Why did we dine here? – Maria Isabel is the latest restaurant from the Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz of Dalida Fame. Chef Laura’s family roots in Guerrero and Sinaloa allow her to purse this cuisine. We loved their other spot, so we had to give this new place a try. We gave the place about 2 months to dial in. This restaurant lives up to all the hype. Reservations took a while to get with Opentable notify going off 2 days before hand. They keep counter spots open for walk-ins until 8pm. Highly Rated 4.6 on Yelp, 5.0 on Google with 74 reviews. 5% Health living contribution. Insider Tip – Use Opentable Notify to score a table, else sit at the counter Cuisine – Modern Mexican Location – San Francisco Opened – 2026 Service – Maria Isabel had impressive service especially for a new spot. Fast cleanups, no need to ask for water, friendly helpful waiter. Verdict – Maria Isabel is that rare new restaurant that is already firing on all cylinders. The food is top notch as is the service. The Chef clearly is cooking with a lot of love. Can’t think of another place nearby that serves this […]

This post originally from Maria Isabel, San Francisco

An amazing find in Cancun! Porfirio’s is a Mexican restaurant in Cancun, right at tourist area Zona Hotelera, just north of the Hard Rock Hotel. We wanted to get some Mexican food and luckily this place was a short 7 minute walk from our hotel. (What is the point of eating sushi in Mexico?) Reviews were good. Porfirio is more than a restaurant, with on going dj’d music videos, live mariachi’s, it was the whole package. Rated 4.5 on Tripadvisor The cocktails and food was better than expected especially with its innovative plating. Hot tip: Stick to a variety of the cheaper items and you will be all set. Do not give into pressure to order expensive entrees. You HAVE to save room for dessert. A must visit in Cancun. Reserve ahead of time. Menu: The menu is very extensive. You have lots of small dishes plus a good list of expensive large plates. We wanted variety and stuck to the cheaper options, even though our waiter steered us towards $$$$ items. iPad based wine list. English menu. Service: Porfirio’s service was decent, but not exceptional. The waiter did know his stuff and helped us order. They run very slow […]

This post originally from Porfirio’s, Cancun

Last Update: 2018 Foodnut travels, eats, and tells.  We’re based in San Francisco but have flown all over the place. We love Mexican food and find some of the best in Cancun. We recently finished up our latest culinary tour of Cancun in 2018. Other reviews farther down are from previous trips. Cancun is a world class destination full of great food. Most of the Mexican food was superior to that in the San Francisco Bay Area. The service is on another level here. Here are some quick mini reviews of places we ate at, so you can understand how Cancun food compares, and so you select the best places on your visit. We have full reviews for places we deemed important enough. Chstr aka Cheester Blvd. Kukulkan Km 15 77500 Cancún, Quintana Roo Mexico Zona Hotelera +52 998 688 5556 Website 4.5 stars on Yelp 4.5 stars on Tripadvisor Chstr is an Italian Pizza, Pasta restaurant across the street from the Mariott in Cancun. We were nearby and wanted to eat at some place nicer than McDonalds. (Next door) Boy was this an interesting find. Whimsical decor with pots, pans, kitchen tools and more. We really worried that it […]

This post originally from Foodnut Cancun Restaurant Reviews

Now Three Michelin stars in 2026! Why did we dine here? – Californios is a Two Michelin Star (in 2017) Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco, the highest rating of its type in the US. We were intrigued and hesitated to come here, but finally succumbed to all the positive accolades and were glad we did. ($177 for Mexican food?!) Chef Val M. Cantu crafts cuisine of the highest regard, having moved up from a popup years ago. Open the really heavy door and you will enter this fairly small restuarant. It almost seems like it should be twice the size, and a little less dark – hard edged. This restaurant uses tock for reservations, requiring you select a day/time and PAY up front. No refunds. Insider Tip – Dine at the Chef’s counter. It fills up first. Cuisine – Comtemporary Mexican Location – San Francisco Mission District Opened – 2013 Service – Californios had really good service and it was clear they were trying hard. The food pacing was good, fairly rapid, with a meal finishing in about 2 1/2 hours. There were a couple minor hiccups that prevented them from hitting the top. Verdict – Californios met our high […]

This post originally from Californios, San Francisco

Photo Courtesy LV Mar Why did we dine here? – LV Mar is a Latin focus restaurant in downtown Redwood City that serves Elevated Latin tapas, platters & cocktails in a modern, comfortably upscale dining room and sidewalk patio. They also run the nearby La Viga, which is a more casual. We had a good experience at La Viga, so it was natural for us to try this restaurant. Last visit was for dinner in 2018 Next door is a great California Italian Pizza (Try the Sausage Honey Pizza), Salad restaurant: Vesta We came for lunch, but saw that their dinner menu has some interesting different dishes. The chef was willing to cook a dinner dish for us! Insider Tip – Come during dinner when the menu is more extensive Cuisine – Latin Location – Downtown Redwood City Opened – 2015 Service – LV Mar had friendly service but many long pauses. The place was also not that full at lunch. Dinner had even more pauses, they need to work on service. Verdict – LV Mar is a fun little restaurant that has a cook that knows his stuff. Better food than you would expect in the suburbs. Pacing was […]

This post originally from LV Mar, Redwood City

This post originally from La Viga, Redwood City