El Jardín is set in the courtyard of an old house near the central park, with tables under a canopy of trees and a kitchen that does exactly what Dominican home cooking is supposed to do: sancocho (a thick stew of root vegetables and meat), mangu (mashed plantain, always served with pickled red onions and fried cheese), pollo guisado, and whatever fresh fish came in that morning. The menu is written on a board, changes with availability, and is entirely in Spanish — bring a translation app or point at what a neighbouring table has ordered.
The restaurant is primarily for locals, which keeps the prices honest and the food unmodified for tourist palates. Sancocho here is properly seasoned, not adjusted for foreign stomachs. Lunch is the main meal of the day in the Dominican Republic, and El Jardín is busy between noon and two; if you want a table without waiting, arrive early or late. Dinner service is quieter. This is the kind of place that makes sense if you've been eating at resort buffets for several days and want to remember what the country actually tastes like.