On a steaming hot evening, it was disappointing to discover that there are actually very few (decent) icecream places. We came across this coincidentally while walking back to the Airbnb.
I have to admit it was pretty average. The coconut didn't have any pieces and the flavour was very weak. On the other hand the fruity strawberry was zesty and decent.
It was ok - there isn't anything better that I could find.
Economicos are cheap little eateries in Mexico - the local cafes essentially. As we walked past one, I stopped to look inside. A local older guy noticed and gave me a solid thumbs up and a nod. A few minutes later, I was in.
It's local food to the Yucatan region. The staff were (all older men and) very friendly in Spanish.
I couldn't remember what albondigas was - the waiter couldn't describe it, so he brought me one in a bowl. A delicious meatball in soup. Despite this I ordered other local delicacies. They also served a lighter version of the soup (vegetable) which was quite plain and of course some salsa and hot sauce.
I first discovered poc chuc (the name and the dish) in the USA many years ago (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/poc-chuc-san-francisco-10-2011) and haven't had it since. This was the opportune time.
- Filete de pescad empanizado - very soft flakes of fish which was excellently cooked. The batter was not that crisp but ok;
- Poc-Chuc 80pesos - very tender, thin beaten pork chops.
Simple and cheap meal.
I was quite excited to read about Lobster Shack. A cheap affordable lobster place in the middle of town near the port area. It sounds too good to be true almost - and sadly it is.
It was a very quiet evening in Cozumel and even though it was a little late after sunset I expected more people. The rather disinterested guy serving didn't have any warmth or smile.
I had the lobster bowl (235pesos). Flavours overall were good, but the lobster itself wasn't. It was precooked and cut, then unrolled from cling film onto the grill. As a result it was mushy and lacked that bitey lobster texture.
Also had a tamarind juice which was brought in from somewhere else. I guess that's alright...
I don't know how people can rate this place (I thought Americans knew something about lobster).
Our Airbnb was about 10mins walk from the Cozumel ferry port and so probably in the backstreets of town. As a result there were no tourists in that part. It also meant the food places in the area were all much more local. I wanted to go Taqueria el amigo Mario but it was always closed and had no sign to say when it would be open. On this first occasion it meant looking for lunch elsewhere and the smell from this asadero was impossible to ignore.
It is Sinaloan-style chicken. I don't know what that actually means, but I recognise the name from Narcos Mexico.
The chicken is butterflied and stacked up at the counter. A continuous stream of locals come in, order their chicken, and the take it away home for family dinner (I assume). We were the only to stay in the tiny place and eat there.
For 120pesos, it's a full chicken with rice, purple slightly picked onions, nice salsa and tortillas. There's also an excellent hot sauce too. The grilled chicken is really excellent, mostly tender and full of flavour. The rice is also cooked with chicken stock or fat and is delicious. A load of tortillas were served. After needing to takeaway half remaining, they gave us extra tortillas and sauces to go with it.
Excellent and one of the best grilled chicken meals I've ever had.
Brunch on Cozumel meant a short walk to the local market. We arrived later in the day and so a lot of the stalls had closed already. We didn't realise there were more counter-type dining places inside the market and instead opted for the outdoor (undercover luckily from the sun) area. I had read Cuzamil was a decent place to try. Strangely their menu is Filipino also. Odd.
- Huevos Motuleños (fried eggs served on a tortilla with red sauce, ham & cheese on top) 70pesos - soft tortilla on top and a really good fried/crisp one on bottom, with some beans, sauce and a few token plantain pieces;
- Quesadillas Vegetarianas (flour tortilla filled with vegetables) 60pesos - as described. A little plain although the shredded crisp green vegetable slices (a kind of cactus I think?) was very good.
Had my first horchata of the trip and it was huge! And delicious. Hot sauce is as they described - hot.
A few other places in the square seemed to have decent looking Mexican only menus. Nonetheless I'm sure the food at all of them is alright. I'd probably try a different place next time for some more traditional local dishes.
Tulum is apparently now a gourmet capital particularly within the growing region of Cancun and the Yucatan. Reportedly the queues are long for this interesting place which is a 3-wall open kitchen with night security to ensure nothing untoward happens. We braced ourself for a potential wait outside in the July humidity and heat, armed with mosquito repellant. After a 120 peso trip there, we were pleasantly surprised to walk straight in to a table for 2 right in the middle of the action.
It's a beautiful atmosphere eating outside and eventually under the stars. The daily menus are written on boards that are carried around to tables. As the evening settles in, the staff periodically wave around hot coals with incense (I presume) to smoke away the mosquitoes (I also presume) and add some atmosphere and scent. The kitchen is open (obviously) and large flames can be seen from afar.
They are also known for cocktails (240p each) with a few mezcal offers, although I have to admit I was disappointed by these relatively expensive offerings. Mine was Ixchel (mezcal, pineapple, xtabentin - aniseed liquor, lime) but had barely had a smoke. A tequila cocktail Lechuguilla de Jackfruit (tequila blanco, jackfruit, lime) had no jackfruit flavour. Oh well. At least the food is good.
- Gambas Mayas 370p - prawns were outstanding with 4 whole and 1 little headless one underneath. They were grilled perfectly and rich in flavour with crisp edible shells. The sauce was delicious and supposedly made from peanut, pineapple and olive oil sauce (tasted like hoisin). Really spicy chilli salsa underneath;
- Ceviche Yucatan 325p - grouper with a perfect ingredient balance of salty, sweet, tangy lime and a bit of chilli;
- Filete de Pargo - Fish cooked skilfully. Soft and char. Salad quite Thai with basil
- Costillas de Agave 480p - I was tempted by fish or octopus, but ended up with a stack of pork ribs deboned. There was a lot of meat with a sweet agave coating.
- Betabel 140p - flamed beetroots were hot and soft. Skin salted and thinly crisp.
It was easily the most expensive meal we had in Mexico but also delicious, atmospheric and creative. If I had my way, there would just be less American accents around with some piercing the air...