Mérida Restaurants

Café Lucia – Cafe Lucia is situated in the elegant five-star boutique Hotel Casa Lucia near the historical center of Merida. The hotel lobby and the café are beautifully adorned in from top to bottom, including a Fernando Botero painting. I really enjoyed this place for several reasons and ended up eating there three times in two and half days. I met a Dutch & Danish couple during my trip, which joined me here & also loved it. One of the biggest attractions was that this was the only place we could find that was serving alcohol. I am not sure if it is a federal or a state law, but during hurricane threats/warnings, no alcohol is allowed to be served, at least certain types of alcohol. Regardless, this was the only place we could find that would give us alcohol for a day. The clientele was definitely an international mix of people. I joked that it felt like our own little Casablanca because of the international vibe of people hiding out from the hurricane in a plush setting.

Favorite Dish: The wine selections were pretty good and the drink menu was excellent. I had both sangria and margaritas that I thought were great. The food was very worthy. For lunch, a prosciutto sandwich with fries was pretty decent. For dinner I had some mushroom soup that was quite tasty, excellent caprese salad, and some salmon carpaccio that was good. For a dessert I had carrot cake that was very scrumptious.

Amaro was a popular place with other tourists and a few locals. It is a Yucatecan Mexican restaurant with a diverse menu of some international items. The dining area was a charming large courtyard with old columns and interesting paintings on the walls. The sopa de lima was pretty good, while the berenjena meche (eggplant meche) was mediocre; the taste was fine but the cheese in the center of the rolled eggplant was not melted and was slightly cool. Overall, it was a fair place that was not expensive and provided a pleasant atmosphere.

This resto is right on the city square/zocalo and has been in business since 1907. It makes its own fruit-flavored sherbets, of which there are many kinds (mango, orange, tamarind, etc.). The place is the only one of its kind in the entire city (no branches) and after walking or touring the city sights under the sun the whole day, what better way is there to cool up and relieve the heat?

This is one of many unassuming little restaurants along the streets of Merida. By looking at it, you would never know that beyond those doors (and through the restaurant) is a open air garden oasis. We sat under the stars, surrounded by flowering vines. Our meals were excellent... my husband had a traditional Yucatan fish dish, and I had this Mexican/ Italian fusion lasagna which was out of this world!

We tried Restaurante Villa Maria based on another review on VT and our B&B hostess's recommendation. It had a very posh atmosphere and the service was excellent. The menu was eclectic... from traditional Yucatan dishes, to French and German cuisine. I had the pork in a Rochfort/ Mushroom sauce which was to die for (even thought the pork was tough), and my husband had the Wiener schnitzel. It was an overall very good dinning experience.

Cafe La Habana is a decent breakfast spot. The interior isn't particularly appealing, but the sweet pastries (pan dolce) and coffee drinks are quite good. Prices are reasonable as well-- expect to pay 35 to 50 pesos for breakfast.

Cafe Italiano serves very good coffee, cappucinos, frappucinos and mochas. They have a small selection of pastries and desserts. I had a cappucino and fruit-filled pastry covered in cheese, both of which were good, but not worth the 80 pesos I paid!

Next to the theater house is the nicely-situated Cafe Peon Contreras. They're open throughout the day, although we only ate dinner here. The food was okay, although I wouldn't recommend the very dry pork tacos. Still, the outdoor setting, which gives views of the theater house and the Iglesia de Jesus, is very nice. Lots of vendors are sure to come by offering jewelry and hammocks. Kids also float through the tables selling gum and cigarettes (yikes!).