Restaurante Bar and Grill Viva Zapata Isla Holbox — Restaurant in Isla Holbox

The restaurant we were planning on going to for seafood was closed, so we opted for Viva Zapata last minute, based on online reviews.WOW! Best dinner of our almost 2 week stay on the island! The staff was very welcoming, attentive and helpful, the atmosphere was vibrant, and the food was wonderfully prepared, SO flavourful, and beautifully presented. We chose the Tierra & Libertad and Mexitonic for our starter cocktails. Both were beautifully presented and contained combinations we haven't had before. Very tasty! We chose the grilled vegetable salad for our appetizer and the vegetables were perfectly tender, crispy and sweet. Our mains were the Pasta del mar (a seafood pasta in tomato sauce on fettuccine noodles), and the Mariscos Guimerol (house specialty) which was mixed seafood in a creamy white sauce. Both were perfectly cooked, with an abundance of tender and juicy seafood in each dish. We ordered the Casa Madero 2v bottle of wine, but they were out of stock. Our waiter very patiently and diligently searched for a wine that would be comparable and pleasing to our palate. We ended up with an Argentinian wine, Finca Las Moras, a delightful Sauvignon Blanc. We so enjoyed our meal, the service and the atmosphere that we decided to splurge on a shared shot of Don Julio 1942 Tequila as a digestif. It was so smooth! A superb tequila with a rich caramel and chocolate nose, and a taste of warm oak, rich vanilla and roasted agave. Although pricey, this will change any tequila-avoider into a changed consumer! We HIGHLY recommend this wonderful restaurant with an authentic and vibrant Mexican feel, coupled with some of the best food and service on Holbox Island! We were so impressed with our evening, we asked our Barman Diego to provide us with the names of all who were working that evening and who contributed to our exquisite experience at Viva Zapata. In no particular order: Camarero Ivan, Camarera Maggie, Bartender Capi, Barman Diego, Cocinero Fernando, Cocinera Alexandra, and Cocinero Jesús. I don't believe that our wonderful hostess is included in this list, and we failed to get her name, but each and every employee last night made our visit and meal one...

We actually stumbled upon this restaurant headed to another spot. So glad we stopped and looked at the menu and then reviews to confirm this place is good. We enjoyed our Thanksgiving at this beautiful restaurant and ordered 3 meals to share between our family of 3. The food was extremely plentiful. The steak served on a sizzling platter should have been ordered medium rare to allow to cook like at the table to a medium. The fish was grilled. Not our favorite or all that tasty but plentiful and it could easily have fed all three of us with no issue. To enjoy the taste more we placed inside of their delicious homemade tortillas and the wow factor increased. But...we will stick to fried. Our absolute favorite item - the pasta.

I would return for the pasta and some of the other grilled items. The server recommended the octopus and shrimp. The margaritas were fantastic. Probably the best I’ve had. And given some of the beach prices go up to $210P (I’m talking about you Nubes), theirs at $90P wasn’t bad.

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I thought it was very average. The fajitas were grilled nicely but not much flavor, same with the shrimp tacos, cooked perfectly but it was just shrimp and avocado. The pico they serve with it is also very plain and small and I asked for limes, which helped but also should just be served on the plate as it needed acid. The portions were ok but for $15usd/plate I would expect more flavor. The service was super friendly but clunky. Instead of topping up our waters they took the glasses away to refill and we were left with our mains ready to eat but not a drop of drink on the table (we were still waiting for our drink order from the bar). My husband also had to ask for a plate for his fajitas. The courtyard could benefit from more fans being turned on, only half were in use and it was a sweaty dinner. Wouldn’t recommend it with plenty of other options around. Leaving this mostly for the sake of the restaurant who wanted us to fill out a paper survey about our experience but it never got filled out because the bill was wrong and needed...