Ilios — Restaurant in Playa del Carmen

My group and I choose this place as our last meal of the trip. We were extremely excited to try this place out and had reservations ahead of time but ended up being free earlier in the day and the restaurant was able to push our reservation earlier which kind of them. Loved the atmosphere and how the hosts were all dressed to match the aesthetic of Greek restaurant. The belly dancer performance was pretty cool. I love how they let you choose what to add to the water such as cucumber, lemon, or lime which made your water experience feel luxurious. Overall this restaurant had a lot of promise but the server really was a make or break it for me.

One of the first red flags was that our server Adi when we were seated actually asked us for a review before our food even came or we finished ordering. The reason he asked for a review is because he actually was looking at my phone screen and saw that I was looking at Tripadvisor since I wanted to see some pictures of the food. I was a little unsettled that not only was he looking at me on my phone and what I was doing but he also tried getting a review before food was out. I told him I would since I felt a little awkward about interaction and he stood behind me as if waiting for me to write it right then and there and I told him I would do it after we were done eating since I didn't even get to experience whole meal yet. The next encounter that was unsettling was when we were ordering I specifically told him I would be sharing with my husband and pointed to my husband. He then proceeded to go to my husband and ask what he wanted and I repeated to Adi that he was the one I was sharing with, after that he kept asking my husband what he wanted and my husband was confused since we were telling him we were sharing and he then proceeded to rudely say I know I understand English, and then proceeded to ask my husband what he wanted again although we repeated that we were sharing and didn't need anything else to order. It felt like he was pressuring us to order more and what was crazy is that we ordered two entrees that we both were sharing so it was plenty of food for two people.

The food was presented nicely especially with the plates, but then there was more drama at our table again because Adi put plates on our table since some of us were sharing but then realized there wasn't enough space so they took all extra plates out. Then our other server Roberto puts all our plates back, then Adi sees Roberto putting the plates back down and then proceeds to yell at him which was extremely uncomfortable and then angrily pick up all the plates again. Honestly up until this point we weren't enjoying the atmosphere at the place since we had a horrible time with the server. Manager did come by right when food came out to see how was everything but, we felt so uncomfortable that we didn't want to say anything since Adi was right there so we just wanted to hurry up and eat and leave. Food came out with nice presentation, and overall wasn't too bad only the lobster was a little overcooked and chewy and the fish fillet was small serving. We had a birthday celebration but honestly at that point we wanted to leave since we felt pretty uncomfortable with server and asked for check but then he threw some free stuff at us like free birthday cake, cookies, and bracelet which he said everyone gets. Although they were nice gestures we had such an uncomfortable time up until the point of asking for check that we didn't even enjoy them at the end because of overall experience. The final issue we had is that he first insisted on a 20% or 18% tip. After all the craziness you really want to insist on 18-20% tip? That was an instant turn off and we wanted to give him a lower tip because of uncomfortable experience. He then proceeded to argue with us back and forth about what he deserves and wouldn't let us pay unless we added more tip which was crazy. Overall server made experience horrible and worst part was that it was last meal of trip so it left bad taste...

Complaint Regarding the Incident at Restaurant Ilios – Playa del Carmen

Dear Sir/Madam,

On the night of March 15th to 16th, 2025, my fiancée and I visited your restaurant, Ilios,in Playa del Carmen. We had made a reservation and spent 750 $ for two people – without food – within just two hours. Unfortunately, our evening was overshadowed by an extremely unpleasant incident, which we would like to formally address.

During our stay, a guest at the neighboring table deliberately threw his plate to the floor – a practice that is not uncommon in Greek culture. It is important to note that the guest did this solely because my fiancée had received a marriage proposal from me that evening. She was very happy about the proposal, and in a Greek restaurant, it is not unusual to participate in the custom of breaking plates, which she had intended to do. My fiancée deliberately stepped on the plate, which, however, did not belong to our table.

Despite this, we were forced to cover the cost of the damage. We were charged 100 $ for this plate,without any fair clarification of the situation.

However, our issue is not just with the unjustified charge, but also with the disrespectful and inappropriate treatment we received as guests. The responsible evening manager, Christian,completely lost his professionalism and shouted at us in front of all the guests, so that every table in the restaurant witnessed the incident. A respectful and reasonable communication would have been appropriate, especially given the significant amount we spent. Instead, we were publicly humiliated and made to feel belittled.

Our attempts to resolve the situation respectfully were rejected. Instead, we were told that our behavior towards the restaurant was disrespectful. However, respect is only due to those who also show respect.The manner in which we were treated is unacceptable and far from what one would expect in an upscale restaurant.

Particularly disappointing was the reaction of the on-site Chief Manager, who showed no interest in addressing the situation appropriately. His indifferent behavior only worsened the negative impression.

As restaurateurs who run several establishments ourselves, we are shocked by this kind of customer treatment.We spent 750 $ for two people – without food – within just two hours, and our concerns were not taken seriously in any way. Our entire evening, which was of special significance to us, was ruined by the unprofessional and disrespectful behavior of the restaurant management. The entire team had to suffer from this behavior, as we, for understandable reasons, did not leave any tip.

Additionally, there was a discrepancy on our bill: it does not mention a plate. Instead, food items were simply added, and the amount charged went from 100 $ to 130 $, Is bookkeeping in Mexico not important?**

We expect an official statement regarding this incident and an explanation as to why such behavior is tolerated in your...

I used to go to Harry’s steakhouse often, which is great in my opinion. So when I heard this place is owned by Harry’s I was kind of excited to go. Anyway, I’m not going to beat the bush. I went with a friend there the other day, the ambiance and shows were great. It looks very presentable but a few hours after my dinner I was sick as heck from food poisoning. It was 100% this restaurant because I didn’t eat anything else except for a banana in the morning. Even then I thought you know what, let me check the reviews since I never did because Trusted the Harry’s company to perform well. So I checked the reviews and looks like a lot of people recently suffered the same thing. This is not a joke. It really affects the travel experience of the guest to have to go through something like this. It’s horrific. I dislike the feeling of food poisoning so so much. I’ve been in bed for almost 3 days now. I have chills, body aches, going to the bathroom every 3 minutes. Headache, I’m severely dehydrated. I took a Covid test to make sure and it’s negative. I spent a lot of money that night to feel this much pain it’s unbelievable how careless this restaurant can be. And especially that they’re brand new, you would expect them to go over and above. I have money, I am not looking for compensation or credit, and I will never come back here again, that’s 100%. and to be honest I may never go back to even Harry’s steakhouse because of this. For me, this experience has ruined the entire chain of restaurants. I had the prawns and the lamb shanks or lamb chops whatever they’re called. I had the tzatziki dip and the potatoes. I dislike writing negative reviews but honestly this cannot happen to others and from what it looks like In many other reviews, this is happening often, they’re aware of it but it doesn’t change. It’s like they use this automated message that they don’t want to hear about this experience and to give them contact information. Like the manager can’t even spend some time explaining myself without copy and pasting his response with such a high end restaurant? If you want my opinion Harry’s? Change the name, it’s already soiled, find a very very good manager with tons of experience and get fully credible chefs with good quality standard practices. I have been to a shack of a restaurant in mexico and paid 100 pesos or 5 dollars US and have never had food poisoning. It’s completely unacceptable. I hope this doesn’t happen to...