Bovinos Steakhouse | Playa del Carmen — Restaurant in Playa del Carmen

Bovinos Review

3/15/22

Today I took my partner to eat at Bovinos in Playa Del Carmen and it was bad news from the beginning. When we first arrived, there was no hostess at the door to greet us, so we waited a while. Once the hostess came over, I told her that we had a reservation for 2, which she was unable to find in the system. I also had to remind her that the reservation was to celebrate my parters birthday, since it could not be found in the system. We were then told to wait, while they set up the decorations at the table.

Once we were seated, the manager, Ruby, came to our table explain menu and dining experience. While doing so, he explained that we would be able to choose from any hot meats available and also any food from the cold bar (all you can eat). He then went on to say that we would also be able to choose from any of the seafood available, but that selection would not be all you can eat. I then asked him to clarify if the seafood selection would cost extra. To which he answered “no, it is included!”. We then happily went over to the cold bar to serve ourselves.

After finishing our meals, we received the bill and noticed that we were charged $165 CAD for 2 meals and 2 beers. This was surprising because our expectation was that it would cost $615 pesos per person ($38 CAD), based on other reviews we read. We then spoke with Ruby again, since he was the person who initially gave us the information about the menu. We asked him about the price discrepancy and he explained that there are two dinner packages available — one with meat only and the other, which includes seafood. We then reminded him that in his initial presentation of the menu, he said that the seafood was included and he also failed to tell us that there are two dinner packages available. This is when he tried to argue that he had not made a mistake and he also kept saying “you guys ate the seafood, right? So we have to charge you”. We were completely taken back by his unprofessionalism and kindly told him that we were not going to pay for the seafood package and that he needed to amend the bill. After going back and forth for a few more minutes (while other customers and staff watched) Ruby finally took responsibility for his mistake and offered to remove 1 seafood package from our bill. This means that I ended up paying for 1 meat only dinner package, 1 seafood dinner package and 2 beers.

While, I completely expect to spend a bit more when dining at a nicer establishment, I would’ve never expected the manager to provide false information and then become argumentative.

Before visiting Bovinos, I read reviews where others have mentioned similar experiences, but I still wanted to give this place a chance. Honestly, I should’ve trusted the reviews and saved my money. This place is a scam. Please beware of this...

Overpriced, deceptive, hugely disappointing.

Do yourself a favour and read the 1-star reviews before visiting — they paint a picture of a deceptive pricing structure which prays on tourists and which we were victim to tonight (Sun 14 November 2021).

My Brazilian wife and I are well used to eating in Brazilian steakhouses and would be pretty confident in spotting a good one from a poor one. When we arrived, we told the waitress about a seafood allergy I have and yet it transpires after getting home and reading other reviews that we were charged the higher set-menu price which includes the seafood options. It’s a total scam!

When we were seated, we were told it was 1,250MXD per person and weren’t given any menu or any indication there was a different pricing structure for non-seafood eaters. They didn’t even have a drinks menu so we ordered drinks (which weren’t included in the set price) completely blind. The meal itself was average; the salad bar had lots of trays missing and the labelling was poor with many dishes not labelled at all making it very difficult for any guests with allergies. The meat selection was okay but it was noticeable that there was a constant stream for the first 5-10 minutes and then nothing for a while after that. We also had to reject 5 or 6 seafood dishes despite telling the initial greeter about my allergies. It begs the question, why did they bother asking in the first place?

The music was strange to say the least, going from pop songs, to dance bangers, to Arabic-inspired songs, to a man with a violin all in the space of 20 minutes. And there was no toilet roll in one of the male toilet cubicles either, something you expect at a fast-food restaurant not somewhere charging you these kind of prices.

When we were presented with the final bill, including drinks and gratuity, the final bill was over 3,000MXD which is about £110 sterling (photo included is before gratuity). For that money, I would be expecting transparent service, exquisite food, and a first-class dining experience — unfortunately we got none of these things.

As others have said, the pricing structure is extremely deceptive and not at all conductive to a restaurant that cares about its customers. I would advise you to think twice before going there, there are far better Brazilian steakhouses around (including over the road; Ipanema) for...

Now, I know, 950 MXN for a buffet seems insane. I freaked out when the waiter told us about the hefty pricetag. However, if you prove that you are a local, they give you a 50% discount. Suddenly 450 MXN seems reasonable.

Before tourists start whining UNFAIR and go WAMBULANCE, recall that the average annual salary for a college educated mexican is between 5000-10000 USD. Yes, and those are actually middle class salaries. I would also like to mention that if you travel to PDC on volaris or Interjet, chances are Bovinos is running an ad in the airplane magazine that offers a 50% discount if you show the ad to them. I think it also applies for foreigners.

Also, I can't understand why foreign tourists will complain about the prices here (the menu says the prices perfectly well and the staff are very honest). People complain about the prices here but don't complain about the insane cost to visit Xcaret. I won't even begin to complain about the totally insane prices ADO charges on a whim because they have no competition.

Putting that aside, is the food worth the price? YES, YES, YES!!! This is an upper scale restaurant and Brazilian eateries are expensive, deal with it. However, I have eaten all you can eat places in Mexico City for 400 MXN and the meat was usually extremely salty and dry. Bovinos offers quality and quantity. The meat simply melts in your mouth like butter, the portions never seem to end and the buffet table is just a myraid of colors and textures. I can't stop commending their unbeatably stellar sushi. This isn't supposed to be a seafood restaurant, but the fare they offer is simply marvelous when you get tired of eating perfectly roasted beef. If you love oysters, they have it fresh and with the perfect amount of lemon.

If I could afford the hefty price tag more often, I would be coming here over and over again. Arguably one of the best places to...