Looking for some fun in the sun alongside world-class cuisine? Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya, which officially debuted in early 2017, offers guests four diverse onsite restaurants, designed by architecture firm CSS Architecture and spearheaded by executive chef Vincent Wallez. All feature unique design concepts, fresh ingredients and authentic cooking techniques, with guests being treated to four distinctive dining experiences to enjoy an inspiring taste of the region and beyond. Check out the restaurants below:
Casa Amate
Open exclusively for dinner and serving diverse Latin American cuisine, Casa Amate has a unique and sophisticated residential concept designed to resemble the home of an eclectic traveler passionate about Latin culture. The restaurant is built around a courtyard with a special Amate tree, which gives the venue its name. Each intimate room is specifically designed as one would find in a house. The “Studio” functions as a lounge with a small bar, residential furniture, a map collection and shelves with artifacts. The “Library” is lined with bookshelves and a large communal library table where guests can dine. The “Estancia” has a fireplace, shelves for collectibles and large format art with dining at various types of tables and chairs, and the “Comedor” features large sets of doors that connect to the courtyard and overlook the resort’s surrounding lagoon and floor tiles inspired by Mexican crafts. This room has more traditional dining furniture along with art on the walls. The exterior and part of the interior is made with local stone, combined with stained wood and locally crafted tile, along with a subdued and classic color palette. The menu, created by Casa Amate head chef Ernesto Torres, includes a variety of salads, soups, meats, poultry and fish inspired by different Latin American countries. Casa Amate is home to an extensive wine selection, which is housed in the resort’s wine cave where guests are welcome to enter and select their own bottles.
Cocina Milagro
Cocina Milagro, in the heart of the resort, is a poolside pavilion restaurant featuring floor-to-ceiling glass doors and windows, two open kitchens and a bar terrace. Guests enjoy stunning views of the mangroves while dining. The interior of the restaurant is a combination of locally handcrafted tile, local tzalam wood and stone. Large hanging pedants are suspended from the tall turquoise ceiling, colored to reference the sky and water.
Open for all-day dining, the restaurant has a market-to-table menu concept with an emphasis on seafood. For breakfast, guests can opt for a buffet breakfast or order a la carte from the menu. Pastry chef Jorge Canton, a native of the Yucatán Peninsula, creates the breakfast pastries and artisanal breads along with special desserts for each of the resort’s restaurants. The extensive dinner menu offers a variety of fresh, local seafood dishes. The venue also features creative, handcrafted cocktails and live entertainment.
OllaTaco and OllaCeviche
OllaTaco and OllaCeviche are the resort’s poolside, beachfront restaurants offering live entertainment and stunning ocean views. Carefully flanking two sides of the pool terrace, each venue directly faces the sea and is surrounded by sand. Both have similar architecture with façades that open to spectacular views and are anchored by an open kitchen and bar centered on a tall sunlit coffer. Each has a deep overhang offering shade, blurring the lines of being indoor and outdoor. The décor is vibrant and festive with colorful pendant lights, playful stained wood and tiles, along with marine rope and wood boards providing a coastal feel. The vibe is modern and chic, while also causal and authentic.
OllaTaco is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and offers a market-style feast of tacos, Yucatán specialties, special sauces made with local produce and locally crafted artisan beers. OllaTaco has a resident “tacologist,” Kurt Josef Mayrl Westrup, who teaches weekly taco-making classes highlighting a variety of salsas and taco fillings.
OllaCeviche features fresh ceviche and sharing plates, as well as a tequila bar. Specialties include scallops ceviche with coconut, crusted with burned citrus, lemon juice, tangerine, coconut, coriander, confit beet, seaweed Salicornia and pasilla chili oil; conch ceviche in green tomato water with melon liquor, green apple slices, chalot rings, tender corn, crispy Chaya, anato oil, tree chili, coriander and beet; and black octopus ceviche with burned chilitomate, crispy onion, cherry tomato, coriander and roasted garlic oil. The restaurant offers over 25 different tequila and mezcals including an Andaz Mayakoba custom-crafted tequila. Guests can partake in special ceviche, guacamole and taco cooking classes along with mezcal, tequila and craft beer tastings.
“With four unique restaurant concepts, Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya offers distinctive dining experiences for our guests, each capturing the essence of the region and diverse Latin American cuisine,” said executive chef Vincent Wallez. “My culinary style focuses on a balance between flavors and classic techniques, utilizing fresh ingredients and visionary touches, which is infused in the creative dishes on our menus. We look forward to giving guests an inspiring taste of Mexico and the Riviera Maya, the Andaz way.”
For more information and to book your delicious holiday, visit Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya online.
- Middle photo: Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya
- Remaining photos: BigStock
