03/06/2026
We had a spectacular experience sampling the new menu at Hacienta Xtojil’s Alú Restaurant. Their new menu, the brainchild of Chef Cris Colli, launched just last month and blends comida Yucateca with “fuego” cuisine.
Having tried many of the best-loved and most highly-rated restaurants across Merida and the wider peninsula - from Huniik to Ku’uk and everywhere in between, it is a testament to Chef Cris’s creations that the menu at Alú still stood out to us as some of the very best cuisine we’ve ever tried in southeastern Mexico. Truly, the other top-rated spots paled in comparison! 🫶
Menu highlights for us were the Rib Eye al Sarten - sumptuous rib-eye steak cooked to your liking, with a spectacular “reduccion de pipian rojo” salsa, asparagus and sauteed potatoes, along with the “Cerdo Confitado” - Pancetta with avocado mousse, homemade habanero salsa and goat’s cheese.
Born and raised in Cancun, Chef Cris grew up with Yucatecan food and traditions, and worked at restaurants across the world before returning home to the peninsula to head up the operation at Alú.
The restaurant is a great place to stop by as part of either a dedicated visit or as an indulgent stop-off while exploring the area’s cenotes and nature, but better yet, they’ve started organizing degustations on set dates, with 6-course tasting menus starting from 800 pesos per person.
