Riviera Maya, Orlando

I had lunch at this Mexican restaurant on 436 near 408 last week on my way to the airport. It is in that strip mall (Royal Oak Village) with the Sonic that has the Jetson-esque nameplates out front. It is the only restaurant still serving in that complex. Can we not have an ordinance that requires old places to rip down their signage when they file? I had a cup of the tortilla soup (which seemed to be a house specialty) for $4 and a plate of Chilaquiles (because I like saying Chilla-kill-ayssss) for $6. The soup was very good. It had lots of good white meat chicken and fresh avocado and cheese and sour cream. The tortilla strips were thicker than usual (3x). The broth was good. There wasn't much room for it. It is a little expensive at $8 a bowl, but, a cup is a nice portion and the soup is really good. They describe the Chilaquiles as "stewed" in a homemade sauce. I've always had the sauce poured over the chips before serving. The chips here were very "saturated" with the sauce so maybe they did cook them together. It was a big portion. It came with eggs, cheese, onions, avocado, and cream. I'm not sure if they understood what "over easy" meant because they came "sunny side up". However, they at least had a liquid yoke to spread around the plate. The place is non-descript - not trendy - oldish. Its interior tries to resemble a cantina brought indoors. One side serves as a dining room. The other side is an area for the bar. There were two other people in the dining area while I was there (Orlando's finest). There were some people in the bar area, but, I wasn't sure if they were customers or friends and family. The dining area seats about 30. I believe it had a mural on the wall. The menu is mostly Southern Yucatanian. They have some Latin/South American dishes (ie Ropa Vieja, Cubano, Tripleta) and even a Cheeseburger. It is "authentic" despite the occasional departures. The Yucatan is mostly coastal, so, they have and claim to cook fish well. They have a kids menu, desserts, wraps, sandwiches, salads and many traditional dishes. The high water mark is $16 for seafood stews. Most things cost around $8-$10. Breakfast items cost less and are served all day. They are open from 7am to 9pm on weekdays and 9am-8pm on weekends. They are open on Sunday (which can be rare for Catholic run businesses). I forget if the "Cloth" did well converting Mayans. I absolutely recommend the place. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. It far outpaces the look of the place. It is in an oasis in what can be a scary part of town. It has lots of parking. The service is polite and fast. They even are "hip" enough to have an online presence on Facebook and the web - http://www.rivieramayacafe.com/ while offering free Wi-Fi.