Nixtamal (Cocina a Fuego y Ceniza) — Restaurant in Bacalar

First of all: go eat here. The food is top notch and we loved every bite. The ambiance is nice and we had a good time.

This review could be 5 stars if the service and some details were better. It's a shame because they set their own bar very high by their story, mission and prizes.

We went there straight from a sailing trip on the lake. We got welcomed very friendly and got a nice table, fresh cold water and the menu. We realized we left our money at the hotel, and since the atm was equally far away as the atm and we felt a bit underdressed anyway we would return to the hotel, put on fresh clothes and get back to the restaurant. When we got back the waiter didn't recognize us which was a bit strange since we came with bikes which we had to park on their premises, and we straightly went back to our table were our glasses of water still were. The bottle was gone and we didn't get this replaced, I just realized. An other waiter took our order, I think the manager? And he did a good job explaining the menu and answering questions. We explained I wanted a starter but my boyfriend was going for dessert. He realized we were interested in the story of the beer we ordered and gave us a document we could read about the background and values of the restaurant. We liked this very much, but they absolutely don't follow up on these values (6 senses). Will explain:

Vision Everything looked really nice and tasteful. They put effort in their decorations and in how they make up the plates. But there were some details that could be better, that wouldn't matter for lower level restaurants that don't claim to have this mission. Example: put the 'please don't flush toilet paper' note in a frame so it matches the rest of the restroom decorations and put the same beautiful trashcans in the bathrooms as are now under the sink. Maybe even have a better lay out of the menu. But these are minor things, just details that can be adjusted.

Hearing The music was nice and on a good level. No comments here.

Smell All smelt nice and warm, until they decided to start cleaning up when there were still people eating. Washing up liquid smells overwhelming and dominant over the smell of our food.

Taste Haven't had eaten this good our entire stay in Yucatan. Absolutely no remarks here.

Touch The chairs ware not really comfortable.

Intuition This absolutely lacks. Main course followed the starter really quick, but would have been an opportunity to ask if we wanted another drink. Which they did not. We had to look for a waiter to order a drink which was annoying. Our empty glasses were left on the table when we did get a new drink. We were finished with the main course for at least 30 minutes and our empty plates and glasses were still there, nobody asked if we wanted desert even though we told that we did want a dessert when ordering our starter and main. Everybody was too busy cleaning up since it was almost closing time. We had to get up from our table to ask if we could order desert since it was almost 11. The waiter was going to see what he could do, and luckily my boyfriend got to order. However, I was not asked if I wanted something else as well, and ended up watching my boyfriend eat his chocolate without a drink. Which I for sure would have ordered if not feeling this rushed. Staff was running around taking away pillows from chairs and nobody paid attention to the 3 tables that were still eating. After asking for the bill we received this and it contained a small form for feedback. Without a pen. So we had to ask for a pen.

Its a shame that they fail on this intuition part pretty bad, because all else is good or even excellent. If this was good as well we would have left feeling luxerious and a bit spoiled. Now we had the best dinner and still felt a...

Bacalar has plenty of wonderful dining options, and I’d encourage visitors to explore them. As for us, we’ll be laughing about this one for years—but from another restaurant.

After years in the restaurant industry in NYC, I thought I had seen it all. But our recent dinner at Nixtamal in Bacalar proved me wrong.

We were a group of six, and three of us ordered the lobster. It took two hours to arrive—not a problem, we weren’t in a rush. But when it finally came, all three dishes were so overpoweringly salty they were inedible. Not just over-seasoned, but so bad it actually hurt their mouths. Mistakes happen, and we politely let the server know.

Instead of a simple apology and solution, we got attitude. The server seemed annoyed we even brought it up, as if we were inconveniencing him. He called over the chef, who immediately got defensive and dismissive, insisting they had served 40 lobsters that night and we were the only ones with a problem. Rather than acknowledging our issue, he acted like we were making it up. Still, he reluctantly agreed to remake the dishes.

When the food came back, the server casually informed us they had washed the lobsters in the sink and recooked them. At this point, we couldn’t believe what we were hearing. Unsurprisingly, the food was still inedible. When we told the server, he rolled his eyes and sighed like we were being unreasonable. The chef returned, smirking, and told us he had tasted it himself and thought it was perfectly fine—meaning he had eaten directly off one of our plates. Then he walked away and never returned.

At this point, we had been waiting for over three hours just to get an edible meal. We asked multiple times to speak with the manager, but he flat-out refused to come to our table. He sent the server back with a message: No, they would not make us another dish, and yes, we still had to pay. Instead of fixing their mistake, they smugly offered us alcohol—as if that would make us forget we were being scammed.

After four attempts to get a fair resolution, one of us finally said, “Fine, we just won’t pay for the three lobsters.” That’s when things escalated. The server sneered and threatened to call the police on us. At that point, it was clear they were trying to intimidate us into paying for food they knew was inedible. Rather than deal with more hostility, we paid, left, and immediately disputed the charge—which we won.

Here’s the thing: Restaurants have off nights. We weren’t expecting perfection, just basic hospitality. Instead, we were met with outright rudeness, blatant dishonesty, and...

I found Nixtamal as I was searching for the best place for my group to celebrate my partner's birthday. Nixtamal and two other establishments surfaced in several searches, but Nixtamal stood out the most. And we are so glad it did.

From the beginning, Nixtamal did an amazing job at answering all my questions and helping with making a reservation. They also provided helpful information which helped us decide on the perfect time for our reservation.

We arrived during daylight, and the establishment was beautiful even then. It is full of greenery, smal creatures, and wonderful staff. Everything this places uses is environmentally friendly and they do not waste anything, as they even make cups out of wine bottles. Super cool! The place smells impeccable with a smokey smell, and they randomly use some type of smoke to deter bugs. So do not worry!

Humberto was our waiter and he was very attentive, knowledgeable, friendly, and hilarious throughout our stay. I must add that every other stsff member we encountered was just as pleasant.

We took our time ordering to enjoy the ambiance. But everything we had was out of this world delicious. Their cocktails are fresh and delicious. Their food is unique but AMAZINGLY delicious. Their dessert was also great. The staff did a wonderful job at celebrating my partner's bday which consisted of a mini cake, shot, and live show. I must also add live music begins at 8 and ends at closing. Everything about this place was on point. I have never been to a restaurant that checks off all the boxes. We left this place feeling amazing after our wonderful experience and we cannot wait to return. Thank you very much for the experience and wonderful hospitality, Nixtamal, Humberto, and rest...