Somaru Nuevo Vallarta — Restaurant in Nayarit

Somaru: when Korean BBQ turns into a Mexican sauna

Boulevard Nuevo Vallarta has a new player: Somaru, a Korean barbecue–style restaurant. The place is visually appealing, with a design that promises a full experience… until you sit down. The chairs are stiff and uncomfortable, seemingly designed to discourage lingering.

The concept is straightforward: each table has its own grill for cooking meats and vegetables, along with an à la carte menu. On paper, brilliant. In execution, suffocating. The day I visited, the fans and extractors were out of service; air conditioning was nonexistent, and the “solution” was to open the doors. The result: heat, smoke, and zero glamour.

I ordered what the restaurant calls a “buffet.” The word is ambitious: what they actually serve is a mandatory tasting menu. First, several small appetizers arrived—croquettes, dumplings, noodles, vegetable pancakes—all delicious. Then came the centerpiece: meats and vegetables, beautifully arranged to grill at the table, with lettuce leaves, sauces, and rice. The quality was excellent; the flavors, praiseworthy.

The problem wasn’t the food, but the rules. My mother, who only ordered ramen (a portion large enough for two adults), was forbidden from trying even a bite of my menu, because “the buffet is personal.” That might be forgivable. But the real absurdity came when I asked to take home what I couldn’t finish—because the portions were excessive for one person—and was flatly refused. Perfectly good food had to go straight into the trash, per the owner’s orders.

In countries like Mexico, Canada, the U.S., or across Europe, a buffet means freedom of choice: you serve yourself what you want, in the quantity you want, and of course you can’t take it home. But here there was no buffet line, no freedom of choice—just an imposed menu with oversized portions and zero flexibility. That, ladies and gentlemen, is not a buffet; it’s a disguised tasting menu. And in any respectable tasting menu around the world, guests are allowed to take home leftovers. Forcing diners to throw away food of such quality is not only clumsy but deeply unethical.

The positives? The meat is superb, the sauces addictive, and the ramen could feed a small family. The wine list is weak, but at least corkage is allowed for $300 pesos, which saves the evening if you bring a decent bottle yourself.

My conclusion: Somaru has potential, but as long as they cling to absurd rules and confuse “buffet” with “mandatory tasting menu,” the smoke from their grills will linger in a half-empty dining room. A shame, because with a few basic adjustments, they could shine. Otherwise, I doubt they’ll survive beyond the...

I hate buffets but this was on another level. The food was fantastic, the meat was great (no additions just salt because honestly it was some of the best cuts of meat I’ve ever tasted, and that was more than enough). I went with my two sisters and just one serving was more than enough we were super full afterwards. All of the Korean side dishes were exquisite. Will...

Fresh amazing tasty food that you grill yourself, delicious drinks and attentive service. What more could you ask for. If you love meat this is the place for you. We ordered two premium dinners and had a hard time finishing everything. The ribs and the spicy margaritas were to die for. Add it to your must try restaurants in...