The new Blind Butcher’s open kitchen. (Photo courtesy of Hyatt Ziva and Zilara Cap Cana)
To enter The Blind Butcher, the intriguing new restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Kap Cana and Hyatt Zilara Kap Cana, you pass through a refrigerator door that looks like something you’d find in a butcher shop. But what lies beyond is anything but cold.
The opulent and dramatic setting immerses you in a world of sizzling dancing, sizzling meats and sizzling atmosphere.
Pedro Tomás, general manager of Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana and Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic, describes The Blind Butcher as “subversive fun.” The restaurant concept follows the highly successful trend of combining cuisine and entertainment at hits such as Sexy Fish in London and Miami, and Salvaje in Madrid and Barcelona.
“You’ll get better food than you’d get at a fine dining restaurant, but it’ll probably be served right next to you while the show is going on,” Thomas says.
For example, while you dig into an appetizer of beefsteak tartare after a chef has ground the meat in front of you, a couple might be salsa dancing in the aisle next to you while one of their partners takes to the stage to play Camila Cabello’s “Havana” on trumpet.
Later, watch as grilled lobster is flambéed tableside with Brazilian cachaça, and you might even get to see a pair of synchronised acrobats up close.
A trumpeter plays “Havana” tableside. (Photo by Sara Pérez Weber)
“It’s an experience,” sums up Thomas. “It makes you want to take photos, it makes you want to say to the world: ‘I am here.'”
Non-all-inclusive plan
The Blind Butcher is an add-on option for guests (ages 13 and up) staying at the family-friendly Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana and the adjacent adults-only Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana, both all-inclusive properties at the beachfront Playa Resort in Punta Cana’s exclusive Cap Cana gated community.
Restaurant admission is $149 per person and includes four or five dishes, wine, cocktails and tax.
Diners enter The Blind Butcher through what looks like a giant refrigerator door, the first of many fun surprises. (Photo by Sara Perez Weber)
“The Hyatt guest is a guest who is used to going to EP (lodging only) hotels,” Thomas said, adding that Ziva and Zilala guests sometimes ask for restaurant recommendations outside the hotel. “We knew there was an opportunity for people who were willing to pay for a different experience, so we said, ‘What if we created that experience inside the hotel?'”
Inspired by South America
At The Blind Butcher, hotel management aimed to create an experience that would be different from anything offered at an all-inclusive resort. “The entertainment, food and beverage concept was a direct suggestion from our CEO, Bruce Wardynski (chairman of Playa Hotels & Resorts),” says Thomas.
Inspired by the flavours of South America, Tomás and his team crafted the restaurant’s backstory: “The Blind Butcher” was a legendary chef who lost his sight while exploring the jungles, ancient ruins and natural wonders of South America. As a result, his other senses were heightened, leading him to create gastronomic masterpieces. The chef then developed a mystical connection with nature and miraculously regained his sight.
A chef-attendant flambés lobster with cachaça. (Photo by Sara Perez Weber)
Stories are woven into the guest experience. Diners can choose menu options separated by elements – for example, the Earth starter is pork arepas and the Air starter is catch of the day ceviche. Water mains include Josper sea bass roasted in banana leaves, while Fire mains include Manhattan steak wagyu, short ribs and Creole barbecue with spicy Argentinian chorizo.
The service and décor details add to the fun: Carved monkeys hang from the ceiling, a cocktail called “The Blessing” is served in a skull-shaped mug and served in a smoke box, and a secret door in the wall leads to the restrooms.
The Guarani chocolate ice cream dessert features cotton candy and passion fruit foam atop a ceramic monkey head. (Photo by Sara Pérez Weber)
Focus on food satisfaction
While The Blind Butcher is a unique resort offering, Hyatt Ziva and Zilara Cap Cana have both placed a premium on quality cuisine since opening as new build resorts in 2019.
“We’re really focused on our food and beverage offerings,” says Thomas, who has been general manager since the resorts opened. Each property has six restaurants and seven bars and lounges. The Blind Butcher is renovating a former meeting space, so the number of all-inclusive offerings is staying the same.
The resort’s chefs hail from all over the world, including Spain, Turkey, Peru and Mexico. “Having the Hyatt brand behind us really helps attract this talent,” says Thomas. Standout restaurants include Journey, inspired by India’s Maharaja’s Express, where diners can dine inside a recreated vintage train car.
Three Indian chefs are serving authentic menus, helping to boost the resort’s Indian wedding business.
General manager Pedro Tomas says The Blind Butcher is a valuable selling point on Trip Advisor. (Photo by Sara Perez Weber)
Another guest favorite, Brand’s, serves French-Tahitian cuisine with Gauguin-style murals as a backdrop and tables surrounded by water, as if floating on an island. The resort does a ton of meetings and incentive business, so Brand’s has a reputation as the place where deals are closed.
In fact, Thomas expects The Blind Butcher to be a popular choice for groups planning special dinners for top executives and top employees. A limited number of reservations will also be accepted from non-resort guests. And he emphasizes that the new restaurant will differentiate Hyatt Ziva and Zilara Cap Cana from the competition: “It’s something travel agents can use to close the deal.”
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