Ma’Le — Restaurant in Yucatán

Pretty good restaurant in Santiago, Merida. We went for dinner, but the place does offer breakfast and lunch as well. The dinner menu is attractive and offers a variety of fish and shrimp dishes as well as takes on traditional Mexican food. They have good ideas. We shared a fish ceviche to start which we enjoyed. A very generous serving. Well balanced acidity and sweet. Served with house made tostadas. She had a nice sized serving of a white fish. Served with a salad. There was an overwhelming amount of mango sauce on the fish though. The flavor of the fish was somewhat lost. There were two other options for sauce. I might have had the same, but chose the coconut shrimp so we could share. I had a feeling this choice was going to be a mistake and was right. There was a coconut tempura batter applied generously to the shrimp, but so overcooked that there was no coconut flavor left. The shrimp suffered from the over fry as well and were a bit rubbery. There were a good number of shrimp though. Again served with a salad. The store bought salad dressings left for our choosing seemed out of place, as the general presentation of the meals and the atmosphere tried to be somewhat trendy/upscale. Maybe. The space was airy and comfortable. Several rooms of a few tables each. Clean. Just a snapshot of one evening at this pretty good place. Any other night may be different. It's...

On a recent visit to Merida, our rental house was just a few doors away from Ma’Le, so we had ample opportunities to eat there—breakfast, brunch, and dinner. The friendly, inviting environment and the food brought us back many times. The menu includes both breakfast and dinner items, but at the time of our visit, any item could be ordered at any time. Recently opened by a couple with extensive restaurant experience and international flair, the couple have a sense of what visitors are looking for, in both Yucatecan and Continental offerings. Great music plays constantly at a level that does not interfere with conversation. I can’t say enough good about Ma’Le and I’m sure you’ll find food and drink to your liking. The staff speak both English and Spanish and will modify menu offerings to suit. Five stars...

I've had some great meals in Merida Mexico. This wasn't one of them. My wife ordered coconut shrimp. I ordered fish tacos. The shrimp were rubbery with any trace of coconut cooked out of them. I have had better coconut shrimp from a bag of Costco frozen food. The 3 fish tacos were served on flimsy, tasteless tortillas. Over battered and overcooked. Dry, crunchy, tasteless. Avocado and chips with a little Pico de Gallo for starters: $250 pesos, $12.50 US. Seriously? I small slice of chocolate cheese cake, $195 pesos, $9.70 US. For a minute I thought I was in Los Angeles. Interestingly, there were no Mexicans eating in the place and the waiters never spoke a word of Spanish, instead they addressed us in their broken English even after replying to them in well spoken Spanish. Overpriced...