
The restaurants are very good in the Yucatan Peninsula, including Merida and Cancun. You can have local food, take in food, Northern Mexican food, food from Mexico City, Asian food, etc.; everything’s here. The only thing I haven’t seen is Indian food from India, that’s certainly would be a big hit and it’s one of my favorites. Everything else is here.
Even some of the most expensive restaurants here in Yucatan would be still 30% to 40% less than in the US. There’s a great steakhouse by my house where I really enjoy going. I can get a prime rib with potato and vegetables for US $9. Even in your typical restaurants that I guess would compare to US or Canada, you can be looking 20 to 50% off, depending if it’s not an American or Canadian franchise.
There are some restaurants that are very expensive. Whether they’re good or not that’s up to the person’s opinion. Many of the locals will eat at local restaurants, called
cochinas economicas, which are basically a restaurant run at somebody’s home. They usually have a selection of 3 meals for each day; chicken, pork, or whatever they decide to cook that day. You’ll never know until you show up. The price can be anything from 19 pesos (US $1.19) to 35 pesos (US $2.19) for a very good meal.
The type of food depends on the owner of the
cochina economica. If he’s a Yucatacen, he will most likely be giving you Yucatecan known dishes. If he’s from Northern Mexico, you’re probably going to have northern dishes, such as
pambazos (French roll, dipped in chorizo sauce with cheese), tacos, and burritos. If the owner is from Veracruz, you might have some seafood. (They’re very well-known for eating a lot of seafood in Veracruz.) There are many different regions of Mexico with their own gastronomy and particular taste.