the worse experiences in customer service that we have ever had. read more

Let me start by saying that this is the best food I have had in a long time. De Rican have made a fan out of me. I try to come to VA Beach once a year and now I have a new staple. I wanted to try something unique so I ordered the Pastelon. This is sweet plantain stuffed with ground beef and topped with cheese. I added grilled onions. Goodness gracious. The sweetness of the plantain with the savory of the beef and onions....I could not adequately articulate the deliciousness. The only minor challenge I had was that my rice was cold, but they heated that bad boy up and it was good. Let's take a moment to honor the rice. This aint normal rice. I had the Arroz con Gandules. Its their Latin style yellow rice with pigeon peas (contains pork). SUPER good. I cant tell you what I taste, but I can tell you that it works together for my good. We sat at the bar. Hector served us. He is super knowledgable about the menu, the Puerto Rican culture, and even indulged me in speaking Spanish....I am learning on Duolingo. It was so much food I could not finish it. I was concerned about how my meal would reheat the next day. But I placed it in the hotel microwave for lunch the next day and it taste even better. read more

De Rican Chef - Oceanfront - Pastelon Sweet plantain stuffed with ground beef and topped with cheese. - Puerto Rican Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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First positive impression was the staff. They were super friendly and very willing to help guide me through a menu that was a bit foreign to a gringo like me. The food was fresh and wonderful. Sorry no pictures. It was a bit slow since it was off season at the beach but I'm sure this place is fantastic when it is super busy. I might make this a regular stop when I'm in the area for business. read more

The food was delicious. We had cheese, empanadillas, and some other things which all came out good. The churrasco came out cut up in pieces and was expecting a whole piece. I think they were short staffed. Some people were waiting then left. They had beautiful murals on the walls. We loved them! read more

I love this restaurant. It is located in the artsy area called the Vibe Creative District. They have a limited amount of street parking available in front and a private lot in the back. Reservations are not required but recommended. They have a nice and chill patio area outback and an adequate dining area inside. There is also a bar area that you can sit at that has a television and full bar service. They have Spanish music playing throughout the dining room/bar areas. The dining room is pretty hip and is decorated with a couple of nice murals. The dining room has garage sectional doors that can be opened to really open up the area on a nice day. They cannot host very large parties. The most they can fit at a table are 6 to 8 and they cannot move tables together to form a larger party. The best they can do is break your party up between nearby tables. They not only have a menu packed with Puerto Rican dishes, they have a nice assortment of tropical drinks. I ordered the Churrasco (grilled steak) with a side of plantains. It took about 15 minutes or so for me to get my food and it was well worth the wait. It was delicious. It was very tasty and flavorful. It did not have a chance and had me licking my plate clean. I had a De Rican Sunset and a Rican Rum Punch to go with my meal. They were both so savory. I would definitely have them again. So, I wanted to keep the party going, so I ordered their bananas foster. Man'o'man, It was life altering. It was one of the best desserts that I have had in a long time. I highly recommend it. I wish I could have taken a supply of it home with me. I think it is actually a law that if you go here, you have to get the bananas foster. If there isn't....it should be. Be aware that they already add an 18% gratuity to your bill. You are free to add more to if if you so choose though. This restaurant is amazing, a diamond in the rough. It is off of the board walk, but not too far and well worth it. This place should be on the top of your list of places to eat in VA Beach. You will definitely not be disappointed. read more

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First time visit and I will say from the time I walked in till walking out, I truly enjoyed my experience. The service was excellent, I really enjoyed our waitress and how attentive she was. The chicken in the stew was really tender with lots of flavor, my girl had some plantains and empanadas and they both were phenomenal. The atmosphere was very welcoming and the restaurant was really clean on the inside and out. I look forward to visiting again sometime! read more

Stayed in Virginia for a day and looked up a spot to eat. This spot popped up one of the first ones in the Yelp list according to my current location. The spot is very nice, very nice staff and the food was slamming. read more

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Wow! Homemade food. Absolutely authentic food to its culture and roots. The chef outdid herself with Mahi dish. We will be back!

A great visit for a very hot Virginia Beach weekend mini-vacation. I went with my family for my birthday dinner after a long day on the beach. We got the front seat by the entrance--only area for my family of 7. Unfortunately there was no cool air or fans in our area, so we were hot and sticky (and getting all showered and dressed for dinner felt pointless) LOL But our waitress was super sweet (Myrna, I think was her name)--we ordered the appetizer sampler (all delicious, included tostones, alcapurria, empanadas, y chicharrón de pollo) really wished there was no chicken but more alcapurria and empanadas because they were delicious). We ordered a piña colada (yummy), draft beer (really chilled) and a coconut mojito (great) order a traditional mojito to go! Our dinners included mofongo with carne frita, picadillo with rice & beans, bistec encebollado, mofongo with chicharrón de pollo and churrasco with rice and beans--all very satisfying we shared a little of everyone's food! Would definitely come again but hopefully it's cooler next time around. Great visit and ambiance. read more

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We started with the De Rican Sampler. The chicharron de pollo was quite fresh and I loved how crisp the tostones were. Some parts were overly salty but I enjoyed getting to try a variety of items. We then ordered a variety of main dishes including two molfongos, a bandeja boricua, and one churrasco. I enjoyed the dishes to various degrees. My favorite was the bandeja boricua-- while I was sad that they had run out of egg, I liked how fresh and crisp the fried pork belly and loved the flavor of the sausage and steak. Meanwhile, the main one I had, the carne frita molfongo, was ok. I felt the the fried pork was too dry and salt so that dish was more of a 3/5. That said the portions were huge so we couldn't finish everything and the service was friendly. While I wish some dishes were less dry and less salty, there were other parts that had great crispy and flavorful items. I overall enjoyed the experience. read more

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Never would I had expected there to be an authentic Puerto Rican restaurant in VA Beach. Good news...there is and this is it!!! Growing up in NY I had my fair share of Puerto Rican food so I'm familiar with a lot of the traditional dishes. De Rican made me feel like I was back in NY. You can tell this food is authentic and made with love. In addition to the amazing food, the atmosphere is fun, cute, and very welcoming. And...it is a Woman owned business. As for the food-here is my breakdown... -Pernil (shredded pork)- great flavor, tender and juicy. We went with the white rice and habichuelas (red beans) for our side. These habichuelas were so good, we asked for another side of them. -Chilo Entero (whole fish)- This fish was cooked perfectly. Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The skin was well seasoned and tastes amazing with a few squeezes of lemon. The head is on this fish. But don't be scared. Just do it!!! We went with the trifongo as our side. The trifongo was a first for me, and won't be the last. Trifongo is sweet plantain, green banana, and casava root. It was soo good. Especially when we poured the sauce from our habichuelas on top of it!!! -Papa Relleno- we had to try one. This is a Puerto Rican classic. It's basically a ball of goodness. Mashed potatoes and ground beef. Omg. They have these two sauces that you want to make sure to ask for. One is extremely spicy and the other is a mayo based sauce which is meant to balance the spice. I was all about the spicy. Soooo good. To top it all off we had two amazing bartenders who took care of us. They were friendly, knowledgeable, and accommodating. This place is phenomenal and would strongly recommend to anyone looking for good home cooked authentic Puerto Rican food. If you've never had it before, this is the place to go for your first experience. read more

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This place was right by our air bnb and was so cute. Fresh plants, happy vibe, and packed. We ordered our food to go and it took a little bit of time, but the guy who was helping us was really great and thoughtful. Things to absolutely get: the chicken and cheese and the beef and cheese empanadas, Arroz Blanco Con Habichuelas and the passion fruit juice. I ordered the veggie mofongo but couldn't eat it because of the amount of onions. I cannot eat onions but everything has onions in it in general, so i will eat a few bites of things knowing that, but this was basically one big onion. Definitely a good choice for our meal, but wish we would have eaten in rather than to go. The atmosphere was great. read more

Showed up at 4pm on a Wednesday (December 18th) and it is closed. I'm confused! Google and Yelp both say it is open. No one is answering my calls when I dial their number either. read more

De Rican Chef - Oceanfront - Puerto Rican Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

The food was good, service was lacking. We arrived around five pm for a quick dinner and there was only one server for the entire restaurant. They seated everyone in the same section, which made the seating feel very cramped. In regards to the food, my wife had mofongo, she thought it was great. The kids and I ate empanadas, corn sticks and some other apps. All good. In general, food was good but service was poor. We'll try again. read more

You must go, that is all! Everything was delicious. We shall return again and again! We had the sampler, Marisco Al Ajillo Traditional, Pollo a la Parilla Sandwich Papas Fritas, Pastelon Sub Maduros read more

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This was a great and unexpected find on my short visit to Virginia Beach. Being of Puerto Rican decent I enjoy home cooked food from my island and this was not a disappointment. They have a full menu of staple PR meals and apps such as mofongos and cuchifritos. But to my surprise they had asopaos (soupy rice dishes). I started my meal with a happy hour coconut mojito cocktail. For appetizers we ordered an alcapurria and sorrullos. They were both very tasty. For my entree I had to try the asopao de camaron. (Shrimp) it was insanely delicious and really took me back to my childhood. The flavors were completely balanced, shrimp was cooked perfectly and there's nothing like fresh cilantro. It was served with two tostones (fried plantains). We also ordered Maduros as a side and they were perfectly carmelized. The service was amazing. Everyone was very attentive. The music playlist was great. There's a large mural painted on one of the back walls that beautifully represents the isle of Puerto Rico. Despite its trendy, upscale atmosphere it lacked no hospitality and definitely gave off some chill vibes. I will be clear about this..I'm visiting off season and I don't want to imagine how busy this place must be in the summer months. They have a lovely outdoor area in back, however the restaurant itself isn't very spacious. I would think reservations may be required so plan ahead or you might miss out. From my experience a spot with food, cocktails, and an atmosphere this great is sure to have a wait! But It's definitely worth it!! read more

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Went there yesterday with friends. What an amazing experience! Great atmosphere. Excellent service and great tasting food. Authentic Puerto Rican food cooked to perfection! The Trifongo was a big hit! This is a must visit. read more

IF I COULD GIVE IT 0 stars I would. The review for this place is deceiving, the menu looked good and the atmosphere was good. Unfortunately for this restaurant that's the only positive thing I have to say. To start off, the host was chatting about how this place got sold and has new owners, so that may be why my experience was different than the other 4.0 reviews for this place. First our waitress didn't tend to our request for a to go cup for our toddler, why would you give a toddler a full glass cup? There's more, my husband orders the ceviche appetizer, BLAND! No flavor how do you mess up ceviche. She gave us two salsa containers no labels no identification of which is which, the spicy salsa was horrendously spicy and I know spicy. He also ordered a mojito, cheap liquor no balance of ingredients. I ordered us the De Rican Sampler ehh it was ok. The Chicharon pollo was wasn't chicaron just a fried chicken plain, whatever breading they used was unseasoned. overall overpriced just for the oceanfront location. And to top it all off, when I went to use the restroom, there were other customers in the restroom. They started to complain to each other about how their food was overpriced, unseasoned and not worth it. I participated in the conversation and we all agreed that this place does not represent Puerto Rican flavor, Puerto Rican food, Puerto Rican culture other than the big flag in the restaurant. One of the ladies said "I am Puerto Rican and this is not Puerto Rican food." This is clearly a case of catering to American tastebuds there is no Latin culture in this food. ---- To reply to the owners response very unprofessional and yes the older Hispanic lady short hair heavier set was speaking to three gentleman at a table loudly in Spanish. Ok constructive criticism your pollo "chicharon" needs some seasoning, your ceviche has no flavor, your mojito taste bad best of luck to you and your business. Also my husband finished his drink never asked for anything to go, I asked for a to go cup while we dine in so she doesn't drop a GLASS cup in your restaurant we always grab a plastic cup for safety. Also to correct you I NEVER said I was Puerto Rican, if you even bother to read my review ACTUAL Puerto Rican customers said the food was bland and overpriced. & actually I have been to PR and you're right the food there is amazing and delicious which is why the food was below par at your restaurant. I don't think you under what "racism" is, I have not said anything racist I am just simply giving you my experience and my opinion. I'd recommend to work on your personal skills to customer service even your reply shows the low quality of customer service that is provided. read more

The food was good for a Puerto Rican restaurant in VA Beach. Service was great our server was attentive Nice little place read more

Their beef pastelillos are amazing, well stuffed with so much flavor! Ordered a Cuban sandwich to go, no pickles...and to my surprise, it had pickles . The Mofongo was more like Mangú and the "bistec encebollado" could have used more flavor. read more

We have a rule when we're on vacation, we don't eat anywhere that we can get at home. So, no fast foods or chain restaurants. I found this place on Yelp, and it was a 10 minute walk from our hotel. My husband is Puerto Rican and makes pretty good mofongo, but this was better than his (sorry babe!). I have not ever had Puerto Rican food this good or this authentic outside of my in-laws house or when we were actually in Puerto Rico. We started with the Rican Sampler -- tostones (fried plantain), beef empanadas, beef alcapurria (plantain paste with ground beef, fried), and some fried chicken bites. All of it was delicious! For the main course, I had the chicken mofongo and my husband had the shrimp mofongo. Our son had 2 Chuletas con Arroz y Habichuelas (fried pork chops with beans and rice). Everything was amazing. The portions were huge (I had enough mofongo leftover to have it for lunch the next day). We are going to try to go back before we leave because I really want to try their Cuban sandwich! read more

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The food was amazing. And very large portions. It reminds me of being in Puerto Rico. read more

De Rican Chef - Oceanfront - Puerto Rican Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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This review is sooo very past due. We came here one evening for dinner. The food was very good. The reason for not being 5 stars is because they were out of so many items and it seemed like they weren't even near their closing time. This was strange because why are you out of so many items? My mom tried ordering one item and they didn't have it. I wanted something else and they were out of that. But aside from that we really enjoyed the vibe and the food. They had good music and the food as mentioned before was very good. I don't remember at the moment what I had but I will look for and add photos if I find them. I do remember they had a beautiful mural on the wall. It was colorful and lively. The waiter was friendly and checked on us and made sure to get our orders correct and the food tasted good even the next day. I think the only thing I wasn't a fan of was the tostones because some were fried a bit harder than others. Like overly crunchy like hard almost chip like. The ones that were cooked right were delicious though. If back in the area I would definitely check them out again with the hopes that they have all of their items available. read more

This Puerto Rican cuisine was devine. Such great food and service. I will always come back the next time I'm in Virginia Beach read more

De Rican Chef - Oceanfront - Red Snapper - Puerto Rican Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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Trendy, fresh and cozy atmosphere. Wide selection of Puerto Rican food favorites. The Churrasco is fabulous, highly suggest it to be medium rare. read more

De Rican Chef - Oceanfront - Appetizer Sampler. - Puerto Rican Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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Came here looking for some PR food. Location is very nice, And the restaurant was very clean and decor was nice. We were greeted promptly and the service was on point. Prices were good and they were not skimpy on the portions. Everything we got here was very tasty, especially the meat inside of the Mofongo, it was NEXT LEVEL. If im comparing food to the island, these dishes were on par with food I had in Luqillo. This is a must try. read more

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Awesome Food!!! Don't sleep on the Chicharron de pollo. The red snapper is also Awesome!! read more

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Overall the food was very OK. Nothing exceptional from this restaurant sadly. My flank steak was supposed to be medium rare. I received closer to medium to well done. The manager attempted to educate me on how it's meat guys fault for the steak came out incorrectly. Zero ownership! Very disappointed in the chiefs. Doubt highly that I will be back. read more

De Rican Chef - Oceanfront - Presentation was a home run. Requested medium rare flank steak. - Puerto Rican Near Me - Virginia Beach, Virginia

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This spot deserves 5 stars and no less. If you want to try Puerto Rican food, COME. It's delicious. The food brings you back to home and is just so good. LARGE portions means you can share!! We could have just shared the bandeja but now we have a second meal to enjoy later. The place is stunning, ambiance is like you are transported to the island, and the artwork in here reminded me or those on the island as well. Take a try and visit. If you're a bori, come support ! read more

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