Sharing a pal’s birthday is always a nice experience. But this one was terrific – we went to Bovino’s in Playa del Carmen.
We were seated by the hostess and then another gal came over and asked if it were a special occasion. I said yes, we are celebrating my friend’s birthday. Okay, I figured they’d bring a small cake at the end.
You have two options at Bovino’s. Just the buffet or the buffet plus the swords. The swords are the 27 varieties of meats offered, off the grill. On your table is a small disk. Green side up means you’re having meat and red side up means you are taking a break from the swords or are finished. The 27 swords include various types of beef, sausage, chicken, pork, and meatballs. Waiters come by and slice off portions for you and will continue until you beg them to stop. If you want only the buffet, you’re given a small square and the disks are removed.
We opted for buffet solo: at least two hot soups, paella, sushi, oysters, clams on the half shell, breads – not including the hot garlic bread brought to the table – and at least 5 different salads. The cheese selection is huge and shrimp is done in several different ways. There is a variety of potato dishes, along with rices and pastas . Beautiful food carvings highlight the different fruits available, along with other items such as deviled eggs, sun dried tomatoes, and so on and so on. 
Too many items to mention! When we returned from our first trip from the buffet, we found our table had been decorated with gold stars and curls of ribbon – Quite festive for sure!
We made a couple of more trips for refills then decided to save a bit of room for dessert. The dessert cart arrived with at least 12 fantastic delights. There were things like a full size teacup, made of chocolate, filled with mousse. Cheesecake, fresh fruit with cream, cream puffs and crepes. We decided on a crepe, filled with cream, topped with the freshest of fruit. It was so very wonderful!
Once coffee was served, the first gal came back with a cupcake with a candle and the entire staff, each holding some type of drum or bell or tambourine. They then sang and played the Portuguese birthday song. It was lively and fun and we all enjoyed it. What a way to end a birthday lunch.
On another visit to Bovino’s, fourteen of us from Akumal hired a van and off we went for another great lunch. We asked for separate checks, which is a nightmare for any server, but did receive them. A few simple mistakes, but nothing that was not corrected. This time we measured the length of the salad bar and found it to be 60 feet long! Many of us had dessert and many items are so big, they can easily be shared.
Being open for lunch is a huge plus because you’re able to enjoy a great place and you don’t have to drive back from Playa in the dark. I will return for sure. Bovino’s opens at noon and stays open until 12:30 AM. They are located on Ave.10 at Calle 12, right on the corner. They offer Valet Parking and reservations can be made at 98 -803-0301. Prices begin at: Swords and buffet, 450mx; Buffet, 345mx; Children complete, 225mx.
—MexicoPogo
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