The meal I was most looking forward to during my ten-day trip to the Bahamas was dinner at Cleo Mediterraneo located at the Hyatt Baha Mar/SLS Hotel. While perusing the menus of the many restaurants on the Baha Mar property, I was excited to find Moroccan food. Cleo Mediterraneo had several tagines to choose from, including vegetable, lamb, seafood, chicken and meatball shashouka. The chicken dish was a bit steep at 28 dollars, which was closer to 35 once the VAT and tips were added (without any drinks), but I thought it would be a great reminder of my recent trip to Morocco.
The chicken dish arrived in a colorful tagine, although most of my meals in Morocco were served in the more common clay tagine. The colorful tagine was the best part of the meal. The chicken portion was okay, but the meat was far too tough. I was actually a bit shocked that they would serve it that tough and at that price point. The flavors also did not read like the classic ras el hanout, although it was touted as a curry. I didn't really get curry, either. It was a disappointing dish that made the experience forgettable. The Cleo has an upscale atmosphere, yet relaxed. The vibe was good. The service was slow and the food...not good. It is surprising that this restaurant frequently sells out. Perhaps I just ordered the wrong meal. But I never gave this restaurant a second chance. It was too expensive to make the same mistake twice.
The menu had a variety of small plate options representing different takes on Mediterranean food. Aside from the Moroccan fare, the menu has a heavy Greek influence along with other options like North African harissa. The portions for the small plates were what you expect them to be. Although the prices were more in line with large plates at a nice restaurant. The restaurant appeared to sell a lot of their flatbreads, which run about eighteen dollars. That price was on par with other restaurants at the Baha Mar. I was sitting at the bar and had a great view of the oven, where a steady stream of flatbread was being prepared.
This restaurant is actually located in the SLS Hotel and not the Baha Mar, although they are connected. They take reservations online or at the counter. The hotels have tablets in each room where guests can make reservations directly. While the Cleo has a nice atmosphere, the food and service were horrible on my single visit. Combined with the price point, I chose not to go back. I would like to have tried another tagine. But I didn't want to spend the money only to be disappointed again. There are plenty of restaurants at the Baha Mar. You may want to try this one out...maybe I just ordered the wrong item. But you have other options as well. I chose to exercise those options.
The tagine photo is my own. The other photos were taken from the Cleo website under fair use for the purpose of reviewing my experience. They are subject to copyright.