El sazón de doña Juana: Authentic Dominican Flavors in Gastonia, NC

De lo mio!!! Delicious food and great service. If you love Dominican food check them out!

I went on Thursday to try the food, as it is a fairly new establishment, from what I had seen on their social media. When we arrived, we saw a food truck and a small building, so we proceeded toward the building, assuming it was a restaurant inside. It is more of an area for people to enjoy food ordered from the food truck. The patrons were nice. I spoke to Karina and her sister (her sister is the chef). Karina came inside and was truly nice in allowing us to order inside since it was so chilly outside. We ordered arroz mixto con gandules (mixed rice with pigeon peas), ensalada de papa (potato salad), empanadas de pollo y carne (chicken and beef empanadas), chicharrón con tostones (fried pork belly and fried plantains), another order which was French fries with bacon and cheese (and many other things—I don't remember the name), and our drinks. Part of the food came out in no particular order, but first we had the rice, potato salad, and drinks. I will say the flavors are truly a nice treat, like enjoying homemade food. My only qualm with the rice was that it was slightly mushy, not too much, but enough to notice. The rice was packed with flavor, and the ham and salchichón in it were yummy. That potato salad, though, was definitely amazing!! My husband loves potato salad, especially if done right, and he gobbled it up happily. The next items to come out were the empanadas. Man oh mannnnnn the chicken empanada was so so good and the chicken was juicy inside!!!! I tasted the beef and wasn't too impressed but my husband liked it so good balance lol. Next, Karina brought the chicharrón con tostones (fried pork belly and fried plantains). I loved how easily the chicharrón was to eat without being overcooked, and it packed amazing flavor. It definitely was my favorite. The plantains were cooked perfectly; just a minor issue, as I am Puerto Rican???????? and definitely look for specific things. I felt they needed seasoning, like butter and garlic. I did go out to the food truck to tell the chef, but she explained that sometimes people do not like them that way, so she prefers people to season to their liking, which makes sense (but it's Caribbean food, and their country is similar to ours in PR????????; I just feel their amazing identity shouldn't be lost, but that's just my opinion). As I was speaking to her, they realized they forgot the other item ordered (basically loaded fries). So they got on it quickly. (My husband tried a fry when it came out but he was so full from the other food he packed it up and took it home instead) I also was told they had two desserts: a tres leches and a flan. I opted not to get the tres leches, even though it's my favorite, because it was two days old, and I like those usually fresh because of the milk used. So I had the flan, and while yes, that flavor was definitely on point, the consistency was not what I look for in a flan. It felt more like a budín (bread pudding). It seems they are truly established as a food truck, but not as a restaurant. So, if you go, be prepared to eat in your car, at home, or in their building. Which, I might add, is starting out good, but we felt it was awfully dark inside with the black paint and dark tables. They are also in the process of getting a bar inside, which is pretty cool. They also have a pool table and are remodeling the place to be a nice hang-out spot. Don't let some of my woes stop you from enjoying the food here. I see it is definitely doing well as a food truck but they are pretty far from it being a restaurant.

The best food that I ever eat Comida dominicana la mejor