How many people can say their first date included two different restaurants? Even from the start, it was all about the food.
We met in a bakery in Playa del Carmen in 2016, and by 2017 we were planning to travel Mexico together. But during the preparations for our trip, we escaped for a weekend getaway to El Cuyo. In that one weekend, we changed our life plans, found a place to rent and returned to Quintana Roo to pack up our belongings.
During our first year in El Cuyo we tried numerous projects, including doing catered tours in our VW camper van. Then on December 15th 2018, we opened El Chile Gordo. The sign was fixed to the wall at 5pm and by 6pm we were serving a group of 14.
The a la carte menu was a roaring success, and El Chile Gordo was making waves. But then in March 2020, due to COVID, El Cuyo shut it’s entrance to tourists, and El Chile Gordo was left with little choice but to close its doors too.
When we reopened 9 months later, it was with a totally different concept.
The Single Table Concept
Oscar had always dreamt of a restaurant where strangers shared one big table – so in the middle of a pandemic, when most people wanted to keep their distance – this is what we decided to do. Crazily it worked.
People sometimes ask if we’d ever return to the standard restaurant format.
The answer?
Definitely not! We love showcasing the variety of Mexican gastronomy, chatting to our guests and explaining the dishes. Plus, seeing strangers creating memories and bonding over good food is exactly what Mexican cooking is all about.
We love what we do…
Oscar & Cathy’s Back Story
Oscar, Mexican from Veracruz, took an interest in cooking from a young age, learning traditional recipes from his mum and aunts. Despite his passion for food, he sidestepped into graphic design, before moving to Quintana Roo and having much success as an artisan. He took 2 years out to travel the American continent in a jeep and on his return to Mexico, met Cathy.
Cathy, British from cold wet Yorkshire, worked across Europe in tourism before deciding she wanted to choose where to go rather than being sent by her employer. So she became an English teacher, took a year-long job in Playa del Carmen and was busy planning her solo travels to Central and South America when she met Oscar. The rest, as they say, is history…
To find out more about the El Chile Gordo Experience, click here