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Culebra.- Watching the ferry from Isla Grande docking, enjoying the rich natural landscape of Culebra while delighting your palate with a varied culinary offer is the experience that Dinghy Dock Waterfront Dining and Bar restaurant promises.

Even before the restaurant opens at 2:30 pm, from Tuesday to Saturday, diners wait outside the establishment, on Fulladosa Street, to savor its distinctive cuisine and refresh themselves with its famous drinks.

What has been the key to success?

“I would say it’s because we do things with more love than anyone else, but in addition to that, I would say it is the freshness and quality of our products,” said the restaurant’s co-owner, Shayara Díaz Mora.

She added that one of her objectives is to make customers feel “at home, but away from home” with the attention and care they offer to each one.

“We strive so that all of our employees are friendly, so that when people sit down, they have a smile on their faces,” she highlighted.

Dinghy Dock was founded in 1989 after Hurricane Hugo. The first owner, whose last name was Romero, lived in the place, and he decided to pull out the grill and cook all the meats he had in his refrigerator during the power outage caused by the hurricane, said Díaz Mora, who is 37 years old. From there, he decided to set up the restaurant.

In 2013, the place was acquired by two young couples: Díaz Mora and her partner Jenn Francois Calum, and Kelly and Dall Winchell.

Both couples brought a new concept to the menu, which has maintained the restaurant’s success to this day. Their offer constantly changes, depending on the products available; especially fresh seasonal fish.

The two star appetizers are the coconut breaded shrimp, and the artichoke and spinach dip. The most requested main dishes are the churrasco (skirt steak), the fried flounder, the bean salad accompanied by tostones and salad, and their hamburgers. They also offer seasonal desserts, such as the flan, cakes, and brownies.

On the other hand, their Caribbean cocktails also draw in many customers. Díaz Mora stressed that people can’t leave without trying the five-liqueur drink, which comes from the Lesser Antilles. Also not to be missed are the Bushwacker, the house Rum Punch, the refreshing frozen passion fruit mojito, and the Partly Cloudy.

Like thousands of establishments across the country, Dinghy Dock Waterfront Dining and Bar suffered damage from Hurricane María in 2017.

“After Hurricane María, we lost everything. The dock, the bar, everything was gone... It was a very stressful moment... a difficult process. We were closed for eight months,” said Díaz Mora.

Although it was challenging, the group of friends managed to remodel the bar as they had dreamed of and transformed the restaurant into a unique concept. Today, Díaz Mora assures that “we are blessed.”

The management of the culinary establishment updates its menu according to availability through its Facebook page, Dinghy Dock Culebra. They are open from Tuesday to Saturday from 2:30 pm to 8:00 pm. For more information, call 787-599-6492.