Also see:

• Review of My Free Stay at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun
• Booked: 3 Free Nights at Hyatt Zilara Cancun With Points!

OMG, y’all. I have never eaten so much in my life. I seriously – like legit – have new stretch marks from how much I gorged myself during my recent free stay at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun.

I knew I wanted to write about the food and drinks at the various restaurants. But found balance a hard one to strike because I was literally always eating and drinking. So I was torn between wanting to capture the moment and be in the moment. But I have enough to  give you an idea of what to expect.

Also, I tried every dang restaurant there – some of them twice.

I was impressed by the quality, selection, and creativity of the dishes. There was a huge variety. And all the drinks are made with top-shelf liquor.

Girdle thy loins, let’s look at each one.

Hyatt Zilara Cancun Index

• Review of My Free Stay at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun
• Mexico and Bust: Eating at All the Hyatt Zilara Cancun Restaurants
• A Scary Moment at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun

Hyatt Zilara Cancun restaurants

• Link: Hyatt Zilara Cancun restaurants and bars

At the Hyatt Zilara Cancun, you can choose from 6 restaurants, including:

• Asiana – Oriental cuisine, sushi, and teppanyaki grill
• Coffee House – Coffee, deli, and pastries
• Maria Marie – Mexican gourmet
• La Adelita – Traditional Mexican cantina
• Pelicanos – Caribbean cuisine with a beautiful ocean view
• Spice – Huge buffet and show cooking (open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner)

And 5 bars:

• 24 Hours Lounge – Drinks and snacks any time of day or night
• Lobby Bar – Gorgeous bar in the lobby (duh)
• Pelicanos – There’s a small bar area but I didn’t see anyone there
• Tequileria Beach Lounge – Cool bar on the beach with swing chairs and lots of tequila
• Tradewinds – Essentially the same as Pelicano’s, but swim-up only

1. Asiana

Asiana was our first stop for the teppanyaki grill. We arrived to the hotel around 2pm. And by 6pm, we were waiting to have din prepared before our very eyes.

The experience was part performance, and part deliciousness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BtCcZ3D_Io&feature=em-upload_owner

Our host did a fantastic job of engaging us, showing off his chops, and of course, cooking.

We started with a sushi roll and a beer.

Then, our chef began cooking.

We had a selection of beef or salmon, white rice or fried rice, and two types of mixed veggie sides.

Chef glanced at everyone’s selections a few times, but seemed to remember what everyone ordered. It was fascinating to watch him cook!

Several times, he sent up flames from the grill, performed tricks, and cracked jokes. We were all falling off our seats laughing and watching him. Just a fantastic evening with good food and drinks.

The service was fantastic.

And everything was cooked perfectly. They added sauces and garnish and the image above shows the presentation. Highly recommend reserving a teppanyaki dinner when you stay here!

We went back a second time for lunch.

We got fish and fried rice, a couple of sushi rolls, and a wonderful green tea cheesecake – paired with margaritas, of course. 😉

The lunch was quick and easy. It’s a good place to pop in and get a meal on the lighter side, like a couple of sushi rolls or a piece of fish.

The margaritas were fantastic!

2. Coffee House

I didn’t snap any pics of this joint. But it’s super similar to most coffee shops. You can order brewed coffee, lattes, mochas, or choose from a huge selection of tea.

There’s a pastry case in front if you want a sweet treat. There was never a line, so it’s easy to pop in and grab a cuppa to go.

There was something so strange about ordering a latte and jetting without paying… like I was getting away with something. The drinks were strong and they’re open early to pretty late in the evening. I stopped by a few times to get a little perk up.

Definitely adds a nice touch to the overall experience.

3. Maria Marie

Next to Asiana, there’s another building with 2 Mexican restaurants inside. Maria Marie and La Adelita share it; Maria Marie is on the right. And it’s the more gourmet of the two.

All I got here was a tortilla soup and a chocolate torte (I’m really good with my food and drink combinations, eh?).

I snapped some pics but the light was so low, they’re grainy and blurry.

So take my word for it: the food here was wonderful.

It is, however, a bit on the heavy side. So expect to slow down after you eat here. And be sure to show up pretty hungry.

This was the place I’m sure is responsible for my new stretch marks. Walking back to the room after eating here was a painful experience. I could barely move!

But the torte was one of the best I’ve had anywhere.

4. La Adelita

They feed you a lot here, too. In fact, there’s a prix fixe menu with several courses: an amuse bouche, octopus, grilled shrimp, tacos, fish, and a desert. Yeah.

Again, it was pretty dim in there so many pics didn’t turn out.

This place also has an excellent selection of Mexican craft beers – locally brewed. So if you like beer, definitely stop by here. There’s a bar, so you can order a few drinks any time.

I’m not sure what they do for lunch, but dinner is set and you must follow the course menu.

If you’re adventurous, try it. But it you want the option to mix-and-match, you might wanna skip this one.

5. Pelicanos

Perhaps my favorite.

It’s set at the end of a walkway between the swimming pool and the ocean. So you get amazing views and breezy air.

There’s a small kitchen area and you can watch them make everything in front of you – fresh and good.

We started with a shrimp ceviche with onions, corn, and lots of lime juice.

I chose the salmon with veggies and rice for my entree. It was so light and sublime. Really a perfect beach meal.

Jay got a pizza and said it was very nommy. 🙂

For whatever reason, I think I liked this place the most. There’s something so nice about sitting near the ocean and enjoying a good meal. The ambience was wonderful.

I could’ve sat there all day and drink a zillion drinks. Oh wait, I did. :p

6. Spice

So this place is where you’ll most likely head for breakfast. Or for a quick snack at any point in the day.

The breakfast is the biggest hotel spread I’ve ever seen.

They had it all, man. Plus, servers came around and offered coffee, mimosas, bloody Marys, and shots of tequila – yes, at breakfast (!).

I was able to find plenty to enjoy. They also had fresh juice, an omelette station, and again, pretty much anything you can think of.

It never felt crowded in here and there were always open seats. We came here every morning for breakfast. The servers remembered how we liked our coffee and what drinks we’d ordered the day before.

I said this in my other review, but the service here was impeccable from start to finish. At all of the restaurants.

It’s worth mentioning we had dinner here, too. They switch it up a bit each night – once there was Chinese, the next night was Italian, etc. But you can stop in here any point in the day, sit, and graze.

Really fantastic for breakfast though. A+.

The bars

All the bars have the same drinks:

You can also order more sophisticated drinks like an old fashioned, Manhattan, martini, etc. And the tequila bar obvi has more of a focus on tequila.

I didn’t take pics of every drink because that would’ve eaten up my entire phone memory lol (but totally seriously though!).

We also spent some time in the 24 Hours Lounge. There are drinks and snacks in there, so I snapped some pics. Jay loved that it was self-serve.

They did a good job rotating the snacks in and out. There were always fresh fruits, and a few finger food type items.

We also shot some pool and hung outside on the balcony for a while. The evenings are pretty packed with peeps watching TV, playing games, and drinking. But it has a nice, social vibe.

And it’s a good place to grab a few bottled waters to take to the pool. Or grab a drink in a plastic cup and wander…

Bottom line

All in all, an incredible eating and drinking experience.

It took me a solid week to recover from this place. No joke. It was a full Roman-style feast that went on for days. Mexico and bust indeed.

I hope this is a good summary and prepares you for what to expect at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun.

If you’ve stayed here, how did your experience compare? And if I left out any details, feel free to ask questions in the comments!

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