From Chicago, first time at Oliva today. Here are my thoughts:…read more -We had a bigger party of 8 people and made reservations ahead of time. They gave us a perfect private room! -We ordered the bruschetta for an appetizer, and it was excellent! The tomatoes were really, really good. -I got the cacio y pepe for my entree and it was easily the best I've ever had outside of Italy : ) Very tender pasta, in a peppery white sauce. -I tried the ravioli and it was delicious, nice spices and sauce. -Service was excellent! This place is on the fancier side. We got in with shorts, but more formal waiters, etc. -If I could only go back to one restaurant in Merida, this would be it. Highly recommended!

GREAT PLACE, RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED - We've been here three times, twice inside and once outside…read more Inside it is very nice, attentive staff, and charming. Outside it was still pleasant but you sit on plastic chairs and most the diners outside, like us, waited about 30 minutes at our tables until our order was taken. Definitely the walk ons who eat outside seem to have less attention granted to them, but to sit inside you need a reservation when it is busy, so reservations are recommended. All that said once we placed our order the food was promptly served on all occassions. It was always rich and delicious, with all ingredients tasting super fresh. The flavors were bold but not overpowering, and the portion sizes were modest but fair. The prices were a bit high relative to other places you could find around here but generally speaking you pay for quality at this place. It's an excellent option for some homemade pasta and fantastic salads, but that also makes it super popular, so just be patient as you may need to wait at times. Still the wait is worth it, give it a chance you won't be disappointed. Happy eating! -John Seeto

I hadn't eaten here in a while. The food was still delicious with the portions being more than…read moreadequate. The staff was attentive. The prices are not cheap but worth the cost.

We had a nice Saturday night meal here. Our friend from Mérida said this is definitely old school…read moreItalian here in Mérida. The place is decorated like an old Italian villa. Lots of pictures and carvings on the wall. We were seated right away with our 7:30 reservation. My wife and ordered a glass of Tempranillo which was quite chilled. A little too cold so waited a while to drink. We started the meal with a caprese salad. Tomatoes and mozzarella was sitting on lettuce. My wife had to ask for some basil. I ordered penne pasta with onion,garlic, bacon, and tomato sauce. My wife ordered the creamy pasta with chopped shrimp and vegetables. She really enjoyed her dish. They did serve really good bread with a herbed butter. It was very good. Our waiter was friendly and gave good service.

Loved all the dishes here! We had 4 different pasta and all were cooked well but my favorite was…read moreLINGUINE GAMBERETTI E LIMONE. It has spice and citrus with shrimp and just yummie!! I don't get the take the picture of that dish cuz I just dug into it too fast . The deserts were really delish too

An absolutely terrible experience from start to finish. The only single thing that was good the…read moreentire night was the first drink I ordered, the "Espíritu Playero." After that, everything went downhill. The food was a disappointment. The Bruschetta ai Funghi looked completely different from the menu photo--tasted okay, but it was incredibly dry. The gnocchi bolognese was just mediocre, definitely not worth the price. To make matters worse, the staff completely ignored my table after dropping off the food. I had zero follow-up, yet I clearly saw every other table around me receiving maximum attention. The service here is extremely selective and unprofessional. The drink situation was even worse. I ordered a Spanish white wine that was awful, so I asked to switch it for a sweet cocktail, the "Atardecer en Progreso." It was a disaster: it was bright green (even though mango/passion fruit is supposed to be yellow), and the bottom of the drink was incredibly bitter and undrinkable. When I pointed this out, the waitress just dismissed it, saying "that's how it is." To top it all off, they still charged me for the wrong drink they messed up. WARNING TO EXPATS AND TOURISTS: They use abusive and dishonest billing practices. My actual bill was $933 MXN (around $53.30 USD), but they ran my card for $61.82 USD without my consent, forcing a terrible exchange rate to pocket an extra $9. I went back to complain, and I was met by a clueless "supposed manager" because an actual, professional manager was nowhere to be found. Terrible customer service. TIP: If you are a foreigner, ALWAYS demand to pay in PESOS (local currency) on the card machine. Never let them select USD, or you will get ripped off. Avoid this place at all costs!

Best Italian we had in Merida! Charming and private street side seating with spectacular food from…read morethe bruschetta alla caprese to the strawberry and balsamic salad to the Lasagna.

From the owner: Cocina Casera y Tradicional Italiana. Contamos con una…read morepequeña terraza al aire libre, abrimos en las tardes y también hacemos encargos para eventos todo el año y comida para llevar. Cada semana tenemos diferentes especialidades diferentes a nuestro menú fijo. Pregunta por la especialidad del día y nuestras promociones. También contamos con una selección de vinos importados y cervezas. En Amore e Gusto queremos que te enamores de la buena comida como nosotros y disfrutes del gusto y el placer del buen comer.

Very good food and nice place, good location, very nice patio, nice to go for dinner.read more

After trying @olivapatio for the first time I know it will not be the last. Every dish,…read moreincluding the wine, was fantastic and although I would have preferred the portions be a bit larger, I left feeling fully satisfied from all the delicious flavors. Pictured here is the beef Carpaccio, salmon, beef filet and chocolate pie.

We didn't have a reservation and they were able to fit us in by the door. The music was very loud…read moremaking conversation at the table difficult. The food was outstanding and the service was spot on.

This place is a must!! I stopped by for dinner and was immediately seated. The food and service…read morewere absolutely amazing! I was so so impressed with the Gorgonzola gnocchi. The parm foam added a lightness to the sauce that can be really difficult to get with a cheese sauce. The restaurant is intimate and borders on upscale, definitely recommend!

From the owner: We specialize in baguettes, ciabatas, salads, pizzas and pastas, with a homemade touch.read more

We enjoyed our meal at La Fogatta Plus. The pizza was quite delicious and the beer was cold. We've…read morebeen there before and will go again. Service was good and place was very clean. This was their restaurant. They also have another location in Merida that I believe is takeout only.

I guess I went to the smaller place. Walk up tiny stairs to the right to a small cozy dining area…read moreupstairs. The waitress was excellent very nice and attentive. Pizza is wood fired and came out perfect. 10/10 would recommend this place. Perfect crisp and amazing toppings!!

I really enjoy their pizza but the service has gone far downhill. Pizza ordered early in the…read moreevening, everything seemed fine, the window for the delivery time passed and nothing showed up. Called the restaurants phone and it rang and rang and nobody picked up. Finally had to contact Uber to cancel. Too many other good pizza places in Centro for this monkey business.

Many people love Eskondida, its centrally located and its one of a few places in Merida that aim to…read moreserve New York style pizza. It's a challenge being in Merida for sure, the ingredients are hard to get consistently, I remember one time I couldn't find basil at Chedraui for over 6 weeks. So it's not an easy place to build a pizza empire, that much is true, but the owners here clearly care about quality and try to offer the best Merida can offer. The prices are not crazy but Merida is a very pizza heavy city so it's really about what are you looking for. I get the impression the decor is going for a New York pizza place, which is in theme. I've only been once and got spotty service, but Merida is certainly overall a bit hard to find long term teams with perfect service. For some folks, especially those looking for something that reminds them of NY style, this will be their spot. If you are into the New York style of pizza its worth a try, noting in advance its hard to replicate NY style outside NY. But if you are into Detroit, Chicago, Neopolitan, Sicilian, or other styles, just be aware this is shooting for NY style, not those other variants.