Restaurante AHAL — Restaurant in Valladolid

This was by far the worst place i have had food in all of mexico. We didnt finish any of the food except for the guacamole and had to pay almost 1300 pesos for 2 people! Watch out for this terrible food SCAM. The staff asked us if we liked the food and we both said ‘NO’ They quickly took our plates and went on with their day…. We saw all the positive reviews and wanted to try this by ourselfs yesterday. Let’s start with the positive side, the place itself looks nice and the ambiance of the garden is beautifull. Now lets get to the important part, THE FOOD. This is what we ordered: Guacamole, garlic shrimps, chicken burger with fries and a tuna steak.

The guacamole: 6.5/10 Semi decent (can barely do any wrong to this dish)

Garlic Shrimp: 4.5/10 Food was cold and nothing special or remotely tasty.

Chicken burger: 1/10 This is the first time in our lifes that we didnt finish a chicken burger. The meat didnt look like chicken and it was straight out of a fridge. We took one bite each and we put this whole plate to the side. The fries were ok.

Tuna burger: -100/10 Lets keep this one short, i wouldnt give this to my cat. terrible sauce on top of it, and it tasted like it was straight out of a can. My stomach turned 180 degrees at my first bite, I didnt swallow the food and spat it out.

We didnt finish our overpriced cocktail because we wanted to leave asap. Payed 1300 pesos for complete trashcan food.

I hope the owner will have the courage to say the stuff that he said to other people who left a honest review.

NEVER GO HERE. The positive reviews look made up....

Honest review — EXCELLENT, updated 2 years later. Still an excellent menu, 5 star service but I do believe the food is losing the beautiful presentation — updates with photos so you can see for yourself.

Veg/vegan options 🙌🏼

Food: was absolutely outstanding

Veg option: Panuchos de vegetariana

I cannot say enough how good this was. They didn’t just throw some lettuce and tomato with beans and call it a day.

This was next level — sooooo many vegetables and the sauce OMG it was so good! We kept wondering was it was and loving every single bite.

Atmosphere: Is super low key and relaxing. All of the pretty lights are so beautiful. Indoor or outdoor seating is available.

Service: Was super great and everyone was friendly. At the end of our meal the owner came over to ask how everything was and this was incredible.

We complimented the food, well deserved, and then he went on to explain how all ingredients are locally sourced 🏆 literally the amazing flavor from the sauce is a sour orange, grown right on the property. It was the tree of beautiful lights on this very tree that brought us to Ahal.

He explained the meaning of Ahal and that the veggie dish I ordered, Panuchos is one of the three dishes in Valladolid that they are famous for!

If you are new to Mexico every town has a food that are known for that you cannot get in other towns or states so it is so fun to learn what they are and try them all when you travel around

Cost: $$

10/10 would recommend and will eat here every single time I visit Valladolid

Muchas...

I came to this city of Valladolid, Yucatan state from Chetumal, Quintana Roo state after Tropical Storm Gamma passed through. The storm left many communities without power in the region. While looking for another establishment my friend Michal and I found this restaurant, Ahal ( a Mayan word meaning "awaking"). Jose, the proprietor, regaled us with stories of his close friend in Chicago where he lived for fifteen years. He explained that he and his family and staff had a lot of storm debris to clear just to open for the day. We had fried tortillas with chicken, ground beef, and pork. They were delicious! We also drank horchata and jamaica: made from hibiscus. These drinks were very refreshing! I observed Jose take two pieces of fruit from a tree near the front of the restaurant which resembled limes but he said were called "sour oranges". This plant is apparently grows only in Yucatan state. He also mentioned that this fruit is used to marinate all Ahal's meat dishes. The restaurant is decorated throughout with colorful paintings photos and a cross stitching from Jose's mother. Michal and I only had American dollars. For 6 tortillas with meat and 2 natural drinks, a 25% tip we paid $20 dollars and received 150 pesos in change. We also struck up a conversation with two young men fro. Mexico City sitting nearby who were hoping to visit Chichen Itza but it was closed due to the weather. The takeaway: great food, hospitality and atmosphere in...