Tia Carmen

I had dinner with my husband, and three sons 14,12,and 9. We all loved our food. The beef kabobs I had were incredible! I also had the fingerling potatoes. My kids all had burgers and enjoyed them. My husband also enjoyed his meal. The atmosphere outside was very enjoyable. We visited in late December. They came and lit our fire pit.

Fine dining outside by the gardens at JW Marriott. On a business trip. Excellent service and delicious food. I had the Tri tip kebabs and spiced fingerling potatoes with a glass of local red wine. All things considered, reasonably priced. Highly recommend!

We stayed at the resort and as a result of being Bonvoy members, we got a breakfast included each day. It was the Mercado breakfast, which is similar to a continental breakfast, but with many more options. Both days we were there, the staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. On one day, we both got the base breakfast and the other day one of us got the upgraded breakfast that included things that you would normally see on a buffet like bacon, omelettes and sausage. The restaurant opens at 6:30 and on one day we went there just after opening and found that some of the items had yet to be put out. The staff apologized, and when the food came out, we both got free upgrades. We recommend the breakfast, but would advise going there a bit later than when it opens.

Really interesting experience, the food was outstanding, but it was pretty empty. A few tables on patio were filled, and before we left, one table near us inside filled and a couple more out toward entrance and bar area were filled. Service was very accommodating but overall hostess and service could have much more panache. All of the dishes we had were quite good, started with some pan frito and tritip kababs - both were fantastic, had a tuna tostada which was nice, we had a NY Strip and a Ribeye and they were both outstanding, my ribeye had a wonderful flavor and was cooked perfectly. Seems like they need to step up marketing and service understanding, but the head chef is clearly very talented and cooks did great job.

We celebrated a birthday at Tia Carmen this past week. Everything we ate was really delicious. The flavors were complex yet subtle, the ingredients were top quality, the variety was impressive. Other than maybe too many dishes being topped with greens, really all were hits at the table. The pork chop was especially good, the aguachile was cleaned out, the grilled whole trout was boned perfectly and eaten by everyone. The service was very uneven. Our server was very good when she was present, but she was either stretched too thin or just not quite attentive enough. She didn't ask about allergies, which we have come to expect in fine dining. We ordered the mussels, which are described thus on the menu: "mesquite, chorizo, southwestern spice blend, serrano concha." Nowhere does it say anything about onions (or fennel or leeks or whatever allium was piled high on top of the dish when it arrived). Every other item we ate last night had complete ingredients listed on the menu, just not the mussels. A few pickled onions - easy to work around. A pile on top, touching every mussel, no way. And the bigger issue, again, is that for whatever reason this ingredient isn't listed on the menu despite its voluminous presence. I do appreciate that the kitchen then double and triple checked that the replacement item I ordered, the pork chop, would not trigger my allergy; what I didn't understand is why there was no sense of apology for mis-labeling the dish. That wasn't the only service issue. I asked about ordering a rye whisky around when the main course was served; "the book" would help me choose one. I never saw the book, the requested rye never was discussed again. The server asked about dessert before the replacement for the mussels (the delicious pork chop!) had arrived. She had to clear dishes on her own, there was no busser and at times we had stacks of dirty dishes. Our share plates were never swapped out after multiple courses. We had to ask for water refills multiple times. Our table was right inside the door to the restaurant. The host stand should be located at that door, as there was seemingly a lot of extra foot traffic near the table, some coming right in from the pool area etc. The food was really good and I would return for the right occasion. I hope they can tighten up the service and correct the menu on the mussels. Funny that in the response, the restaurant manager says "We take this feedback seriously, as it highlights opportunities to improve both attentiveness and communication." But they addressed me as "Jackson." Who is Jackson?

The New York strip steak with the marrow infused butter was the best steak I have ever had! So delicious. Loved the dessert of flan with mancheego cheese which gave it a salty contrast. The flan itself was perfection in its consistency. Also loved the purple yam side which might have been the bite of the night!

My husband and I were staying at the resort on site and decided to dine here for the evening. This restaurant is absolutely stunning and the staff were exceptional. Our waiter was very nice and went out of his way to serve us. That being said, the food here was not our favorite. The fried plantains were absolutely delicious and my husband enjoyed his bass. I got the roasted purple yam and did not enjoy it. I wish the menu had been more upfront about the dish. The dish is described as having a queso sauce and a mole negro. The dish was absolutely covered in a cheese foam substance that depleted the flavors of the dish and I had more cheese sauce than I did potato. It also did not look very appetizing. My husband’s menu item also did not say it would have a foam on top. Our meal with tip came out to 97$, which was a little pricey for what we ate