Cancun has far more than hotel buffets
One of the biggest mistakes you can make in Cancun is eating every meal at the hotel without trying food outside. Cancun has restaurants in almost every category. You will find:
- small taco spots
- seafood
- Yucatán food
- modern Mexican
- steakhouses
- Italian
- Japanese
- fine dining
- international chains
But the restaurant experience is quite different in the Hotel Zone and Downtown.
Hotel Zone
Many of the most well-known tourist restaurants are located here. The advantages are:
- easy access from the hotels
- impressive venues
- views
- high service level
- wide international selection
The downside: prices are generally higher. At some places you pay as much for the location and atmosphere as for the food.
Downtown Cancun
If you want to eat more locally and often cheaper, you should set aside time for Downtown. Here you will find many more places where the locals actually eat. This is especially interesting for:
- tacos
- ceviche
- tortas
- cochinita pibil
- local breakfast dishes
What should you eat? If you only know Tex-Mex from Norway, you have a lot to look forward to. Try for example:
Tacos al pastor
Marinated meat, often served with onion, cilantro and pineapple.
Cochinita pibil
A classic dish from Yucatán with slow-cooked pork and achiote.
Ceviche
Especially good in an area with so much access to fresh seafood.
Aguachile
A fresh and spicy seafood dish.
Pescado tikin xic
A traditional fish dish from the Yucatán area.
Read: What should you eat in Cancun?→Restaurants with children
With children we would primarily prioritize restaurants that:
- serve food early
- have a relaxed atmosphere
- have a good selection
- do not require long tasting menus
- have easy transport from the hotel
Mexico is generally family-oriented, and it is rarely difficult to bring children to a restaurant.
Romantic dinner
Cancun has many restaurants where the setting itself is a large part of the experience. Look especially for places:
- by the lagoon
- on the beach
- with sunset
- with outdoor tables
The Hotel Zone faces both the sea and the Nichupté lagoon, so you can get quite different restaurant experiences depending on which side you choose.
Fine dining
Cancun also has a solid high-end segment. At such restaurants we would consider not only the food, but:
- service
- wine list
- location
- price
- atmosphere
- dress code
- whether the experience is actually worth the cost
Tacos – go outside the Hotel Zone
If the goal is authentic and affordable tacos, Downtown is often more interesting than the tourist strip. A future separate guide should be:
The best taco places in Cancun
This could become a very strong SEO article. Do you need to reserve a table? At popular restaurants in the Hotel Zone and fine dining places a reservation is sensible, especially:
- Friday
- Saturday
- high season
- Christmas and New Year
- the Spring Break period
At smaller local places it is often not necessary. How much does it cost to eat? The differences are large. You can eat a simple local meal for a relatively low sum Downtown and pay many times more for a dinner with cocktails at an exclusive restaurant in the Hotel Zone. We keep the restaurant guides linked to our updated price guide:
See what food and drink cost in Cancun→How Cancun.no should evaluate restaurants
When we visit places ourselves, we use the following:
- Food
- /10
- Price/value
- /10
- Service
- /10
- Atmosphere
- /10
- Location
- /10
- With children
- /10
In addition we state: Price level: $ /
$ / $$$$
and: What should you order? The latter is important. It is of little help to know that the restaurant is good if you do not know what the kitchen is actually best at.
