Review: Zapote Bar at Rosewood Mayakoba

I dined at Zapote Bar on December 27, 2021.

In 2021, I found myself constantly thinking about the idea of place. To be more specific, I spent a lot of time thinking about the types of feelings a place can help cement or new feelings it can evoke, some unexpected and others wholly foreseeable. Over time I find myself becoming sensitive to more than just the food and drink an establishment may provide. Certainly, a component of this is the ambiance as we have traditionally thought about: tables, table settings, glassware, etc. More effervescent, and harder to achieve in my opinion, is the ‘vibe’ of a place and whether the staff can shape hospitality vis-à-vis all of those traditional elements. When a place gets these two things perfectly in sync, that is when you get that je ne sais quoi moment and when a patron can tell a different level of effort has been put in to create more than just a restaurant, bar, or any other type of eating and drinking place.

Herein lies the greatest strength of Zapote Bar at the acclaimed Rosewood Mayakoba. It is no secret that Juan Pablo Loza thought about how to take hospitality to the next level when dreaming of Zapote – it comes through to the guest in the best way. The staff is welcoming, without being overbearing, and informative without patronizing. Zapote strikes a delicate balance of showcasing the heart of the Yucatan Peninsula while being approachable and helping visitors exhale as if to say, “come in, here is your favorite drink, with a twist you’d never imagine”, and we know this is your favorite drink without you having to tell us. This feeling, that exhale, is what I am always chasing.

The architectural layout and design of Zapote play a key role in fostering this narrative of elevated comfort and espousing joy. Although at the heart of a luxury resort in Mexico, Zapote resembles a hacienda in a jungle. It does not adopt the aesthetic of palm trees or the beach. Rather, it takes its cues from the natural elements. There is a long wooden table to host a perfect family and friends’ dinner. There is a low table with a couch and chairs to engage in pre-or post-dinner drinks. It is perfect even for a family-style dinner, as I had when I was there in December 2021.  There are multiple tables tucked into different corners where a couple of close loved ones can sit in an intimate space. At the center of all of this is a massive tree trunk running through the roof. It is beautiful and calmly not out of place in this environment. It belongs with the cement bar in another room, which is only accentuated by the various native ingredients that are highlighted at Zapote.

I had to begin my experience at Zapote with the famous Mayayo, a drink the restaurant has become known for. It is made with the one and only Yucatan distilled gin with a sour orange (that is grown on the property), guava, and lemon. When I originally read it on the menu, I thought it would be closer to a ‘sour’ beverage, but I was pleasantly mistaken. It closely resembled a better martini. It was simultaneously refreshing, earthy, and herbal, thanks to the unique nature of this gin. My dining companions got various other drinks as well. One got a ‘bartender’s choice’ mezcal drink with pineapple juice, some variation of simple syrup, sparkling water or tonic, and dried blood orange slice. The sweetness of the pineapple balanced perfectly with the smokiness of the mezcal. We’ll return to the drinks in a bit.

After about two hours of feeling right at home and having a little too much fun, we moved on to finally ordering food. We ordered almost everything on the menu as there were six of us dining, all with different dietary preferences. I’ll describe the items we liked the best and then the ones that left something to be desired. I would be remiss if I did not recommend the eggplant yogurt spread and tapenade. The heart of Zapote’s concept is middle eastern meets Mexican as a nod to the immigrants from Lebanon during the 19^th century. Both spreads have the perfect umami and are deeply savory. A complimentary addition to this is the homemade pickles with the sampler. Perhaps the best portion of the meal that we did not pay for. The salty nature of all three components is perfect to open your palate. The grilled local squash with black pepper and lemon was great as well albeit underdone. Because it was grilled, I was expecting the smack in your face smokiness, which did not fully come through. I appreciated the generosity with the lemon as it certainly highlighted the subtle citrus notes of za’atar that are not always realized in a dish. Of the seafood dishes, the obvious favorite was the pullporegano: octopus with potatoes in olive garlic paste and greens. A diner can do without the chicken even though our server specifically said we could not have a meal without it. It was dry and the spiced yogurt tasted bland. The shakshuka Yucatan. Like the Mayayo, the shakshuka Yucatan has become synonymous with Zapote. It is a riff on a traditional shakshuka; instead of regular tomato sauce, it has a habanero spiced tomato stew, pepitas, and goat cheese. It felt fine, like another shakshuka I have eaten at establishments in New York City. I was hoping the habaneros would be more pungent and floral. None of those notes came across. A dinner here is not complete without the falafel and roasted smoked cauliflower. While not completely at the intersection of Mexican and Middle Eastern flavors, the cookery of these two dishes is precise. Falafel comes out seeping hot, simultaneously smooth on the outside and coarse on the inside. And, the pimenton, smoked paprika, helps the cauliflower assert its dominance at an otherwise crowded dinner table. The outside is crusted beautifully and the inside retains its somewhat soft texture. You won’t be able to stop going in for just another bite.

Sometime between dinner and dessert, our server had picked up on the fact that there were multiple people at the table who had a deep appreciation for mezcal and tequila. He offered to show us the ‘Blue Room.’ What is that might you ask? It sorts of a speakeasy behind the physical bar at Zapote. My understanding is you have to be invited. It seats four individuals perpendicular to yet another wonderfully crafted wall filled with some of the rarest mezcals and tequilas. Our server did not hold back. In true Zapote nature, he was informative without belittling. He sparked the group’s curiosity, even more, something I did not think was possible. We tried over eight mezcals. He even let another dining companion try some bottles against the wall that looked intriguing but initially were not offered to us. It was dare I say it, the perfect experience and a wonderful way to spend time with loved ones. I will always think fondly upon the Blue Room and attempt to return if I find myself at the carefully curated space that is Zapote.

Something you should know about me is that I do not have a sweet tooth. I loathe desserts that are sugar forward. Nonetheless, we ended our multi-hour meal with tiramisu and the special that evening, churros with dulce de leche and tahini ice cream. The tiramisu was mediocre. It would be better served with less mascarpone. The volume and the texture of the mascarpone were both problems. Instead of being silky smooth, it was very grainy and felt heavy. This suggests it may have been over whisked. There was too much of it. The star was the batch of churros. They themselves were not sweet and paired perfectly with the dulce de leche. Dulce de leche had the perfect nutty toffee flavor that complimented the less sweet yet equally earthy flavor of the tahini ice cream. Suffice to say, everyone had a churro and there were none left over.

With all these strengths, there was one service misstep that I must mention and I hope will not occur with anyone else as they attempt to visit Zapote. We were not staying at the Rosewood Mayakoba. My partner and I called the food and beverage director two days prior to make a reservation for our group to visit, due to the last-minute nature of our request. He assured us we had a reservation and even confirmed the type of table we wanted. I had worked my family up for our one ‘splurge’ meal during our trip. When you arrive at Mayakoba, there is an external security gate you must clear in your vehicle before you can access Zapote as there are 4 other properties in addition to the Rosewood. It resembles a toll booth. If the security does not see your name as a hotel guest or as someone who has a reservation at any of the restaurants in any of the properties, they simply will not let you through. That happened with us. Our taxi had to back out and wait on the side of the road as my companion repeatedly called Zapote to straighten out the situation. What was worse is that two people hung up our phone call and no one could locate the food and beverage director we spoke to. It was a frustrating thirty minutes to be waiting outside in our taxi. One would hope that such a high-end establishment could surely keep track of their reservations, even when made via phone by non-hotel guests. At one point, they even explicitly told us to leave. That was shocking and distressing as everyone was looking forward to this meal, as I’ve stated before. It is one thing to make us wait for thirty minutes without even letting us into the establishment but it is another situation to make patrons feel inferior. Thanks to my partner, we eventually did get it straightened and had our reservation honored. No manager, server, or anyone else at Zapote or Rosewood apologized for the inconvenience, however. It is evident that perhaps they did not need our business as Rosewood Mayakoba has many valuable clients that pay a visit to the establishment. That should not take away from others’ experiences as many people might be paying a visit for a special occasion the staff is not privy to. Even with my wonderful experience once we made it inside, I would have appreciated some recognition from the staff for this faux-pas.