There are a lot of dishes on the buffet line and it looks good but this place is unorganized. It was busy when I went. Stood in the makeshift line waited my turn. The buffet offerings is a long line of dishes, so long that there's no way to see everything they have to offer before making a decision. I was only able to capture a small portion on video because I was being crowded by other ppl. There's definitely no time to ask questions and there are no labels saying what the various dishes were. Then when I thought it was my turn, the rude lady started helping the woman after me. Others were helping the ones that chose to not stand and wait but rather just walk up. When a young lady took pity and helped me, I just ordered the chicken soup because I was over the whole chaotic situation. If I wasn't so hungry I would have just left. Then waiting to pay I saw my love, Pernil, at the front of the line near the register. I would have loved to try it but knew I wouldn't get help plus I was over this place. My friend was over it too and just didn't order anything. Soup came with rice. It was fine but nothing to make me come back. My food was automatically packed to go, but I sat at a booth to eat. There are enough booths and tables there to eat, but I don't think they offer table service, at least on this day they didn't seem to. I just didn't enjoy the vibe here. Some of the workers are intense, rude, and clearly dont like their job. I like good customer service and I hate being rushed but the culture here just is what it is. read more

Via Al Paraiso - Spanish Near Me - Waterbury, Connecticut

I had their rice and beans, pork and tostones. It was fresh, fairly priced and abundance in portion. It's not the cleanest eating area - but I overlooked it. read more

Been to Via Al Paraiso a few times now while working out of Waterbury and its a good Dominican / Caribbean food that's quick and convenient. I have had great food like the "rabo con moro" oxtail with yellow rice with peas and some not so memorable. Service is friendly and very attentive. Love that they have seating area for when we can escape the office and also offer delivery which is something I opt for most of the time. I also love their passion fruit juice and their desserts offerings. read more

Good Dominican restaurant in downtown Waterbury. Large dining area and huge takeout place. No liquor served here. Dominican music playing in the background for the foul affect. They speak English. Adequate metered parking. read more

The food here was generally decent, but, there are days when they serve yesterday's or dayssss old food!! Nothing burns my britches, more than being served, old food! Unfortunately things have changed from when they first opened! I assume the owner trains the servers to give less food! It's not that they weigh the food, they do it by eye!! Very irritating, buying a medium, and your plate looks empty. Another negative is you never know what their prices are! when you get to the register the medium might be 13 tomorrow you go, order the very same meal but now it's 17! I got tired of that happening so I ask, why? All I get is "the price changed" !! but no matter which day you go. The price will change just as they see fit! I ordered two large soups. They gave 1 small leg in one, & the second, 2 small pieces of chicken for a total of $30. Outrageous!! They do have tables to sit & eat but even w. This , I'll never be back. I cannot, & won't recommend this restaurant! read more

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I was trying to order food and one the lady's was rude as hell giving me attitude and the food I got fish was cold as hell. not going back

If you want to be ripped off and cheated over pocket change go to this establishment. My daughter and I will never return I don't care how good the food is. read more

Went there for the first time yesterday best Spanish food I've had in a long time ordered steak and rice and pulled pork and rice

Delicious Pork roast and Breaded Sea Bass! Hot buffet, Variety of colorful selection to choose from, very happy with my choices. Pork roast juicy, Sea Bass well seasoned. It was my first time here, the server was very polite and patient with me. Employees were all very nice! *Generous servings at reasonable prices- and clean!* I will definitely visit again before going back home, out West. read more

Via Al Paraiso - Roasted pork, white rice, pink beans with yellow bananas - Spanish Near Me - Waterbury, Connecticut

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We've been to this place twice within the past 30 days. This restaurant has good Dominican food, and no real competition in Waterbury. I ordered for pickup and the girl on the phone was clueless-- it was the same girl both times. She couldn't give us the exact total amount, she wasn't sure if they had what we were asking for, and said they didn't offer large "chicharrón de pollo," (even though we ordered it the first time.) On our first time we had chicharrón de pollo, oxtail, rice, beans and sweet plantains. The chicharrón was good, the oxtail was below average... but the sweet plantains were very tasty and the beans were perfect. On our second visit we had Chicharrón de pollo, rice beans, sweet plantains and beef patties. The beef patties were HORRIBLE it was drenched in what tasted like old reused frying oil, the meat looked like pink slime. Everything else was as expected..... but.... we found a bug in our salad. This ruined our experience. Hopefully this was a mishap. read more

Arroz con gandules con habichuelas al lado. Carne guisada! I always ask for small but I can never eat it all. Parcha is delicious! Gracias. Vía al Paraíso! read more

Went there just a few minutes ago and just decided to leave!!! First of all no one greeted us. Then to make matters worst when the waitress finally came to our table, after I asked for someone, she threw the menus down on the table had a horrible attitude and then proceeded to walk away! Never asked us for drinks and anything else!!! I would like the manager to contact me about this matter. This person is not only a liability to your establishment but an embarrassment to us all as Hispanic people. It's a shame really. My company and I were very hungry and this is the treatment that I get from one of my own. read more

Lots of Good Food Sooooo Many Choices so if you're indecisive bring someone that has eaten there before or experience something new or old favorites staff will explain and give great recommendations read more

The food is good I like it and they make me keep coming back for it and they do have good hospitality come check it out

Go there all the time with my family food is amazing my favorite plate is the Mofongo with shrimp read more

Via Al Paraiso - Shrimp Mofongo - Spanish Near Me - Waterbury, Connecticut

Good food, above average prices. Love the sights of their prepared foods section -- you get to see all the prepared food and know what you're getting. Delicious and quality. Took 1 star off for the high price, location, and lack of delivery option. read more

Food is AMAZING and you get huge portions for what you pay which is what i love the most. Great spot for spanish/dominican food in waterbury area. read more

Via Al Paraiso - Spanish Near Me - Waterbury, Connecticut

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Great food. Great prices. Awesome portions! Mofongo was flavorful, steak was tender and juicy. read more

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This place is amazing. They have the best Mofongo I've had out of South America. The food is fresh and delicious. Staff is incredibly friendly it's a great place. read more

"You eat with your eyes first" is such a true statement. And it works well at Via Al Paraiso Restaurant. Five of us went to the restaurant Saturday night and we were all very happy with our dinners. Walk in the door and to the left and it looks like a typical buffet line. But all the food can only be viewed in front of a glass divider. There is so much to choose from and everything looked so good that I had a hard time deciding. They had chicken, pork, beef, whole fish, shrimp, spanish veggies, rice dishes, and many more items to choose from. My friend mentioned that they had oxtail and I was SOLD. You tell them what you would like to eat and they prepare your dish for you and deliver it to your table after you've been seated. I had the Oxtail with rice and beans. My wife had Pernil (Pulled Pork Shoulder) with rice and beans. Everything was outragiously delicious. I would have licked my plate if I wasn't in a public place. Lol All five of us had dinners, three of us had one beer each and the other two had glasses of water. The bill was very reasonable at $68.37 plus tip. We'll be back soon. read more

Via Al Paraiso - Oxtail with rice and beans - Spanish Near Me - Waterbury, Connecticut

I was very hungry and decided to go here since it was local . I ordered a empanadilla (cant go wrong ) so i thought when i sat down to eat on my 15 min break to enjoy to my surprise it was completely EMPTY!! Are you kidding me? Called the owner /mngr thats how shocked i was and she said it fell out!! read more

Via Al Paraiso - Wtf - Spanish Near Me - Waterbury, Connecticut

Just came back from eating here on my lunch break & am very disappointed that I'm even having to write about such a sucky experience..I always love eating here, like other reviews have said - great food quick & USUALLY at a good price. The owner is very nice, but his employees need some work. PLENTY of people have complained about ONE imparticular by the name of : L E A N I. I can't even begin to tell you how rude this woman is. To start, she took my friend's order first & then skipped me to take care of a group of guys that came in. When she finally got to me, I ordered a $7.00 meal, a drink, & a little potato salad on the side. When she totaled the bill, it came out to almost $15.00!! I asked why & she told me that the potato salad alone was $4.50. When I opened the huge box to look at how much she had given me, there was but a TABLESPOONFUL inside!?! Of course, I told her I would absolutely NOT be paying $4.50 for such a little bit, especially when I could order a whole other meal at lunch special price for 50 cents more. She then told me because she had already served it, I had to pay & take it. Again, I told her "not happening." She then THREW the potato salad to the back counter & snatched the money out of my hand. I mumbled to my friend about how ridiculous she & the price were. As I began to walk away she started yelling out ingredients that were in the potato salad to justify why she was charging me $4.50 for a spoonful of potato salad -__- Very unprofessional and unnecessary. read more

I ate there on Thursday November 20, 2014. I've been sick ever since. I had roasted pork with rice and beans. Never again. read more

Via Al Paraiso - Yellow rice with beans and roasted pork - Spanish Near Me - Waterbury, Connecticut

I don't know what's worst about this place. The food or the customer service. Just ordered 2 cubanos and I got 2 pieces of bread with salad with barely any pernil on it. Are you serious? read more

Via Al Paraiso - Very fresh. Cubano with no meat! $8.50 for a piece of bread and salad. - Spanish Near Me - Waterbury, Connecticut

I had a large Seafood soup Tasted like chicken soup filled with potatoes two tiny pieces of shrimp no other seafood to be seen for $21 what a rip off read more

Great spot to come eat when it comes to the service and the food, taste and preparation on point , my only problem with this place is , the prices!! I am Dominican and from NEW York been all over the world traveling / states and there is no way no were that sells Hispanic food , rice and beans so expensive , like come on , I asked for a LONCHE which is key word in the Caribbean for a combination platter of 3 different things , rice, meat and beans , ok NOT HERE if u don't want the beans you are supposed to get with the combo all over your plate of food so it won't go soggy they won't put it on the side for you at all, like other places , no you have to make your rice all soggy!! Not cool at all because of not they will charge you the beans separated and that's a cost of $3.50 just for the side of beans you were suppose to get in the beginning anyways,!! SUCH A RIPOFF!!! But hey compare to LA CAZUELA which is right next to it, u have to just come here!! Instead read more

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I just have to say I CAN NEVER EAT HERE AGAIN! I caught a 24 HOUR BUG from eating the food here. To say I felt like crap for 24 hours is an understatement! This was NOT my first time eating here. Not to mention, the food is Hardly Decent. After catching a 24 hour bug from this place, I do not recommend & they will never get a penny from me again. read more

Love the lunch hot food buffet, you get your choice of meat & two sides (many choices!!) for around 8-$10. I get the pernil roast pork with yellow rice/peas thats fabulous! Every day you can chose from 8-12 different items that have been lovingly stewed or cooked for hours!! And it shows!! Absolutely delicious! Line can get long, but it goes fast. Chose your food, then sit and eat and pay when you're done. read more

The food is amazing! However, their customer service is atrocious. Got yelled at for standing near the door with some friends. I wish someone would've just explained that we don't have to wait for someone to seat us. read more

This is a great place to get a quick bite of Spanish or Italian food. It always offers a variety of chicken, beef, and pork dishes-- all piping hot and fresh. I've enjoyed their grinders as well-- love their fries. Try a papaya shake or a delicious empanada. Also, check out their desert selections upon entering. The inside has plenty of cozy seating. Free internet is a bonus. read more

Went a while back service was okay food okay. Went today highly disappointed! The pernil seemed to be sitting out for a longer period of time. The rice with shrimp had tails still connected. Wasn't as fresh as it once was. FRESH IS KEY HERE!! read more

The steak with peppers and onions over white rice is my favorite meal from there. Ask for extra sauce! The staff is very friendly and the owner is very personable. Definitely worth a visit. read more

Ordered some food for a work event. Got 25 potato balls and wanted them ready by 1 P.M. They were ready perfectly on time and the service was excellent. The food was a hit at the event as well. Whether you have an event or just want a quick bite to eat I highly recommend this establishment. read more

Worst place ever!!! I regret not taking a picture when I found hairs in my food, but I was so heated that I forgot about everything at that point, the hunger disappear completely. The customer service? Not the best. Things happens even in the most cleanest places but in a restaurant? Sorry but is not acceptable! read more