A Dominican family that built a following with counter-service comfort food in Steelton has planted a second flag in Harrisburg's dining scene. Latin Mambo II opened at a downtown Harrisburg address, bringing sancocho, mofongo and pernil to the city.
The family's original Latin Mambo opened in 2023 at 51 N. Front St. in Steelton after relocating from New York City, according to PennLive. Felix Martinez and Yaneiri Martinez, both natives of the Dominican Republic, run the business, and Yangeiry Martinez is also involved in operating it, per the same report. Latin Mambo II is the family's second location.
Latin Mambo serves Dominican cuisine, according to the same account. The expansion adds another place to find Dominican food in the region.
A New Home on Restaurant Row
A New Home on Restaurant Row The address has a history of cycling through food concepts: it was most recently occupied by El Patio Dominican Restaurant, which served Caribbean fare there in 2024 and 2025, per the Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District. Before that, the storefront housed 2nd St. Shawarma, a Mediterranean restaurant, according to TheBurg.
Latin Mambo's Steelton original still operates primarily as a counter-service eatery using steam tables for its hot offerings, per the PennLive report. That location is open 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, according to the same account. The Steelton location is at 51 N. Front St.
What's on the Menu
Latin Mambo II's menu leans heavily on Dominican staples. Diners can order mofongo, pernil, empanadas, chicken stew and shrimp in garlic sauce, alongside sides like tostones, white rice, yellow rice, sweet plantains and fried cassava, PennLive reports. The stew chicken, priced at $15, is built with fresh oregano, onions and bell peppers.
The restaurant also offers other menu items, according to the same report. Desserts include tres leches cake and house-made flan. The kitchen also runs a weekly rotation of specialty dishes: tripes on Mondays, oxtail on Thursdays and goat on Fridays, per PennLive.
The Saturday Soup Tradition
The menu includes Dominican staples such as mofongo and pernil, along with sides like tostones and sweet plantains, PennLive reports.
Tapping Into a Growing Community
The expansion lands in a city where Hispanic or Latino residents make up 23.6% of the population, or 12,904 people, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, making them one of Harrisburg's largest demographic groups. Across Dauphin County overall, Hispanic or Latino residents account for about 10.7%, or 31,251 residents, whose total population is almost 300,000, per the same federal data source. That growth reflects a broader statewide trend: Pennsylvania's Hispanic population increased by 45% between 2010 and 2020, according to estimates compiled by the Pennsylvania State Data Center and cited by the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau's QuickFacts table, Hispanic or Latino residents make up 26.4% of Harrisburg's population.
Against that backdrop, the Martinez family has expanded from a single counter-service spot in Steelton to a second restaurant in Harrisburg. Whether Latin Mambo II changes its operating hours or seating setup compared to the original location remains to be seen, but for now the new location gives people in the region another place to experience Dominican cooking.
