The Sands Restaurant and Beach Club at Banyan Tree Mayakoba is one of the two places right on the beach where you can enjoy views and delicious food. The other is the Surf Beach Club, which is not open for dinner and is adults only. We ate at the Sands on our first night at Banyan Tree in February of 2026, and it was eerily completely deserted. While strange, it was nice to have a quiet evening to ourselves near the beach for our first night away from the freezing temperatures of Chicago!

The set up at Sands is very modern and fresh, although slightly sterile feeling, like they are trying too hard to be hip and beachy. Lack of authenticity is a bit of a problem throughout the resort. The vibe, though, might simply have been due to the fact that we were some of the only people dining there that night. That said, the fresh seafood was some of the best we had during our stay at this resort. The service, even though we were virtually alone, was still somewhat spotty, and they forgot one of the side dishes that I had ordered.

To start, we were offered some fresh chips and salsa, as well as an amuse bouche, which was a seafood croquette. Very delicious way to start.

As an appetizer, we split the lobster tacos, which were flavorful and piled high with beans, rice and lobster. I would definitely recommend this appetizer.

We both also chose fresh fish for our mains. The menu lists a ton of fish that can be prepared in several different ways, however many of the fish were not available when we dined there. I had the sea bass, which was seemingly always available at every restaurant on the property. It was oddly served with grilled vegetables and a salad, with no rice or potato or carb of any kind. I had ordered a side of lime risotto which would have been a perfect accompaniment, and probably should come with the fish rather than one of the vegetables, but it never came.

Brian went for the traditional Oaxacan Tlayuda, which had all sorts of beans and vegetables as well as fish in a sort of stew served in corn husks. This dramatic dish was as cool to look at as it was super flavorful and spicy.

The highlight of our meal, hilariously enough, were the churros. They were easily the freshest and best we had at the resort all week, and we absolutely devoured them.

While the Sands Restaurant was not a huge stand out, I would recommend eating here for some delicious fresh seafood with great views of the sea, and to enjoy the best churros on the property!