Meat lovers rejoice! The newest Brazilian style rodizio in Cancun, the Divina Carne Restaurant is the golden dream of anyone who loves good (read “great” meat). After over two years of construction, which we all watched carefully with drooling mouths, Divina Carne opened its doors in a post-pandemic Cancun, circa 2021. Its opening didn’t disappoint, as the final result is a grandiose, long white tablecloths restaurant with elegantly clad waiters.
For those who are not familiar with the concept, a Rodizio is a restaurant where the waiters come to your table armed with long swords and skewers and offer you a portion of the just-grilled meat they are carrying. They’ll ask something like “Ribeye three quarters?”, and if you say yes, they will cut thin slices of that meat and place it on your plate. They then circulate to the next table and repeat the process, while a different waiter, with a different cut of meat will approach you and offer his goods. That cycle repeats until you say NO MORE, PLEASE, and turn a little green token (napking, wooden piece or glass holder) to its other side, displaying its red side, a warning to the waiters not to approach your table with any more food offerings. At every rodizio, there’s always a central buffet with salads, rice, beans (remember, this is Brazilian style), grilled veggies and cold cuts, cheeses and breads. All this is included in a lump price, so you can serve yourself from the buffet as many times as you wish, just like you can eat as many sword-impaled cuts as you desire.
Desserts and drinks are charged separately, since they’re not included in the food price.
Well… at Divina Carne, all that is true, with a plus! Their variety is truly divine honoring their name, and the skewers brought to your table include on any given day, New York steak, Ribeye, Filet Mignon, Top Sirloin, T-Bone, Back Ribs, Tenderloin, Brisket and so much more. Add to that roasted chicken, chicken hearts (hmmm not my cup of tea), pulled pork, pork loin, pork Baby Back Ribs and several types of sausages whose names I can’t recall. The cuts are outworldly, so soft, moist and perfectly seasoned that you just can’t stop eating them. Yes, at the end you will say the typical “Oh, I shouldn’t have eaten that much”. But trust me, a bloated tummy will be little price to pay for such glorious meat. And not only meats! The central buffet at this rodizio has not only salads and side dishes, but also sushi, steamed shrimp, tuna and salmon sashimis, and an incredible assortment of Italian meats like salami, capocollo, prosciutto, and salsiccia. There’s even an enormous parmesan cheese circle about two feet in diameter, so you can scrape off your own fresh cheese on top of your favorite pasta.
The service is amazing, usually one waiter awaits near your table to receive your orders, exchange your used plates for clean ones, bring you more water or offer you drinks both soft and alcoholic. Then the MaitreD’ will come to your table at least once during your stay to inquire if there’s anything else you need or desire, and finally the desserts girl will appear with a rolling cart displaying those sweet treats that you can’t say NO to, and that will make you hate yourself and her, the following day. Yes, at Divina Carne everything is divine!
For their spotless white tablecloths and napkins, for their sparkling clean cuttlery, for their on-top-of-the ball excellent service and for the amazing quality, quantity and variety of their food, I’d give Divina Carne a happy five star rating. But… I have to take into consideration that their price is steep. While other rodizios in town like Bovinos Restaurant or Costelao, have quite good meat and service for at least 25% less money, Divina Carne charges over $40USD for their food. And that, my dear friends, is enough reason to lower their rating to four stars. But… (here I go again), when we asked for a shot of Whiskey, they brought the bottle and served us, and asked us, “More?”. So back to five stars!
In a nutshell, Divina Carne Restaurant in Cancun deserves our FIVE STAR rating! And they got it!
