Brian and I actually stumbled across Coyaba and I am so glad that we did. When we were waiting to be seated at Coco Bistro a family that didn’t have reservations got sent down the street to Coyaba. And so that I got me curious. So after spending a rainy day inside our room at the Ocean Club Resort, I did some research on the internet and liked what I read. So I sent them an email and got reservations for that evening! If you are disappointed that you couldn’t get a reservation at Coco Bistro, I highly recommend Coyaba, it’s an excellent substitute, or even a great 1st choice for a nice dinner. Brian actually preferred Coyaba saying that his steak was better. I think it is a very, very tough decision to pick a favorite. Budget appropriately and pick at least one of them for a lovely romantic fine dining experience in the Caribbean!
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First Impressions of Coyaba
Coyaba has several beautiful seating areas in the garden. However, since we were there on a rainy day, we had seating inside. Even though it was inside, it was just as lovely. My only complaint is that their wrought iron garden chairs were a bit chipped and worn looking (but to be honest, it also kind of added to the charm, vintage is in right now you know!).
Drinks at Coyaba – Locally Made Bambarra Rum
To drink, Brian asked for a rum and coke with the locally made Bambarra Rum. It was great because he’s a rum drinker and had been wanting to try it before he bought a bottle and we were having a hard time finding a restaurant that had it on their shelf. If you are thinking about it, Brian recommended the Bambarra Reserve, he said it’s a very smooth dark rum.
So Many Courses!
One thing that set Coyaba apart from Coco Bistro was the number of courses: we had a pre-dish for every course! Maybe that’s the norm where you are, but it was brand new to me! We started with a pre-appetizer of tomato soup (see picture of me with tiny tea-cup – ignore the tan lines, it’s hard to dress fancy when you’ve just spent the day at the beach!). I remember it being a bit cold, but it was good. Then for an appetizer, Brian and I ordered the gnocci and a caprese salad to share. The gnocci came smothered in gorgonzola cheese. It was delicious, but very heavy. I’m very glad that we shared it and had a lighter appetizer as well.
Main Courses at Coyaba
Before the main course, we were given a small sherbet to clean our palettes. For the main course, I was feeling adventurous and ordered the beef tenderloin that they described as a “deconstructed Wellington” while Brian ordered the New York striploin. My tenderloin was good, although I didn’t feel like the bread part was anything special. Honestly, doesn’t it just look like a fancy hamburger? However, Brian loved his steak and thought it was even better than Coco Bistro. And the truffle fries that came with the steak were delicious! Luckily I convinced him to share those with me. 🙂 One nice thing about Coyaba is they have a few more dishes to choose from for people who don’t like seafood. So that made my decision more difficult, but I appreciated the choices.
Dessert at Coyaba
Before dessert, Coyaba surprised us again by serving a pre-dessert! A tiny piece of chocolate. Then for dessert we shared the key lime pie which had toasted meringue on top!
Overall Impressions of Coyaba
All in all, we had a lovely evening at Coyaba. It’s comparable price-wise to Coco-Bistro ($200 for two people without wine), but they served extra courses which was fun. We highly recommend it! After eating dinner, it was still raining outside, so we wandered just down the road to check out the Casablanca Casino for a little while.
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