Cancún’s Best Restaurants: Where to Eat Like a Local
By Eric Barton | Jan. 29, 2025
In late 2020, I found myself in Cancún during the middle of a pandemic, back when the city felt like a ghost town. The cruise ships and the throngs of tourists were gone, leaving behind a version of Cancún most visitors never see. It was just locals, going about their lives, filling restaurants that didn’t need TripAdvisor reviews to survive. I spent those days eating my way through the city, discovering places that were packed not because they were trendy but because they were good. Here’s what I found: the best restaurants in Cancún.
María Dolores
1. María Dolores
This is the kind of place that makes you reconsider everything you thought you knew about Mexican food. At María Dolores, chef Edgar Nuñez uses local ingredients and traditional recipes to create tweezer-assisted pieces of art that somehow feel both reinvented and familiar. The vibe here is upscale but relaxed—like someone took the formalities of fine dining and told it to loosen its tie.
2. La Casa De Las Mayoras
If you want to know what Yucatecan food tastes like when it’s done right, this is your spot. The cochinita pibil, slow-roasted pork marinated in achiote, is a revelation—tender, juicy, and perfectly spiced. Chef-owner Christian Rodríguez Fuentes runs the place like it’s his own kitchen, which it basically is, and every dish feels like it’s been made with love and a little bit of magic.
3. Le Chique
Le Chique isn’t just dinner; it’s theater. Chef Jonatán Gómez Luna has earned accolades for his wildly creative tasting menus—think dishes that look like one thing but taste like another entirely. The Michelin-starred restaurant serves up edible art pieces that will make you rethink what food can be.
4. Ramona
Tucked inside the Nizuc Resort & Spa, this restaurant feels like dining inside a postcard. The menu blends Mexican and Asian influences in ways that shouldn’t work but absolutely do—like sushi tacos or grilled fish topped with tropical fruit salsas. It’s pricey, sure, but worth every peso for the ocean views alone.
5. Kiosco Verde
This is where locals go when they want something quick, cheap, and ridiculously good. The tacos al pastor are perfection—juicy pork shaved straight off the spit and topped with pineapple—and the ceviche tastes like it was swimming five minutes ago. It’s simple food done right, no frills required.
6. Navios
Dining at Navios feels like floating on water—because technically you are. This overwater restaurant serves some of the freshest seafood in Cancún, including their signature “Ceviche Navios,” which comes piled high with lime-marinated fish and crispy tortilla chips. Come for the food; stay for the sunsets.
7. Mar de Miel
Mar de Miel takes farm-to-table dining seriously—or maybe we should call it hive-to-table? Their honey-glazed grilled chicken is a standout, perfectly balancing sweet and savory flavors. Everything here feels thoughtful and intentional, from the locally sourced ingredients to the cozy décor.
8. El Socio Naiz Taquería
El Socio Naiz is where you go when you want great tacos and even better vibes. Their fish taco—crispy on the outside, flaky on the inside—is a masterpiece in simplicity. Add in live music most nights and some killer cocktails, and you’ve got yourself a party disguised as dinner.
9. El Galeón del Caribe
If Cancún had an official seafood ambassador, it would probably be El Galeón’s whole-grilled fish. Seasoned with nothing more than salt and pepper and served with a side of simple pico de gallo, it’s proof that sometimes less really is more. The nautical-themed décor might be kitschy elsewhere, but here it just works.
10. El Fish Fritanga
El Fish Fritanga is part restaurant, part beach hangout—a place where you can eat fresh fish tacos while your toes dig into the sand. The ceviche is bright and tangy; the fried fish is crispy perfection. It’s casual dining at its best: unpretentious and undeniably delicious.
11. Mercado 28
The city’s main market is a spot where cab drivers and tourists and every other kind of person shares a meal under the big shady trees in a courtyard that separates the main vendors. Pass through the tight alleyways of vendors to find this main food court, where there’s plenty of tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and every other kind of regional Mexican specialty. Go on a Sunday and vendors offer the regional specialty, cochinita pibil, pork that’s been slow-cooked sometimes for days until it’s unbelievably tender, ideally served on fresh tortillas with nothing more than chopped onions and cilantro. It’s a world away from the hotel zone and a true slice of authentic Mexico.
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