|
Home
>
Cancun
Travel Guide
> Dining |
Cancun Dining & Restaurants
|
|
|
|
From continental
dining, to fresh seafood and shellfish,
to traditional Mayan cuisine,
Cancun offers a truly dazzling assortment
of dining options. There are over
200 restaurants; settings range
from fast-food, to casual bistros,
to dinner cruises, to elegant theme
restaurants. A fun way to start
your evening is to "hotel hop,"
taking in several excellent happy
hours, a variety of live music,
and some incredibly beautiful settings.
Yucatán cooking has gained a
reputation as one of the finest
in all of Mexico with a combination
of Mayan and European ingredients,
a tasty byproduct of the Spanish
Conquest. Dishes include the famous
cochinita pibil (suckling pig baked
in banana leaves with a rich annatto
sauce) papadzules (tortillas stuffed
with boiled eggs in a pumpkin seed
sauce) and panuchos, (tortillas
with fried black beans, chicken
and pickled onions).
|
|
|
|
|
Do Cancun Recommends... |
|
|
Throughout this site you will find recommendations of our personal favorites
and
insider's
tips to the places and things that we love here in Cancun and want to share with you.
|
Laguna Grill:
Fodor’s
Guide Favorite
Restaurant
2005-2007.
The
architectural
concept
that surrounds
the restaurant,
coupled
with its
gastronomic-fusion
cuisine,
makes Laguna
Grill a
truly unique
restaurant.
The lush
tropical
garden at
the entrance,
the intricate
handmade
tile work
on the floor
and walls,
the small
flowing
creek that
traverses
the restaurant,
and the
elegantly-finished
tables hewn
from trunks
of tropical
trees create
the almost-mystical
atmosphere
one experiences
at Laguna
Grill. The
large terrace
is right
on the water’s
edge, where
the spectacularly-romantic
sunsets
are surpassed
only by
the gastronomic
experience
that includes
seafood,
steak, and
pasta with
a contemporary
flair. Elegant
and comfortable,
the next-door
Lounge Bar
Trágara
offers a
wide variety
of wines
and liquors,
while you
listen to
soft background
music and
enjoy the
charm of
the lagoon.
ADDRESS:
BLVD. KUKULCÁN
KM 15.6,
HOTEL ZONE
(998) 885-0267
Open Daily
from 2 pm
to midnight
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dinner Cruises
|
|
For those
wanting a little adventure,
try one of the popular sunset
cocktail or dinner cruises.
Dinner cruises are like
being on a floating restaurant
- a wonderful way to see
the sunset over the bay
and the lights of Cancun.
The dinner cruises often
serve lobster or steak dinners,
drinks, and include entertainment.
The Captain Hook Galleon
is an especially entertaining
show. This incredible
historic experience focuses
on pirates, with sword fights,
exciting music and a romantic
atmosphere, all aboard an
authentic Spanish galleon.
|
 Captain Hook
Pirate Ship
Dinner Cruise
Location:
Cancun.
Transportation
optional from
Playa del
Carmen, Riviera
Maya.
Sail aboard the
pirate ship
Captain Hook
over the
wonderful waters
of Cancun’s bay.
Fight against
the fierce
pirates on the
seas. Delight in
the New York
steak or lobster dinner
while enjoying
Cancun’s
skyline, and
everything under
the stars. Come
and have a great
adventure at
Captain Hook! |
 Caribbean
Carnaval
Location:
Cancun.
Transportation
optional from
Playa del
Carmen, Riviera
Maya.
Caribbean
Carnaval is a
journey into the
very heart of
the party and
fun. Come and
experience this
wonderful cruise
to Isla Mujeres
on a catamaran.
Once you get to
Isla Mujeres,
the party starts
and it doesn’t
end.
Enjoy the
Caribbean Show,
the music, the
fun ambience
created by the
staff, the
domestic drink
open bar and the
exquisite
outdoor buffet
diner. |
 Lobster Dinner
"Columbus"
Location:
Cancun.
Transportation
optional from:
Riviera Maya,
Playa del
Carmen.
Escape from the
hustle and
bustle of the
crowds and enjoy
this beautiful
and romantic
cruise on the
Nichupte lagoon
on board the
"Columbus", a
Spanish-type
galleon boat.
Sail under the
stars with an
extraordinary
view to the
lights in Cancun
and taste a
succulent
gourmet banquet
with lobster
dinner. On the
Columbus a
saxophonist will
play melodious
notes while you
spend special
moments with
your beloved
one. Drink your
favorite
cocktail and the
chef will cook
your lobster
dinner on board. |
 Night Fishing
Location:
Cancun.
Enjoy a night
fishing
adventure. You
can capture a
great variety of
marine species,
such as snapper,
groupers and
sharks, among
others. Welcome
aboard, come and
experience an
unparalleled
adventure with
your family and
friends in one
of our 55 boats
with
capacity for
up to 20 people.
After your
catch, our
personnel will
gladly cook you
a delicious
dinner! |
|
|
|
Dining
Tips
|
|
The menu
may be more enjoyable than
the meal; there's nothing
I love more than reading
garbled translations like
"Dreaded meat with potatoes,"
"Eggs with Fool," "Fruit
with ice cream - 5 pesos,
Fruit withnot ice cream
- 3 pesos," "Cheeselies,"
"Smack Pork Chops," "Black
coffeecup - 5 pesos,"
"Chicken Car Cold," and
so forth.
-Carl Franz, The People's
Guide to Mexico
|
|
|
The Check
Please:
It is considered
quite rude for a waiter
to bring the check before
asked. Simply say "la cuenta
por favor" or make the international
scribbling on your hand
sign to get the bill when
you are ready.
Tipping:
Leave
10% - 15%, or more for
exceptional service, but make sure
the tip hasn't already been
added to the bill.
In Spanish, the word for
"tip" is "propina"
and may appear that way
on the tab.
Your tab may also say "servicio."
Hours
to Eat:
Breakfast usually starts
around 10, lunch at 1 (the
main meal of the day) and
dinner around 9 or even
later. Eating earlier at
tourist restaurants is not
a problem since they start
serving breakfast at 8 or
9, but if you show up at
a truly local place for
lunch at noon, you will
find that nothing is ready
yet.
 For
budget food,
follow the
locals and make for the
markets. The biggest in
Cancun is Mercado 28 , close
to downtown'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
Cancun, 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 Cancun comes
to having a zócalo.
Check Your Tab!
For the most
part, your tab at a restaurant
will be correct. However,
some restaurant staff have
ways of earning an "extra
tip" that happens often
enough that we want to mention
it here.
- By
law, dining establishments
in Mexico must include
the tax into the cost
of the items on their
menu unless they specifically
state on the menu that
tax is not included.
If you receive a tab
with an extra percentage
added for tax (impuesto),
question whether their
menu specifically stated
that the price did not
include tax. They
will often come back
and explain that adding
the tax was a "mistake."
-
And always check
your bill carefully
for errors. You may
be being charged for
items you did not
order. And if you
ask for your tab and
the waiter just
tells you an amount
without bringing you
the bill, ask to
actually see a copy
of the bill.
|
|
|
|
Mexican Fiestas
|
|
If you haven't experienced
a real Mexican Fiesta, you must
go see one. These dinner shows includes
an enormous buffet, plenty of margaritas,
and a sampling of traditional Mexican
music, song and dance. Check the
larger chain hotels for times.
|
|
|
|
|
