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    Alux Restaurant

    3.5 (400 reviews)
    Ultra High-EndMexican, Bars
    Closed 5:30 pm - 11:00 PM

    Alux Restaurant Photos

    ALUX RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Romantic
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed

    Recommended Reviews - Alux Restaurant

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    Reviews With Photos

    Mely S.

    Super grata experiencia en Alux! El lugar, la comida y servicio 10/10. Abigail fue nuestra mesera y si tienen la oportunidad de visitar este lugar pidan que los atienda ella. Fue muy amable y nos explicó los platillos a la perfección, aparte de que sus recomendaciones fueron excelentes. Nosotros pedimos: El pulpo en salsa de cacahuate Betabel asado Langosta sarandeada Filete de res en vino con champiñones Y de postre el pan de elote con nieve de cajeta Todo, absolutamente todo estuvo exquisito. El lugar es hermoso y lleno de magia! Such a wonderful experience at Alux! The place, the food, and the service were all 10/10. Abigail was our server, and if you have the opportunity to visit this place, be sure to ask for her. She was incredibly kind, explained the dishes perfectly, and her recommendations were excellent. We ordered: * Octopus in peanut sauce * Roasted beet * Sarandeado lobster * steak with red wine sauce and mushrooms * And for dessert, corn bread with a cajeta ice cream Everything--absolutely everything--was exquisite. The place is beautiful and full of magic!

    Denice R.

    My review for Alux is for a combination of service, food, ambiance, and history. The most impressive reason to visit Alux, in my opinion, is to be held by a cenote in this way. I'm told this restaurant is the only way to experience a cenote in this way in Mexico. Dining inside of a cenote is a much different experience than diving or snorkeling in a cenote. For me, these spaces are truly spiritual experiences. I'm told that the government owns this property and allows Alux to do business there. (take this as you may given how things in Mexico work) It's not a low-cost dining experience but you can definitely get out around $50 - $60 U.S.

    Rich R.

    This was a fun experience eating inside a cave/cenote. I was worried at first that the food would just be average and lean on the experience, but the food was even better! I definitely recommend swinging by Alux if you are in Playa del Carmen.

    Drinks
    Rachel L.

    A very cool dining experience! The restaurant is situated inside the cave. A bat flew right by me as I was heading to my table. There's also pockets within the cave you can explore during dinner. The restaurant is big! Service was great and attentive. They have some table side dessert and drink options. Those are always fun. The food was good, nothing out of the world but I enjoyed it. Decently priced compared to Canada/USA, but on the higher side in Mexico. Easy to retrieve a taxi on the way out as the restaurant isn't really close to any resorts or hotels.

    Menu
    Gary M.

    January 28/2015: Dinner with the Fifth Wheel Traveler's! This is the 2nd most unique restaurant where I've ever had a meal! The restaurants & ambiance was incredibly unique so it's worth viewing the pics. The service was slow. Our server "Carla" was very pleasant & explained everything well but the service was slow nonetheless. My dinner mates complained about food that wasn't hot. This was not a cheap meal, ($3,142.00P/$220.00) Cdn for a couple! Our appetizer was the homemade bread basket ($150P/$10.00Cdn) which included a couple of different butters as well as dried crickets & course salt. Crickets didn't have much taste to them & the butters were bland. The other appetizers were the Cauliflower Variety ($420P/$30.00Cdn) & the Beet Salad ($420P/$30.00Cdn) both were good but not fantastic as they again lacked flavour to me. My main was the Alux house burger ($590P). This was delicious. It was a good size burger with bacon, fried, breaded Brie cheese, caramelized onions & coffee mayo. Superb burger. A super interesting restaurant but I would not do-over as the menu lacked variety & I found the appetizers were the weak link of the meal.

    Entrance to restaurant

    Food itself was decent but overpriced and service was horrendous. Only plus was the vibe and scenery

    Mouthwatering Appetizer. Sadly, i Do not recall what it was called on the menu...
    Kassie B.

    ONLY REASON for the 4 stars is that we All ordered Filets: ALL 3. Were Super tough to cut & Chew. Great flavor plating was a ~True Work of Art~ and all that was on the plate was tasty as well! Our Cocktails were Most Definitely a Mixologist's Gourmet Concoction from the Skinny Margarita to the Carijiilo!! The Ambience ~TOO DIE FOR~ DEFLY make it one of your stops. You WILL REGRET IT IF YOU DO NOT TAKE THE TIME!!! And take friends with you!!!

    Drinks were ok
    Patty N.

    We paid almost $200 for a lobster - which is ridiculous. $75 for a New York steak. Make sure that when you order lobster & steak be sure to ask the price because that's how they get you they just tell you market price but don't tell you exactly how much- Not cool that they take advantage of the tourists. Plus it was hot AF inside - I've been to Michelin star restaurants that don't overcharge like that. I'm Very disappointed.

    Great Presentation!!
    Wesley S.

    Overall good experience. This is a one and done place. Go for the ambiance and cool experience to eat inside of a cenotes. The food was better than expected. We had the sea bass risotto and it was really good. Service was good they are very nice and accommodating. But say over priced!!! $180 for 2 apps.... 2 drinks and 1 entree.

    Kate Z.

    This local delight is worth the price! Erick did an excellent job making sure we had a wonderful experience and encouraged us to explore the caves. The ambience is a rewarding adventure for those willing to leave the table. Our surf and turf dinner exceeded expectations with some fantastic sides and excellent steak. The best, however, was the unexpected joy of dessert. This goat cheese mouse delight was paired with a flaming vodka sauce and covered in a dark chocolate shell. My husband and I prefer less sweet chocolate and this perfectly fit the bill. Highly recommend this once in a lifetime experience!

    Audrey L.

    One of the coolest restaurants I've ever been to! It was my grandpa's 80th birthday so we decided to surprise him here. First, you walk down this staircase into the underground cave. You walk through the path and see these little alcoves where individual tables are set up! We get to our area and it's this larger space in the cave with a whole table set up for the 20 of us. It took awhile to take our order naturally. Since I can only find this drink in Mexico, I had to order a Fresca. We started with bread and butter for the table. There were two butters served with the bread. One a lime butter I believe and the other with crickets on top. I wasn't daring enough to try the crickets but thought it was cool to offer since it's traditional for the cuisine. For the meal, I ordered the catch of the day which was a sea bass over their Parmesan garlic risotto. It was so delicious!! A couple people ordered desserts which were all made table-side with fire. The whole experience was super entertaining while still being delicious! Definitely a great place to come for a special occasion!

    My wife standing outside of Alux's front entry. One of the best date night experiences we've had in our 30 years together.
    Jeff W.

    A once-in-a-lifetime experience! I took my wife here tonight for dinner and it was one of the best, most unique and romantic dining experiences we've ever had. The outside of the Alux is classy but unassuming. However, once you enter the courtyard area it feels like you are entering another world. Once down the steps and into the reception area you are mesmerized by the ambiance and vibe. Earlier on the day I was contacted by one of the staff members who offered special secluded private seating for a reasonable additional fee. It was WELL WORTH the investment. We sat in what was called Boveda Secreto and my wife was greeted with rose petals all across the cavern floor. It set the tone for an amazingly romantic night. Our server, Karla, was an absolute sweetheart. She provided A+ service including providing us with a terrific wine pairing for our meal. She even helped my wife walk in her high heels from the bathroom back to our table since the ground there is a little uneven at spots (it is a cave after all). Last but certainly not least--the food and drinks were AMAZING. We had the fresh oysters for the appetizer which was tasty and including superb accenting sauces and flavor. The cocktails were equally amazing and were uniquely flavorful and refreshing. The main course for us was the coconut sauce salmon and the fresh catch of the day (sea bass). Both were incredibly flavorful and beautifully prepared. We have had the benefit of dining and many prestigious and terrific restaurants across the world (Paris, Tokyo, Montreal, etc.) and would rate our experience at Alux as a TOP 5 dining experience in our 30 year history together.

    Octopus appetizer
    Laura L.

    Decided to check out Alux with some friends this past week. I had been there once with my partner nearly a decade ago and remembered it being pricey but pretty. Aesthetically the restaurant is beautiful. It's a unique cave dining experience not to be missed. However I found service could be improved. As a tourist, there were very few English speaking servers which made it a little more challenging to communicate (but definitely doable). They were very aggressive on upsells and ordering more. It felt very sales pitchy and not like you had the freedom to just order what you wanted. Every time we would ask for something it would be prompted with and this? Or this? And this? All the food was quite tasty - the tacos, deer, risotto, octopus - 0 complaints on the food and presentation. But by the time we had finished our meals we were too full for dessert. The server explained every single dessert (without us asking) and then said we should get two desserts. When we said we were too full he actually made us feel bad for not ordering any and having wasted his time for explaining them all. Again...it was just too much. Overall we had some good food and got some cute pics but the service good use some refinement.

    Coconut sauce salmon

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    Highly recommend... it's an experience. Drinks, food and atmosphere were outstanding! Service was impeccable

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    El Boticario - Mieles de Maria Sabina

    El Boticario

    4.7(10 reviews)
    1.6 kmCentro

    This place was a fun stop. It was right by our hotel and we wanted to come in and see what they…read morehad. We came here twice. The first time it was just for some drinks and then we ate here on New Years Eve. Our bartender was Frank and our server was Esencia Vital. Both were friendly and helpful. We ordered 4 things and all of them were pretty good. We got the Tempura Oysters which were excellent and not greasy at all. The Tiradito Boticario was my favorite. Great texture and flavor without being overwhelmed with sauce. The Camarones Boticario were also quite good. My wife had the Ceviche Boticario and said it was on point. I drank mostly beer which was Corona and I had a glass of white wine. The wine list was limited but they really specialize in their drinks which looked fantastic. We would recommend this place to anyone.

    The husband and I were walking around Playa looking for a good place to have a drink and we came…read moreacross El Boticario. The previous year when we were there, this was not open. We were very happy that is open now! I decided to start off with the "Mieles De Maria Sabina" A wonderful mix of 400 Conejos Mezcal, Ancho Reyes, cranberry juice and a "homemade punch". It was very refreshing, well balanced and came in a really cool glass! My second drink was the "Amarra Hombres Cascados". Gin, Aperol, grapefruit juice. It too hit the spot on a really hot day. Definitely a place we will hit when we need a good cocktail!

    Photos
    El Boticario - They definitely push Moet Chandon here.

    They definitely push Moet Chandon here.

    El Boticario - PASIÓN QUE CURA.

    PASIÓN QUE CURA.

    El Boticario - Lagrimas De Cocodrilo

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    Lagrimas De Cocodrilo

    Zenzi - Shrimp cocktail

    Zenzi

    3.9(138 reviews)
    1.6 kmCentro
    $$

    We stopped in here after a wonderful dinner next door at Lido. The location is undeniably…read morebeautiful, set right on the water, but unfortunately the decor and ambiance fall noticeably short in comparison. We had a group of 14, and despite the bar being mostly empty, the hostess would not allow us to split into two tables. Instead, she insisted we crowd around a single six top and move chairs ourselves, which left part of our group standing, leaning against walls, or waiting for space to sit. Service was slow from the start. It took about 20 minutes for the waitress to take our drink order and another 20 minutes before drinks began to arrive. Given the delay, lack of seating, and overall disorganization, we decided not to order any late night food. I ordered a margarita, and it was honestly one of the worst margaritas I've had. Very heavy on sweet and sour, clearly not made in house, with a weak pour. Prices felt steep for the quality being delivered. Oddly enough, the highlight of the visit was people watching. The vibe is... strange. While waiting in line for the bathroom, someone who frequents the bar mentioned it's known locally as a swingers spot. The crowd skewed heavily 60+, but hey, whatever works. If you're in the area, I'd strongly recommend heading next door to Lido for a far better experience in terms of atmosphere, service, and drinks.

    We stumbled upon this place looking for a fun atmosphere and after-dinner drinks! This was perfect!…read moreI wish I knew the name of the band because this band was amazing! People were dancing and the music was popping! We ordered drinks which were decent and the food we got was really good! Coconut shrimp, French fries and ceviche. The ceviche was amazing! So fresh and delicious. This is a great spot! So fun and good food with beach views!

    Photos
    Zenzi - Interior

    Interior

    Zenzi - BBQ 2-6p. Excellent

    BBQ 2-6p. Excellent

    Zenzi - Signage

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    Signage

    Lido - Margaritaaaa

    Lido

    4.4(83 reviews)
    1.6 kmCentro
    $

    Location 5/5, Service 5/5, Food 4/5, Drinks 5/5, Clientele…read more2/5 *more on that below* This spot has one of the best beachside settings in Playa del Carmen. The entire restaurant, including the bar, is literally set in the sand, with tables right on the water just a few feet from the ocean. It's barefoot, toes in the sand dining done right, and the atmosphere alone makes it worth the visit. We did have one hiccup in the evening due to a rowdy group from a drone company that was extremely intoxicated and invasive of our space. Their belongings kept ending up on our table, and there were drunk men taking their shirts off and doing shots just a few feet away. Not sure if they didn't have enough tables or what, but we had made a reservation to celebrate a special event months in advanced, so it was a bit irritating. The servers eventually handled it and intervened multiple times, but at no point were they asked to move or relocate. Once that group settled down, the night became a much more enjoyable experience. We were a party of 12, and every single person raved about both their food and drinks. For drinks we had: Prickly Pear: Made with Orange Blossom Condesa Gin, St Germain, fresh lemon juice, rosemary syrup, mint, and strawberry. Bright and refreshing, though it came with more foam on top than expected. Coco Loco: A fresh whole coconut with Patrón Silver tequila, vodka, rum, gin, pineapple juice, and coconut cream. A true showstopper. Don't be intimidated by the mix of liquor, it is smooth, refreshing, and dangerously easy to drink. No hangovers were had. Espresso Martini: Simple and clean with a light foam. Well executed, but not a signature cocktail compared to the others. For food we had: We were surprised with an amuse bouche of huitlacoche, often called Mexican truffle. It's a corn fungus with a rich, earthy flavor and this small bite was outstanding and set the tone for the meal. Queso Fundido: Oaxaca cheese with chorizo and flour tortillas. Great flavor, but very thick, making it a bit messy and difficult to serve. Guacamole: Prepared with tomato, onion, cilantro, and cotija cheese. Perfectly seasoned, fresh, and especially enjoyable paired with the queso fundido. Brisket: Served in chileatole sauce with huitlacoche truffle, carrots, and cotija cheese. Comforting, rich, and deeply flavorful. Robalo Guayaba: Guava sea bass served in guava sauce with chiltepín chili. Beautifully cooked with just a little too much sweetness and citrus. It would have benefited from a little bit of heat, or a vegetable or side to pair it with, as it is not served with anything other than a cooked slices of lemon. Creme Brulee Mexicano: A rice pudding infused crème brûlée with caramel and vanilla ice cream. A thoughtful twist on the classic, with the rice pudding adding depth and warmth to the dessert. Knocked down to 4 stars due to the rowdiness of some surrounding guests. We were seated on the sand and needed to walk through the entirety of the restaurant, but people without tables or reservations were standing in the middle of walkways and sitting on the steps down to the beach, many too intoxicated to stand up. I'm hopeful this is not the usual clientele, and I would return for the quality of the food, drinks, and the gorgeous setting.

    Great vibes and atmosphere. True beach spot. Garden like entrance that opens to the water. Service…read morewas great. Drinks were phenomenal. Good was good. Really enjoyed the coconut shrimp. Great spot for a special dinner.

    Photos
    Lido - Beach table view (from someone whose back is facing the ocean)

    Beach table view (from someone whose back is facing the ocean)

    Lido - Pura Vida (Passion fruit, mango, orange juice and coconut water) frozen with Tequila

    Pura Vida (Passion fruit, mango, orange juice and coconut water) frozen with Tequila

    Lido - Gorgeous table view

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    Gorgeous table view

    Alux Restaurant - mexican - Updated May 2026

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