Mexico Honeymoon Guide: What's New, Where to Stay & More

New Restaurants in Riviera Maya

Considered to be a top culinary destination, the dining scene in Riviera Maya is caliente. Home to the annual Cancun-Riviera Maya Wine & Food Festival, the Yucatan Peninsula continues to serve unforgettable dishes that live up to the hype.

Photo courtesy of Hotel Cacao

El Pueblito
Opened in August 2015, El Pueblito in the highbrow Mayakoba resort community brings a new element of Mexican culture to the destination. Modeled after the historic plazas of Mexico, El Pueblito is a breezy, outdoor plaza chock-full of galleries, shops and three distinctive restaurants managed by three five-star resorts. Banyan Tree’s Bann Tang Thai serves contemporary Thai cuisine prepared by chefs from Phuket; Rosewood’s Taqueria dishes out authentic tacos and a variety of top-shelf tequilas; and Fairmont’s Star Coffee fixes your sweet tooth with pastries, ice cream and Mexican coffee.

Nibs Restaurant
For scene-stealing dining, fashionistas and jetsetters make a beeline to the sexy new Hotel Cacao, home to Nibs restaurant. The artsy dining room with colorful, wall-size murals is an attention-grabber on its own, but the menu prepared by executive chef Alejandro Cuatepotzo — a protégé of Enrique Olvera, one of the top chefs in the world — is the main attraction. Expect memorable, Latin-inspired dishes like fish ceviche with red cabbage, cilantro, mango, cucumber and habanero oil and braised beef brisket, mole mancha-manteles (a local meat stew) and roasted leek.

Koba Restaurant
You don’t have to be a golf aficionado to visit El Camaleon Golf Clubhouse: Foodies make a beeline to Koba, a new restaurant fronted by Pedro Abascal, a famed local chef who graces food festivals and cooking shows. He even has the bragging rights to his own label of Mexican wine, Monociclo. Koba offers international comfort foods with a Mexican twist, using fresh ingredients native to the Yucatan, in addition to traditional favorites like tacos and ceviches.