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Ceiba celebrates second anniversary with new menu items

by Alexandria Ebron

Two years after opening at Conrad Orlando at Evermore, award-winning restaurant Ceiba marks the milestone with a menu update, introducing new dishes and continuing to build on its regional Mexican cuisine.

Chef de Cuisine David Montelongo Merlo guides Ceiba’s culinary experience. His approach is reflected in Ceiba’s ever-evolving menu.

“Updating our menu has been a meaningful process, as it gave me the opportunity to return to many of the traditional dishes I grew up eating and cooking in Mexico,” Montelongo said. “At Ceiba, I’m excited to share these contemporary versions of classic dishes with the hope that they are a source of connection and celebration for our guests, as they have been for me.”

The updated menu opens with “botanas,” or snacks. Chabelita de Mariscos channels coastal cantina culture with local Royal Red shrimp from Cape Canaveral and Patagonia scallops tossed with pico de gallo, avocado and house sauces layered with citrus and heat. The Torta Ahogada, a take on the Guadalajara street food staple, features tender pork belly and crisp garlic bread soaked in tomato and chile de árbol savory sauces. A new tomato-based Sopa de Tortilla offers a comforting start to the meal.

The menu shifts into “platos fuertes” (main dishes), where plates emphasize slow-cooked meats with layers of deeply satisfying flavors. Main dishes include the Carne en su Jugo, a prime short rib braised until fork-tender and simmered in a tomatillo salsa verde with beans and smoky bacon, and Mixiote with chile-marinated chicken leg, cactus and pineapple pico. Mole, inspired by Oaxaca’s most loved culinary treasure, features a guajillo-marinated hanger steak accompanied by a plantain-corn masa tortilla and finished with a rich mole negro. The Relleno Negro presents slow-cooked Iberico pork shoulder with recado negro, a paste of charred chiles and spices, served with chicharrón and bright citrus salsas. Several of Ceiba’s most celebrated signatures remain including the Barbacoa de Cordero, a slow-braised lamb shank rich with depth and tradition, and the Pescado Zarandeado, the restaurant’s striking whole grilled fish inspired by Mexico’s coastal kitchens.

Ceiba’s menu evolution extends to dessert under Pastry Chef Caroline Ballam’s direction. Her new selections invoke playful nostalgia and fine-tuned finesse, from the Piña Colada Tres Leches with caramelized rum pineapple and coconut foam to a decadent Mole Chocolate Cake accompanied by burnt cinnamon ice cream and peanut brittle. Café de Olla, inspired by the classic Mexican-spiced coffee, layers whipped orange panna cotta with coffee mousse and dark chocolate cream. New desserts are the imaginative Paloma Paleta served with pickled blackberry, tequila gelée, and Fresno ginger pearls, and the bright MangoMarind, a refreshing mango-tamarind sorbet in tamarind sauce.

“Dessert at Ceiba is meant to be a continuation of the story we’re telling throughout the menu,” said Caroline Ballam. “I drew inspiration from classic Mexican flavors like coffee, chocolate and tropical fruit and reimagined them in a way that feels refined but still approachable. The goal is for guests to recognize those flavors, feel a sense of nostalgia, and leave with the same sense of warmth and connection they experience throughout the meal.”

For more information or to make a reservation, visit CeibaOrlando.com or follow @CeibaOrlando on social media.