Your #1 Alux Restaurant Review in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Table of Contents

Alux Restaurant – The Most Unique Dining Experience in Playa del Carmen

Location

Alux Restaurant and Bar is located in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. This unique restaurant is located 4 miles from the popular 5th Avenue and beach because the restaurant is built into a natural underground cave. Alux is only open in the evenings for dinner, so plan your visit and make a reservation through your resort concierge or with OpenTable.

Unique Cenote Restaurant in Playa del Carmen

This is more than just a restaurant, this is a unique unforgettable dining experience. Alux is an upscale restaurant built into a naturally formed underground cave/cenote. Caves and cenotes are very popular in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Alux Restaurant highlights the true natural beauty of the Mexican culture and landscape. This is the perfect restaurant for a romantic date night or a special occasion.

History

Alux Restaurant gets its name from the Mayan Legend, Alux. The Alux tribe was known for being agile, mysterious, and mischievous. The Mayan Gods provided the Alux group powers to watch over the sacred sites and mountains. This mythological creature was barely ever seen because when most people were sleeping, the Alux people would come out to play and sneak around.

Ambiance & Aesthetics

One of the best things about this restaurant is the ambiance and feel. The designers of Alux Restaurant did an amazing job highlighting the natural beauty of the cave and cenote. Gorgeous colorful up lighting reflects off the rocky walls and guides you into a one-of-a-kind dining experience. Tables are placed throughout the entire cave with simple and elegant white table clothes, candles, and flowers. There is a real cenote located inside with all-natural water. Stalagmites and stalactites are naturally formed rock structures that provide intricate rock detail inside these smooth carved rock walls.

Alux Restaurant Menu

Alux Restaurant offers an impressive menu that matches the stunning restaurant. The menu is a mix of Mexican and International cuisines. The chefs at Alux Restaurant are well trained and only cook with the best ingredients. With this restaurant being in an underground cave, the kitchen is located on the top floor where all of the cooking magic happens. The menu highlights the Mexican and Mayan culture with dishes like Roasted Bone Marrow with Chili Glaze. The food fusion comes into play with some of the most enticing dishes like Lobster Risotto and Pork Terrine.

Wine Cave

Before dinner gets started, you will have the opportunity to visit La Cava. We are wine lovers and could not wait to see the built-in wine cave. It is a bit smaller than I had thought but it was well designed and held a great variety of hand-selected wines from different regions around the world. There are small signs placed throughout the cave categorizing the wines by region. Our server was very knowledgeable and helpful when selecting our wine for the night.

Cave Tour

After dinner, you can do an entire cave tour. This is a large cenote with great history and impressive architecture. There are naturally formed rock formations like stalagmites and stalactites. The colorful uplighting highlights the organic beauty of the cave. During our self-guided tour, we saw an event space for larger groups, this would be a gorgeous and unique venue for a wedding reception or celebratory dinner.

What I Ordered

Cabernet Sauvignon Bottle – 1200pesos ~ $60USD

After touring the wine cave, we had to get a bottle of red wine to enjoy with dinner. We chose a moderately priced cabernet sauvignon from the Ensenada Baja Region of Mexico. This is a beautiful silky wine with full-body, complex notes, and a long finish.

Starter Salad – Complimentary

Compliments of the chef was a refreshing salad to cleanse the palate. The small salad was the perfect bite with quinoa, blackberry, Mandarin orange, microgreens, and a passion fruit sauce.

Pork Terrine – 520pesos ~ $26USD

The pork terrine is a delicious Mexican-infused French dish. Terrine is a French cooking technique where a loaf of meat is forced into a ceramic dish (terrine) and then cooked in a bain-marie. The warm spices with the Merida Yucatan pork hugged your tongue in all the right ways. For a bit of sweetness, the pork terrine was topped with curry pineapple and coffee mayonnaise. On the side, was a vibrant schmear of guacamole garnished with radishes and citrus fruit. The colorful display added coolness and a refreshing bite from the warm and complex spices of the pork terrine. This was a gorgeous dish with a variety of flavors and cooking techniques.

Fresh Caught Lobster – 4pesos per gram X 254grams = 1016pesos ~ $50USD

lobster tail | warm butter | garlic mashed potatoes | grilled vegetables

The dinner special was freshly caught lobster with Alux’s classic sides of grilled vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes. Caught in the morning, the fresh lobster gave this dish decadency and richness. The chimichurri sauce on top added great acidity to the warm buttery seafood. The grilled vegetables were grilled perfectly with a nice al dente firmness. This was a great authentic Mexican seafood dish, a bit pricey but worth the money.

Birthday Dessert – Complimentary

We dinned here on a special Birthday occasion and at the end of our meal, we were delighted with a birthday dessert. The chocolate cake came out with a large sparkler that lit up our table as we sang Happy Birthday. After the dazzling entrance, we dug into the deliciously light chocolate cake.

Rating

One of the best dining experiences I have ever had with outstanding service, food, and one of a kind venue. Add Alux Playa del Carmen to your BUCKET LIST!