Lorito Joe's I know what I'm about to say will probably tick a lot of people off, but I will never go to Lorito Joe's again, nor recommend it to anyone else. When I went to Cancun in 2004 that restaurant was infested with rats. Not mice, RATS. One even ran across the back of my friend's neck and shoulders. When we complained to management, they told us that we were not in the U.S. and that rats can roam free in the restaurant if they please. We paid our bill and promptly left. I have never encountered such blantant disregard for customer rights and just basic health. Surely if there were rats hanging out in the dining room with the customers, they were probably booging with your all-you-can-eat lobster.
Jetsetter - with all due respect, while you had a terrible experience it was 2 or 3 years ago. My experiences are recent and most favorable. I am no expert but used to have a popular list of TJ's Favorite Cancun Restaurants that was prominent on another board. Places earned their way on or off of that list based on my personal experiences, or those of personal friends who shared their input. LJ's was never on my list of favorites back then. That said, I have had many enjoyable experiences at Lorito Joe's. I think their Lobster Thermador is superior to that of Lorezillo's, probably the most popular place for lobster in Cancun. A few months ago I ate at LJ's and Lorenzillo's on consecutive nights and we were sampling each other's food within our group. While Lorenzillo's is tough to beat, they lose on the Lobster Thermador contest. While I would be hard pressed to give a place another chance after your dreadful experience, I am sure that others would enjoy it now. I don't keep up with management teams I would bet that the 2004 situation has long been fixed.
Lorito Joe's T.J. - Thanks for your response. I am sure you are right about them rectifying that problem. The evening started out quite nicely. The food was tasty and the drinks were overflowing. However, it is hard to get not only that experience with vermin out of your head, but also the management's nonchalance towards it all. I guess I am just a typical American who expects the "customer to always be right". While I am not surprised that they did not take anything off the bill, I am appalled that instead of apologizing for our negative experience they simply blamed the lagoon. Thanks again for your insight!
Jetsetter - It goes without saying that you had a dreadful experience. I am pretty sure that most places here in Cancun treat the customers as being right. There can be zero excuse for not at least comping your meal. I don't think I could bring myself to eat anywhere again after that bad an experience. Thanks for your kind comments. I have no idea what happened in 2004 but I know that I have had good or great meals and dining experiences more recently at the same establishment and would not hesitate to go back. I have seen inspectors over the years in both restaurants and retail establishments. I was in Playa just a couple of months ago visiting a friend who bartends at a fairly well known, but tiny little bar. An inspector came up, had some issue with the staff, called his supervisor and this guy was like Gestapo when he came roaring up on his moped. He put the fear of God into everyone until he got his point across. So I believe that there are regulations and regulators who work hard to stop what happened to you. So sorry for your experience. Next time try Lorenzillos. It all evens out in the long run.
My wife's and my favorite restaurants were Laguna Grill, and right behind it is the Club Grill in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Be prepared for sticker shock at the Club Grill, but it was great for a nice romantic evening. The Laguna Grill has superb seafood and steaks, great service, truly unique decor, and their bartender mixes a great margarrita! Their prices are very reasonable here. Aside from these two restaurants, I must say that overall we were somewhat disappointed in the food quality in Cancun.
favorite restaurants In no particular order: La Parrilla Lorenzillo's Hacienda Sisal Captain's Cove Tacolote El Pescador Okay. . .that's six. . .my bad
Do they have Crawfish in Cancun? Like really good Cajun flavor crawfish! I'm from California and they get really expensive here.
On this last trip we tried a restaurant called the Argentine House, not the one in the mall by Coco Bongos, but in the Hollywood Mall across from Walmart. Excellent food and service. Quite and romantic. About 20 tables on the main floor. Huge, excellent steaks. Dinner for three with one drink, salads, 2 40 gm steaks and a chicken dish was $78. We passed on dessert because we were stuffed. Not a lot of people on a weeknight about 9 PM. Service was right on the mark, there when you needed them and across the room keeping s discrete eye when you didn’t. I would highly recommend them for a very nice night out. Jamie
Best Restaurants in Cancun BEST Cambalache - Argentinean out of Mexico City. We've always thought that it was the best restaurant in town. Don't let the prices scare you; many of the dishes feed two or more. Having said that, it's not cheap. Puerto Madero (same owner as Cambalache) - Argentinean & the hottest restaurant with the hippest crowd in town -- mostly well-off Spanish speakers during our two visits. The best steak I’ve ever tasted. Expensive. We were all blown away by this fairly new restaurant. La Dolce Vita (in the tourist zone) – Italian. Savio or his son is always there -- watching that everything is just right. Expensive. Mikado – Japanese. In the Marriott Casa Magna. Not always busy, but beats Benihana every time (partly because the vegetables are so much better than you find in large American cities). About the same as you pay for the same style of cuisine in the U.S. La Madonna – Swiss & Italian cuisine. Look carefully at the contrast in design styles in this very hip restaurant (with mostly Spanish speaking patrons when we ate there). The designer definitely had a sense of humor. Expensive. PRETTY GOOD & REASONABLY PRICED La Parilla – If you feel like being in the real Mexico, go to this downtown open-air restaurant – noisy, crowded with a less refined wait staff, but always makes us feel like we're in the middle of the downtown action. Have another location on 5th Avenue in Playa del Carmen. BEST PLACE IN TOWN FOR LUNCH & BEST VALUE ON THIS LIST Macambo – immediately west of the Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Hotel. Open air, waterfront with absolutely the best view in town. Food is almost as cheap as El Cejas, without the long trip to Mercado 28. Fairly new to Cancun and well worth the short bus ride. Mostly Spanish-speaking crowd the two times we’ve been there. We have eaten at least twice at each of these restaurants in the last 6 months, so our opinion is based upon pretty recent experience.
