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This contemporary restaurant at the Wayam Mundo Imperial hotel in the García Ginerés neighborhood has floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a plant-filled terrace. Chef Maycoll Calderón allows fresh ingredients to take center stage, avoiding anything too fussy in such flavorful Italian and Latin American dishes as ceviche, arroz con pollo, pizza, and pasta. Extensive cocktail and mocktail menus make the most of the area's tropical fruits.
Av. Colón 508, Mérida, Yucatán, 97070, Mexico
Known For
- Stylish decor
- Innovative dishes
- Large terrace
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On the inland side of the barrier island, a charming little house painted sky-blue and cherry-red contains El Cuyo's best restaurant. Here, Oscar Flores, who presides in the kitchen, and his English wife, Cathy Sissens, lead guests—never more than 20 on any night—on a nine-course journey through Mexico's culinary regions, with Cathy sharing some background on each mole, ceviche, or taco that's served. The owners can accommodate most dietary restrictions; just let them know when you make reservations, which are required.
Calle Laguna 220, Yucatán, 97707, Mexico
Known For
- Beautiful, intimate setting
- Excellent Mexican dishes
- Warm and welcoming hosts
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.–Tues., Reservations essential
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Shaded by a giant palapa roof, this open-air restaurant is an inviting spot for lunch or an early dinner (it closes at 7 pm). Though you'll find the same Yucatecan dishes (pollo pibil, sopa de lima) here as elsewhere, the preparation is excellent. Best of all is the poc chuc—little bites of pork marinated in sour orange, garlic, and chiles and grilled over charcoal. There is also a Mérida location if you don't want to make the trip to the original one.
Calle 29 191, Ticul, Yucatán, 97863, Mexico
Known For
- Tasty poc chuc
- Huge portions at reasonable prices
- Authentic, local atmosphere
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At the town's favorite lunch spot, glass walls replicate an oblong Maya house, which is surrounded by a profusion of plants. Seafood, with a campechano twist, reigns supreme here, and a truly ambitious meal might start with calamari, stone-crab claws, or camarones al coco (coconut-encrusted shrimp), perhaps followed by pan de cazón (a shark-meat casserole that's one of Campeche's most distinctive dishes) or robalo fish topped with puréed cilantro, parsley, orange, and olive oil. For dessert, the classic choice is the signature and impossibly sweet coconut cake. As the sun goes down, candles are set out on the white-linen tablecloths, and soft blue lighting illuminates the outside atrium.
Av. Miguel Alemán 179A, Campeche City, Campeche, 24000, Mexico
Known For
- Pan de cazón (shark-meat) casserole
- Unusual terrarium setting
- Coconut cake
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Located on Calle 47, which was pedestrianized in 2023 as its status as Mérida's restaurant row became more official, this colorful restaurant specializes in grilled fish and meat dishes, though the cocktail menu of mezcal and tequila favorites is a draw as well. The scene is lively but not excessively so, making this a perfect option for a special-occasion celebration.
Calle 47 458, Mérida, Yucatán, 97000, Mexico
Known For
- Grilled entrées
- Generous cocktails
- Festive atmosphere
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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At this eatery on Mérida's restaurant row, the salads, pizzas, and pasta dishes could hold their own against any served by establishments in Italy itself. The restaurant group also has other locations, including Oliva Patio and Olivia Pizzeria in the north of the city.
Calles 47 and 54, Mérida, Yucatán, 97000, Mexico
Known For
- Fresh pastas
- Elegant-yet-casual atmosphere
- Excellent wine list
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The patio of this historic home glows with candlelight in the evening, but during the day, things feel a lot more casual. Although the menu has a few fish or meat dishes (cochinita pibil, say, or butterfly chicken breast in a cream sauce), the emphasis is on vegetarian dishes such as chaya soup (made from a green plant similar to spinach), stuffed mushrooms, spinach lasagna, and avocado pizza. Prices are reasonable, and service is excellent. Expect live music in the open-air courtyard daily between 8:30 pm and midnight.
Calle 59 507, Mérida, Yucatán, 97000, Mexico
Known For
- Upscale Yucatecan cuisine
- Healthful juices
- Romantic atmosphere
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An oat-processing facility, in an area that's busy by day but quiet at night, has been converted into an innovative cultural complex. In addition to this restaurant offering creatively updated Yucatecan dishes, you'll also find several bars, a gallery, an arthouse cinema, and a pop-up space that typically features the work of a local artisan or collective.
Calle 63 459B, Mérida, Yucatán, 97000, Mexico
Known For
- Art gallery
- Innovative Yucatecan and Middle Eastern dishes
- Movie theater
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Apoala is one of the best choices for Mexican food on the lively restaurant-lined Parque Santa Lucia. 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.
Calle 60 471, Mérida, Yucatán, 97000, Mexico
Known For
- Oaxacan and Yucatecan dishes
- Outdoor seating
- Elevated approach to Mexican cuisine
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Though it serves good basic pastas, salads, and burgers, as well as some Mexican bar-food favorites, this restaurant's popularity is primarily due to its delicious cocktails, aguas frescas, and lively atmosphere. You can dine outside, enjoying the activity on Paseo Montejo, or inside, where the people-watching is just as interesting.
Paseo Montejo 498B, Mérida, Yucatán, 97000, Mexico
Known For
- Lively atmosphere
- Outdoor seating on Paseo de Montejo
- Good value
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This restored colonial gem a couple of blocks north of the main square deserves a place on any list of Mexico's best pizza restaurants. 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 each evening—come early if you want to snag a patio table.
Calle 35 202J, Valladolid, Yucatán, 97780, Mexico
Known For
- Impressive variety of quality pizza
- Good wine selection
- Fun vibe on outdoor patio
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch.
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The creative menu developed by the Sicilian chef, Giuseppe Genovese (commonly known as "Beppe"), offers a mix of Italian, Mediterranean, and Caribbean cuisine. Locals gather for seafood pasta, grilled lobster, octopus salad, and fresh ceviche, all bathed in garlic and olive oil, and breads, sausages, and pizzas are made from scratch in the small kitchen where Beppe works his magic. The pizza topped with smoked ham, mozzarella, and arugula makes a perfect starter for two. This is the only spot on the island where you'll find authentic espresso, sorbet, and tiramisu.
Av. Morelos 231, 77310, Mexico
Known For
- Smoked-ham pizza
- Authentic tiramisu
- Gourmet coffee
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Campechano families come here to enjoy a light supper, perhaps a delicious sandwich claveteado of honey-and-clove-spiked ham, along with a typical drink like agua de chaya, a mixture of pineapple water and chaya (a leafy vegetable similar to spinach). The dining area is a wide colonial veranda with marble flooring and tables decked out in plastic tablecloths. No alcohol is served, and you simply mark your choices on the paper menu (note that for tacos, "m" means maíz, or corn; for tortillas, "h" stands for harina, or flour). On weekends, try the tamal torteado, a tamale with beans, tomato sauce, turkey, and pork wrapped in banana leaves—although not listed on the menu, it's available on request.
Calle 10 86, Campeche City, Campeche, 24040, Mexico
Known For
- Alfresco dining on the picturesque plaza de San Francisco
- Stylish veranda
- Tamales wrapped in banana leaves
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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A notch above its malecón neighbors, this restaurant 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 in Mérida, but the food tastes better at this original restaurant, where it's paired with sea breezes. Reservations are suggested—on warm evenings and holidays weekends, all the tables are often filled.
Av. Malecón, Progreso, Yucatán, 97320, Mexico
Known For
- Ocean views
- Stylish decor
- Extensive seafood menu
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This elegant colonial house on the south side of the main square specializes in hearty Yucatecan cuisine, with such menu highlights as pollo X'catik (chicken baked in butter cream) and lomitos de Valladolid (cubed pork loin in a tomato-chile sauce). If you're not feeling quite so adventurous, you can choose from mar y tierra (meaning, basically, surf and turf) options. The small front dining room is stylish, but we recommend snagging a table in the leafy back courtyard—it's perfect for lunch on a hot afternoon. El Atrio keeps long hours, opening at 7 am and going strong until 11:30 pm.
Calle 41 204A, Valladolid, Yucatán, 97780, Mexico
Known For
- Stylish setting and lush courtyard
- Local flavors
- Stays open late
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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.
Av. Tiburón Ballena, Isla Holbox, Quintana Roo, 77310, Mexico
Known For
- Ginger margaritas
- Terrific sake
- Creative (if inauthentic) sushi
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch
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K’u’uk, which means "sprout" in Mayan, is chic in every sense of the word, from the suave waiters to the molecular gastronomy dining experience in a historic mansion facing the Monumento a la Patria on Paseo de Montejo. The presentation is artistic—picture dollops of baby pumpkin dusted with goat cheese the texture of powdered snow, potatoes slices as thin as tissue paper, and desserts sprinkled with dehydrated berries or honey-soaked seeds. Many of the Yucatecan options are prepared in a custom-built pibil oven, allowing for a modernized way to impart a traditional smoky flavor. Plan to stay awhile, since dining takes between two and three hours.
Av. Rómulo Rozo 488, Mérida, Yucatán, 97100, Mexico
Known For
- Pibil-style (Maya oven) cooking
- Leisurely—some say “slow”—dining experience
- Eight-course tasting menu
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner Sun.
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You'll know that a fun evening lies ahead even before you are seated at your table at this outdoor restaurant, where the pizzas and empanadas are cooked in a wood oven and several different pasta dishes are offered each day. A food truck serves as the main kitchen, kids (and adults) can make their own s'mores around a fire, and strings of taverna lights glow overhead. Well-behaved dogs are welcome, too, adding to the feeling that you have joined a casual gathering of friends at the beach.
Calles 46 and 49, Yucatán, Mexico
Known For
- Pizzas from a wood oven
- Fun atmosphere
- Make your own s'mores
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
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Calle 8, which runs along the north side of the historic center and roughly follows the route of the old sea wall, is now a bit of a restaurant row, home to this and other eateries. Seafood is the specialty here, though it also has a number of signature cocktails, like the Pregonero, made with a chile liquor, tamarind, and pineapple.
Calle 8 173, Campeche City, Campeche, 24000, Mexico
Known For
- Ceviche and grilled fish
- Signature cocktails
- Historic center location
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This cantina at the corner of Calles 62 and 49 is popular with locals, expats, and visitors thanks to its large courtyard and likewise large cocktails. You'll be offered free bar snacks as long as you keep ordering drinks, though it's worth trying some of the delicious (if basic) ceviches, enchiladas, and tacos, too. Live bands play most evenings.
Calle 62 415, Mérida, Yucatán, 97000, Mexico
Known For
- Live music
- Mexican bar snacks
- Oversized cocktails