Cocina de Autor

We had a birthday and an anniversary to celebrate during our trip to Yucatán, so I booked one the few Michelin-starred restaurants on the Mayan riviera. Let's be clear, it's located in a resort, it is marketed for US tourists, and it's expensive (same prices as Paris 1*). But the experience is worth it: a myriad of dishes that mix Mexican and European influences, paired with Mexican wines that we would never find by ourselves. Highlights: the hamachi fish and the huitlacoche mushroom dish. The service is extremely professional and friendly, on par with what you expect at this 1* level. Funny that we were seated on the same bench and not face to face: first time I see this, and although surprising at first, it allows both of us to watch the room and the service experience.

The Michelin star restaurant at the Grand Velas Resort on Riviera Maya is beautiful and grand. The vaulted ceilings give the appropriate cathedral like setting for the dishes served in a hushed dining room by servers working in concert to transport place and reveal the dishes with dramatic flair. The explanations of the ingredients and composition and process to consume and enjoy the dishes seemed fun and engaging as they should. The multiple courses and wine/cocktail pairings were great and the same drinks can also be enjoyed at the adjacent skybar which I wish more restaurants would do. I would wholeheartedly recommend this for a couple or family if everyone can appreciate fine dining.

This was my second time dining at this resturant and I was blown away each time. The service is incredible the staff is extremly attentive and knowledgable. They were able to accomodate my gluten sensitivity with every course making modifications and subsitution, but it didn't look any different then the normal dishes. The creativity in the dishes is next level and the chefs pay such close attention to detail. It is a gorgeous resturant and definietly deserves their Michilen Star.

Creative fine dining and superb service for both resort guests and those coming only to dine at Cocina de Autor. Highly recommended if you are staying in the area.

I came here with my boyfriend for a special dinner while traveling. This restaurant had just received a Michelin award so we were super excited to give it a try. To get ahead of a big question, yes you can dine here even if you're not staying at the hotel but it's very annoying to make a reservation and requires a lot of weird hoop jumping. It's also pretty much impossible to find costs online. I didn't see an itemized receipt but basically it's about $300 USD/$5KMXN a person, without drinks. We opted for a very very very nice bottle of wine which was another $300 USD. If you can, come and do the wine pairing. We couldn't because of dietary limits which is why we opted for the bottle. The food was really lovely. I've included pictures of some of the standout courses. They also did a wonderful job working around our allergies including my gluten free needs. The service was incredible. The sommelier in particular was a real pleasure, and our servers were great as well. A wonderful staff across the board. After dinner we had a cocktail at the connected cocktail bar and enjoyed the view from the veranda. Highly recommend if you're looking for a special celebration dinner in Playa del Carmen.

I didn't like it. Service was slow and I didn't get refills fast, I had to ask for them. Also they charged me for Perrier extra because they are in someype of budget...not a fan.

Everything was extraordinary! Have been ti many Michelin star restaurants but the fusions here were out of this world. Highly recommend it!

One of the fantastic and unique culinary experiences you can have. We got a 12 dishes tasting menu. Each was perfectly decorated by the chef and paired with a drink. Staff explained the name of the dishes and some main ingredient with great passion. Some foods would explode in the mouth, and you could taste the complexity of the dish. If you have any restriction or even you don’t like any ingredients, they could make another dish just for you. If you like any dishes don’t hesitate to ask for more, they will say yes :)

I came here with my boyfriend for a special dinner while traveling. This restaurant had just received a Michelin award so we were super excited to give it a try. To get ahead of a big question, yes you can dine here even if you're not staying at the hotel but it's very annoying to make a reservation and requires a lot of weird hoop jumping. It's also pretty much impossible to find costs online. I didn't see an itemized receipt but basically it's about $300 USD/$5KMXN a person, without drinks. We opted for a very very very nice bottle of wine which was another $300 USD. If you can, come and do the wine pairing. We couldn't because of dietary limits which is why we opted for the bottle. The food was really lovely. I've included pictures of some of the standout courses. They also did a wonderful job working around our allergies including my gluten free needs. The service was incredible. The sommelier in particular was a real pleasure, and our servers were great as well. A wonderful staff across the board. It's definitely a formal dining environment and a little stuffy but we were made to feel very welcomed and valued. Highly recommend if you're looking for a special celebration dinner in Playa del Carmen.

Cocina de Autor is one of eight restaurants at Grand Velas Riviera Maya, a luxury all-inclusive resort in Playa del Carmen. My wife found and booked the resort through Costco Travel. One of the big reasons she chose Grand Velas was its stellar food options. Grand Velas Riviera Maya has four 2024 AAA Four Diamond restaurants (Frida, Piaf, Sen Lin, Lucca) and one 2024 Michelin Star and AAA Five Diamond restaurant (Cocina de Autor). We tried seven of the restaurants and generally, the food, drink, and service were outstanding. Cocina de Autor was, by far, our favorite restaurant of the group. In hindsight, we should've gone to this restaurant twice during our five-night stay. We should've swapped Italian restaurant Lucca for another dinner at Cocina. Below is how I rank Grand Velas Riviera Maya's restaurants. I highly recommend booking reservations as early as you can for Cocina de Autor, Frida, Piaf, Sen Lin, and Lucca (the nicer sit-down restaurants). Chaka isn't on the list because we chose not to eat there. Tier One 1. Cocina de Autor - fine dining, tasting menu Tier Two 2. Frida - Mexican 3. Bistro - casual, poolside sit-down 4. Piaf - French 5. Sen Lin - Asian Tier Three 6. Lucca - Italian 7. Azul - casual, poolside buffet Cocina de Autor is the fanciest restaurant at the resort. Ever seen that movie The Menu (2022) with Ralph Fiennes? That's what this was, except no deaths. :) Kidding aside, Cocina de Autor is one of those high-end restaurants that's tasting menu only, where you leave everything to the chef. Think creative, upscale, contemporary cuisine with a bunch of unique dishes and ingredient combinations you're likely to forget unless you're a true foodie. Thank goodness for my wife's terrific memory, food knowledge, and Grand Velas' website, which surprisingly had a menu that covered many of the dishes we were served. During our visit, we weren't handed any menus nor was there a QR code to scan (unlike the other restaurants at Grand Velas). Each course and drink pairing was explained to us by our two dedicated servers, Antonio and Pablo. Yep, we had not one, but two dedicated servers. Also, the friendly hostess (unfortunately, I've forgotten her name), the clarinet player, and the rest of the staff were A+. We felt overwhelmed by the service, especially me. I felt like someone was always watching me, eager to serve. The staff had the details down pat, from the synchronization of plates hitting our table to bringing a small stool over just for my wife's purse. By my count, we had 11 "courses." Some of the courses were tiny, like amuse-bouche, but I'm still counting them. Below is a list of what we had to the best of our (my wife's) recollection. My wife had wine pairings with her courses and I had cocktail pairings with mine. I didn't document my wife's wine pairings, but she did say she thought Cocina de Autor's wines were the best at the resort - an important distinction. She enjoyed the Mexican wines more than the international wines. * Welcome drink - house-infused gin, sparkling wine, gold dust * Course 1: Jackfruit passionfruit mousse, spider crab, succulents; I forgot what the chips and sauce were ' Fresco cocktail pairing - pear syrup, matcha, pineapple and mint, St. Germain, gin, lemon foam * Course 2: Tuna bacon, mezcal-smoked otoro tuna, and cream base * Course 3: Caviar brioche toast with bone marrow cauliflower puree, served inside bone * Course 4a: Honeydew and chayote salad with shrimp tartare, yogurt (wife's version) * Course 4b: Honeydew and chayote salad with diced grapes and kiwi (my shrimp allergy substitute version) * Course 5: Roasted cabbage with pickled radish, pea puree, and kohlrabi; small bread made with flax and sunflower seeds, served with pistachio butter ' La Raiz cocktail pairing - blue spirulina, pineapple juice, ginger syrup, lemon, cardamom, Sabroso Brebaje * Course 6: Pan-seared cod with mushroom-flavored tapioca pearls and spinach foam * Course 7: Mexican Heritage pork roll with pumpkin seed and caramelized sugar leaves, black garlic, watercress sauce; grilled sourdough ' Terrenal cocktail pairing - turmeric syrup, passionfruit, lime, mezcal, coconut, activated carbon foam * Course 8, Dessert 1: Cotija cheese, vanilla ice cream, elote cake, creme anglaise * Course 9, Dessert 2: Dragon fruit dust, pineapple mango sorbet, meringue, passionfruit, blueberries, mascarpone, honey * Course 10, Dessert 3: Special birthday dessert: Chocolate mousse with cacao nibs and freeze-dried raspberries * Course 11, Dessert 4: Final gifts from the chef - yogurt jelly cube and some nut butter ball (like sweet cashew, we forgot what it was) This meal was truly a culinary journey. It was art in multiple forms. The plating and presentation was meticulous, the combination of ingredients was one of a kind, and the quality was exceptional. The courses were cohesive and progressed to a climax, which was the Mexican Heritage pork. That course hit us with the most intense flavors.

Chef Velasco is a true artist and thoughtful creator of exceptional cuisine. It was a pleasure meeting him and being able to discuss his preparations one to one. Chef we enjoyed being you guinea pigs tonight!! I will highlight several courses out of the many presented. The tuna with tomato broth, strawberries, and melon had exceptional knife work and a wonderfully complex and beautiful presentation. The sea bass with miso in broth was a bit heavy on the miso for me but overall well done and paired well with the Chardonnay. The best course was the ribeye with gnocchi, melon sauce, and gravy complemented by the sourdough with honey. Just phenomenal!!

Chef Nahum Velasco, how do you continue to amaze us with your creativity and attention to detail ? We had the pleasure to dine at Cocina de Autor again, which may be our 8-9th time there. It continues to dazzle us. For starters, we enjoyed the trout skin bite - crispy trout skin that was not at all fishy, transformed into a thin cracker, and topped with pearls of different flavors - garlic, pork? Along side, a palate cleansing gin and tonic, served in a small chilled glass bowl with a tiny spoon. The cucumber and herb flavor exploding, definitely palate cleansing (and delicious). Next we had a small bite of something I've had before and love - watermelon sushi. This is a perfectly cut piece of watermelon made to look like tuna. And made to taste like tuna. I detected sesame oil, and other Asian flavors. I'll post photos of our entire meal - which includes foie gras and apples, Mayan tortilla, sea bass, tenderloin. "Passion" and our favorite "cereal" dessert. Suffice to say it is a world class experience - only made better by the fabulous service and premium wine paring. Nahum, Marisol - y todos, muchas gracias. We can't wait to return.

This was a brand new experience for all of my group. Though each plate was unique in all ways (presentation, taste, etc), the portion size left us wanting more. The entire dinner took three hours, and there was a bit of a wait between each serving. Also, there were weird incidents that tainted our experience. The first incident was when the Hispanic waiter had enough confidence to use the N word with our black colleagues. The second incident was when a nearby bartender took a photo of the ladies of the group (noticed due to the flash). All in all, food was great, but the whole experience was weird and drawn out.

This restaurant is in the Grand Velas Riviera Maya. The cuisine is beautiful and inventive. It is very unique, and many flavors will be new for you, but I promise, you will love it! For the relatively adventurous palate, it is 5 stars. The service, wine pairing and the small plates make for a remarkable dining experience. One word of caution, the tastes will likely be too sophisticated for young diners, as well as those that prefer a straightforward and more traditional dining experience. It will certainly be one of the most memorable dining experiences of your vacation.

Taste this y'all (wish I could say this in Spanish)! This is a tasting place with no set menu. You are at the culinary mercy of the chef. Frankly, I though my the food was creative and some flavors were amazing. Some were whimsical and mediocre. Combined experience, ambiance, service, creativity and flavors certainly were a treat in the land of the Maya. Come with an open mind and critique away. Certainly worth a visit.

Wow! Once in a life time experience! It is a must for this region and this hemisphere :)

The resort is absolutely wonderful, but this restaurant is just not an enjoyable eating experience. We've been to many chef tasting restaurants, 20+ course single-bite experiences, so this was not a new situation. If you're not ok with that experience definitely steer clear, BUT even if you're feeling adventurous this restaurant unfortunately just was not delicious. Maybe 2 of the 11+ courses were memorable and actually tasted good. We also had the unfortunate experience of having a bratty waiter. Our party was laughing and having fun, and he was getting a little rude with us because we wouldn't stop and intently listen to him describing the (non-tasty) dishes. I wouldn't waste one of your meals on this place unless you want to spend three hours there just to be left ordering room service directly after. My recommendation to the hotel: this restaurant simply needs a new chef or new direction. The goal of tasting style courses is to present perfect bites of food, and the flavor and ingredients are the most critical part of that. The goal at Cocina de Autor seems to try to show off molecular skills with taste coming a far second. The dishes were quite simply unsatisfying and not delicious.

Had a wonderful dinner!!! The tasting menu was superb!! The service was amazing! The nicest and friendliest people! Would recommend.

This place was great. My wife and I left the kids in the kids club house and came together for a different experience. The ambience was great. They had live music. And the service was phenomenal. Esteban was our host and he was amazing. I felt his personality and attitude made the dining experience much greater.