Dominican Republic Street Vendors

Travel and Vacation in Dominican Republic

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Dining and Food Index | Street Vendors

(+enlarge) picture of a lady selling a late night hamburger from her street cart

Vendors sell from carts in the streets in all parts of the Dominican Republic. These street vendors are usually out no matter the weather. They work from their little carts of varying types. Motorized, peddle carts, under a umbrella, push carts or horse drawn carts. Some carry a tray on foot, atop their heads, walking with the items they are selling dangling from every available place. They can be seen walking the streets. Hanging out at an intersection or weaving in and out of traffic. They can be any place the cars are known to slow down (watch out at stops, you may get your windshield washed even if you do not want it). Some of these street vendors have permanent spots. Some are roamers. They are walking up and down the beaches. They can be seen almost anyplace in the country. Many times these vendors can be a nuisance and need to be chased away.

Many will take no for an answer while others see a potential "victim" and will be very persistent. All one needs to do is walk away if they can, wind up the window or don't look at them. If they get aggressive call for the police. But most will not bother you. They see no need wasting their time with you when there are other potential buyers for whatever product they are selling.

You can buy almost any type of food from these vendors. There is such a great variety of food I cannot hope to list them all here. There are restaurants on wheels. You can buy a little bag of nuts, a pack of gum, a piece of fruit, or a few little coconut sweets. There are people selling meats, and the small filled pastries to a complete meal be it breakfast or pork with veggies.

You can purchase fresh squeezed juice, shaved ice, ice cream, corn on the cob, hard boiled eggs and a cup of coffee or bottle of beer. There are hamburger (called Chimi Churris here), hot-dog and sandwich vendors. They sell fresh fruits and vegetables. Some sell the fruits already cut and plated which can be a very refreshing and healthy treat. Get a coconut and drink the fresh water right there in the street.

Buy some snacks or a hard boiled egg from a small plate carried by a vendor. You can buy fresh fish or even a live chicken murdered and cut up as you wait. One can not get much fresher meat than this.

picture/image beach vendor selling his wares - thanks Scott

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Beach vendor selling jewelry

To read the story that goes with this picture go to the DR-Gring's blog entitled Views From My Balcony, Chicken Killers. (opens in new window)

(+enlarge)picture selling fresh chicken from a truck. Alive to table ready within minutes

The non-food substances are plentiful also. There are people selling anything they can carry, push in a cart, or set up on a street. You can get paintings and souvenirs of any type and variety. Some made in Dominican Republic but most are made elsewhere. Get your shoes shined , buy calling cards, cell phone parts, watches, jewelry (including rosaries), greeting cards, lottery tickets, CD and cassette tapes with typical Dominican music, and newspapers. They sell things for the home, mops, brooms, shelves, mirrors, cane mats and junk that they picked up in the street. There is even a knife sharpener with an electric grinder on his cart.

(+enlarge) Picture "Buy this live rooster?"

While in Dominican Republic you must try some of these foods sold buy a street vendor. Be careful of anything served using ice. Make sure it is bag ice. Observe their serving and food storage practices also. Your stomach may not be quite as tough as the locals.

Buy a piece of fruit (to learn some of the names of foods) while walking around the city. A pealed and halved orange can be very refreshing to enjoy. There are many vendors all over selling fresh, and I mean fresh, fruit. Most of the fruits are picked that same day. Since it is fresh picked and locally grown the flavor is so much better. A mango, papaya, coconut or orange eaten here has so much more flavor. Please give some of the native fruit a try and see for yourself the difference.

After a night out its quite normal for the locals to stop and get a late night bite from a street vendor selling hamburgers, hot-dogs or a pork sandwich. Stop and get something to eat on the way to the next destination. You know a late night snack, or any snack for that matter, always hits the spot.

There are not as many late night food vendors in the street, the new law does not permit it. But there are still some around doing business maybe inside a small building or colmado.

To learn how to say the foods you would like go to our food words page.

Descriptions of Street Vendors and Their Wares

El Panadero/ The Bread Man He usually walks carrying a large basket or is pushing a cart of fresh baked bread from a local panadería/ bakery yelling out “Pan, panadero” (Bread, Bread Man). There is even a motorized cart now, the man has a lerge display case on the back of a motorbike with all sorts of goodies. Usually he is out very early in the morning providing the fresh baked goods for breakfast and then again in the evening for dinner or a snack. He sells pan de agua/ water bread, both hard and soft. There is a sweet bread which is a wonderful with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. My favorite is the garlic bread It is covered with garlic, salt and oil. Fattening but so wonderful.

Panaderos in Colonial Zone:

*There is usually on that passes by the park San Jose (in front of the statue Monticino) near to Colmado Arca around 6PM. You can get some great garlic bread or a little ham sandwich from him.

Bakeries/ Panaderías in Colonial Zone

La Marchanta (e)/ The Merchant Woman (man) carries a huge basket on her head filled with fruits, vegetables, flowers and whatever else she can fit into the basket and mound atop her head.It is quite amazing the load she can carry atop her head and still walk at a decent pace. She usually comes abound around lunch time for the lady of the house to buy what she needs for lunch so she does not have to leave the house. Some carry a variety of sweets also. The male version is El Marchante and he usually has a large box or a tricycle with a cart.

How to say different fruits and vegetables in Spanish?. What fruits and vegetables are grown in Dominican Republic

(+enlarge) Picture of El Merchante veggie and fruit vendor

El Carbonero/ The Coal Man This man usually rides on a donkey or tricycle pulling a cart behind. You can hear him yelling out “Carbón, Carbonero” (Charcoal, the Charcoal Vendor) as he passes by in the street. He makes the carbon for cooking as many Dominicans use an outdoor cooker many times instead of cooking in the house. To see a picture(opens in a new window) of a Dominicana/woman cooking some Sancocho (a recipe for sancocho) on a carbon and wood fire.

Jugo de Caña/ Sugar Cane Juice ride around the streets on tricycles carrying what look like large sticks. These are sugar cane. There is a grinder where they can express the juice from the cane and they also cut off the outside and sell the sticky, yellow cane in plastic bags, usually 3 to 4 pieces to a bag. I love eating these, even though sometimes they make my jaws hurt from biting into the cane. There is a true technique that needs to be acquired when eating the cana.You bite off a small piece and chew until the juice is out. Then you spit out the pulp (it is best to spit it into the bag instead of into the street, its cane chewing etiquette). It can be difficult trying to get all the little pieces of pulp out of the mouth, but with practice it can be done. (picture of girls eating caña-opens in new window)

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STREET VENDORS page 1 | page 2

Maizero / The Corn on the Cob ( maíz) Vendor

This man walks around pushing a large cart with a big cauldron of hot water. In this cauldron are ears of corn on the cob or la mazorca. He yells out "Maíz, maíz, maíz!" but it sounds like mye, mye, mye. When you want to purchase one of these ears of corn they remove the treat from the vat of water, drop it into another smaller pot containing salt water and butter. They then place the ear of corn in a plastic bag and hand it over to their customer. This usually costs about $20 pesos (3/08). It is one of the few snacks that are sold on the street that is a bit healthy.

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Friturero

This street vendor is not seen in the streets of Colonial Zone everyday but when he shows up people always are ready to purchase his wares. He carries a large bowl covered with paper and plastic with a small cutting type board laying across the top of it all. When he lifts the plastic a sort of unpleasant aroma seeps out from underneath. Once you get past the smell and try what is inside you just may be pleasantly surprised. In the bowl is some very special Dominican meats usually consisting of morcilla (picture-new window) which is blood sausage, Tripe are pork intestines, and Panza (picture-new window) is pig stomach. He cuts these morsels on the little cutting board and gives you a plate. He then adds some vinegar type sauce on top and maybe some boiled platano and you get to enjoy. If he calls out his wares, which many times he does not, he will yell "Tripita"!.

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Fruitero

These vendors of fruit can be seen on many street corners. They usually have their own little spot and do not move around much. They sell all types of fruits (pine/ pineapple, guineo/ banana, melon/ cantaloupe, sandia/ watermelon, either whole or cut up on a little plastic plate with a skewer to eat the luscious fresh fruit with. Many will ask if you would like honey/ miel drizzled on top of the fruit. Not only do they have many human customers but they have many bees enjoying the sweetness also. The price is generally $50 to $60 pesos (as of 12/08)

Fruit vendors in Colonial Zone:

*A very nice smiling lady is usually on the corner of Padre Billini and Isabel la Catolíca about a block from Calle el Conde. She has her wares inside the building on the corner in the window.

*A long time fruit vendor is on the corner of Luperon close to the corner of Duarte. A great guy to talk to.

Continue on to Street Vendors page 2 for more information...