Cooperativa Maya Ixchel y Restaurante Yaxkin - 97666 Xocempich

we ve been there because it was part of the tour to chichen itza, the maya people seem ok, would i go back? no! did i like the food? i don't like mexican food! dusty, sunny, middle of nowhere place

An outdoor buffet tent with loud music, a variety of dancing locals and over priced drinks for the masses (40 pesos for a small bottle of water). Was dragged here as part of a private tour. You are led through the gift shop and out on an elaborate fountain-like walkway with a mural. Before that you are funneled past a group pf young men dressed in over the top disney-esque face painting that has little to do with genuine Mayan culture and more with the expectations of simple minded tourists. These poor souls will not hesitate to man-handle you to entice you into a "photo op". Made me feel like an involountary cruise ship passenger in the middle of the forrest. I have no idea why people flock to these types of places, but the other dining guests seemed to absolutely love it. Fortunately as it was just me and my driver, I spent no more than 12 minutes in this place total.

I went there thanks to an organized trip heading to chichén Itzá: we stopped there for a shaman ritual. It was obviously a trap for creating and emotional link with tourists to let them purchase the hyper-expensive gadgets. After than ritual, we had a buffet for lunch, i need to confirm that the food was amazing. If they were only a restaurant I would have given them 5 stars, however they were just trying in many ways to squeeze dollars out form tourists' ingenuity.

Very nice staff and tasty food. Good selection of tacos and Mexican cuisine. The dancers and entertainment were an added bonus. A little bit of a wait, but these days, that's to be expected.

Very educational. The food was fantastic, service very friendly. Music and dancing was a real treat and of course the Shaman was interesting.

I came here as part of the chichen itza tour and this was the place that provided the free lunch buffet. It felt like a waste of time coming here when the tour couldve gave more time at chichen itza or the cenote. They attempt to immerse you into mayan culture but they whole thing felt like a money grab/tourist trap. The restroom were very clean but they ask for tips. Ice cream and coffee was being sold but it was overpriced. There was a traditional shaman ritual but I couldnt hear a thing and it was under the hot burning sun. After the ritual, they make you look around the gift shop for 30 minutes. Everything was super overpriced and workers were trying to pressure you into buying things. Trinkets sold at chichen itza Cancun/PDC gift shops are 1/2 the price. The only good thing about the gift shop was the AC. After the gift shop was the buffet. But before you step into the buffet, they take a photo of you. They take that photo and print it out then slap it onto a bottle of alcohol which they try to sell to you later on. You had to wait in a line to get your food at the buffet but it went by pretty quickly. The food isnt self-serve, the workers serve it to you as if you were in a school cafeteria. This means that they'd give you small portions and look disgruntled if you asked for more. You arent allowed to bring your own drinks and have to purchase here. While you're eating, there are dancers that perform in the middle of the tables. After their performance, they ask for tips There is only one exit out the buffet. The exit takes you through a stage where you have people dressed in mayan clothing. They try to pressure you to take photos for $$.

We came here on a tour to chichen itza, and despite the staff being very friendly and the food being delicious and plentiful, this place seems like an absolute tourist trap, designed to squeeze money out of the tourists that cannot escape, as this is part of the organised tour. DO NOT BUY SOUVENIRS HERE! You can buy the same souvenirs for a fraction of the price from vendors in Chichen Itza, for example I bought an obsidian God figurine for 150 MXN in chichen itza, the same one would have cost 2000 MXN here! Same for mayan calendars and other artefacts.

Delicious food, fast service and quite pretty ambient. But be careful - there is a fake shaman trying to persuade you to buy horribly overpriced trinkets - he and the rest of the staff will lie about the trinkets and their genuine hand-made Mayan origin. Bet you can find this 'made in China' cr*p everywhere in Yucatan. I was open to support the local Mayan community, but not liars and cheaters. Also, the bottled water cost a fortune. And don't buy the fancy drink in large bowl, it's not worth it. Also don't feel embarrassed not to give a huge tip, when you are a part of an already paid guided tour that includes lunch here. :)