El Gran Azul — Restaurant in Quintana Roo

Easy option open-air restaurant! You'll find this place by the pool on one side, or directly opposite La Hacienda buffet restaurant on the other side. Staff are polite and work very hard to be attentive and helpful with prompt drink orders or taking away finished plates. The food is great, less choice than the neighbouring buffet, most of it is found in an inner glazed section away from the heat or pests. Yiu can find breakfast, lunch or dinner here as one of many choices. There is a choice from the grill, bakery, salad bar, tapas, and desserts sections. In the dining area, you'll find a pizzeria station with freshly made pizzas and pasta. A few birds or racoons watch you eat and cease their opportunity to feast on unattended leftovers, too, but they don't bother you while eating or ruin your dining experience. Overall a great quick bite to eat if...

El Gran Azul is conveniently located closeby the main pool area at Grand Palladium Resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico. No reservation is required but you will need to wait for the hostess to assign you a table. It's buffet style and self serve here. Very casual, relaxing and laid-back vibe. There is also a cocktail/bar station know as the El Gran Azul Pool Bar that will prepare your drinks and also serves as the swim up bar for those in the pool. Seating is outdoors but is shaded by the palm-leaf roof. It's fully immersed outdoors so you will see birds, coatis and other wildlife curiously wandering around the seating area. They also have a gigantic cheese wheel for your pasta and they serve ice cream crepe rolls with different filling and ice cream flavours...

Ah, memories. This was the first restaurant we ate during our state at Grand Palladium, and we almost always ate lunch here. The selection wasn't as good as some of the others, but you got to we were able to eat outside, so it was worth it. The grilled fish was tasty, and the pobil was one of the favorite things I ate at the resort. Guacamole and chips were also tasty, though they often ran out. Don't miss the spring rolls.

Service was spotty, and if you want your drinks fast, going to the bar may be a better option. They also had these interesting beer drinks you could get involving chili power or sugar, as well as...