La Yaroa Tropical Restaurant

7/16/24 - I have been here twice on Saturday night. Both times we arrived 10pm which helped beat the crowd that comes in later in the night. The music is great but so loud. You get used to the loudness though as the night goes on. The first time we went we werent charged but the second time there was a cover charge of $10. The drinks are about average. I got a cranberry and vodka and it was $12. They do have hookas you can get. You can get a booth if you buy a bottle. When they bring the bottle the girls bring it out with lights and signs which is fun. The staff is very nice. I would definitely recommend coming out to enjoy the music on the weekend. I would love to try the food one day.

This is gonna be my favorite place to visit when I’m in Norfolk! It’s so hard finding a good Hispanic restaurant that actually has flavor and resembles my childhood. I’m half Dominican so finding this place was the best part of my day. Thanks for the food and never stop doing whatever you’ve been doing because everything is amazing.

I went to lunch at this restaurant with a friend and her son. The atmosphere was nice spacious place clean the waitress was friendly and they had a electronic robotic serving cart which I had never seen. The food was excellent and we receive large portions. I would highly recommend this place and the rates were reasonable.

Jennifer greeted us and made our lunch so much more comfortable with her knowledge of the menu! The place was filled with workers from all over. Everyone was cleaning up the food off their plates and chatting and looked soooooo happy. The kitchen takes pride in every plate & it shows; fresh herbs on each, plentiful amounts, plantain leaves as plate decorations lend a real flavor.The mofongo & cubano are fantastic!!!!! Large enough to eat for two days or more. So good! The sorrullitos were a lil sweet but the mayoketchup solved that small problem. Almost like being in Puerto Rico…Anytime we find ourselves near by, WE WILL STOP & EAT AT La Yaris Tropical!

Everything was amazing. Our server Eli was the best. There is house hot sauce. U will not be disappointed! The mojitos were fiah! We had the best time! Coming back for the party!!!

My friend and I dropped in over here for lunch after hearing how good this place is, well we were both impressed with the place and the service, the Food was excellent and very tasty . Never had Puerto Rican cuisine before so we were both surprised how good it was , definitely worth coming back.

The food and service was terrific! Our entrees were outstanding and very filling. We had a delicious appetizer beforehand too- the fried cheese and spicy beef empanada. I had the grace and passion fruit mojito. Fresh and delicious! Our server was kind and attentive. We highly recommend. Thank you for a wonderful experience.

As a New Yorker living in Norfolk I feel like the food and services here reminds me of my old neighborhood in the Bronx. The food is authentic and tastes great, which is why I constantly speak highly of La Yaroa whenever anyone asks me for food recommendations

This food is good. I’ve only ordered take out but I loved everything I’ve ordered. As for the customer service though, I have to give this place a thumbs down and say that I’ll not be coming back. Every time I’ve gone, I’ve never felt welcomed by the hostess. If their mission was to tell me that they don’t want me coming anymore, then message received. I’m sure I can find another business to patronize.

I had a taste for a spanish chicken and rice dish so I did a google search and found this place on a Sunday. It was my first time ordering so I had many questions and they were patient with answering them.The young ladies working were very helpful.I had the chicken stew and spanish rice as a side (comes with it). The salad with the dressing was good as well and was also complimentary. I will be back to try the rotisserie chicken.

First of all Stefani ( the most beautiful woman) took care of me very professionally, her laugh and personality was amazing… definitely coming backThe food ….. ufffff ♥️♥️ another level…Highly recommendedAtt : NORGE HERNANDEZ

The food was absolutely amazing. Everything was so delicious. My only complaint is they did take a while to bring out our food. Also the table we had was very sticky. Lastly, they seemed to have ran out of every fountain drink. Other than that, the food was great. Would come again.

I just wanna say thank you for the amazing service And delicious food at La Yaroa Tropical, Andreina Yeah, had great customer service and very attentive as I enjoy my lunch. Keep up the great work guys this is excellent. I recommended to anyone that wants to have good Latin food.

Clean, we ordered more food than the pictures I posted. Elinzon was a sweetheart he spoke with us made us feel like family not just another customer. another young lady also helped us friendly, great food, I will go back

First time eating here and we can’t believe we waited so long for the best island food you can find locally! I had passionfruit margaritas, my bf got the mango mojito, and we shared empanadas, pork Yaroa, shrimp mofongo and pork chunk mofongo. We were blown away by the food! Ironically we were just in the Dominican Republic a week ago and never heard of or tried yaroa before but it’s the most amazing street style comfort dish! The plating is beautiful! We couldn’t help but notice they were set up for amazing dancing with the lighting and other dj equipment, we will certainly be back for Latin dancing (and again for dinner!)

Visited today expecting a great meal and warm hospitality , but what I got was appalling. We were seated and then ignored for over 15 minutes while six employees chatted right in front us, purposely avoiding us. No greeting, no water offered, despite the restaurant being empty. We walked out. After reading numerous reviews echoing the same treatment, Im appalled to realize Ive joined others who were clearly denied service for not fitting their preferred customer profile. If they dont want certain types of customers, just say so. Dont waste our time, gas, and energy. Its 2024, and its unbelievable I have to leave this review. Their responses to similar complaints are hollow, without even a denial. Pathetic. Don’t bother responding, I’m not confused about what happened and will not be back.

This is the most authentic Puerto Rico (NOT Mexican) restaurant in the Hampton roads region. If you like trying new things, the staff are amazing at recommending dishes you’d love. The skirt steak was so good 🤤. Appetizers were fantastic too!One side of the restaurant closes early, but the other side is open later. The restaurant is super spacious and clean so the plenty of booths, tables, and seats at the bar.

La Yaroa Tropical is a great spot for Dominican food. The chicharrones mufongo were delicious, and our server Andreina was the best!

Super bummed! Have eaten here multiple times and have loved the food, but last night we walked out. I have family in town and I was excited to share this restaurant with them. When we asked to be seated it felt awkward. The waiter looked like he was trying to find us a table, when there were plenty of tables around. Then he did seat us, and no one ever came by again...we watched one person who came in after us get seated and served, then about 30 minutes later we watched another couple get seated and served. That is when we realized we were not going to be served at all because we were not welcome. Dont know if there has been a change in staff/ownership, but Im super disappointed. Will not be coming back.

We ate outside since it was so nice out. Its super cute out there.The food was good, but the atmosphere made up for what what the dish was lacking. Ill definitely go back, but I think Ill try something different next time. I had the Patacon sandwich. It just needed something else, maybe a sauce or something. My friend said it was better the last time he went, so we probably went on an off day. The orange sauce they had on the side helped, but it didnt go with the meal necessarily. The waiter was very attentive, yet gave us our space. He was great!

Very friendly staff. You can tell when they love to cook. I had here probably one of the best mofongo I ever had. It was garlicky, moist, and soft. The chicken chicharron was good, but the mofongo was the bomb. Its definitely a good choice to try some real puertorrican food. Need go back o try some dominican dishes.

I stopped in for a Friday lunch treat and treat it was. I had the red snapper, rice, and beans with a couple of over easy eggs on top. I had the potato ball with meat inside as an appetizer. Everything arrived hot and delicious! Its not my first experience here at LaYaroa, I typically order the same thing each time, because I know it will be delicious. Red snapper is seasoned to perfection, and the rice and beans are awesome!

Best Spanish food in the 757 ……. Truly reminds me of NY …… The owner was super attentive and even brought my food out to me which was Amazing great potions size too …. Great customer service and the atmosphere was amazing too…….ladies were so friendly and welcoming too !!! I’ll be returning soon!!!!!!

Very nice local restaurant with authentic Puerto Rican and Dominican food. I ordered Pollo Guisado, empanadas, tostones and the flan. This has been my second time here in two weeks . Would definitely recommend . Posted photos from the two times I’ve ordered

Authentic Latin Cuisine. I was not sure what to expect from the outside. Once I entered we were greeted, Quelo Que? I felt good.I looked at the menu.The menu was very complete. Friends that I went with were Dominican and Puerto Rican and they told me what was authentic and different variations. So we had a great experience and then also we find out that they have a nightclub on friday and saturdays. I love the maduros and the Puerto Rican rice was amazing.

Chicken Yaroa was good and the kids loved it. Pollo guisado was really good and great portion. The sandwiches can be shared as the portions are awesome. Flavor is good! The empanadas are good and fresh! Good prices for the portions and will return as well as recommended!

Andreina was amazing. Our food was delicious as well.

Flavor wise the pork chop is delicious, but pls less cook time on it. So tough and over cooked 😭. I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt bc it’s been better previously.

Food was delicious. Made us feel like we were back on the Island if just for a little while. Establishment is very clean and comfortable. Very well lighted and they even sell Pan Sobao. Waitresses were excellent and very attentive. Our compliments to the chef.

The food was absolutely phenomenal and the staff were very sweet and most attentive. We had Pechuga a la criolla and the Camarones en salsa and we both finished everything on our plates despite the large servings. We also tried fried plantain which I really enjoyed. It did take a minute for our food to come out as we were set after a large party, but the staff made sure to check up on us and make sure we were okay while we waited. Overall it was a fantastic experience for our first time trying Puerto Rican food and we will be making a point to come back soon. Next time I will try to slow down long enough to take a picture before we dig in, there is also a lot to be said for their plating presentation!

Amazing food, go here every time I visit from Massachusetts. I’ve had the pork shoulders and pork chops. Rice and beans are flavorful. Mofongo with garlic shrimp was good. Alcapurrias are the best I’ve had. Highly recommend.

Great restaurant Ive driven by so many times and finally gave a try.I went with a friend and our sandwiches were big enough for two adults or two meals. He had the Super Mario which was stuff with meat, and I had the flank steak sandwich, also stuffed. The picture only shows half and doesnt do it justice.Give it a shot, bring a friend, the menu is so big youre bound to find a few things you like.

My friend and I decided to stop in for some authentic Puerto Rican food. We were seated and took time look at the menu , as this was our first time at this restaurant. We sat for over 20 minutes directly in front of 4 to 5 employees (near the bar area) *let me add that we were the only ones there other that a guy at the bar*The employees didn’t even acknowledge us. This happened on July 6th 2024, over 100 degrees outdoors.They did not even offer us water. I saw one review saying that customers were being refused service. Seems like they only want to service a specific type of customer. SMH the food looked so good. We took our business elsewhere. Maybe call ahead and place and order so they don’t see what you look like. I wish I could leave 0 startsLastly folks. This was an EXPERIENCE not an opinion. I’m sure the food is great but facts are facts. We were REFUSED service, these are the facts. Despite the owners attempt to respond. We could care less about the other 5 star reviews.

Server Andrea is very pleasant and helpful.This is the best Puerto Rican food.

I have been here many times. I always loved this place…. Always the Yaroa was made so good with chicken. Today it was terrible. The chicken was totally different. I asked why it was different today and the waitress said they changed the recipe 3 months ago “ because they use to make it with real chicken but now they don’t use real chicken”. What?? I asked if they could please make me mofongo instead but use beef since they obviously stopped using REAL chicken. I was told no because I ate some of it already…. I literally ate like 5 bites out of an enormous plate so 90 percent of it was still on my plate. That’s the main thing is they wouldn’t even make me something I actually like so I left without even eating any food but like five bites. My Son had ordered the same thing. They gave me a discount and charged me $23 but the point is they wouldn’t even make me any food that I wanted. So I left hungry. I had just got off a plane from Puerto Rico and was really looking forward to eating here because it was always so great but I probably won’t ever go back now, because I didn’t even offer to make me something that I actually wanted to eat. It tasted gross. The plantains were good on the plate, but not whatever that meat was 🤮🤢 It’s obvious they changed the recipe by buying low quality fake chicken to make more profit. Bad customer service if you won’t make a different dish to please the customer. Plantains don’t cost that much money and the Fake gross chicken they put in the Yaroa Does not cost that much. They could have just made me something different. I wasn’t trying to get free food. This used to be my favorite restaurant. Look on here when I first ate there and you will see my other review praising them. I would have paid for something different a different dish. But they literally refused to make me another dish instead.

This was honestly some of the best food Ive had in a long time. Ive been searching for the best Cuban since I moved from Miami and this surpassed it. Everything they had was priced way too low for how good it is. This place will be a return visit when I come back to the area!

Follow me @thefoodpreacher on all digital platforms for foodie reviews.I’m OB, and I approve this message 😂.——-Best Dominican/Puerto Rican restaurant in Norfolk. My family and I were very pleased with the service and taste of every entree we ordered. The only downfall to this place is when you have the people who enjoy to drink and smoke outside that become very loud and rude. They begin to come together like a gang and not in harmony the way it should be. It’ll be take out orders from this point forward.

This place is amazing. The food and drinks are amazing. Service is great, quick, friendly, helpful. You do not need to speak Spanish to order food here. The atmosphere is always a good vibe. Theyre always switching up the layout of the inside of the restaurant to keep things fresh, exciting, and new. Everything on the menu is beyond amazing. The dinner, the desserts are great. Bar service or table service its all great!

Besides the dirty looks we got from the customers our waitress/host was amazing. The food was more than delicious and everything was hot. My boo got the plantain dish and I got the steak with peppers, pr rice and stewed beans. Highly recommend dining in. Our boys loved the music too. Service was great and the waitress was a doll. Go!

The food was absolutely delicious been looking for a great Puerto Rican restaurant

I had the pleasure of attending a birthday celebration at La Yaroa Tropical, and the food was amazing! The taste of Puerto Rico was definitely on the plate! I will be back!!

First time at La Yaro Tropical… Already want to come back and haven’t even left yet! The food was amazing along with the happy hour margaritas! Special shout out to Elinzon! You’re so awesome and radiate beautiful energy ❤️ Would definitely recommend for after work drinks and food , and or ever late night fun!

My wife and I went there for lunch for first time, The food was delicious and the server was friendly. The chicken and fried pork were well marinated. We will come back for sure.

Ive been here twice, first time my food was perfect, 2nd time, the same dish was too salty to eat. Hit or miss.

Mofongo de chicharrones, empanadas de pollo, arroz gandules! Everything we order was fresh and delicious flavors. Music was pleasant, only one server so things moved kind of slow but worth waiting. Recommend for tasty authentic PR food!!

I order biste en sebollado and they gave me Biste in water and the rice with conguandules. Very salty if you suffer from high blood pressure or diabetes I don’t recommend this place the food smells good taste good but it’s not me the traditional way as a Puerto Rican and Dominican and he’s very pricey I order two beers chicken and rice and beans I also added two photos extra to show people how a pepper steak with onions looks like in the photo of the chicken and rice $30 just for that disgrace they need to upgrade this restaurant I don’t recommend it

I just wanted to say how unpleasant my visit to this restaurant was . When i arrived, no one greeted me nor came to seat me. The bartender and hostess look directly at me and did not attempt to greet me. I felt unwelcomed. Never will I visit this place again. I’ll be contacting local agencies about them. Businesses like them has no place in Virginia.

Service was a little rough at first as it was hard to communicate with our server and it took a while to order. However, our server Rosie was awesome, super friendly, and overall tried to help us the best she could and was very personable. Even though our food took a while to cook, it was so worth the wait and tasted delicious!! We got chicken empanadas, chicken yaroa, red snapper with beans and rice, and maduros. Would definitely recommend to a friend. Im going to go back!

This is a relatively new restaurant in the area. The food was great and the service was also pretty good. The waiter was attentive and the staff was polite and friendly. However, as the night passes they do run out of certain things. I asked for the “papa rellena” or potato ball and the waiter had to check if they had some still. They do not have a full bar, only wine and about 6 selections of beer. The lighting is very bright, reminiscent of an office space. With that said, the bathroom was super clean and they have a neat little store next door with lots of different products used in the Latin American cuisine. I will return but maybe for lunch instead of dinner.

Ive been in many hispanic restaurants in Virginia and I will say this is the best one. Very clean! Friendly staff with excellent customer service. The food was flavorful and the portion is perfect. I definitely come back to this restaurant, oh yeah!!!Soooo... 10 stars for La Yaroa restaurant!!!

Tried this place yesterday and it felt like the old Puerto Rican spot back home in Connecticut. Very welcoming staff and the place is cute inside(full bar). We ordered the arroz con gandules with pernil and a side of beans. Beef empanadas and the pollo Yaroa. Everything was great, great taste and portions. Will definitely come back to try more items or to get the same thing. ha!

Vastly exceeded any expectations. Food was fresh fresh fresh- best ceviche I’ve had in Norfolk. The drinks are also amazing. I’m Ubering here next time. Yuca in garlic was so yummy.

The food is amazing and the staff is very professional and pleasant. the mofongo and the spicy beef empanada is delicious. this has become one of my favorite places to dine

I want to leave a good review for Jennifer. She is an amazing waitress and real attentive to her customers needs. Ive never had a waitress ask me if I was allergic to anything. I think that is a real important part of the waitress to asked similar questions. I appreciate Her for being so attentive and giving good customer service. I recommend to the owner that he peers other waitresses with her so she can train sincerely. Thank you, and I had a good experience at this restaurant. Amazing job, keep up the good work. 5 star to the food.

I wanted some Dominican food andthis restaurant was a pleasant surprise. I’m in Norfolk for work and don’t know the area and wanted authentic cuisine. I would fully recommend and hope to be back. Great food.

I always get the stew chicken to go! Never disappoints! Also slipped in on a Saturday.. heard some good Latin music.. good eye candy.. had good wings.. enjoyed myself attending a bd celebration!

I highly recommend the spicy chicken empanadas!!! The Spanish rice was delicious too. I will say the passion fruit mojito that I had wasn’t worth it but it still was a nice experience. The waitresses are so sweet and pretty too!

Great food here. Everything is seasoned well and not overly salty. Cant wait to come back and try other dishes.

The food is amazing, but its a small place. It takes a while to be seated or get service. Maybe if they had a specific waiter/waitress it would make it smoother to get tended to. I love all the varieties on the menu. I just want them to let me k ow ahead of time what they are serving and not serving from the menu. I will definitely still come back here I love that I have more options to go to Puerto Rican spots. I just find the right time when it isnt so busy.

The food here was very good. I ordered the roasted pork. It was so tender and juicy and delicious! I did enjoy the spanish rice, but I think next time I would get the white rice with beans served on the side. I had never had sweet plantains before. They were so caramelized and yummy. I will definitely have to order from here again in the future.

FOOD WAS AMAZING! No more really needs to be said but for review sake they offer online ordering, curbside pickup , delivery through Uber Eats and Door Dash. Staff is friendly. Did I mention the food is amazing!

I was excited to try this place. The food was so dry, luckily we had gravy in the cabinet to get through mofongo. Out of the $87 spent is only recommended the chicken empanada & ham/cheese sandwich. Im not sure if dry food and tough meat was the impression they want to give to customers but I wish it wasnt.

The food is amazing and highly recommend. If you are looking for Latin food this is the place to be. Elizon was a great host and Anna Maria took care of my entire party.

We went to this restaurant 1/13/19 on my birthday for a late lunch. got there about 2:30ish and they were fairly busy. we sat and placed our orders. the waitress was nice and answered all our questions we had about the menu. they were out of the empanadas sadly so we got a couple alcapurrias for an appetizer instead. we did have to wait almost an hour to get our food however when it finally came it was absolutely delicious and worth the wait. i got the mofongo con pernil and my brother and his wife both got the grilled chicken with rice and beans and tostones. my mofongo was moist and flavorful and the pernil was good as well. both dishes were plated beautifully. they were also out of the flan con queso which is what i was hoping to get as a special birthday treat but thats ok. the waitress and woman working in the kitchen were very apologetic for our long wait and we did receive a 50% discount off the entire bill. when we left, it was a little after 4. i would give 5 stars had we not had to wait so long but overall it was a great experience and the food was amazing. a great second best to my abuelas food which is exactly what we needed since we live out of state from her. ill definately be back again but will probably order ahead of time first

Stopped here for lunch. We ordered the sweet and savory plantains, mofongo, and beef empanadas. (Unfortunately they were out of the beef and cheese empanadas and the Arepita de Maiz.) Everything was delicious. The food came quick and hot and you can definitely tell everything was homemade. Our total bill came out to be $25.

Best Puerto Rican restaurant I know! Been coming here for years & the Bistec Encebollado sándwich is my go-to. Recommend :)

The food here is just as great as their smaller location. I tried the chuletas and they tasted great; they were juicy and with great flavor. The arroz con grandules was delicious as well as their beans. Also, tried the best alcapurria in the area. This place has the best Dominican/Puerto Rican food in Hampton Roads. They also take great pride in their food and it show through their plating. The issue with both locations is their lack of front of the house experience. At this location the server was not very attentive and had too many tables to handle; she was also spending time on her cell phone while taking to-go orders and servicing tables. Its their lack of customer service experience that keeps me from visiting as often.UPDATE: On another visit: The male server was exceptional. He explained the menu items in great detail and provided excellent service not only at our table but others. He should train the other staff. Although he was alone, he was able to manage 4 tables, take to-go orders and answer the phone. They need more help at the front. This time I ordered Alcapurria de Yuca which was great and the mixed Yaroa with plátanos which was delicious. People around me asked me for the dish name and stated that it looked delicious.

My go-to spot when i want to get some food from back hom, and probably the only spot in Norfolk that serves DR/PR food. Waittress are super friendly and the food is always tasty.

I love the food here. I went with kids and I felt we were a little out of place at first but the staff was really friendly and the food was phenomenal. The last place I had good mofongo was in Puerto Rico but now I have la yaroa🤤. The seasoning on the chicken was amazing

Delicious Yaroa, the best empanadas Ive ever had, great cocktails, and cheap beer!

THAT WAS AMAZING. Patacón sandwich with Pernil and ripe plantains. Top notch. Will be marking this place on the map!! Lots of flavor. Ordered take out but place was nice. Ordered online, still waited for my order 15 mins over... But was worth it.

Friendly staff and great food! You can tell there are some locals that are there all the time- it seems like a fun environment when the DJs come around

Went there for lunch today and all I can say was !!!WOW!!! I got just a basic lunch but the abundance of flavors and texture was superb. Very neat and tidy place, staff was very welcoming and friendly, will most definitely go back, thank you guys once again and see you guys soon. 👍💯😁🍽

I have never flipped a u-turn so fast when I saw the Puerto Rican sign. Although I had just ate I never miss the opportunity to have some PR food from other states. I ordered arroz y gondules, potato ball w/beef, beef empanda, alcapurria and tostones! With every bite I was transported back to Puerto Rico. Each item was flavorful and delicious! The Pico was so good only wish I brought some home. And the staff was amazing! Hands down best service I had during my short time visiting Norfolk. Definitely have this place saved in case I every return!

Krystal was very polite, courteous and professional.Thank you Krystal for your kindness.I will definitely return to this restaurant.

So I had to try this place cause back in 2017 I was out in Puerto Rico during the hurricane doing humanitarian things and I had a authentic tripletas sandwich and Ive been wanting one ever since and low and behold they had it 10/10 will be back and will have it again👌🏾the Empanada was amazing too 👏🏾👏🏾

Food is delicious. I ordered the arroz con gandules and pernil. I have not had it in 3yrs since moving to Virginia. They did not disappoint!!! Definitely will recommend them to my friends! And Definitely will be ordering from here again!

Randomed upon this place and could not have been more pleased. Delicious, authentic, relaxed, different, reasonable.

Delicious delicious!!!!! Loved the food and the presentation . Now I know your wondering why 4 stars . Hate to say this but service was lacking due to there was only one person taking care of multiple tables . Also this plate was supposed to have chicken in it and some how they forgot to add it . We talked and was told I wouldnt be charged. When it was time to pay the bill notice the I still got charged . Definitely going back but trying something else .

Food was delicious but more expensive than I would have expected. Service was decent.

Great Atmosphere!Very attentive server, Eli!Food was amazing, very flavorful, like an explosion of flavors in your mouth.Will definitely come back

The service is always on point; and the food is delicious and very well presented. Elí is very professional, Amicable but above all things very humble! Also, Ana Maria; these are my goto servers that I know go above and beyond to ensure my order is correct every time. The owners really know how to keep the place looking great! Thank you for all you do for our community.

I came here on a Friday night, and this restaurant has Spanish/Latin dancing after 10pm, which I found to be great. You get to dance off all the food you ate. Unfortunately I arrived only for the dancing, so I cant give a rating on the food, but it must have been good because my folks had clean plates when I had arrived shortly before 10. The Bartender sucked! He didnt know how to make a Rum Runner and the other drinks he did know how to make werent good, well except for this frozen Piña Colada my Mother had and said was really good, overall the bartender was disappointing. Overall I would come here again to atleast try the food, but especially for the dancing.

The service was okay, the only issues I had were that the music was too loud so I could hardly hear the people I was with, the food was a tad bit salty and not hot enough. However the menu is authentic. I had the half rotisserie chicken with Spanish rice.

It was wonderful! The food is absolutely fantastic! Well be returning soon

Visited this Puerto Rican and Dominican restaurant for the first time last week. Wow! The food is amazing! I ordered garlic shrimp Creole style with rice and beans and sweet plantains. My friend ordered shrimp and flank steak with rice and beans. Very Large portions. Friendly staff! Will be back again.

I was very impressed with this place. Very clean and nice atmosphere and the lady taking my order was very helpful with helping me decide on what to get. I ended up with the tripleta and man t was so good. Took only like 15 min to get my order which wasn’t bad. Fries where a little soft and could be a little crunchier but beside that loved the place will recommend this place.

Love the food here!!!Great eating if you want Puerto Rican/Dominican food.

Drove 30 + minutes to get food from here & found a hair in it . disgusting ! no one wears hairnets in the front to prevent this from happening ! who knows if they wear them in the back cooking the food ! I didn’t even want a refund or anything just disgusting. If i could give no starts i would . Plus the manager didn’t even offer delivery to me when i drove an 1+ altogether to get the food . Very dissatisfied.

Amazing food, drinks and atmosphere. Everyone was kind, will definitely be back to try something else again.💜

I love this place !!! Thank you Brian el Domiiii!!!! 🇩🇴. 10/10 recommend 🤍🤍

I ordered the Bandeja Yaroa but they don’t had Chicharrones, these were replaced for Churrasco. The dish was better yet. The attention was outstanding. They were delayed with my order, 15 min, but anyway I spent my time very happy. I ate everything included the flower....I recommend this place

I took my older son there and we loved the food so much 🤤, I quit halfway but my teenager finished the whole plate 😅, thank you so much for such of wonderful food

The food was delicious. The service was welcoming and sweet. Favorite beverage here is the Kola Champagne (its like [the Salvadoran] inca kola). Our favorite pick here is the Patacòn Maduro. It has sweet plantain with pork in between (as shown). One of these will fill you up.

Eli is a phenomenal hostess, he was very attentive and made sure we were served right. Give this Man a raise he brings a lot of great personality to this place. I love it all.

Yummy pineapple mojito! Food was good! I would go again.

Everything was perfect! The food, the menu options, the service, the cleanliness. We need more places like this around. Highly recommend!

Amazing experience from the beginning to the end. Top tier servers/service, pretty big portions (for what we ordered), tasty food.

The food is beyond delicious!I gave it two stars because they had a very limited be beverage selection and staff could be more knowledgeable on the items on the menu. HOWEVER, the staff were very kind and the food was great.

Empanadas were great was missing cheese in my beef one but none the less they were great! They are big so you dont have to order to many!

Food was great and drinks.Eli was friendly and atento all the time we were there. Music was perfect this time, before used to be super loud.

Staff does not speak enlish much BUT, good food doesnt need language. Exceptionally delicious meal, absolutely will be going again in the future. 10/10

Phew! Best mofango ive had. Steak was marinated very well. And the beef empanadas were a 10 out of 10.

The food is great service and Ana Maria the waiter is super nice and friendly

The food was delicious. I will be back again.

Great food and great customer service. The Mofongo with shrimps was delicious and the picadera. Nice atmosphere

After living overseas or away from the east coast for over 10 years this place did not disappoint when it came to authentic PR food. You definitely can’t find places like this in Cali. Will be back!

We stopped by here after just getting back from Puerto Rico. The food tastes like we were still on the island! We’ll definitely be back. And Daniela was amazing!

Were visiting for The Holy Weekend, and my wife found it searching for a Dominican restaurant. When we got there, it was very impressive the cozy place very nicely decorated with excellent service😋

Food was absolutely delicious! Service was great as well. We had Andreina as our server and she was very polite and attentive! We will be back :)

The food was soooo delicious! Stopped in from Richmond after an Ikea run and it was an amazing treat!

I have always wanted to order here but I just dont think I could wait that long anytime I pickup deliveries from them they take a minimum of 20 minutes and an average of 40+ minutes the orders always seem worth it until I get there and have to wait SO LONG. . .

The Food..Staff..and atmosphere is Amazing! I come here often and Estefani is always my server she is so sweet and always has a smile on her face.

Its small but cozy! It took a while for our food to come but when it did, it was worth the wait. The chuletas and spaNish rice was AHmazing. But the service was even better than the food! The very nice waiter turned out to be a DJ as well. Interesting art pieces on the walls. Will definitely return. 👍

I and my spouse went to enjoy a dinner date thinking that the chosen restaurant would give us the experience of something new, however, when we got there the host sitted us . He was courteous. He said that our waitress would be coming to get us our drinks. Well, that never happened till 15 minutes later. We were still willing to order. We noticed a waitress walking towards us but she went to the table behind us that two men was sitted after we had been sitting going on twenty minutes. We finally got our drinks from the waitress. She never asked us if we were ready to order. She just sat down the drinks, smiled and walked away. At that point we were done. We walked towards the door and the host was trying to get us to stay, saying you can order your food right now. We were very disappointed with the service. We cant say we wouldnt go back, but definitely no time soon.

Great food and great service. A must try restaurant. Mofongo de shrimp

Had the Tripleta and it was one of the best sandwiches Ive ever had and the fries were perfect.

Decided to try this place for the first time. Ordered my husband and myself the Steak with onions. I didn’t get to see what my husband’s food looked like since I dropped it off to him at work, but I literally have ONE slice of onion… Food was good, but disappointed that I did not get what I paid for.

Food was good and authentic Dominican food. Woth dominican beers and drinks available. Friendly staff and quick service. Has outside seating area.

This is a hidden gem in plain sight. From the outside, it looks like a very plain restaurant attached to a market. But you go inside and its beautiful. Its super clean and very modern looking. The food was great too. Id never eaten Puerto Rican food before and the waitress was very helpful and saw to it I had a great meal. I wound up getting the mofongo with fried chicken. Fantastic!

Eli was funny and informative in food selection because it was my first time eating here. Every recommendation was awesome. Great service. Thanks for the experience.

The food and the staff at la yaroa are amazing! Everything is made fresh and full of flavor! This was my first time at this location and I appreciate how much larger it is than their Virginia Beach location. Will be returning again because the Spanish rice is on point!!

We had an awesome server named Eli who made us feel very welcomed! Food was super good and came out super quick, 10/10 would recommend going again!!

Such amazing food and great music. Andrea was my server and she was absolutely amazing! Great service, Fantastic food and a great atmosphere. Highly recommended!!!

We ordered the Pork Chops with white rice. My wife asked if we can add fried rice, which they agreed. When the bill came they charged us for the white and fried rice. We said the white rice was included with the meal. The server stated that was not the way we ordered it. I stated we order the pork chop meal with fried rice added. He stated that is not what he understood. I stated, regardless white rice is included and we should not be charged. He refused to take it off the bill. Since it was 9pm and we just drove in from out of town, we did not argue and paid the bill.I explained to the manager that the tables are sticky, there is dust hanging from the ceiling and it was very warm in the restaurant.The food WAS NOT worth it. The pork chop was dried out and the rice was ok. If you dont speak Spanish you would not be able to order as there English was horrible. NEVER AGAIN

Great, delicious food. The wait time was horrible and refills were too far in between. 45-50 minutes for food and had to wave down a couple times for refills

Very delicious and well priced. Reason for 2 stars is because the wait time was absurd. Almost 2 hours before we got our food.

The food was delicious, but it took a little longer than I liked for it to come out. They seemed to be a bit under staffed for the lunch rush.

They cook good but are always missing things that are listed in the menu.

I love this place, the staff are always friendly and professional and the food is fantastic. Yaroa de papas frita con pollo, and cubam sandwich were good, but my absolute favorite is the chicharron de cerdo in any variation. Ive had it as lunch, dinner, snack its just delicious! Definitely gotta give this place a try, you wont regret it!

Service and food were wonderful. We brought friends and they loved everything.

I went in and the waitress on handed us the menus and walks away. She never came around. I am disappointed. I will not be going back.

This place is one point... Fair prices and good food. Chuletas, Pernil, and chicken. If I lived in VA Beach Area I would eat here all the time.

Best hispanic restaurant in Virginia! Huge shout out to Elinzon and Alondra for being incredible servers!

The food is really good, the restaurant is clean, and the staff is attentive and polite.On the flip side though, the service is slow. This is not a quick bite kind of place.

Ive not had the experience to eat Puerto Rican food often so this was a treat. We tried three different dishes and all were amazing! Staff was friendly, helpful on recommendations and menu descriptions. Highly recommend!

Estefaní is always a pleasure to be served by. Will meet your expectations in a timely manner. Always delicious food and great atmosphere. 10/10

Ahhhh man ... Theeeeee best Spanish food I have had in a long time .. it was absolutely delicious ... Sorry for the after picture I was starving there was way more food lol portions were def good ...

Best place I ate while in Norfolk and if I am ever in town again, it will be the first place I go. Nice people.

Love their food, especially the empanadas!! (The spicy chicken is really spicy 😂 )

Stefani is incredible, great attitude and attention to detail, food is authentic and the vibe is amazing!I loved their mojitos as well!!

The food is delicious and the service is fast and great. A beautiful young lady by the name of Andrea took great care of me.

Food was delicious, clean and great service. I had mofongo with pork chunks and passion fruit mojito.

Got a real good sandwich for lunch called Super Mario Chef Special. Just needed to add a little hot sauce. Friendly staff. The music was too loud is the only complaint I have here.

Food is delicious and service is amazing.

Eli was a breath of fresh air! His knowledge of the menu and recommendations were spot on! His customer service was excellent!

Absolutely delicious!

Food is expensive. Very little portionsNot so great.That is just plantain with ketchup and mayonnaise.

Andrea was excellent, Service was outstanding. We received our food in a timely manner and it was delicious.

Food was great. Atmosphere and music was also good. Service was super slow due to the late lunch crowd. Inside was freezing cold so sit outside for a better experience.

The food was amazing and Estefani what’s amazing with the service she provided. 100% recommend experiencing the great food and service

The first time we tried this place the food was fantastic along with the service. This time we went the food took a while to come out and when it did we had a good laugh. My father in law and I both ordered sandwiches with fries, and between the 2 of us, we got about 12 fries. The waitstaff was friendly and they did keep coming back to check on us. I dont know if they got a new cook but my wife was not thrilled with her Mofongo. We had such high hopes of enjoying another great meal while passing thru Norfolk.

Came on a Saturday and it was a vibe with great music and dancing people. Was ignored by all 4 people behind the bar while they looked at the pos. I stood patiently, looking at them waiting for anyone to make eye contact for about 10 min. No one did. I finally said excuse me and then someone said I’ll be with you in a minute while holding the wait finger at me. I waited, ordered, finished my drink then left. Wasn’t feeling that.

Eli was a great server , would definitely come back ,this is my second visit and it wont be my last . See you Saturday 😊

I had lunch here for the first time today and it was AMAZING! Ten out of ten would recommend. The staff was so friendly and helpful. The food was delicious, so yummy. The servings were generous and filling. We had the Beef Empanadas and I had the Chicken Mofongo. Both were Awesome! Our server Brian was great, he, used his ipad to show us Pictures and videos of the food. He recommended some things to us and made our experience a very pleasant and enjoyable one. Great guy. The place was very clean. Music was fun and made you want to dance. Anyone looking for an awesome meal, I definitely recommend this place.

Went here for lunch. Nice atmosphere, friendly staff. Was not sure what to order because Ive never been. Got the steak sandwich with fries. There were no more than 15 fries and the sandwich was big but not great. Steak was pretty chewy, and therefore the sandwich was hard to eat. Would like to try again with a recommendation of what to get

Other than an issue with our original server leaving and not telling anyone we hadnt ordered, we loved it. After a little bit of a wait a new server came over and got our order, she was very apologetic and took great care of us. The food was amazing. We had never been to a PR restaurant before and we didnt really know what the different foods were. We just picked 3 random dishes and some chicken tenders for the kiddo. Highly recommend.

Very welcoming. Awesome experience. The food was okay. The dancing is what got me going. 😌

Oh my goodness, let me tell you about the absolute best Puerto Rican food in Norfolk! I mean, seriously, its like a taste of paradise right here in this little corner of the world. And let me just say, the mofongo? Pure deliciousness. I cant even put into words how amazing it was. And the service? Oh boy, top-notch. They really know how to make you feel like a VIP. Now, lets talk about the beef empanadas. Oh my, oh my. These little pockets of joy are just bursting with flavor. Trust me, you wont be able to resist them. And heres a little bonus - this place is absolutely spotless. I mean, sparkling clean. Its definitely a place where you can sit back, relax, and just enjoy every single bite.

Staff was very friendly, food remind me of old school, full of taste

Estefani was an excellent waitress and took great care of us. The robot was so cool!

Love this place! Delicious food with great service and music!

The food here is really really suprisingly good.The monofogo was delicious and rich.A minus - the backgroubd music.

Great authentic Puerto Rican 🇵🇷 food

It was my 1st time here and the food was worth it.

I was so happy to find Boricua food in Virginia. Ordered rice, beans and chicken. Also tostones and Malta for dinner. After eating it started feeling unwell and at 5am I woke up with a migraine attack. It wasn’t until I puked EVERYTHING, the whole meal that I was able to feel a little better. I got food poisoning. I don’t wish upon anybody. Something was passed the expiration time on that food.

I was in town for fathers day weekend. My family and i were looking for some spanish food, found this place on google maps, read a few reviews and decided to go. Not disappointed at all. Soon as we walked in we were seated. As soon as we got to the table, someone came to take our order. No delays on the service, good flavor on everything we ordered. Had croquetas, empanadas, churrasco with rice and beans, a trifongo with chicharon and a mofongo with fried pork chunks. Everything was good.

We had delicious mofongo and flan. Soooo good.

Love the place. Every time we come either pick up or dining in everyone is very friendly. Today our server was Brian and he is awesome fix me a coconut/passion fruit mojito that took me back to my island of PR. Brian you are awesome keep up the good work, thanks for being so accommodating to us and I hope they keep you for every.

Went here for lunch with a coworker.. food was good but it took over an hour for us to get it. Which would have made sense if there had been other people in the restaurant. We never received a portion of our food, no refills, had to ask 4 times for a cup of water, then waited 15 mins for the bill. Definitely not a place to go if you are on any type of time constraints

Best Puerto rican restaurant Ive ever eaten from, and I have been to PR several times. Definitely authentic and great taste good price. Keep it up and Ill be back

First time trying this restaurant. The food is so tasty and the service was top notch. Will definitely be back.

I have been here twice and served by Eli, I love the music, the atmosphere, the drinks and food. I would uber here just to drink and eat.

This Puerto Rican Latin spot is bomb!! One of the few real Spanish spots we have in the 757....fairly new right next to La Tienda on Bonney...might be same owners...I had the sweet plantain sandwich...forgot the name but its outside was sweet plantain filled with shredded pork..chicken lettuce onions tomato and when I tell you it was seasoned so good...spent $15 a little splurge but you really dont need anything else with it and I could only eat half...cant wait to go back to try some empanadas and whatever else they have....small little place...maybe 5 tables to eat in...Go Go Go

Visted La Yaroa Tropical restaurant and the vibes their were so good. Loved the place, atmosphere, staff, food and live entertainment. They had just got their new shipment of Medalla beer when we arrived. Will be stopping by again when I pass by the area. Amazing place!

THEY WILL CANCEL YOUR ONLINE ORDER AND NOT REFUND YOUR MONEY!! THEY’RE THIEVES!!In response to your comment, “I ordered directly through your site!!” Spoke to the young lady at your establishment who said that it was canceled, and she gave me Orlando’s name as who to speak with if I had an issue with the order being canceled. I documented everything, and recorded my conversation with her. My bank now has all of that information, and is refunding my money. Again, I say “thieves.” Have a great day.

Man the Patacon Sandwich was sooooo delicious. I got it with steak instead of pork, delicioso…we ordered to go but sat and ate some at the restaurant. The bartender made us some very good mojitos.

Really delicious Puerto Rican food. Everything was great!

Daniela provided an amazing service specially being attentive to us. Food was delicious like always!

Food was good and music was good but the waitress dont really speak alot of english which could be a problem

Delicious. Fresh. Super friendly staff. Clean. One of my favorite places.Get the Snapper.Update...Dont get the snapper. Went tonight, the fish was half the size than usual, and was dry, and old. Not going here again.

Too many different video and music stimuli. They should just keep it simple and singular. Compliments to the chef on seasoning the food. However, the red snapper was not properly descaled and I kept having to dig fish scales out of my mouth.

The food is delicious, the service is great and the atmosphere reminds of grandma’s house and her cooking. Highly recommended!

We must have caught them on an off day, everything about the experience was bad. Bad food (the skirt steak was tough and overcooked), long wait time (40mins+ to get the food), and poor service. Pictures and reviews seemed promising but today was not their day.

The Trifongo with pulled pork was amazing and beautifully plated!!!!! I will be back to try several more dishes it was so hard to decide

I came here about 2 years ago and the food was delightful! So after work I came here on 9/14/22 at about lunchtime hoping for the same service i remembered. I ordered the lunch special. It was stewed chicken with rice and plantains and a side of beans. I was very disappointed, my stewed chicken was just ok. I can tell they mixed old and fresh chicken together. The beans were very thin and watery. I spoke to the manager on duty and she immediately had an attitude. I will not be back. However my waiter was very nice accommodating.

The place is accommodating, an friendly Spanish & English is spoken. Ordered our food & drinks. It didnt take long at all. The platter that was presented I was wowed. The 1st bite was fabulous. The PR rice with stewed beans was the best rice I have ever tasted. Would gladly come again an tell ppl about it.

Delicious and large quantity - $5.99 lunch special (+$2 for the plantains)

The food is fantastic!!! Elinzon and Ana Maria were the best!! They made the dining experience what it was. I will be back!!

Food was delicious. Andreina was wonderful

The food here is awesome! Our server Brian, Really cool guy. We asked for him every time we go . Atmosphere nothing to really brag about and the prices are pretty decent. Its about the only Puerto Rican Dominican food we can find good here in Virginia

Overall really good food, but unfortunately, they are not upfront about prices. If you are concerned about budget, be sure to check that anything they ask you about (i.e., sauce or different types of rice) is included in the price of the meal. Definitely good food, but we were taken by surprise when handed the bill! We spent $30 to $50 per person when we expected to spend about $10 to $20 based on the menu.

Estephanie is a great waitress! Amazing food and service!

Very delicious food it reminded me of my hometown cookingEstefania was an amazing server!

My opinion from my experience with my husband on a Saturday night! We was seated an we sat for 10 minutes with no one to take drink or app orders! Other people who came in after was seated an immediately had service we are black I may add!..not a good first experience 6-10-2023 9:37pm

Best dominican food youll get here. it isn’t exactly like how they cook it in my country but its good enough yo give you some nostalgia. nice place, and beautiful service 👌🏾

Food was phenomenal, service was outstanding. Will definitely be making multiple trips back.