To reach this seafood restaurant, you walk through the beautifully landscaped gardens of the Grand Oasis hotel, past the huge free-form swimming pool, then across a boardwalk high above the beach. Make sure to pause on the boardwalk and see the fantastic views of Cancun in the distance and the Caribbean right in front of you. Then you go down a steep wooden staircase, almost to the beach level. What you find at the end of this journey is not a typical beachfront café but an elegant, al fresco dining room with multilingual waiters and a charming, smartly-dressed hostess.
The menu features fresh fish, shellfish, and seafood. We have dined here often and we always ask Maximillian (the head waiter) or our server for recommendations. Every course is superb. The breads and nachos are all freshly baked and the salsa is made with locally grown vegetables. The salads are so good that I have sometimes eaten two salads and skipped dessert. (For those who know me, this may be hard to believe but it’s true.) Again, freshness is the key and even the salad dressings are made to order for each table. The shrimp and seafood cocktails are excellent and the main courses are simple and delicious: grilled, broiled, or baked fish with roasted vegetables, steamed rice, or potatoes. All the sauces are delicate and enhance the perfectly cooked fish. And then there are desserts: the choices are usually cake, ice cream, cheesecake, or flan. I definitely vote for the flan but the ice cream is a close second and the cheesecake is irresistible and the cakes are really, really good. You have to plan on several visits to try everything.
Wonderful as the food is, the view is even better. Situated just above the beach and looking directly at the sea, this is a beautiful location. During your lunch, you can watch the sea birds hovering in the air, see the clouds scudding overhead in the brilliant blue sky, or just close your eyes and listen to the waves drifting onto the beach. However, if the weather is very windy or if it rains, Cocoa Beach is closed and diners are relocated to another restaurant.
Cocoa Beach is open for lunch every day from 11am to 4pm. The prices are comparable to a fine restaurant anywhere in North America. Plan on $200 for a multi-course meal with wine for two. (If you are staying in the Grand Oasis and have purchased the all-inclusive plan, lunches at Cocoa Beach are included at no extra cost.)