7 Best Restaurants in Cancún, Mexico

Yucatecan cuisine reaches new and exotic heights at this Mayan-themed restaurant, with fabulous dishes prepared by chef Elviro Pol. The papadzules (tortillas stuffed with eggs and covered with pumpkin-seed sauce) are a delicious starter; for an entrée, try the poc chuc (tender pork loin in a sour orange sauce) or longaniza de Valladolid (traditional sausage from the city of Valladolid). The Yucatán Tour sampler platter will give you a little taste of everything. Finish off your meal with some maja blanco (white pudding), and xtabentún-infused Mayan coffee.

The main draw at one of Cancún's first restaurants is the setting—namely, in a replica of a 17th-century hacienda, complete with a courtyard fountain, flowering garden, and strolling mariachi band. The traditional menu includes tortilla soup, tasty chicken fajitas, and rib-eye steaks. This is a popular place for large groups, so it can get boisterous—especially once guests begin sampling some of the 110 types of tequila. There's live mariachi music from Tuesday to Saturday from 7 to 10:30 pm. Sunday brunch is served from 9 to 2.

Built to resemble a sprawling hacienda, this restaurant is warm and intimate, with comfortable high-backed chairs and Mexican paintings. Menu highlights include the goat-cheese-and-mango salad, Tampico chicken breast, New York steak with stuffed pepper, and annatto-seasoned grilled pork chops; a kids' menu is also available. Traditional dances from Mexico and the Caribbean are performed on various weeknights in the restaurant's patio section.  Enjoy the breakfast buffet from 8 to 2 on Sunday.

Soaring stained-glass windows, a fountain, artwork, and beautiful furniture from the central part of the country lend drama to this restaurant. The food is both traditional and creative, with dishes like grilled Tampiqueña-style beef or sea bass wrapped in maguey leaves. The chicken mole and cactus leaf with roasted grasshoppers from Oaxaca will appeal to adventurous eaters; for something less exotic, try the sampler of mini cochinita pibil–style tacos. Performances by a 10-piece Mariachi band add to the ambience.

With its flamboyant live mariachi music and energetic waiters, this place is a Cancún classic. The menu isn't fancy, but it offers good, basic Mexican food—including sizzling fajitas, thick burritos, and 30 different taco dishes. Two reliably tasty choices are the mixed grill (with chicken, beef, and shrimp) and the Tampiqueña-style steak. Combining entertainment and cuisine, waiters flame broil lobster, salmon, shrimp, and filet mignon directly at your table. There’s also a wide selection of tequilas to accompany your meal. In the hotel zone, visit its La Isla Shopping Mall location.

A truly local joint that seems out of place in the Zona Hotelera draws crowds in the morning for its smoothie bowls and later on for its tacos and burritos. Forget your own private booth at this 24-hour place—you’ll eat at long tables and really get to know your fellow diners. This hangout sits a short distance from Cancún’s party central, but it’s a world away in style. Partiers converge here for a quick after-hours bite.