El Varadero — Restaurant in Isla Mujeres

OK so how do I review this place? I'm conflicted! My wife, family, and I have been here many times. 3 Years ago I was ALL in at 5 stars. It is still a super great place to experience and enjoy the "local mexican isla feel" however the food presentation and quality has slipped. Yes there are still fried plantains and other fruits provided with your meal, but the overall presentation is less now. I've been saddened that the pictures of Castro have been removed from the walls and reportedly sold off. It was one other thing that made this place intriguing. I'm told Castro use to frequent this place in the day. OK, so I'm done complaining. You will not find another amazing location to have a meal. It is on the narrow channel on one of isla's inlets. I love seeing that (apparently) storm trashed sail boat on the other side of the channel for all these years. It has been there since day one (for us). You need to adventure in a bit to find this place, but...

We have gone to El Varadeto every time we visit the island for the last 6 years. We have had amazing meals, services, and drinks until today. We got there just afternoon. We were told by the waitress that the kitchen was closed. Which was fine because we only wanted a mojito. As soon as we sat down, the waitress ripped down the 2 for 1 mojito sign that looked like the same sign that was there our last visit in 2020. We thought, hmm, that's weird! We looked at the menu and saw that the Mojito were 160 peso each. Had our drink and asked for the bill. She charged us 180 peso per drink. 20 peso extra for each drink. Needless to say, she did not get a tip, and we will never go back. Should also add, we saw people at another table...

Authentic, wonderful Cuban restaurant right on the canal. You get to watch fishing boats come and go while eating delicious food with amazing drinks. And even a traditional Cuban coffee, but more, can you ask for? There are a couple of people who gave bad reviews for the speed of service. But I would argue that they need to chill out and just enjoy the place because the food is worth the wait. And individually prepared meals, take a little time. The owner even walked my wife out to the car when it was raining, one of the kindness gestures. I highly recommend this place.

One sidenote, it is set back from the road, but you can drive in through the gates or walk in...