Lorenzillo's Live Lobster House

​Our Last Night in Cancun
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Don and I usually avoid Touristy Mexico, but we got a good deal for a "resort" in the Hotel Zone of Cancun. Why not?

On our last night we chose a restaurant with good reviews, within walking distance. We put on comfy shoes and headed off.  When we arrived, I had to grin at the sign. First of all, there was a giant lobster, which meant we could say, We dined, 2 times in one day, at a restaurant with a giant lobster on the roof. (see previous post) ​I also had to grin at the words, under the name. "Since 1683" Hmmm? Is that a joke?
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​Built Over Water

​To the left of the sign was the giant palapa restaurant, sitting over the water.

Lorenzillo's brags that their palapa is the largest in the Americas. Of course they also claim a history going back to 1683. I was ready to find out.

First Things First
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​​Before entering the main dining area, we paused to peek into the open air bar. It was on the early side, but still... How could this breezy bar with fabulous wood & canvas chairs and curious, striped wood floors, not be filled with people?

We didn't need an answer. We just took a seat by the water and sighed.

​Martinis and Sunset
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​We sat at our little barrel table and watched the sun sink.

The April temps were balmy, not sticky. 

Cheers
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​While sipping, I studied the words on the side of the building. I assumed  Lorenzillo was the name of the owner. But later I learned that a man named Salvador, opened this restaurant and then others.  

He even opened a furniture factory, to make the tables and chairs that fill his restaurants.

Main Dining Room
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​After our drinks we headed inside.

The interior wasn't full, but it was still bustling and festive. The blue and white, nautical theme was inviting.  

The Wine Vault
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​We took a moment to take it all in, before we were seated.

The thick blue door leading to the wine vault, looked like something out of a James Bond movie.

Lobster Boat

Lorenzillo's has its own lobster and crab farm. They're known for their lobster, so we probably should have thought about ordering some.

But the boat filled with Lorenzillo's Girls, made me think twice. I've always been a wimp about seeing live food before eating it. So, how could I eat one of the Girls? That's like naming your pet chicken, that you plan on eventually eating.

On View
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​The display case made the fresh fish tempting, even to someone who doesn't adore seafood.

I loved the artistically carved veggies, making pretty designs with the seafood. 

Bar Boat
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​I love a theme and this place did a mighty fine job. Even the bar looked like a boat.

The waiters wore blue and white shirts, accented with red lobsters. One of the men wearing a lobster shirt, welcomed us and had us follow him to our table.

Nautical Plates
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​We passed beautifully set tables. The white over blue tablecloths, plus blue & white china with a golden ships, looked very classy!

He took us to a perfectly fine table, except for one thing. It was not by a window and there seemed to be quite a few available.

​​New Table 
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It never hurts to ask and sure enough, we were moved to a better table, beside a window. I tried not to wonder why they didn't take us to a better table first. Better to not over-think it.

Our new table was lovely. A purse stand suddenly appeared next to me. My unworthy travel bag really wanted to hide under the table, but I used the stand anyway. Then a standing ice bucket arrived to hold our wine and then a basket with an amazing assortment of fresh breads and garlic butter.

Yum
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​​Complimentary empanadas came next, with two kinds of sauce.

 

​I was happy.

​​Curious View
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There was a door nearby, that lead to the deck tables. After a couple sips of wine, I took a quick step outside to catch the sunset.

There was one more giant lobster that needed to be photographed! In my picture, it looks like he's keeping an eye on Don, who can be spotted in the first window.


Sinking Sun
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​Then, I took a photo of the sun just before it slipped behind low clouds.

If we had been vacationing during peak season, then we could have enjoyed lots of people watching, along with our sunset. The palapa and decks were mostly empty.

Feast

It was silly to order chicken at a place known for seafood, but I was in heaven with my crispy coated chicken, oozing with spinach and goat cheese. I enjoyed bites of pasta and asparagus between decadent mouthfuls of cheesy meat.  

Don loves his seafood and he was more than pleased with the Veracruz-style Grouper, served with onions, peppers and olives. He can be picky, but he raved.

​Dessert? 
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​We had no room for dessert, but we worked off a couple calories by hiking the stairs to the second level, for a view of the wonderful "striped" floors.

I think there's a story about those floors...?

Flags and a View

​The upstairs dining was closed for the evening, but our waiter invited us to go up and peek around. Instead of a window view, these tables could look down on the diners below, or up at the international flags hanging from the beams.

Best of all the upper level walls were covered with framed clippings and photos. We learned about past famous diners, like Jacques Cousteau and Omar Sharif. We learned about the two hurricanes that nearly destroyed the restaurant. I also finally learned the real age of Lorenzillo's.

The Legend
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It was no surprise to learn that our restaurant had not been around since 1693. Lorenzillo's really opened in 1979. The restaurant was named for a legendary pirate. The story claims that in 1693, Lorenzillo was a hungry pirate when his ship arrived at the port in Veracruz, Mexico. He became enraged to find no good food available. That pirate story inspired Salvador Vidal, when he opened his restaurant nearly 4 decades ago.

He could have just named the Lobster House after himself, since he has a pretty good name. Instead he used the legend and a little humor to create a restaurant with a reputation for delicious food, that could please a fierce and picky pirate, like Lorenzillo. Luckily all customers seemed content on the night we dined. I saw no outraged pirates or diners yelling and smashing the beautiful blue plates.

Happy Tourists and Happy Pirates!
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