Chelem, Yucatan — There’s one less place at the beach for food, beer and live music.
The well-loved El Martini beach bar is shutting down, suddenly and with hints of a dispute with an unnamed party “without integrity that have decided to not keep their word or legal contract.”
“We also will not be subjected to bullying or illegal activity designed to close us down,” co-owner David Ware continued, on Facebook.
“I wish we could have had a chance to say goodbye but we didn’t want to go through another terrible scene like last Friday. We especially didn’t want that for our customers,” Ware said, not elaborating on what transpired.
El Martini occupied the former Lizard Joe’s, and was known for a steady stream of karaoke and live musical acts, from jazz to rock. The bar received consistently favorable online reviews since opening about two years ago.
Patrons were shocked and saddened, but couldn’t get a more detailed explanation.
“Holy hell, what happened?” asked one commenter. “Exactly,” was the reply.
“If it’s gone you will take the community with you,” wrote another supporter. “We all love you guys personally and professionally and will be devastated to lose you.”
