Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo, Mexico Unveils Culinary Ethos and Announces Partnership with World’s Best Female Chef, Elena Reygadas

Located on a secluded peninsula within a private reserve on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo is reimagining luxury cuisine with a culinary experience inspired by Mexico’s rich legacy, the origin of its distinctive ingredients, and its time-honoured traditions.

Led by Culinary Director Nicolás (Nico) Piatti, the Resort offers three restaurants - Coyul, Sal and Nacho - in addition to two bars. Each restaurant has its own concept and signature style but their commonality lies in featuring varying Mexican flavours representative of the country’s renowned cuisine. Showcasing the region’s dramatic seasonality while blending modern techniques with ingredient-forward creativity, the Resort’s culinary program offers an unforgettable dining experience with settings for every occasion, from starlit dinners to barefoot lunches with opportunities for guests to raise a glass with old friends and new. An integral part of the character of the Resort is Puro Talento Mexicano, which celebrates Mexican talent across all disciplines – this core value is seen in the Resort’s dedication to its root-to-dish culinary philosophy. Included in that is Coyul, where famed Mexican Chef Elena Reygadas has partnered with Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo and uses the country’s bountiful harvest to take modern Mexican cuisine in exciting new directions.

“What Nico Piatti has created at Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo is an unforgettable culinary journey for guests from all around the world to smell, touch, taste and fall in love with the ingredients of this region,” says Herve Fucho, Resort Manager at Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo. “Expanding our culinary aspirations by partnering with award-winning chef Elena Reygadas perfectly fits our desire to create an unrivalled dining experience at Coyul that is both authentic to Mexico and unique to Tamarindo."

A Collaboration Called Coyul

Renowned Mexican Chef Elena Reygadas, owner and visionary behind distinguished Mexico City establishments Rosetta, la Panadería de Rosetta, Lardo, Café Nin and Bella Aurora, has partnered with Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo to bring her award-winning talents and passion for the culinary heritage of Mexico to Coyul. Recently named the World’s Best Female Chef by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, this is her first project outside of Mexico City.

At Coyul, Elena draws inspiration from Mexico's vibrant biodiversity, highlighting traditional ingredients with a comforting yet delightfully surprising menu. Every morning, guests can indulge in Elena’s signature baked goods, passionately crafted using sourdough and artisanal methods. An extensive breakfast menu is offered alongside the incomparable ocean backdrop where highlights include the plantain enmoladas or the hoja santa quesadilla with milpa vegetables. At sunset, guests can savour dishes such as huachinango with tamarind and cucumber, or homemade pastas such as black tagliolini and stewed octopus, offering a taste of the Pacific’s most beloved ingredients. Guests are invited to end their meal with delicate desserts, such as rice pudding with figs and fig leaf ice cream.

“I remember the first time I visited Tamarindo, I was fascinated by the surrounding nature. The overflowing vegetation, the birds singing, the vastness of the rocks and the closeness of the Pacific Ocean left me without words," says Chef Elena Reygadas. “It´s a pleasure to collaborate with the team in Tamarindo to create a menu that fuses my personal style and passion for Mexican cooking with the rich bounty that surrounds the Resort.”

About Sal Restaurant

Just a few steps from the sea and perched above Majahua Beach, Sal offers a magical dining space, touched with natural light and views that invite guests to lose themselves in the setting sun and the sound of the crashing waves below. Sal is a tribute to the sea and a creative showcase for local products. Fish and seafood are caught fresh daily by local fishermen including the Resort’s diver and masterfully cured using artisanal salt from Cuyutlán, Colima. The ocean’s bounty, combined with seasonal ingredients from the reserve, result in a uniquely crafted menu mixed with a relaxed atmosphere, perfect for lounging for hours at a table, or enjoying the bar’s mixologist creations, all while soaking in the captivating setting.

About Nacho Restaurant

Inspired by memory and shaped by origin, Nacho is a casual poolside taqueria with homestyle Mexican favourites including made-to-order tortillas pressed right in front of guests, fresh salsas, house made carnitas and adobos – all enjoyed on a covered outdoor terrace or poolside. At Nacho, freshly harvested ingredients such as mushrooms, quelite leaves, pickled vegetables, and tortillas made with corn nixtamalized at the farm become the stars of the menu, featuring tacos, tlayudas, and a rotating selection of salsas. Paired with aguas frescas, Mexican spirits, and fermented drinks, each dish showcases Mexico’s traditional flavours in their freshest variety.

About Rancho Ortega

Gastronomy is vital to the Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo experience, and its essence is based on going back to the basics, making the most of the region’s rich, diverse seasonality, and respecting the land and its bounty. Rancho Ortega, a 35-acre (14 hectare) farm, was born from this premise.

"The Resort’s undiscovered location and unique topography offer access to 3,000+ acres (1,200+ hectares) of land to support a food and beverage program that is dedicated to 360-degree sustainability, seasonal farming, authentic Mexican ingredients, and the support of local purveyors,” says Nico Piatti. “Guests are invited to experience the culture that makes Jalisco unique, as the team seeks to showcase ingredients, techniques and flavours indigenous to the region."

Located within the reserve, Rancho Ortega seeks to strengthen the bond between cooks and the land they are working in. The farm is focused on growing food such as corn, sugarcane, tomatoes, chili peppers, mangos, citrus fruits, coffee, and blue agave in addition to raising animals including goats and chickens, slowly becoming the main supplier for the Resort's dining outlets. With a zero-mile philosophy, Rancho Ortega has built sustainable farming practices that breathe life into the culinary spirit of Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo and inspire creativity.

"As cooks, we are used to being inside the kitchen, dressed in white, behind the stove. Today, we touch the earth and feel its humidity, we perceive the smell of the mountain and collect with our hands what the land gives us, what we ourselves cultivate and take care of to bring it to the table, reflecting the love and passion for each ingredient. We thank Mother Earth for what she provides us, and we give back what we do not use. This is the essence of Rancho Ortega,” says Nico Piatti. “Here, cooks have become artisans, farmers, and passionate land explorers. Surrounded by a 3,000-acre reserve, they have countless opportunities for creative discovery, reflected in the genuine flavours found on the menus of the Resort’s three restaurants: Sal, Nacho and Coyul.”

About Mixology

The culinary program at Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo also extends to its bars, where guests can experience the culmination of a concept born at the Resort’s mixology lab. The talented beverage team at Tamarindo produces several ingredients and unique elements on-site to incorporate into the cocktail program. A biochemical engineer brings her expertise to develop various fermented drinks using fruit, citrus, and herbs from the reserve, resulting in refreshing tepaches (a traditional Mexican fermented drink). The team also produces its own bitters using ingredients from Rancho Ortega and creates oils from coconut, lemon, grape, chili peppers, and mint. These unique oils bring out the subtle flavours in the specialty cocktails. No detail goes unnoticed as high-quality ice is sourced to help drinks maintain their flavour for longer. This idea gave way to the creation of an Ice Room for clear ice production. The space has become a creative lab for the team, who can imprint logos, images and freeze elements such as flowers, seeds, and leaves from the reserve, resulting in unique ice cubes that further tell the story of Tamarindo’s culinary personality.

Staying at Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo is an open invitation for guests to immerse themselves in a culinary journey through Mexico, one bite at a time. Led by farmers, fishermen, sommeliers, chefs, and mixologists, each dining experience is inspired by Mexico’s rich biodiversity and culture with a deep respect for the ingredients and practices of the region.

To inquire about booking, click here or call +52 357 689 0100.