Marisco Centro

I came here with a group of friends around 9pm and was seated immediately. The hostess and waitress were friendly. Water and a delicious soup were put in front of us almost immediately. I ordered the mariscofongo and it was delicious. The octopus was a bit tough but edible. I like a little more liquid with my mashed plantains as well but it was just enough. The serving is huge so I’m sure 2 people could share but I wouldn’t, only because I love seafood and can’t part with it.
We sat at booths in the middle of the restaurant so we would be able to hear the music but not be overwhelmed by it. Men come in a few times with flowers to sell so be prepared.
Of course there were some items to look out for. I was kinda wishing I left room for dessert but then I saw the prices. The same desserts can be bought at a nearby bakery for $ 2 or $ 3 less. Yes, that means half the price for most. Also you have to double check your receipt here sadly. My food was $ 5 more and all our drinks were $ 3 more than listed on the menu. The waitress adjusted the price easily after a few words with the manager. Our bill went down like $ 25. The food and drinks were good but not that good to overpay.

It’s a beautiful place to attend if u want to spend big bucks for Latin cuisine. They have one of the best seafood in NYC. The only thing is that you have to bring money. A order for two with drinks will ring too almost 100 dollars because the seafood is pricey. They have a good atmosphere. They play good music. The service could be a little better. When you go for take out the service sucks. I recommend you to sit down and have a waiter. Besides that I recommend this restaurant. I recommend the grill salmon and the chofan (seafood rice)

Funny thing is that I’ve never had the seafood here, but it does look appetizing and always smells fresh. I typically stop by here once or twice a week to grab a lunch special for $ 6. The special includes rice & beans, fried or sweet plantains, fried chicken chunks, grilled chicken breast or your choice of three different types of fish. Other spanish spots typically charge $ 10-​$ 12 for this amount of food.

It was spur of the moment decision to come here, my husband really wanted Dominican style red snapper, found parking really quick which is not easy in Washington heights! There was also no wait, which shocked me. When walking in, it kind of looks like a fish market in the front to your left, there is also a take out counter, walking to the back you will start to see the tables & booths. There is also a large bar all the way in the back, and projection screen, and a small area for a band, Sunday there was a singer, and he was really good, and entertaining, very funny, and engaged with the crowd, even having a child play his guitar, it was very cute. I must mention everything is spoken in Spanish, the entertainment, the waiters, the music, this isn’t your yuppie hipster joint, it’s straight Dominican! And I absolutely love it! Great to see a neighborhood that hasn’t been fully effected by gentrification. The menu is mostly seafood, and we came for the red snapper, so that’s what we ordered, it comes grilled, fried, or sautéed. We got it fried because that’s how I remember enjoying it in Dominican Republic. I also had a side of rice & beans. The snapper wasn’t as big as when I had it on the beach in DR, and wasn’t as thick, but the flavor was delicious, and it was cooked perfectly! Besides having to pull a couple of bones out, I would most definitely have it again from here. The beans were very flavorful! And I regret not ordering tostones. For appetizer we had the calami (fried) it was great, and came with a nice red sauce, I also asked for mayo-​ketchup (Puerto Rican) thing, thankfully they had it. The sangria (white) was very good, and strong, after three we were kind of tipsy. Service was just okay… we sat a while before anyone took notice to us, I actually had to call the woman over, but once we finally got her attention everything was fine. I think she was more frazzled than rude.
Overall we had a great time, food was great, drinks were strong, and the music made you feel like you were back in DR.

Ordering over the phone was always a hassle but the food was decent. Used to order delivery from here often until I had a phone attendant say if I couldn’t afford the food to not call just because I asked for the total. Needless to say I haven’t ordered from here again.

I have to say this place has the most amazing seafood brunch on Sundays. They also have FREE valet parking which is definitely a perk in Washington Heights. I truly enjoyed the food and selection. I’m looking forward to visiting again.

Ordering delivery through GrubHub is seamless.(ha!) It seems they’re only available online on weekends.
Over the phone, nightmare-​ish.
Not due to a language barrier but the excessive questioning.
*sigh* I guess I’ll wait till Saturday for some delicious food.

They have amazing food, great accommodating service and will change your food for any reason without any exception. Though they are a seafood restaurant their penne alla vodka pasta is great as well as their sea food dishes.

This restaurant has an excellent Caribbean vibe. Serving fresh seafood and vegetables year round, the food has never disappointed me and I have come here many times over the years. Located in the heart of an authentic Dominican neighborhood, it adds a vibrant and cultural enrichment to anybody who wants to visit! Wonderful for family, friends and locals alike. The nighttime scene does not disappointment nor does the dinner environment.

Thank you Marisco Centro for hosting my mom’s birthday dinner. The Mgmt team did a wonderful job with providing us a private room with our own buffet — food options were skirt steak, grilled fish, shrimp and pasta, chofan, maduros filled with seafood, eggplant with seafood, green salad, bread, pretzels. They allowed me to bring in flowers to set as centerpieces. They held my cake in their fridge. Lastly, they allowed a photographer to capture all the wonderful moments. The waiters were attentive and nobody left hungry. The guests were able to take food home from the buffet in trays provided by the staff. My mother loved it and I am eternally grateful. Delicious seafood and wonderful Spanish music. I know it’s located in the heights but it’s definitely worth the trip!

This is the original Marisco Centro, other locations:
Castle Hill, the Bronx
Santiago, Dominican Republic
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Sister Locations:
Boca Chica, Corona, NY
Boca Chica, Elmhurst, NY
Like all locations above, Marisco Centro in Washington Heights is family owned and they all offer complimentary fish soup as soon as your party sits. This location offers valet parking during the weekends. I usually get the same thing when I come here which are the shrimp scampi, casino clams and chofan (Dominican style Chinese rice), almost anything you order comes with lime even the complimentary fish soup. MC tends to get packed during the weekend but they still give you great service, food can take a while to get to your table but good food takes time to be cooked. They even offer a private room up to 32 people to be seated while you enjoy your seafood with your family and friends.

Wow the food here was really good! Fresh seafood and tasty dessert. I ordered churrasco and it was absolutely delicious. The flan was to die for, also waiter was friendly and attentive. Came here during the weekday and it wasn’t too busy. I look forward to eating here again in the future!

The service was at its upmost horrible. I love the food. The food is what makes this review 2 stars. However, the fact that we ordered clams full priced and they were so small we couldn’t believe it. We ordered some more clams that were on happy hour appetizers and they were bigger than the full price ones! We couldn’t believe it and if it weren’t for the good food that they have here, we wouldn’t be back.

* Place: dark overcrowded
* Music: loud difficult to talk.
* Services: slow and rude
* Drinks: strong, reasonably prices.
* Atmosphere: loud, party
* Food: taste ok, big portions,
* Overall: marisco centro in Santiago is the best, this place is to loud for dinner.

The worse seafood my family & I have ever had!!! We’re used to real delicious seafood. But we’ll NEVER order from this restaurant again. My mother ordered Mero (in garlic sauce) and she got the smallest piece of fish she has ever been given in a delivery and the fish was swimming in a watery/​milky tasteless sauce. It didn’t even taste like garlic!!! To make this story short, my family & I will never order from this place again. I’m glad we only placed one order!!!

Good food, good service. It wasn’t fantastic– but everything was fresh. The main reason I’m giving them a 3 instead of a 4 is because they have hookahs while you eat which was somewhat annoying. I asked to be moved and they did– but the experience was already tarnished. It wasn’t late either, maybe hookahs after 11pm would be a better option. Great Sangria, and ice cold beer! Will probably go back if in the area.

Great seafood place right smack in the middle of a rich Dominican neighborhood. Just came from celebrating bf’s birthday. We were promptly seated & the waitress was very attentive to our needs, the host even came over to Wish the birthday boy a great birthday followed with a DJ playing a merengue version of Happy Birthday! That made his day lol, it didn’t stop there, they played a birthday medley for the next 5 minutes lol I thought that was sweet :) it’s a seafood place they were moderately priced (between 15 – 20 for meals) and the drinks were delicious (I had a lemon drop martini). Overall good experience. It’s not the classiest place, but they are def attentive friendly and accommodating :)

BEST DOMINICAN FOOD EVER!!!
Loved this place! It wasn’t the classiest place but the food was great and inexpensive I will be coming here again! :O)

Absolutely great service. Whenever I choose to dine at their location, a table is instantly ready. Whenever I choose to order at home delivery is fast. Love the food, great sea food.

I’ve been to this place twice in the past year and am a big fan of the franchise in the Dominican Republic.
I come up here when I’m looking for an authentic Dominican restaurant in an authentic Dominican neighborhood; smack in the middle of Washington Heights. All the waiters I’ve interacted with are Dominican and speak both Spanish and English as per the customer’s preference.
If you come here in the weekend there’s usually Latin music in the background and sometimes live performances at night. It can sometimes get very
loud but usually manageable.
The food here is a hit or miss. The main specialty is seafood and at times it’s very flavorful and fresh but at others it comes to the table with a lukewarm sauce and tasting a bit old. The biggest blow came this past Sunday; the shrimp we ordered was not cleaned and the lobster was spoiled and tasting of ammonia. Not acceptable for a «seafood restaurant». We ended up retuning the lobster to the kitchen and the manager apologized and gave us a 10% discount on the bill.
In addition to the food, service is not very consistent. Although the wait to be seated is not long since the restaurant has a ton of space, it can seem like a game of cat and mouse with the waiter to order food, get water refills and the bill.
All in all, I would say that the restaurant has more negatives than positives and if you’re looking for an authentic Dominican meal, there are better options in the neighborhood.