As huge foodies, one of the reasons we even chose to stay at Hotel Xcaret Arte in the first place was simply because of the best restaurants and dining experiences that are offered here. When you go to all-inclusive resorts, you tend to prepare for below average food, but instead, the Hotel Xcaret Arte brings in some of the top culinary masterminds from Mexico and beyond for an incredible culinary experience.
With its 10 diverse restaurants, Hotel Xcaret Arte transforms your dining experience into a culinary adventure, far from the typical buffet lines. Each location features unique flavors, themes, and surroundings, providing a pleasant trip with each bite. Buckle in, foodies, and prepare to experience these restaurants, all arranged according to their offered cuisines.
Important Note: If a restaurant needs reservations, it’s important that once you book you immediately get the schedule for your trip. The online concierge will take your preferred times and interests and try their best to give you the times and locations you want, but the closer to your trip you wait the harder it will be to get into certain restaurants and to get your preferred times and days. We booked about a week before and missed out on Tah-Xido and while we got all of the other restaurants we wanted, they were not during our originally preferred time or dates.
If you don’t get an email immediately, go ahead and reach out to the email provided on their site with your confirmation, and they should respond within 24 hours.
Get your palates and glasses ready for a whole new culinary adventure with these 10 Restaurants at Hotel Xcaret Arte!
Ready to take your Hotel Xcaret Arte experience to the next level? I’ve done the legwork to make it easy for you, so sit back, relax, and let me guide you to an extraordinary getaway at Hotel Xcaret Arte with these must-read articles.
- Mexico’s Best All-Inclusive: The Hotel Xcaret Arte Review
- The All-Fun Inclusive Package at Hotel Xcaret Arte
- Casas and Suites at Hotel Xcaret Arte: A Riviera Maya Haven
- Is It Worth It to Upgrade to Casa de Los Artistas?
- 10 Bars at Hotel Xcaret Arte: A Flare of Mixology
Authentic Mexican Food at Hotel Xcaret Arte
Explore Mexican history and regional cuisine with these restaurants.
Xaak (Additional Cost)
- Cuisine: Mayan, Mexican
- Hours: Open for Dinner from 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM
- Dress Code: Elegant
- Reservation: Required
- Menu: Xaak
- Location: Casa de la Pirámide – Map
While this restaurant is one of the very few places on the resort at Xcaret Arte, we felt it was worth the cost. Discover the Mayan traditional culinary traditions at Xaak (Pronounced as Shock). Imagine flickering torches illuminating a jungle-inspired setting while you enjoy the 9-course menu including 2 desserts designed by Chef Roberto Solís, Chef Paco Méndez, Chef Jonatan Gomez Luna and Chef Alejandro Ruiz, and complimentary wine pairing by multi-award-winning sommelier Sandra Fernández.
Your meal ends with a gift from one of their baskets from the ceiling. The ladies get a little hand-woven bag, while men get a little box of candies.
Cantina VI.AI.PY
- Cuisine: Oaxacan
- Hours: Open for Lunch from 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM; Dinner from 6:00 PM – 3:00 AM; Night Menu from 11:00 PM – 2:00 AM
- Dress Code: Casual (Lunch); Casual Formal (Dinner)
- Reservation: Not Required
- Menu: Lunch , Dinner
- Location: Casa del Patron – Map
Cantina VI.AI.PY is where traditional Oaxacan food comes to life. You can indulge in classic Oaxacan dishes like tlayudas, stringy tasajo (cured beef), and their “Catch of the Day” at Cantina VI.AI.PY by Chef Alejandro Ruiz (an amazing place for a Mexican dinner for me!) Don’t miss their famous chapulines (fried grasshoppers), which provide a very exciting crunch.
At night Cantina turns into a club with dancing and live music! The genre changes regularly as we heard Spanish salsa and country all in one night. The other night club is the speakeasy Deseo which opens slightly later than this one.
Encanta
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Hours: Open for Dinner from 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM
- Dress Code: Elegant
- Reservation: Required
- Menu: Encanta
- Location: Casa de la Música – Map
At Encanta, you may go on a culinary experience led by Michelin star Chef Paco Mendez. His 9-course tasting menu is more than simply a meal; it’s a symphony of tastes, textures, colors, and musical notes. Each mouthful reflects Chef Mendez’s particular approach, which combines new techniques with Mexican tradition. Enjoy one-of-a-kind meals like the veal cheek and mole de olla taco, a humorous take on a traditional Mexican soup, and the melt-in-your-mouth pibil pork belly.
The experience goes beyond the plate. Moreover, imagine yourself immersed in the small “Music Room,” a library filled with vinyl recordings playing traditional Mexican songs. Memories dance with flavors as you immerse yourself in the wonder created by Chef Mendez.
To take your experience to the next level, choose a wine pairing or a unique cocktail like the crisp Chuuk or the refined white chocolate martini. Encanta is more than simply a meal; it’s a multi-sensory symphony created by a culinary maestro and waiting to be explored.
Mercado de San Juan
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Hours: Open for Breakfast from 7:00 AM – 12:00 NN; Lunch from 1:00 PM – 5:00PM; Dinner from 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM
- Dress Code: Casual (Breakfast & Lunch); Casual Formal (Dinner)
- Reservation: Not Required
- Menu: Rotating Buffet, No Menu link
- Location: Casa del Patron – Map
The Mercado, as we called it, was our go-to breakfast spot and perfect place to hop in whenever we wanted a quick snack or some dessert. There’s also a coffee shop on site, but I found this one easier (I would often go in and get a latté and mix it in with one of the atolls they had for some fun flavor fusions).
Mercado de San Juan is an immersive buffet experience open all day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, where you get to feel like you’re walking through a market! Furthermore, this colorful marketplace at Hotel Xcaret Arte is meant to feel like you’re visiting an actual mercado filled with vendors selling delicacies from all around the country. Enjoy Oaxacan tlayudas, melt-in-your-mouth Yucatan cochinita pibil, or spicy Puebla mole made with fresh, local ingredients.
There is just so much to see from the daily gelato that regularly rotates, taco stations, a man who walks around with fresh cheese, meat, carving stations, and Mexican drinks to spice up the buffet experience!
Don’t even get me started on the dessert section! A hanging wall of candies and Mexican sweets is just the beginning. There’s also a selection of cakes and other sweet treats. I loved visiting there and trying things I hadn’t before, like the corn treats. Everything was so beautifully presented!
I also loved their drink station with atole, hot cocoa, cafe de olla, and more. I also loved the self-pour tequila and the Mezcal station, which can also sometimes create your own cocktail station.
For breakfast, they have a selection of Mexican food options like quesadillas, tlayudas, arroz con leche, chilaquiles, and more.
They also have American food options like bacon and eggs, French toast, waffles, potatoes, and an omelet station.
Sunday brunch at Mercado is an extra special day, and I highly recommend you make sure your trip allows you to be there on a Sunday. Moreover, it is a whole fiesta with additional vendors. I loved seeing the cochinita being cooked right there and the duck tacos. There is a mariachi band and even a whole sushi station that has some of the highest quality sushi I have experienced! The dessert section was even more insane, with rows and rows of dessert even crazier than their normal selection!
Fusion Cuisine at Hotel Xcaret Arte
Open your food palate to the fusion of Mexican cuisine with the world with these restaurants.
Chino Poblano
- Cuisine: Mexican & Asian Fusion
- Hours: Open for Dinner from 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM
- Dress Code: Resort Elegant
- Reservation: Required
- Menu: A La Carte Menu
- Location: Casa del Patron – Map
Chino Poblano, run by Chef Jonatan Gómez Luna, delights the taste senses with a lively blend of Puebla and Chinese flavors. Dive into their well-known 6-course chef tasting menu (complimentary!), which includes highlights such as smokey-sweet peking duck with mole poblano and roasted lamb with 5 spices in a bao bun.
Enjoy your dinner with an extra wine pairing for $47, or go on your own cocktail expedition, like I did, trying every drink on the menu. Additionally, from the cool Jicotepec to the fiery Zacatlan and the classic Pancita, there’s something for everyone. Don’t miss La Pasita, a unique Mexican drink with an interesting backstory.
Chino Poblano caters to a variety of dietary concerns, including gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options. So prepare your palate for an evening of intense flavors and ethnic fusion at this culinary gem.
Kibi-Kibi
- Cuisine: Yucatan & Lebanese Fusion
- Hours: Open for Breakfast from 7:00 AM – 11:30 AM; Lunch from 12:30 PM – 5:00 PM; Dinner from 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM
- Dress Code: Casual (Breakfast & Lunch); Casual Formal (Dinner)
- Reservation: Required for Dinner
- Menu: Kibi – Kibi
- Location: Casa de los Artistas – Map
Kibi-Kibi is an exclusive restaurant open to Casa de los Artistas guests only (read about whether or not it’s worth the upgrade to Casa de los Artistas). This culinary sanctuary offers a one-of-a-kind mix of Lebanese flavors with the rich tapestry of Yucatecan cuisine.
Since the 19th century, Lebanese influences have quietly enhanced Yucatecan cuisine, and Chef Roberto Solis expertly brings back this cultural heritage. With avant-garde style and devoted attention, he honors the peninsula’s culinary abundance, crafting meals that have captivated the hearts of both Mexicans and international tourists. But what can you expect? Kibi-Kibi specializes in creative, sophisticated Lebanese-Yucatecan fusion. Imagine tasting delicious lamb barbacoa filled with fragrant spices, or plunging into refreshing ceviche flavored with lemon and achiote.
Vegetarians are catered to equally, with dishes such as grilled portobello tacos with smokey chipotle and creamy avocado. Beyond the meal, the ambiance enhances the experience. As you dine, a fascinating wall of flowing water provides a calm backdrop ideal for creating Instagram-worthy pictures.
However, the culinary adventure begins even before you order. Warm pita bread, chips, and a trio of dips await you, including classic babaganoush, red pepper hummus, and their distinctive roasted garlic hummus. A little Black Pastor taco offers a fun twist, creating your anticipation for what’s to follow.
