Kay Nah — Restaurant in Quintana Roo

Hands down the worst restaurant in Tulum. Don't let the location and decor fool you. Run by all Argentinians who seemed like they never worked in the restaurant industry (surprising given that most of my experiences with them in the past were great). Starting with the awful music playlist (someone who has no clue how to coordinate dinner ambiance, their Spotify shuffle should be taken away), to the awkward waitress who pushes you the most expensive things and it also feels like it's the first day in her life waitressing, to the watered down drinks (cheap wine, tasteless Maracuya mezcalita and sour Mojito) and I haven't even mentioned the food yet.

The appetizers were OK (calamari was edible but the tuna tostada had ground tuna that was over marinated and you couldn't really taste it) but I should have been suspicious of how super quick they came (almost instantly), the fish of the day was clearly made to hide the dated fish filets they were trying to sell off, drowned in lime juice. We dine out often around the world and should've remembered Anthony Bourdain's tip on "fish of the day". But the worst was yet to come. I ordered caramelized pork ribs with rice on the side. Besides the fact that they were dry and the rice was cold and tasted old, there was also a foul smell or meat rottenness. My wife and mother tried them to check that I'm not going crazy and after that everyone lost their appetite. Neither of us could finish their meals and we called the waitress to comment on the ribs, didn't even bother with the other food comments at that point. She apologized and asked if I wanted a different platter or desert. I just asked for the bill, assuming they would take out at least the ribs from the bill. NO - they had the nerve to provide the full bill and a 10% discount on top. Are you kidding me? I did not accept that and asked at minimum for the ribs to be taken off, so she hesitantly went back and brought the fixed bill. Even with that, it was the most regretful 1,200mxp I spent in Tulum. This place should be shut down and at minimum someone should send food inspectors there, I don't know how they legally operate.

Avoid at all costs and beware of the positive reviews, they must be fake. Once you read through more negative reviews (wish I did that beforehand) you'll see a pattern in...

The best food I've had in Tulum two years in a row! Simply amazing! I cannot recommend it enough between the food, drinks, service and vibe. Impeccable.

Wow - I thought maybe I just remembered last year through rose-colored glasses - no, this place is magnificent.

First, the vibe is basically perfect. Feels exotic, is clean, the staff is fun, and the live music is the finishing touch.

Second, without a doubt the best food we had in Tulum during our week there this year, and my week there last year.

House Salad - I never knew I needed goat cheese ice cream on a salad but I'm telling you it was AMAZING!

My girlfriend had the Octopus in marinade. She gets the Octopus everywhere we go. It was very tasty and not overcooked like is often the case.

I had the Catch of the Day, Sea Bass. I have the fish of the day everywhere I go (live in St Petersburg, Florida, so I'm a seafood junky). It was, again, like last year the best fish dinner entree I had in Tulum. That's between about 12 different places I've eaten at in Tulum spanning the poshest hotel zone restaurants to the most reviewed and highly rated places in Centro in town. It was mouth-wateringly good and flawlessly prepared.

I highly suggest trying the Mexican Tea cocktail - a refreshing, but not overly sweet, well-balanced drink that I loved and my girlfriend switched to despite it not being anything like what she would normally order.

Last - I worked in restaurants starting at 15 through my late 20's including the most upscale place in the entire city. I got good enough to find gigs helping train staff during new openings. The service we received was remarkable, yet causal and fun. Commendable and...

Appropriately named Kay...Nah.

It was ok, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, nor revisit.

Its all about the aesthetic with this place. Waiters and waitresses are..gorgeous. The restaurant itself was beautiful! The plating was stunning! But thats where the praise ends unfortunately.

Drinks weren't good, we ordered the Limonada. Quite weak.

Food-wise we ordered the Octopus and the Catch of the day.

Octopus was served in a sauce that was far too sweet; the bed of sweet potato mash underneath was also far too sweet. The rest of the vegetables on the plate weren't seasoned and didn't really bring much to the table.

For the Catch of the day dish, it was largely non-specific. There was no real "flavour" or taste, rather bland unfortunately. Again it was served with an accompanying green mash that didn't have a great flavour. It just wasn't...tasty.

Overall - without wanting to sound overly pretentious - the dishes lacked balance. It didn't seem like either allowed the fish to shine through. Both were either masked with overpowering flavour, or were completely lacking in any flavour altogether, which just didn't fit what the menu had promised.

All in all, if you crave an "Instagram worthy" photo shoot, then this is the place to go to. If you want to actually eat good food, there are many places that are FAR more affordable and far...