Known as the gastronomic capital of the Yucatan region, Mérida is a charming city full of fantastic restaurants and authentic dishes that will leave you wanting more. Its cuisine is a tapestry of flavours, influenced by Mayan, Spanish, and Caribbean traditions. As a couple who often choose a travel destination based on how incredible its food scene is, my husband and I made sure to try as many local specialties as we could during our time in Mérida.

In this post, I share our favourite places to eat in the city. If your taste buds are tingling with excitement, then keep reading, because we’re about to dive into the delicious world of Yucatan cuisine! Buen provecho!

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Mérida’s most famous dishes

The region’s most famous dish is cochinita pibil (pork shoulder marinated in citrus juices, achiote paste, and spices, slow cooked for hours in an underground pit oven). However, there are many other dishes that originate from Yucatan such as sopa de lima (lime soup), papadzules (enchiladas smothered in a pumpkin seed sauce), and relleno negro (stew made from blackened chilli peppers and turkey), as well as tasty appetizers like panuchos (crispy corn tortilla filled with black beans) and salbutes (puffed up deep fried tortillas). 

Taqueria La Lupita

We had some of the best tacos of our entire trip at this taqueria inside Mercado Santiago. In fact, they were so good we ate here twice during our time in Mérida. La Lupita is a popular eatery for those who want local Yucatan specialities like cochinita pibil, lechon al horno, and relleno negro. You can enjoy these tasty fillings in tacos, tortas, panuchos, polcans, and salbutes.

We ordered a few dishes, but our favourite was the cochinita pibil. It was deliciously smoky and juicy, so make sure you have some napkins at the ready! Wash it all down with an ice cold glass of pineapple and chaya (a Mexican plant native to the Yucatan region). La Lupita is a very popular establishment with locals, so make sure you arrive before midday as a lot of the food sells out quickly. Prices vary, but average around 20-25 MXN per piece.

Wayan´e

During our time in Mérida we noticed that a lot of taquerias offering similar items on their menus. So we were pleasantly surprised by the variety at Wayan’e. Here you will find an array of tacos and tortas with interesting and unusual fillings from the Yucatan region that we didn’t see elsewhere. We got an assortment of delicious tacos on both our visits, including ones filled with Poc chuc (grilled pork in a citrus marinade) and pollo al cilantro, but the stand out was the castaken con queso (juicy pork belly with cheese). 

Wayan’e is very popular with locals and gets crowded, so make sure you get there early otherwise your options will be limited. There are two locations, one in the north and one to the east (where we went). Tacos are typically less than $20 MXN, with tortas costing around $30 MXN.

Pancho Maiz

Located directly opposite Wayan’e, Pancho Maiz is a small, rustic restaurant that uses ingredients from local suppliers, with a particular emphasis on native corn. There are numerous items on the menu including flautas, enchiladas, and chilaquiles, but on this day we were both craving the huevos rancheros (it’s rare we order the same thing!).

Arriving in a cute ceramic bowl was a wonderfully smooth, spicy, and flavourful tomato sauce, perfectly cooked eggs, ripe avocados, juicy strips of charred, marinated pork, and stretchy, melted Oaxaca cheese, served with handmade tortillas to mop up the sauce. Yum! Also try the Pinole – a beverage made from roasted ground corn, mixed with cocoa, agave, cinnamon, chia seeds, vanilla, or other spices.

It’s certainly not the cheapest place to eat in Mérida, with our two mains, two coffees and two juices costing just under $500 MXN. However, it’s a great place to go for a tasty meal using high-quality local ingredients, some of which can be bought in the little shop at the front.

Cheen Cocina Yucateca

Located about a 20-minute walk from the centre, Cheen Cocina Yucateca is a great place to try traditional Yucatan cuisine in a friendly, casual setting. The kind of place you will see large families gathering for a big celebratory meal. 

The menu has a wide variety of tasty regional dishes to choose from, of which we ordered the sopa de lima, lomitos de Valladolid (diced pork loin in tomato sauce), and, for research purposes, another portion of cochinita pibil. Everything was delicious, particularly the cochinita. Our food came served with rice, beans, plantains, and some handmade tortillas. Portions are generous and of great value. Our mains were around $150 MXN each.

Taquería De La Unión

This small but lively taqueria is conveniently located near the city centre and is open until 11pm, making it a great stop for some late-night snacks. They serve a range of interesting starters including sikil pak (a spicy, smokey Mayan dip made from pumpkin seeds) as well as a good amount of taco fillings like cochinita pibil, campechano (a mix of meats), and longaniza (similar to chorizo).

Although most of the toppings are meat, they do offer a few vegan options too. Like La Lupita, you can order your choice of toppings on a few different bases. We tried ours with tacos, panuchos, and polcans (a pita-style pocket made of deep fried corn). All of them were very tasty, though the panucho was a little bit too greasy. They also serve some decent local craft beers which pair nicely with the food. Prices range from around $25 MXN to $40 MXN depending on the base. 

Paleteria las Rellenas de la 60

This cool and arty paleteria makes creative and delicious ice lollies using only the freshest ingredients, with no added flavourings or colourings. There are a lot of flavours, many of which incorporate Mexican ingredients; think mezcal with tamarind, pineapple with chaya and lemon with habanero.

The shop is best known for its filled ice pops, with flavour combinations like coconut filled with cajeta (Mexican caramel), Mexican chocolate filled with rompopo (Mexican eggnog), and mango filled with chamoy (a spicy, sweet and sour sauce). There are a few seats inside or you can eat in the cute little garden at the back of the shop. Each lolly costs between $30 and $40 MXN. 

Cerveza Cuerno de Toro Taproom

There are several taprooms in Mérida serving craft beers, but our favourite was Cerveza Cuerno de Toro. This fun bar typically has around eight beers on tap from a local microbrewery including a variety of IPAs, stouts, and Mexican lagers. They even had a habanero ale which was interesting. While the beers are of course the main reason to visit, you can also enjoy cocktails and tasty pub food like pizzas, tacos, and juicy burgers served with yuca fries. There are also some board and card games available to play, so once you’ve finished your food you can have a few more drinks over a competitive game of Uno or Jenga!

Prices are very reasonable here compared to other similar places, with beers costing around $80-$85 MXN for a pint, and mains coming in at under $200 MXN.