Matea — Restaurant in Puerto Morelos

This place is a secret oasis. If this restaurant was plopped down in the West Loop of Chicago, people would come from hundreds of miles around to dine here, and there would be a waiting list a month long. For real. My husband and I initially wandered into the Matea complex while we were shopping. We weren’t looking for a meal, but an employee was eager to show us around the property, so we took him up on the offer. He led us to the back area and pointed out a Mayan woman who was making fresh tortillas on a traditional hearth fire. He also showed us the pit where they were slow-roasting a pig for dinner. There’s another area where local artists can come to do their handicrafts. It was so impressive and so thoughtful and I really appreciated the effort that went into celebrating and sharing the Mayan culture. We weren’t hungry just then, but we promised to come back another time, and we were so glad we did. I ordered the cheese empanadas with a type of “Mayan spinach” and they were fantastic. Hubby got the taco platter and loved everything offered in the variety pack! They also served fresh hot chips with some type of delicious quest and pumpkin seed salsa. Yum! We were the only ones in the restaurant and we felt bad for the rest of the town because everyone else was truly missing out. The service was super, the drinks were unique and tasty, the portions were generous, and the prices were shockingly low. The experience was soooo good that we decided to return a couple nights later. This time we ordered the local specialty, Aguachile, and some garlic mushrooms— both incredible. We also ordered the Tabla de Metra for two. This menu item was the most impressive thing I think I’ve ever received in a restaurant. The food was presented on what must be the world’s largest charcuterie board. Everything on the platter was absolutely amazing. There were so many types of sauces to try. The pork was the best I’ve had in my life… I don’t even like pork all that much but this pork was freaking delicious. We both left stuffed and so, so satisfied. My husband said it was the best meal we had during our week in Puerto Morelos. I also can recommend the cocktails. In my three visits, including the two full meals in the restaurant and one additional visit just to the front bar area, I had the house margarita, the passion fruit mezcalrita, and the beso de mezcal. That last one came in a glass dome full of smoke, which was a very fun presentation. I did a tequila tasting with Roman in the front bar and it was so enjoyable! I learned a lot about my taste in tequila and mezcal, which ultimately informed which cocktails I ordered from their menu. And Roman was so friendly and eager to teach people about the nuances of tequila. Highly, highly recommend...

I totally agree with the positive comments stated here so far. The food looked deliciously decorated, strong mexican-style. Good breeze. Very sales-y the service agents which is ok. We came early before lunch and we're therefore small-wallet customers. Therefore the downsides:

1. They made false statements with the Espresso machine, as they did not have a traditional espresso machine with Portalfilter as they responded when we asked specifically
2. the Espresso was pricey given the low quality
3. french fries were also pricey given that we received roughly 15 sticks per serving (120 Pesos)
4. French Fries were salty. Hypothesis: urging customers to buy more drinks.
5. right in the middle of the visit they offered coconut juice out of a coconut... Before lunch even with alcohol
6. the exchange rate to dollar was stated with 24.92, which obviously would have meant a huge upside for us. That was not trustworthy so we paid cash
7. disappointed at the end when they let us wait for more than five minutes for getting our money in return for the bill. There were three tables with customers and...

Tonight, my husband, friend and I decided we would walk through Puerto Morelos and choose a place to have dinner that also had ceviche. The ambiance on the sidewalk with the grape vines caught my eye and the prices looked pretty reasonable. Once we were seated, the most affable waiter took our order, Einar Casarrubios. Serving food was not a job to him, it was pure artistry. I watched as he prepared tableside service to us and others and he clearly loves what he does. The food came out quickly, his knowledge of the dishes was impeccable, and it all tasted amazing. And he did our service with such flair, switching effortlessly between Spanish and English. So far, the best food I've had all week between Cancun and Puerto Morelos. His recommendations were amazing as my friend could not eat gluten, so he ensured that we were covered.

If I could go to Puerto Moreles every day to try a different...