ELELA ORGANIC VEGAN CAFE Y RESTAURANT — Restaurant in Valladolid

I was on the way from Tulum, where I live, to Merida and wanted to stop for some vegan food. I have been to Valladolid countless times and I ate in this restaurant before. I rememeber the food being expensive and mediocre, but anyways I wanted to stop because it was raining alot and the place was still open. Driving all the way from Tulum, I really had to use the bathroom as I had nowhere else to stop because of the massive rain. I parked accross the street and took my trashbag with me to cover myself from the massive rain as I did not have an umbrella. I went in and went toward the bathroom. One of the workers with a beard almost ran after me and I nicely asked baño? He said, in English 'there is a problem with the bathroom, its for custumers only' I said ok, I am a custumer. Just because I came in with a trashbag for an umbrella (a lot of people use them in the heavy rain in Mexico) you think I am not a custumer? He stood there and said sorry, it's not in service. Getting increasing annoyed and really having to pee before I could even look at a menu to order, I said so which is it for custumers or not in service? He said umn its there, go ahead, and I was like ok so is it in service? And of course it was magically working just fine. As I went into the bathroom I heard him tell the other employee or his frieng 'no sabe Español' reffering to me, haha I am actually fluent in spanish, but yea that just added some more salt to the experience. This interaction made me feel very uncomfortable, embarrassed and unwelcome in this restaurant. Plus with their overpriced food, I was no longer in the mood to eat there and simply walked out. I would have been happy to spend money there in the beginning, but this bathroom gatekeeping and rudeness was really not necessary and hostile. Honestly I would have even paid to use the bathroom to avoid this lousy interaction all together, but there was just no way I could have ordered anything without using the bathroom first. Train your staff to be friendlier please. So overall, rude and overpriced as many of the other reviews say. There is another vegan restaurant that's on the same street which has waaay better food and...

We were staying in a villa in Valladolid and debated whether to order from Elela or Le Kaat, but based on the positive reviews, we decided to give Elela a try. I called ahead to place a large takeaway order for a group of friends, and the girl who took the order over the phone was kind and helpful—which made the experience that followed even more disappointing.

When we arrived to pick up the food, we were met by an Argentinian woman who was handling the order with an incredibly rude and rushed attitude. She seemed frustrated and impatient while packing sauces and dressings (like tahini), doing so in a careless and messy way. Given that we had ordered multiple dishes, I simply asked for clarification on what was in each box. Instead of helping, she dumped the dressings on top of everything, said “you fix them”, and walked away.

Stunned by the lack of basic courtesy, I asked the girl at the cash register who the manager was. She explained that the woman helping us was actually a painter at the restaurant who was just "helping out." Honestly, that only raised more questions. If she isn’t trained in customer service, why let her handle customers directly—especially when her attitude can harm the reputation of the whole restaurant?

We spent quite a bit of money on this order, and for a moment, I considered canceling everything—but that’s not who I am. Still, the way we were treated left a really sour taste. It’s disappointing that a place focused on conscious, plant-based living doesn’t seem to carry that same care into how it treats its guests.

Sadly, I wouldn’t return or recommend this place. Respect and kindness matter—especially in...

Elela is a cute and charming vegan and organic restaurant/cafe located across the street from the Convent.

The menu featured a variety of healthy and creative items including breakfast choices, two different kinds of tacos, quinoa bowl, ice cream, and various cafe drinks. Everything is organic and prepared fresh and you could see the open kitchen behind the counter. I loved how most of the ingredients that they use are grown locally and sourced from the owner’s ranch. I ordered the Tacos de Yaca Pibil (made with jackfruit), the Chaya juice, and the cacao ice cream (it does contain local honey from their farm, so not completely vegan, but so tasty). Everything tasted sooo fresh and delicious! The tacos were among the best I’ve had during my Mexican travels and it was my first time trying jackfruit. The Chaya juice was sweet with citrus juice added to the Chaya and it was so good. The ice cream was so creamy, flavourful and incredible.

The staff were so kind and welcoming and the service was excellent. They explained the dishes and their speciality is “halva” which is local tahini milk, and the ice cream is made with it. The restaurant was small with only a few tables inside, but cozy and lovely. The walls in the restaurant also featured amazing murals! The decor was authentic, artistic and beautiful.

This little place was amazing and such a great hidden gem! I’m happy to see more vegan and vegetarian food options popping up in Valladolid since my last visit 5 years ago. Will definitely return again on my next visit....