La Recova
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Recommended Reviews - La Recova
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We came here on my first night in Merida. This restaurant sits in a plaza that houses many different restaurants, and has plenty of outdoor seating. We sat down and ordered some glasses of wine. We ordered an appetizer while we perused the menu. I ordered filet mignon, which took about 15 minutes to get to me. The filet mignon was ok, but I've had better. It was not too tasty. The appetizer was far tastier. The staff here was friendly, and attentive. Really the only bad thing I have to say about this place was the main course. If I come back to the area one day, I may give this place a second shot. But for now... 3 stars.

La Recova is located next to (and actually spills out onto) the tiny but verdant Parque Santa Lucia at the corner of Calle 55 and Calle 60. La Recova is essentially an Argentine steakhouse. We came here because were drawn to its polished and upscale appearance and because it was located right across the street from our hotel. Our dinner experience, though a mixed bag overall, was certainly a learning experience. The big lesson: what is Argentine potato soufflé? If you think potato soufflé is something akin to potato au gratin, that would be incorrect. Actually, Argentine potato soufflé is a basket of warm rather-oily potato chips with a bubble of air in the middle of each chip. That's fine, but 145 pesos (about $10 USD) for a basket of potato chips? So yes, I was surprised when I ordered the potato soufflé and got potato chips. Yet, we thought we were on our way to a solid five-star experience after enjoying the crema de elote (finely puréed corn soup), served by nattily dressed waiters. The soup was outstandingly good, and so were the complimentary breads. But the service, while remaining friendly and respectful, turned very slow (even though the restaurant was not crowded). While we waited for our entrées, we became painfully aware of the much too loud Kenny G "lite jazz" being played. As awful as that musical genre is, adding insult to injury was that their soundtrack was short, so we kept on hearing the same songs over and again. JP asked a couple of times if anything could be done about the music, but his requests apparently fell on (tone) deaf ears. JP ordered venado (deer) for his entrée, and I went with the "short" loin steak. My loin steak was very very thick, but cooked well. Tender too. Topped with a sweet brown sauce, the meat tasted excellent. Accompanying the meat were thin slices of seasoned baked potato. JP's venado tasted good, but the problem was that despite the gargantuan dimensions of the meat on the plate, there were only three bites of meat. The rest was entirely bone! JP expressed his discontent, and to their credit, La Recova removed the deer from the tab and offered a complimentary dessert. The manager also came over to chat with JP about the meal. We demurred on the dessert offer, because we just wanted to leave, not wanting to listen to the Kenny G stuff one minute more.
2 years ago
The tuna tostadas were amazing! They also have a really good and spicy habanero sauce. Great atmosphere inside with them to low lighting and view of the square. The steak was a bit dry and the ceviche was not as good as expected read more
I saw the reviews for here and wanted to try. I wasn't too hungry when I went though. So, I had a Damon salad and a baked potato. The salad was on the smaller side and the baked potato was so covered I. Crumbled sausage, like bacon bits and cheese, I couldn't add butter. The Jamaica was okay, though. For that I paid 750p, 15% tip automatically added. I don't think I'll be back. I wanted to try their Argentinian steak, haven't had since I was in Argentina, but that's ok. read more
8 years ago
WOW! This place is incredible. My fiancé and I had been looking around Yelp and Trip Advisor for a good, fancy shmancy, dinner to have on our last night in Merida. This place was ALL over Trip Advisor, thousands of reviews, and the food looked phenomenal! So we decided upon it. Although, looking at it on yelp I became a little worried because there weren't many reviews and when there were-they were all mixed. But, in Yelps defense, I feel like this platform isn't used nearly as much as Trip Advisor when traveling abroad. Or maybe its just in Mexico? Anyway, here I am to help out the Mexico Yelp scene! I 100% recommend going here if you're looking for a nice dinner. We sat outside because the weather was beautiful and the outside square was gorgeous. We were greeted by our friendly server Amile (I hope that's how you smell his name). He greeted us promptly, let us choose where we wanted to sit, and got our drink order right away. He was a WONDERFUL server! Very quick, and attentive, and patient. I'll dive right into the food. It was orgasmic. Not even joking. For an app we had chorizo and cheese. The presentation was great. It came in a cute small cast iron skillet. The cheese was sooo, I don't even know the word. Gooey? Stringy? You know when you pull out a piece of pizza from the pie and half of the cheese doesn't want to let go and the other half is hanging on for the ride? Yes, like that! The chorizo was perfect. Not spicy, but gave the dish some really good flavor. This dish fed 4 of us, each having two bites. Very filling even though it was small. I definitely recommend it! For my meal I got the Wild Pig Leg. It was between that and the Octopus because those two were raved about most on Trip Advisor. I decided the pig leg because when was I going to get the chance to have Yucatán Pig again? And boy was I happy I made that decision. The leg was HUGE! I mean, my picture does not do that thing justice. The seasoning/marinade/sauce on it was incredible! It was a tomato based sauce. But it had the consistency of BBQ sauce, where it stays on the pork and doesn't drip all over the plate. The leg must have been slow roasted because it fell off the bone and flaked with a fork. Oh my gosh. And then it came with two pieces of char grilled cactus which let off this INCREDIBLE smokey flavor which complimented the pig leg so well. If you are a foodie you MUST give this dish a try! Amazing! Now. If you're still reading and I have your attention I'm going to direct you on a dish NOT to get. That would be the 'Xcatic' gratin chili filled with crab, covered in tomato sauce. The presentation of this reminded me of enchiladas. So, very poor. Also the taste. You could really taste the crab. Which is something I love about a dish, usually, but this was all you could taste. Which threw my fiancé off quite a bit as it was too strong for him. It tasted more like an Italian dish than anything else. Crab and tomato sauce. He was VERY disappointed in his meal. I was too. And I gave him some of my pig to cheer him up. My soon to be father in law got the steak. I think it was a ribeye? Although I'm not sure. Regardless, he said it was the BEST steak he ever had in his life. Which is saying a lot because nothing impresses him. And my soon to be mother in law got the lobster which was delicious, but it tasted like, lobster. I'm not the biggest lobster fan because there is not much meat and it always tastes the same. But she thoroughly enjoyed it! The atmosphere was great, the music outside was a nice house music. Ill admit I could see it being slightly loud, but my fiancée and I being younger (we are both 30) LOVED it. His parents(late 50's) said it was too loud, which is a common complaint I was seeing on Trip Advisor. So if you're trying to have a nice quiet dinner with some deep conversation I would maybe consider sitting inside? All in all I don't see how this place gets any kind of bad reviews. My recommendations: Chorizo and cheese app. WILD PIG LEG. Steak is good, lobster is good, and while I didn't get it, try the grilled octopus! Everyone raves about it. I would stick to these your first time, and then after that you can venture out. I feel the dishes this place has to offer are very hit or miss so be careful. And, if all else fails, look on Trip Advisor until we get more Yelpers to review the food! read more
2 years ago
Very good wild pig leg , I will always remember my birthday in 2024 , the plate was flawless cooked excellently fell off the bone tender I recommend very much so enjoy as I did. read more
10 years ago
We came here on my first night in Merida. This restaurant sits in a plaza that houses many different restaurants, and has plenty of outdoor seating. We sat down and ordered some glasses of wine. We ordered an appetizer while we perused the menu. I ordered filet mignon, which took about 15 minutes to get to me. The filet mignon was ok, but I've had better. It was not too tasty. The appetizer was far tastier. The staff here was friendly, and attentive. Really the only bad thing I have to say about this place was the main course. If I come back to the area one day, I may give this place a second shot. But for now... 3 stars. read more
5 years ago
Some components of the menu are good... We tried the empanadas, the bread, the Cesar salad and the free Starting sauces... All those were good. We are giving a 4 and not a 5 because the Ravioles and the shrim fettuccine were just Ok... And those are main courses that suposse to be the core of the menu. The Tamarindo Margarita was good although a little sweeter than usual. Last, their service was great and fast read more
La Recova is located next to (and actually spills out onto) the tiny but verdant Parque Santa Lucia at the corner of Calle 55 and Calle 60. La Recova is essentially an Argentine steakhouse. We came here because were drawn to its polished and upscale appearance and because it was located right across the street from our hotel. Our dinner experience, though a mixed bag overall, was certainly a learning experience. The big lesson: what is Argentine potato soufflé? If you think potato soufflé is something akin to potato au gratin, that would be incorrect. Actually, Argentine potato soufflé is a basket of warm rather-oily potato chips with a bubble of air in the middle of each chip. That's fine, but 145 pesos (about $10 USD) for a basket of potato chips? So yes, I was surprised when I ordered the potato soufflé and got potato chips. Yet, we thought we were on our way to a solid five-star experience after enjoying the crema de elote (finely puréed corn soup), served by nattily dressed waiters. The soup was outstandingly good, and so were the complimentary breads. But the service, while remaining friendly and respectful, turned very slow (even though the restaurant was not crowded). While we waited for our entrées, we became painfully aware of the much too loud Kenny G "lite jazz" being played. As awful as that musical genre is, adding insult to injury was that their soundtrack was short, so we kept on hearing the same songs over and again. JP asked a couple of times if anything could be done about the music, but his requests apparently fell on (tone) deaf ears. JP ordered venado (deer) for his entrée, and I went with the "short" loin steak. My loin steak was very very thick, but cooked well. Tender too. Topped with a sweet brown sauce, the meat tasted excellent. Accompanying the meat were thin slices of seasoned baked potato. JP's venado tasted good, but the problem was that despite the gargantuan dimensions of the meat on the plate, there were only three bites of meat. The rest was entirely bone! JP expressed his discontent, and to their credit, La Recova removed the deer from the tab and offered a complimentary dessert. The manager also came over to chat with JP about the meal. We demurred on the dessert offer, because we just wanted to leave, not wanting to listen to the Kenny G stuff one minute more. read more
The food in this place is actually decent but not for the price though. The price knocked a star off. I went there a couple of times and the food was consistently good enough. Not for everything. I really really liked the grilled vegetables. Didn't care for the chorizo. The corn soup would have been great if they didn't put goat/feta cheese in it. It was just too overpowering. The pork dish was huge and the meat wasn't that good either. I don't really anything that was too great in this place overall. The place is nice and in a great location close to the central area. However the price is just a big turn off. With two people you can easily spend like $70 for a meal. For Mexico this is just way too much. read more
8 years ago
3.5 Stars overall We came here for dinner and sat outside with a great view of Santa Lucia park. We started with some guacamole was pretty average and then brought some breads with chimichurri, cheese, and another creamy sauce. Some of the breads were sweet, more like breakfast muffins, which was a little strange. My wife enjoyed her shrimp dish and while my skirt was more rare than medium, it was still melt in your mouth delicious. Not sure if I would come back here given the other proven options in Santa Lucia read more
4 years ago
The service was excellent and the food was so delicious. I had the rib eye and it was perfect. My husband had the pork which was also very good. Our Server, Senovio, made us feel very welcome and knows enough English to help with words I didn't know. He helped to make our evening a great one. read more
7 years ago
Great food and excellent service. We had the ribeye, chicken breast, and chaya raviolis and everything was delicious! Menus were available in English which was very nice. read more
6 years ago
This was a spur the moment date night decision. Absolutely amazing. Highly recommend. Wait staff also amazing
7 years ago
Overpriced, Food was cold, the appetizers was serve with dinner, and we ordered fried yuca. We got a tiny shredded concoction of a discussing flavor. To the cook: If you are going to make fry yuca please look at the instructions. https://www.seriouseats.com/2012/09/latin-american-cuisine-how-to-make-fried-yuca.html read more
8 years ago
Imo the best and classiest Resturant in Merida. Food is amazing and the ambiance is outstanding. Also the staff is the best i have seen in town. Came here twice because the food was that good. They even make great mechiladas read more
7 years ago
The food was very very good. Ribeye cooked perfectly. Generous portions on the side veggies. Outside seating humid weather. But that's besides the whole atmosphere read more
7 years ago
Octopus was flavorful but cold, lobster fettucini had an odd flavor and was hard --suspect it was either very old or langostina tail (not true lobster) given the density. Service was lovely, but suggest other location if you want to treat your palate. read more
Nice location in the blv. Santa Lucia and nice atmosphere. Price in line with the European ones. Service and food really good. We had a steak (tasteful and juicy), a grilled octopus (just delicious), french fries (a little bit overpriced), grilled vegetable (a highlight), water and a nice bottle of malbec for a total of 42€ per person. Accompanied by the professional service of Cristobal. For sure a good escape from the touristic mexican restaurants. read more
7 years ago
We went to La Recova a couple of months ago and the experience still leaves a bad taste in our mouths. My girlfriend asked about the lobster tail on menu and the waiter enthusiastically recommended it. She asked if it was spicy, since she doesn't like overly spicy food, and the waiter said it was not spicy. When the lobster arrived at the table, it was big, old and tough--like chewing shoe leather. It was also so spicy she couldn't eat it. To add insult to injury, when the bill arrived we were charged an exorbitant price. Shocked, we asked the waiter to explain. He said the lobster tail was priced per weight. It's true, the menu indicated market price, but we never expected them to pawn off an old, stale, tough piece of seafood. My girlfriend is not a big person, and the waiter clearly could see she would never order a lobster tail that size. We asked the waiter why they had sold her such a big old piece without letting us know about the price first. He replied that it was the only one left in the tank. I suspect this was an old piece that had been laying around and they finally found a way to pass if off to trusting tourists. The waiter can't claim it is a language barrier that caused the misunderstanding, since my girlfriend is a native Spanish speaker. Not wanting to cause a scene, we paid the bill and filed it away in our memory as our only negative experience in Merida. read more
11 years ago
Wow! Best food I've eaten in all of Merida on my 9 day trip. So amazing I went here twice !
9 years ago
What a disappointment! This was our date night without the kids so we wanted something special and didn't want Yucatecan food. I wanted to go to Apoala in Santa Lucia square but it was closed for 2 weeks while we were there so based upon some trip advisors review of LaRecova, we gave it a shot. The service was good, not polished like I have had in some other Mexican restaurants but just good. The deer sausage appetizer was spicy, which was fine, but if someone is going to recommend it, it should generally appeal to a wide variety of people and this was 'reach for your water' spicy. The bread basket was nice. I had the duck in some kind of hibiscus sauce. It was edible but far from being tasty. The duck breast was dry and I didn't bother with the leg. The asparagus was cold. Plate warmers do not exist apparently. My favorite part was the crispy duck skin on top. My husband ordered a pig leg and it was large (and he said tasty) but it was COLD!! Ewww... neither of us even ate half our food. I asked for a cocktail recommendation and settled on a margarita because they indicated it was different than the regular margaritas. I make margaritas myself and wanted something different. It was nothing special, just a regular lime margarita. If you are going to charge these prices, your food needs to deliver on taste. Save yourself $70 (a dinner for 2) and just go down to La Gordita on the main plaza and get .60 gorditas. There may not be any ambiance, but the food taste good at least. My kids stayed home and ordered pizza from Escodida, which is an excellent pizza place. I was jealous. read more
11 years ago
Amazing food! Asado de tira! Big plate but amazing! I would definetely recommend it. But dont expect much in service.
More info about La Recova
Prolongación Montejo 382
Col. Emiliano Zapata Norte
97129 Mérida, Yucatán
Mexico
Directions
999 944 0215
Call Now
Visit Website
http://www.larecovamerida.com
Full menu
Hours
What time does La Recova open?
La Recova opens at 1:00 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
What time does La Recova close?
La Recova closes at 2:00 AM (Next day) on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.La Recova closes at 12:00 AM (Next day) on Sunday.
Mon-Sat 1:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day)Sun 1:00 PM - 12:00 AM (Next day)
Payment methods
Does La Recova take credit cards?
Yes, La Recova takes credit cards.
Food & Alcohol
Does La Recova have catering options?
Yes, La Recova does have catering options.
Does La Recova have a happy hour?
No, La Recova does not have a happy hour.
Does La Recova serve alcohol?
Yes, La Recova serves alcohol. Full Bar
Indoor Amenities
Does La Recova have TVs?
Yes, La Recova has TVs.
Outdoor Amenities
Does La Recova have bike parking?
No, La Recova does not have bike parking.
Does La Recova have outdoor seating?
Yes, La Recova has outdoor seating options.
Does La Recova have parking?
Yes, La Recova has parking options. Street Parking
Other Amenities
Does La Recova allow outdoor smoking?
Yes, La Recova allows outdoor smoking.
Does La Recova have free WiFi?
Yes, La Recova has free WiFi.
La Recova Reviews in Other Languages
Review Highlights - La Recova
“G. Steak is good, lobster is good, and while I didn't get it, try the grilled octopu”
Mentioned in 2 reviews









































































