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 CANCUN RESTAURANTS
The restaurants and food you find in Cancun are the same as you would find in Atlantic City, Miami, Vegas, Toronto etc. In Cancun they realize that they are catering to an international clientele [mostly Americans] so many of the major chains from Ruth's Steak House to Burger King are here.
The Mexican theme is of course prevalent here and there are many restaurants serving exotic dishes. Most restaurants catering to tourists are quite lavishly decorated and interesting places to eat in.
The restaurants are spread out all over the hotel-zone and in Cancun City. Any restaurant you wish to visit in the hotel-zone is only a short taxi drive away.
 FINDING A RESTAURANT
Almost every hotel room in Cancun will have a book or booklet with restaurant advertisements.
Most rooms also have a phone book with "yellow pages". The yellow pages list every restaurant in Cancun along with a phone number should you choose to book a reservation.
NOTE: It is advisable to book a reservation if you are traveling during the high season [Jan - April] as it gets very busy at this time of the year.
Some restaurants have entertainment of some nature.
RESTAURANT PRICES
Prices in Cancun for food are established by the going rate in American hotel-zones. So for Americans traveling to Cancun, restaurant food is basically priced the same as back home, for Europeans it is less expensive and for Canadians it is more expensive than home.
Food does become less expensive once you get into Cancun City. Some Mexican restaurants are competitively priced against the tourist restaurants but many are much less expensive and the food can be quite excellent.
WHAT TO ORDER
We have sat in many a restaurant and watched Canadian and American visitors sit down and stare blankly at a Spanish menu wondering what to order. It gets funnier when the waiter shows up and can't speak a word of English.
All "tourist" restaurants will have an English menu. Some even have German and Italian translated menus. The Mexican restaurants generally do not do this however and only have Spanish menus although some do have Spanish-English menus. Mexican restaurants in the hotel-zone will all have English menus. If there is not one on your table simply ask for the English menu.
If you stick to restaurants in the hotel-zone then you do not have to worry about Spanish menus. If you travel away from the hotel-zone then you will have to figure out what is what. It can get complicated because many restaurants have their own "specialties" so names of foods can change.
EATING TIMES
Every country tends to have different eating times. The Mexicans as do the Europeans, eat their dinner late, after 7:00, many much later. So the restaurants tend to fill up around 9:00 at night.
Breakfast is served until 11:00 at most places, hotel buffets included. Lunch is served throughout the day however some Mexican restaurants will close down until dinner. The "tourist" restaurants always remain open and most serve meals from lunch on.
We at TravelYucatan.com personally like to eat early and this we find works best because quite often restaurants are not busy at all around 5:00 and you get really fast service at this time.
RECOMMONDATIONS
What's the best restaurant in Cancun?
With such a large number of restaurants serving such a wide variety of foods it would be impossible to single out one or even a couple as being the best. Not only that but we at TravelYucatan.com could hardly be considered food critics, we enjoy BBQ off the guys at the side of the road in the jungle as much as we enjoy five star.
Listed below, in no specific order, are restaurants in Cancun that have gained notoriety for food, ambience and service:
| RESTAURANT | LOCATION | MENU |
| Locanda Paolo | Downtown | Italian |
| Casa Rolandi | Plaza Caracol | Italian |
| The Cove | Playa Langosto dock | Seafood |
| Carrillo's | Downtown | Seafood |
| La Fisheria | Plaza Caracol | Seafood |
| Captain's Cove | Royal Yacht Club Marina | Seafood |
| Blue Bayou | Blvd Kukulcán - Hyatt | Mexican Cajun |
| La Parrilla | Ave Yaxchilán 51 | Mexican Steak Seafood |
| La Destileria | Blvd Kukulcan Km 12.6 | Upscale Mexican |
| Ruth's Chris | Kukulcan Plaza Shopping Mall | Steak & Seafood |
| Cambalache | Forum-by-the-Sea | Steak & Seafood |
| Mikado | Marriott Hotel | Japanese/Thai Cuisine
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The Blue Bayou has nightly jazz and Dixieland music and La Parrilla has live Mariachi at 8:00pm.
CANCUN HOTELS
For current Cancun hotel and resort information including rates, availability and secure on-line reservations please see:
 Cancun Hotels & Resorts
Cancun Airport to Hotel Shuttle see:
Transfer Information
Answers for many of your questions may possibly be found here:
Cancun Vacations Info & Tips Cancun All Inclusive
If you are planning a trip to Cancun, the following articles written by Jules Seigel are recommended reading. Jules has lived in the area for over 20 years.
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