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| Five dollar margaritas! |
Exterior:4/5
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| Solid logo work |
Situated in the Depot District near downtown Kokomo (near a lot of other great places to eat and drink), Riviera Maya recently transferred ownership. It was previously a different Tex-Mex place, but my understanding is that the store was purchased by a regional chain that also has restaurants in Anderson. They've done a good job blatantly rebranding the place, including the front entrance shown above. The Depot restaurants have the disadvantage that their entrances aren't visible from the road, but that also makes walking into this place feel quiet and secluded. They have patio seating in nice weather in their cute little courtyard.Ambience: 4/5
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| Floral vibes |
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| Branding on the booths for good measure |
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| Even the bathrooms are themed, but not so much that you feel overstimulated while you're trying to pee |
You're not going to forget the name of the restaurant while you're eating at Riviera Maya, that's for sure. It's all over the seating. I really did appreciate that, though, and also the fact that the decor is different enough from the previous restaurant that this place felt distinct. It's immersive, but it isn't overwhelming. My husband has a profound distaste for Mexican restaurants that go too hard with the Talavera tiles and carved booths. He was ok with this one, though. There are also enough little sections to the restaurant that things feel quiet and peaceful during your meal. (Unless your kids are being squirrely. See below.)Variety: 4/5
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| Frozen Raspberry Margarita |
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| Al Pastor Tacos |
This place does a nice spread of the standard stuff you'd expect at an American Tex-Mex restaurant. They have the customary categories of things (tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, etc.) but they offer a nice diversity of options within each of those categories. They do neat stuff with their drink menu, so don't sleep on that if you have a ride.Quality: 5/5
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| Michelada Cocktail |
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| Even the beans and rice were good |
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| Shrimps! |
Everything we ate here was top-notch. I adored my Michelada cocktail. I kept eating my shrimp entree even after I was full because it tasted so good. Even the chips and salsa were delicious, and I always admire a restaurant that puts effort into the stuff they give out for free. We all left quite satisfied with our meal and ready to go back for more in the near future.Kid-Friendly: 5/5
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| The 1YO was perfectly peachy happy with chips and guac |
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| He said he was lifting his big cheeseburger with his big muscles |
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| And it was, in fact, a pretty big cheeseburger! |
My kids were not behaving themselves when we tried Riviera Maya. The 5YO spilled his milk and kept making weird noises. The 1YO got bored in her high chair and fussed to get out. Nobody made me feel like crap about the kids' behavior, though, and the waitstaff was incredibly patient with them. (There was another baby a few tables down from us, so we felt like we were in good company.) More to the point, the kids' menu is both reasonably priced and good quality, a combination that can be hard to find. I stole one of 5YO's fries and really enjoyed it. His cheeseburger was, like, a full-size cheeseburger. And the bowl of guacamole that we ordered for the baby? Fabulous. The kids may have been rambunctious, but they had a great meal. Would Eat Again?: Green Light
There's lots to enjoy about Riviera Maya. The name itself is even pretty cool, since it's the name of a place instead of the more generic El Whatever trend. It lends itself to more of a feeling of being transported. We were also enormously impressed with the service. The food came out so quickly after we ordered it that it kind of blew our minds. Everything was delicious, everyone found something they wanted to eat, and the place felt pretty. Wins all around!
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