| Cancún's restaurants outnumber
hotels many times over, and competition is fierce. The
bulk of the tourist restaurants line
Av Tulum and its side streets: eat here and you can
enjoy "fun" disco sounds with your meal. Though seafood
and steak form the mainstay of many menus, you can also
eat Arabic, Yucatecan, Italian, Chinese, French, Cajun
and Polynesian, not to mention international fast food
plus some local chains. All the hotels
in the zona have at least one formal restaurant,
some of which are very elegant indeed, surrounded by
tropical foliage with fountains and music. Many also
feature a more relaxed and relaxing beach or poolside
dining room.
For budget food , follow the locals
and make for the markets. The biggest in Cancún
is Mercado 28 , close to the city's
main post office at the western end of Av Sunyaxchen.
There are plenty of food stalls and tiny cheap restaurants
here. The other market in Cancún, Mercado
23 , is much smaller but makes a relatively
peaceful venue for a decent Mexican lunch. From the
bus station, walk a few blocks north along Tulum and
then turn down Flamboyan or Cerdo. Further along, at
the junction of Tulum and López Portillo, is
a small plaza, complete with fountain, at the edge of
another market. The little cafés here are packed
with Mexican families and it's the nearest Cancún
comes to having a zócalo.
Note that almost all of the restaurants in the zona
hotelera are geared towards one thing only
- parting tourists from large amounts of cash - and
none can be particularly recommended. If you are staying
on the beach, you're much better off taking a cab or
the convenient "Hoteles" bus into downtown Cancún,
where you'll find good food at reasonable prices, and
more importantly, lots of genuine atmosphere.
D'Pa , Gladiolas, Parque las Palapas.
Chic little French creperie with pretty outdoor tables
and decent wine by the glass. Recommended.
El Marisquero , Av Nader and C Mojarra.
Friendly seafood restaurant behind the popular souvenir
market (known inexplicably as the fleamarket) on Av
Tulum. Good ceviche and fresh fish.
El Meson de Novotel , Av Tulum 75.
Pavement café in front of the Novotel Hotel
, with good breakfasts and special lunchtime offers.
Great people-watching spot.
El Pabila , inside the Hotel
Xbalamque , Yaxchilan 31. Classy coffee shop with
very good cappuccino, espresso and the like in a peaceful
and sophisticated environment.
Gory Tacos , Tulipanes 26. Don't
be put off by the name: this spotless and very friendly
place serves good, inexpensive Mexican food, steaks,
hamburgers and sandwiches, and a range of vegetarian
meals.
La Habichuela , Margaritas 25, in
front of the Parque Las Palapas. Long-established and
fairly expensive restaurant set in a walled garden.
The menu is excellent, featuring such dishes as cocobichuela
: half a coconut filled with lobster and shrimp
in a curry sauce, accompanied by tropical fruits. Live
jazz adds to the atmosphere.
La Parilla , Yaxchilán 51.
Decent and popular Mexican restaurant specializing in
flame-grilled meat. It's a bit of a tourist trap but
the food's very tasty, plus there's live music every
night and a buzzing atmosphere.
Los Almendros , Bonampak 60, opposite
the Plaza de Toros. This is the Cancún branch
of the famous restaurant that originated in Ticul, and
is justly renowned for its good-value Yucatecan specialities.
100 Percent Natural , Av Sunyaxchen
26, at the junction with Yaxchilán. Not entirely
vegetarian, but it serves fruit drinks, salads, yogurt
and granola, as well as Mexican dishes, seafood and
burgers. A pleasant enough place, if a little overpriced.
There are also branches in Plazas Terramar and Kukulcan
in the zona hotelera .
Pericos , Yaxchilan 71. Famous Mexican
restaurant with live entertainment including strolling
magicians, stilt-walkers and juggling barmen. Although
it's almost exclusively patronized by groups of tourists
(and very popular - arrive early to avoid the queues),
it might well be the most unforgettable evening of your
holiday and definitely worth paying a bit extra for.
Not to be missed. |
