Amaluna Vegan Restaurant & Lab

Going to Amaluna was definitely the highlight of our recent trip to Punta Cana. As a vegan chef, I'm constantly searching for the best and most creative food out there, and Amaluna didn't disappoint one bit. We went once a few days into the trip, and I instantly knew we had to go there for our last dinner. The staff was incredibly welcoming and made it the whole dining experience very enjoyable. Upon arrival they bring you a 'welcome gift' consisting of chickpea flour/corn pancake, tomato salsa, and an avocado mayo. All of the flavors and textures complimented each other well, and it definitely wet our appetite for the rest of the meal. It's served with a cocktail, but since we don't drink we passed. To my surprise, the staff actually took the time to make a nonalcoholic juice for us! The menu consists of many themed 3-4 course meals such as Caribbean, Jamaican, Indian, Chinese, and Carnivorous; as well as many al a carte options (bowls, pastas, etc.) We tried the Caribbean, Jamaican, Chinese, and carnivorous menus. Everything was presented beautifully, and was clearly prepared fresh. The creativity used at Amaluna was inspiring and motivating. I didn't have a single bad bite of food in the 16 different plates we tried over the course of the week. It did take a bit of time between courses which was unexpected at first, but it turned out to be a wonderful dining experience. It allowed time to actually enjoy every bite, to analyze each plate, and for the food to settle before the next course came. Overall dining here was a fantastic experience! It is definitely a hidden gem in the middle of Punta Cana and I highly recommend anyone, vegan or not to give it a try!

Hello there! I've been to AmaLuna yesterday night and I felt so comfortable and welcome, I'm delighted about the care they have of details which transmits the love and passion they put in what they do. I've enjoyed a lot the tasty food and my stomach did too, feeling full but not heavy. Very happy to have a place like this here in Bavaro. Doesn't matter if you're vegan or not, you're going to Love AmaLuna!

What is the biggest problem when traveling and you're vegan? Finding a restaurant that is vegan or at least vegan-friendly.  The first night I was in Punta Cana we found Amaluna on Happy Cow. We visited and you could say the rest is history.  We spent 7 days on the island and 4 nights we enjoyed dinner with Magda, Ornel, and Javier.  We felt like we were family. We tried to eat every meal on the menu. Everyone was great and inventive. The plating was remarkable. You can tell that Javier and Magda put their heart and soul into each one.  If you visit Punta Cana make sure you stop and visit you won't miss the meat, trust me.

Updated from previous review on 2017-01-02

The lab part of the name is appropriate in that it is indicative of the experimentation taking place here but to me the creativity on the (bamboo) plates is more art than science. The owner/chef Maddalena is an artist with flavours and textures. We were fortunate to be there on the restaurants 2nd anniversary when she did a special menu that included her vegan version of crab cakes and ceviche. They were amazing. The ceviche tasted and had the mouth feel of fish/scallop ceviche (heart of palm standing in for the scallops) and the crab cakes nailed it. This is not tofu fakery ('tofurkey'?, tofu burgers? really?) but a mixing of plants and spices to create flavours and textures of foods I used to eat but now either can't (allergies) or won't (as AnaLuna's motto says: animals are our friends, and we don't eat our friends). They even accommodated my sesame allergy (although a word to the wise, if you are sesame sensitive and visiting a Spanish country, both sésamo and ajonjoli are sesame, the first seems to apply to the larger black seeds and the second to the smaller white ones; something bitter experience in Spanish countries has taught me).
It is not cheap, (primarily in comparison to other restaurants in the local area) but I'd argue that it is not that expensive either, both for what you get and for what we are used to paying at home for food of a similar type (but far inferior quality, creativity and remarkably, quantity). The Chinese selection (four courses, eaten on a different night) left us stuffed.
This is good food. This is remarkable food. Go there if you like good creative food. You need not be vegan to appreciate what is going on here but if you are, it is wonderful to discover what can be done with plants.

I had seen this restaurant on Happy Cow before traveling to Punta Cana. To my surprise, it ended up being literally around the corner from my hotel (Hotel Merengue). It is only open for dinner and closed completely on certain days. Only accepts cash. My omnivore boyfriend went with me and he loved his veggie burger! I got a hot dog, also really good. They had a big menu to select from with fancier options and a junk food page. We got 2 alcoholic drinks, the burger, the hot dog, and a chocolate crepe for desert, and it all came to around $40 (Not sure if we were charged for the water we had too or not). Food came with a little chip/dip appetizer and it all looked really well presented. The restaurant is half outdoors, with oil lamps and a couple cute little kitties roaming around. The food was great, especially the sauces they come with, but pretty pricey, which is why we only went there once. It's definitely worth a stop but be prepared to drop some cash $$$.

Very romantic setting. Food was great - we had a meal with four to five courses so that we could try as much different flavors as possible. They did a great job taking familiar flavors and making them interesting with special sauces or dips. I definitely recommend AmaLuna.