Evass Restaurante — Restaurant in Playa del Carmen

My favourite local breakfast spot Clementinas (great coffee, cappuccinos, bakery items, brunch items prepared with care) was closed on Sunday, so I decided to give Evass a try.

The restaurant is newer, spotless, white table cloth, staff in white shirts with ties, definitely upscale looking, and for a nice change air-conditioned.

Walking through the front door - opened by a greeter - felt like walking out of Mexico into wannabe metropolitan France. Nothing wrong with that, if that is what you are looking for. But even there, between the large TVs set on News or Sports, sprinkled between large pieces of Art it seemed that this ambitious place was lost in a clear character... felt more like a mid-scale hotel restaurant... impersonal.

Then the staff, bless them, obviously trained to be upscale (napkins on lap, pulling out chairs, super professional) seemed uneasy, clearly not enthusiastic to be there, smiling at the table but again appearing to be anything but the warm, gracious, happy people I have come to love in Mexico. As if they were stripped of their personalities to fulfill some ideal of the owner.

With my expectations now adjusted to this setting, I was dying to order their baguette with Ham and Cheese and a cappuccino. I had eaten a lot of traditional local food and so being here I felt like fresh white bread, with Jamon and Queso.

I wish I had taken photos.... the cappuccino, arrived overstated, tasting ok, flanked by a long spoon with a bend the handle, I guess to balance on the corner of the glass? (It did not balance)

And then we waited... we joked at some point that they had to cure the ham first, and when our two sandwiches (smoked salmon for my friend) finally arrived, I could not believe it.

Even though the menu had said "on baguette" the bread was soft, white "Bimbo"-type... far from a French baguette or any bakery type bread for that matter.

The leaf of salad was wilted, the ham although good tasting, seemed a little off in colour and the combination was dry. Again, anywhere else I would have not minded as much but given the white table cloths and prices....

In short, we could not wait to get out of there. Looking around at other tables, their food seemed American dinner dressed up to be fancy but not quite knowing how to achieve that.

Now, I usually do not write picky reviews and am easy going. This place has so much potential, and based on the other reviews, I do believe that their main courses are indeed good, again if small, fancy servings on big plates is your thing.

A few small adjustments (find a real bread supplier, loose the ties, and allow the staff to be who they are while being "quietly" professional, decide on one interior theme) will do wonders, and have this place be full on even a Sunday morning. Maybe swing by Clementinas to understand what I am talking...

Evaas Restaurant, incredible food and great prices. Yesterday, exploring this culinary mecca we went to Evass on Colonia Ejidal. We realy enjoyed the Haute Cousine. We had Ratatouille, Ravioli filled with Chaya and a Crusted fish (Robalo) just a few places serve this fish because is expensive, so it means they care much about quality. They have a master bartender that creates memorable drinks. Personal attention from Chef Eden. So to summarize: Superb food, service, beautiful place (all the tables are made of Parota wood) free parking and security so your car is safe. At a very good price. From my past posts you know me I only recommend places I've visited and their quality, flavor, and general ambiance...

We stayed in Casa Ejido Hotel and we were told that there were a partnership with Evass restaurant for breakfast so we went. We arrived at 9 am and the place was empty. We started to order and asked about the special breakfast for Casa Ejido Hotel's customers but were told that we couldn't benefit from the offer. Still a mystery why... The service was ok, one server was pretty cold but the other one was really nice. Overall, the food was alright, nothing exceptional but ok for breakfast. It was convenient because it was really close to our hotel, but it's not necessarily a place we'll...