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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.
Jorden was an amazing server, and the whole team was wonderful, inviting, friendly and knowledgeable. They all helped my friend and I celebrate our joint birthday's in a very classy and memorable way. Maybe the best filet mignon I've ever had, (get the USA grade steak, it's worth the extra $) it was a great experience, I was a bit afraid it would be a tourist trap and the food would be sub par... but NOT the case, the food was the main attraction and the cave was an added bonus. If you're looking for a really special experience, that is upscale dining without being pretentious, while simultaneously offering history/nature/ambiance within a cave.... 100% recommend. Other reviews on Yelp have mentioned Market Price (MP) for the lobster and NY Strip, I'd respond that if you have to ask the price, you shouldn't order the item.
Nice restaurant with beautiful views, however very humid with mediocre food. I kept seeing this place on IG and tiktok and was pretty disappointed. Food selection is pretty small, but the drinks are amazing! We got the surf and turf and it costed around $130 USD. It was advertised as "shareable" but the portion itself was very small, as the lobster was very tough. Service is just okay, nothing special. What threw me off was the server pushing our table to tip on card instead of cash, and kept trying to have us tip him the highest. We understand if they have a preference for tips, but pushing like that is not ok. Overall 2/5, I say you can skip this place if you are visiting Playa Del Carmen and are looking for a nice place to go eat, I'm sure there's better.
This was one of the coolest romantic dinners I've ever had in Mexico. The service was amazing, the wine cellar is to die for and the music they play is perfect for the setting. The food was so good and the drinks tasted amazing.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!!!
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!
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.
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.
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!
If you're looking for a truly unique dining experience in Playa del Carmen, Alux is worth the splurge. Dining inside a beautiful cave and cenote creates an atmosphere unlike anywhere else we've ever been. We started with the shrimp appetizer and beef carpaccio, followed by the steak tacos, beef tenderloin, and the chef's beef special. Every dish was beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. We also enjoyed dessert and drinks, which were the perfect finish to the evening. The highlight, beyond the incredible setting, was the service. Obi and Beto took exceptional care of us all night and made the experience feel special from start to finish. We also took the cenote tour, which added another layer to an already memorable evening. The bill came to about $400 for three people, including appetizers, entrees, dessert, drinks, and a soda, so it's definitely a special-occasion restaurant. But between the food, service, and unforgettable cave setting, we felt it was money well spent. read more
2.5 stars You're absolutely paying for the experience and atmosphere here. Walking through the cave, the lighting, the underground wine cellar where you pick your own bottle -- it's undeniably impressive and makes for great photos. For a birthday dinner or special occasion, I understand the appeal. That said, once the novelty wears off, the food and overall experience just didn't justify the massive bill at the end. Nothing was bad, but nothing really stood out as unforgettable either. The oysters were fresh, the drinks were solid, and a few dishes looked better than they tasted. It felt more like a place designed for the "wow" factor than for truly exceptional dining. Service was fine, but the pacing and attention didn't match the luxury pricing. In an area like Playa del Carmen where there are SO many amazing restaurants with incredible food, drinks, and atmosphere for a fraction of the cost, this one just felt hard to justify. Glad we experienced it once for a friend's birthday, but it's probably not somewhere we'd return. Great cave. Great photos. Average value. read more
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! read more
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. read more
7 months ago
Jorden was an amazing server, and the whole team was wonderful, inviting, friendly and knowledgeable. They all helped my friend and I celebrate our joint birthday's in a very classy and memorable way. Maybe the best filet mignon I've ever had, (get the USA grade steak, it's worth the extra $) it was a great experience, I was a bit afraid it would be a tourist trap and the food would be sub par... but NOT the case, the food was the main attraction and the cave was an added bonus. If you're looking for a really special experience, that is upscale dining without being pretentious, while simultaneously offering history/nature/ambiance within a cave.... 100% recommend. Other reviews on Yelp have mentioned Market Price (MP) for the lobster and NY Strip, I'd respond that if you have to ask the price, you shouldn't order the item. read more
3 months ago
Nice restaurant with beautiful views, however very humid with mediocre food. I kept seeing this place on IG and tiktok and was pretty disappointed. Food selection is pretty small, but the drinks are amazing! We got the surf and turf and it costed around $130 USD. It was advertised as "shareable" but the portion itself was very small, as the lobster was very tough. Service is just okay, nothing special. What threw me off was the server pushing our table to tip on card instead of cash, and kept trying to have us tip him the highest. We understand if they have a preference for tips, but pushing like that is not ok. Overall 2/5, I say you can skip this place if you are visiting Playa Del Carmen and are looking for a nice place to go eat, I'm sure there's better. read more
4 months ago
This was one of the coolest romantic dinners I've ever had in Mexico. The service was amazing, the wine cellar is to die for and the music they play is perfect for the setting. The food was so good and the drinks tasted amazing. read more
10 months ago
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. read more
8 months ago
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. read more
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. read more
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. read more
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!!! read more
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! read more
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. read more
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. read more
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! read more
7 months ago
Food itself was decent but overpriced and service was horrendous. Only plus was the vibe and scenery read more
3 years ago
Food 5/5: The food was pretty solid - we ordered the passionfruit & pineapple aguachilles as an appetizer and it did not disappoint. The flavors were amazing. For entree we both ordered the coconut sauce salmon which was also cooked perfectly and great flavors. For dessert we ordered the carribean paradise which was great as well, but could have gone without it. For ice cream, it was not as cold as we would have liked but it was still good. Service 5/5: The host & our server were great! This was our first time at Alux and they were kind and offered great recommendations to us without being overly pushy. The waiter even gave us complimentary champagne since we were celebrating our anniversary! Atmosphere 4.5/5: Eating inside a cave is definitely a cool experience and doesn't happen too often (at least for us). But it is very hot inside (we came in july) even with fans it was very humid. After dinner we got to walk around the rest of the cave and explore, which was pretty cool! We got to see a few bats fly right pass us, so if you are afraid of bats i don't recommend walking around after dinner read more
10 months ago
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. read more
5 months ago
DO NOT GO HERE THEY WILL SCAM YOU AND NOT RETURN YOUR MONEY. We booked via open table for a Sunday at 6PM we then sent a message to make it 8:30, they said no problem. We got dressed up headed out only to be turned away telling us there was a private party. We asked about dietary restrictions in person and they said no problem. I looked on their menu and didn't see a full vegan option so I asked again and see the screenshot. I have opened up a ticket with OpenTable as when I first contacted Alux Restaurant Bar & Lounge they said that I need to get refunded by Open table and that is completely false. This place is a total scam. We never ate, we never made another reservation, we were turned away via their fault, not letting us know they had a private party, and this is how you treat customers. Charging over $300 when we were sent away... never ate any food... never made any new reservations... please save yourself the hassle... they just want your $. All I wanted was my money back, it's not that difficult. Again, I never ate there, never made another reservation they did for the same time the next night to our surprise. TOTAL SCAM! read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
Went here last month with a group of 6 girls to celebrate a birthday! The service was great, while we were waiting for our table we were offered a tasty drink in a cute glass shaped like a bird, once our table was ready we had a private table away which was nice since girls can be loud. Our waitress was great, very attentive and gave great recommendations from the menu. The drinks were tasty and the food was incredible! It was amazing to be able to eat a nice dinner in a cenote on vacation after touring cenotes in the area. It was a great dinner to have at the end of our vacation! Thank you! read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
Had a great experience here for Valentine's Day weekend. We tried multiple appetizers and main courses and LOVED it all. Would definitely recommend to anyone visiting! read more
3 years ago
Came here for my bfs birthday. It was great. Only that there is no service (for phones) they have wifi but it took too long to work with our phone so we used the restaurants tablet to view the menu. I got the octopus, it was delicious. My bf got the steak it was also great! We got complimentary champagne for his bday along with a plate saying feliz cumpleaños! So cute they sang to him too. The restaurant is huge. Though they sat us towards the front. The back tables are way cuter , not sure if you can request to sit there but it's way cuter ! You can walk the restaurant to view the rest of the cave. I wore heels despite other reviews I saw to not wear them. And also our table was next to a fan so we were not sweaty. It was a nice experience. It is not so upscale looking I'd say. It's just cool for the experience. We loved the food and drinks and service was excellent! read more
4 years ago
Excellent - from beginning to end! So happy we decided to go here for dinner. We didn't have a reservation but they were able to seat us. As soon as you walk in, you are in a cave with live bats. Our server was great. We checked out the wine cave - very cool. The food was a 4.5/5. Presentation was excellent. I ordered the fish and it was perfectly cooked. It just melted in your mouth and the flavors of the sauce and texture of the fried onion complemented the fish nicely. Yum. I would order this again! My date ordered the filet. Again, presentation was excellent. The reason for the deduction in stars was the meat was a bit on the salty side. Other than that, our meal was delicious with excellent service. We paired our meals with a bottle of wine, celebrated a birthday, and the total was about $100per person. Wonderful experience. Highly recommend especially if you're celebrating a special occasion. read more
3 years ago
It's an okay experience and definitely not a place you want to visit more than once. Beef filet -2 stars, cold mashed potatoes, small dots of odd sauce, disappointing presentation. Bone marrow - had whole grasshoppers in it. - 0 stars Lobster risotto - 4 stars Ceviche- 4 stars Salmon - 4 stars Sea-bass with risotto, it is pure Parmesan cheese - 0 stars Alux Burger - 4.5 stars Cocktails - 5 stars They forgot one of the appetizers and all of our entrees, so we were there for 3.5 hours! By the time we finally got our check, we couldn't wait to leave the stuffy cave. read more
1 year ago
5 years ago
Let's eat inside a cave....yes, yes lettuce do it! So yes the bill was a little pricy but the food was amazing. We started with the oysters both raw and baked and they were on fire! The cooked ones come still cooking so serve on your plate and enjoy at your pace or they will keep cooking. Drinkies too of course! The passion fruit one was extra yummy but you know I stole drinks of everyone else's drink and they all rocked. Dinner was hard to pick but we shared the cowboy and something from the appetizer menu I believe it was similar to a poke bowl sorry I forgot the names however they still have a limited menu as they are still reeling from COVID and trying to rebuild again. Don't make up your mind till you get there. There were no complaints and empty plates throughout the table. Did we dessert you ask....please as if you don't know me. YES we desserted and they brought the girl out a little cake love for her birthday along with the lovely dessert she ordered. The banana flambé creation was amazing! I loved it and my husbands smoky dessert that made quite an entrance. Do this for the experience and memories also if you are driving in the town look for the amazing murals so beautiful wish I would have taken more pictures. read more
3 years ago
Main takeaway - once in a lifetime venue, but be prepared to spend way more than you would want for mediocre food (unless you stick to appetizers) 5/5 Venue - Truly one of a kind where you're able to eat inside a cave. Granted in the summer the weather is a bit hot (they have fans and some AC but it's still hotter than expected). The decor and layout is truly magical. 3/5 Food - we had 3 appetizers, the pulpo, bone marrow, and the bread. The appetizers were fantastic! The pulpo was cooked perfectly and the chorizo mole kept us wanting more. The bone marrow was decadent and went perfectly with the bread. The butter/spread that came with the additional bread we ordered was fragrant and delicious. Unfortunately the entrees were very lacking. We got the pork belly, bass, and shredded deer. The pork belly was done well but the deer was flavorless and the bass was over cooked and tasted like cod. Had we known this would've been the case we would've just stuck with appetizers to share for everyone. 1/5 Price - Its like $30 USD for a cocktail and $5 per bottle of water. The prices are extremely high for food compared to everything else in the area. It's possible that the venue can justify the price but man... just felt like drinks should not be almost as expensive as the entree. read more
Let me start off by saying 5 years ago we were there for our engagement dinner and it was truly magical! I wish they could have kept that experience alive BUT this place has become a tourist nightmare! I think we should have realized this as we were able to make reservations the same day (5 yrs ago we made reservations 3 months in advance). When we were checking in the hostess let us know it is a $55 person minimum- which is laughable! The cocktails are $25 a piece, wine is only sold by the bottle and the cheapest bottle was $100. The menu has become very limited for both food and wine but extremely over priced! As for the service, our waiter was pleasant but over sold us on the food. He looked at us like we were crazy for sharing a Caesar which had maybe 6 pieces of lettuce for $25. Then the steaks came out and they were huge which we could have split. I will say the ribeye did have great flavor. We were there for our friends 1 year anniversary and they didn't even acknowledge the occasion until they wanted to sell them a $30 dollar box for an empty bottle of wine! They didn't want to split our bill up for us but did in the end when argued. For the tip, they ask you how the service was? Your choices are Excellent (20%) or very good (15%) but they don't tell you that so be aware if you don't look closely at the bill! I will say the atmosphere is cool! It's hot down there so dress accordingly. However, I will never go back I wouldn't waste my money ($400) for a very disappointing evening. You can get at least 3 delicious meals in playa for that price! read more
This is a pretty cool place. Aside from the fact that it is in ages old cave and has a lot to look the vibe was cool. We made an online reservation and we're promptly seated. We went on a Friday night which was surprisingly empty. We stated with the beet salad which came out promptly and the homemade bread. The bread came with compound butter one with lemon butter and the other an achiote butter with crickets on it. The bread seemed a bit on the stale side despite its being grilled. The salad was good had a vinaigrette dressing bright and fresh tasting. For entrees we decided on the pork belly , and the risotto with lobster tail. The pork belly had a very large fat back on it but came out artfully decorated. The risotto was very good and flavored well. The lobster tail was definitely the smallest lobster in the ocean. The flavor was good none the less. We didn't end up having dessert since we had other desserts in mind. We did have two cocktails including a Barbados coconut cocktail and also a very berry cocktail. Both cocktails were sweet without a heavy alcohol presence. All in all it is a destination for the ambiance. There is not air conditioning in parts of the cave , you may see bats, it's musty appearing in certain parts. The scenery is more cool than the restaurant is. I wanted to like the entire experience but it was rather sleepy. Some of the competitors put on a show with dinner to make it cool. It was a done and dash sort of place. 227.00 usd all in with gratuity. Would recommend you go because when have you ever eaten in a cave before? read more
I have eaten some spectacular meals that were memorable. Alux Restaurant in Playa Del Carmen is in a real cave and the experience is surreal the minute you descend the steps of the cave deeper into this magical space. Dinner in a cave, with or without ghosts that allegedly roam this stunning underground joint? Absolutely. The restaurant, bar, lounge area, decor, light fixtures, lighting - ambiance with an A+. Excellent tortilla soup, chicken with goat cheese and spices, beef and shrimp dishes, all were very good but the winner was the cave. This is pricey but worth the experience just roaming around the caverns either before or after your meal. There is a lot to see at this creative joint. If you have to be a cave dweller this is the cave to dwell in. For a memorable experience, get ye to the Alux Cave Restaurant. read more
2 years ago
A meal in a underground cave, fantastic! I love the decoration, the food was great and the service by Karla was fantastic, besides that she's super nice she explained us everything about the "Aluxes" very interesting stories. read more
The worst "fine dining" experience we've ever had. We booked a reservation here after hearing about the experience of dining in a 10,000 year old cavern. It's not in a nice area of town and there's no designated parking so beware if your car gets broken into. Better to Uber if you still plan on going after this review. Upon walking in, you're greeted by a man in costume who forces you to take a picture with him in front of the restaurant sign. He then proceeds to bother you about a tip for a picture you didn't want. Red flag #1 We're seated and given the menu. Our server insists we go to the wine cellar even though we tell him twice that we would like cocktails with our dinner. He suggests we go to the wine cellar just to take a picture so we oblige. Upon entering the wine cellar, he proceeds to point to 5 different bottles of overpriced wine to sell us as we tell him again, we'd like to opt for cocktails. Red flag #2 We order our food (Brie and fig match, ravioli, and lamb and scallops). They bring us both a complimentary appetiser which is some sort of chicken wonton concoction with jam. It comes out cold and tastes like frozen food but worse. It was inedible. They also bring out our Brie and fig at the same time. This is a fried Brie dish which also comes out cold (???) and has no flavor whatsoever (Red flag #3). We each took a bite and let the server take it away. At this point, we both agree that the meal is a lost cause so we ask the server if we can cancel the main course and get the check, so that we can eat dinner elsewhere. He brings out the check and of course, charges us for the main courses that never even came out. We ask to speak to the manager and things go downhill from there. We kindly asked for him to take the main courses off the bill since we never received them and he started arguing with us asking if the server should pay for it or who was responsible. I understand this is Mexico so the customer service might be different, but to pay $100+ USD for a meal we didn't even get to eat is pretty ridiculous. He asked us why we didn't say anything earlier, but we told our server to cancel the meal as soon as we took a bite of the appetiser. He refused to do anything to make the situation better and just left us dumbfounded. All in all, terrible food and terrible service. He eventually brought out our main dish but we were too scared to eat it in case they spit in our food, or worse. We paid the overpriced bill and left, and satisfied our bellies with some $1 street tacos in town. Would NEVER recommend this place to anyone. read more
3 years ago
This is a 5+ star restaurant if it were based solely on atmosphere, ambience, and interior design. There is no restaurant in the world like it. This is a real cave with bats, cool seating and mood lighting. Stunning! As for the food. It was a 1.5 stars at best and I'm being gracious. We had a party of 18 and no one was very happy with their cuisine. The steaks are average by US standards. Think Outback Steakhouse. They are way over priced. $87 for a ribeye. A staggering $175 for a tomahawk. I had a warm, mushy caesar salad. Not good. Be careful with the drinks. I inadvertently ordered a $100 smoked old fashioned. I've had better for $12. The food came out inconsistently with some people getting their entrées before others got their appetizers. Unfortunately, this is typical of Mexican restaurants. The servers were polite and attentive. What made the experience worthwhile was that we were in an actual cave. You must take the tour after your meal. Very cool. The cave is huge. Be ready to swat away bats! read more
1 year ago
4 years ago
Second time here. It's an experience. - very humid inside - super hot inside, even with a/c - drinks were good; they ran out of red bull and had to go find them (took 20 minutes) - pork belly was a bit dry, but the mole was excellent - caesar salad was delicious - there was a private room $130 USD booking fee - worth it for the music and privacy - need more fans inside or you will get scorched! Overall, you get to eat in a cave. It's hot, humid, and one heck of an experience. read more
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