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Expect a superb variety of cuisines—primarily Yucatecan, of course, but also Lebanese, Italian, French, Chinese, vegetarian, and Mexican—at very reasonable prices. Reservations are advised for the pricier restaurants on weekends and in high season. Beach towns, such as Progreso, Río Lagartos, and Celestún, tend to serve fresh, s
Expect a superb variety of cuisines—primarily Yucatecan, of course, but also Lebanese, Italian, French, Chinese, vegetarian, and Mexican—at very reasonable prices. Reservations are advised for the pricier restaurants on weekends and in high season. Beach towns, such as
Expect a superb variety of cuisines—primarily Yucatecan, of course, but also Lebanese, Italian, French, Chinese, vegetar
Expect a superb variety of cuisines—primarily Yucatecan, of course, but also Lebanese, Italian, French, Chinese, vegetarian, and Mexican—at very reasonable prices. Reservations are advised for the pricier restaurants on weekends and in high season. Beach towns, such as Progreso, Río Lagartos, and Celestún, tend to serve fresh, simply prepared seafood. The regional cuisine of Campeche is renowned throughout Mexico. Specialties include fish and shellfish stews, cream soups, shrimp cocktail, squid and octopus, and panuchos (chubby rounds of fried cornmeal covered with refried beans and topped with onion and shredded turkey or chicken).
Mexicans generally eat lunch in the afternoon—certainly not before 2. If you want to eat at noon, call ahead to verify hours. In Mérida the locals make a real event of late dinners, especially in summer. Casual (but neat) dress is acceptable at all restaurants. Avoid wearing shorts or casual sandals in the more expensive places, and anywhere at all—especially in the evening—if you don't want to look like a tourist. Although food servers at most local restaurants are kind and hospitable, they don’t always show it like they do in the States. Be patient and realize that, for many, the language barrier may cause them to be more reserved but not necessarily unfriendly. It's common practice for restaurants to include gratuity and tax in the total bill, so double-check your bill before adding a tip.
The romantic patio of this historic home glows with candlelight in the evening; during the day things look a lot more casual. The emphasis here is on vegetarian dishes like avocado pizza and chaya soup (made from a green plant similar to spinach), and healthful juices. (Meat, fish, and shellfish are served here in moderation.) Other local favorites include stuffed mushrooms, spinach lasagna, cochinita pibil, and butterfly chicken breast in a cream sauce. Prices are reasonable, and the service is always excellent. Expect live music in the open-air courtyard daily between 8:30 pm and midnight.
A henequen ranch in the 17th century, this beautiful hacienda just outside Mérida serves some of the best regional food around. Start with sopa de lima, then move on to standout mains like poc chuc or cochinita pibil (both served with homemade tortillas). The restaurant has the Yucatán's largest wine selection, and desserts come with a complimentary digestif. After your meal, stroll through the gardens where peacocks roam. Most patrons are well-to-do Meridanos enjoying a leisurely lunch: let that be your guide on what to wear here. A guitarist serenades you and your fellow diners between 2 and 5 on weekends. If you’d like to spend the night, the hacienda has six handsome suites ($$), but you'll need to book ahead for weekends and holidays.
Glass walls replicate an oblong Mayan house, incorporating the profusion of plants outside as a design element here at the town's favorite lunch spot. Seafood, with a campechano twist, reigns supreme here. A truly ambitious meal might start with a plate of calamari, stone-crab claws, or camarones al coco (coconut-encrusted shrimp). Memorable mains include pan de cazón (a shark-meat casserole that's one of Campeche's most distinctive dishes) and fresh robalo fish topped with puréed cilantro, parsley, orange, and olive oil. For dessert, the classic choice is ate, slabs of supercondensed mango, sweet potato, or other fruit or vegetable jelly served with tangy Gouda cheese. As the sun goes down, candles adorn the white-linen tablecloths, and soft blue lighting illuminates the outside atrium. Known for: pan de cazón (shark-meat casserole); yummy seafood appetizers; unusual setting.
This innovative cultural complex, bar, and restaurant has brought energy to a part of Mérida that wasn't previously on the map for most visitors and residents. The factory that once stood here now houses a restaurant serving creatively updated Yucatecan dishes, several bars, a gallery, an arthouse cinema, and a pop-up space which typically features the work of a local artisan or collective. Located on Calle 63 between 50 and 52, the area is busy during the day but quiet at night.
Apoala is one of the best choices for Mexican food on Parque Santa Lucia, Mérida's lively, restaurant-lined plaza. The menu includes both Oaxacan and Yucatecan dishes—moles and beef dishes from the former, ceviches and cochinita pibil from the latter. The presentation is elevated without being fussy.
If there were a "Best Pizza in Mexico" contest, we’d nominate this restored colonial gem a couple of blocks north of the main square. Lots of reds and yellows brighten the interior, and the outdoor patio overlooking Parque de la Candelaria becomes prime real estate on beautiful evenings. With 30 years in the restaurant business, most of them spent back in Italy, the owners here know pizza. They whip up 11 varieties, as well as sweet and salted focaccia and enormous calzones. A selection of Italian wines rounds out the offerings. Casa Italia opens at 7—come early if you want to snag a patio table.
Located right on Progreso's malecon, this restaurant is a notch above its neighbors and has contemporary Yucatecan inspired decor (think: pasta tiles, tzalam wood details, and florescent pink chairs). The menu is extensive but almost everything is from the sea, including shrimp cocktails, Baja-style fish tacos, and platters of crab. There is also a second location at Paseo 60, a collection of shops and restaurants attached to the NH Hotel in Mérida just a block from Paseo de Montejo, but the food tastes better at the original restaurant where it is paired with sea breezes. Reservations are suggested—on warm evenings and holidays weekends, all the tables are often filled.
This tiny restaurant fills a void in island cuisine with the day's catch transformed into the sushi roll of your choice. Local favorites include the Holbox Rainbow made with shrimp, salmon, tuna, and sea bass. Nearly every roll is stuffed with cream cheese, an ingredient that makes the sushi far from authentic yet memorably tasty. Placing a sweet spin on the menu is the Banana Roll with shrimp, avocado, and cream cheese topped with fried banana and eel sauce. The restaurant also serves Thai dishes and has a full cocktail menu—the ginger margarita packs a punch.
This vintage Yucatecan restaurant with high colonial ceilings and an elegant atmosphere is a longtime local favorite. The combinado yucateco (Yucatecan combination plate) is a great way to try different dishes: cochinita pibil, longaniza asada (grilled pork sausages), escabeche de Valladolid (turkey with chiles, onions, and seasonings in an acidic sauce), and poc chuc (slices of pork in a sour-orange sauce). In fact, Los Almendros invented some dishes that have become Yucatecan classics—including the cheese soup, which is also spectacular. A live trio performs daily from 2 to 5 pm.
Traditional Yucatecan dishes—like panuchos (fried masa cakes stuffed with beans and piled high with shredded meat, lettuce, sour onions, and other toppings) or chile mestizo (poblano pepper stuffed with shredded meat)—are the specialty at Marganzo. If you aren't sure what to order, ask to see the album containing photos of top dishes with multilingual captions. Waitresses, dressed in colorful skirts from the region, offer helpful explanations. Lunch and dinner menus are finished off with a complimentary tamarind margarita, and a guitar trio performs some evenings. But this is also a great place for breakfast if you want to get an early start on sightseeing. You can try plain agua de chaya here—in other restaurants the chaya-flavored water is often sweetened with pineapple.
Near the main square, this unpretentious family-run restaurant is one of the oldest (and most affordable) eateries on the island, and it's considered one of the best places to try island-style food. There are quite a few tasty seafood dishes, including a huge mariscada for two that includes a fish fillet, a whole fish, a lobster, and octopus on a bed of shredded lettuce. The delicious seafood soup includes the freshest seasonal seafood and is an island classic. People come here for the food and not the ambience, so grab a seat at a plastic table, listen to the Mexican music, and take your pick from the extensive menu.
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