Best Restaurants in Merida 2019

by | Apr 17, 2019 | Featured, Merida, Mexico, Travel Stories

Bistro cultural

Best Restaurants, Coffee Shops & Bars in Merida

For those of you who know us, you know that we have made Merida, Mexico our home base for the past year. We have traveled around Mexico and the United States and are soon packing our bags again for a trip into Southeast Asia for the next 3 months. Below you will find our list of what we think are the best restaurants that we have discovered in Merida.

We love food and love trying out new cuisine as long as it is vegetarian or pescatarian (we eat fish and seafood occasionally) everywhere we go. In the Yucatan, meat is used heavily in most of the traditional food they cook. However, we have done our best to find substitutions or ways of eating delicious, local food.  But we do know that we are missing out on some amazing restaurants that are more geared toward meat eaters. So bear with us as the restaurants we love are more driven toward a plant-based diet with some eggs and fish mixed in.

Breakfast or “Desayuno” & Coffee

 
Bistro Cultural
Calle 66 Por 43, #377, Colonia Centro, Merida 97000 Mexico
Cuisine: French, Vegetarian-Friendly with Vegan Options.
This place is one of our most frequented breakfast and brunch places in Merida. Great and healthy French food, an amazing atmosphere with options of sitting inside on comfortable couches or outside in a beautiful garden surrounded by plants and murals on the walls.
The owners, Yohann and  Paloma, are always at the restaurant greeting you with warm welcomes and friendly conversation.
WiFi
The wifi is strong and reliable if you work while you travel and eat like we often do. We have spent hours sipping coffee or hot chocolate working on our website, editing video or writing blog posts and you never feel uncomfortable.  Such a chill and relaxing, beautiful place to be.
 
Food
The food is mostly French cuisine with a rotating menu of food and desserts that are brought to your table after you are done eating.
Our typical meal is the Paquete 1 or 2, which has a series of servings that starts with fruit or toast and marmalade with coffee, tea or sipping chocolate followed by fruit water (“agua de frutas”) which has a huge assortment to choose from (our favorite is “chaya de limon” or Yucatecan spinach with lime). Depending on what you choose, this is followed by a fluffy, veggie omelet with a side salad, or croque vegetariano, which replaces the ham or the croque monsieur with mushrooms. Then you have a choice of dessert. We will continue to go back to this restaurant for as long as we can. Definitely a hidden gem and one of the best restaurants in Merida.
 
 
Estación 74
Calle 74 446H, Centro, 97000 Centro, Yuc.
Cuisine: Cafe, American, French
*NOTE: We interviewed the couple last December so expect to see a video featuring Estacion 74 from our vlog very soon!!!
We found this wonderful coffee shop through a social media expat group called “Merida Coffee Club” that meets here every Tuesday morning at 10 am. Just a few blocks from where we live in Centro, Merida this family-owned business will make you feel like you are at home as soon as you walk in the front doors. They have comfy couches and tables to sit and eat delicious crepes or sandwiches with your tasty coffee or tea and work on your laptop.
 
The owners, a couple put more than 100% into what they do, and truly believe in their business and that taste comes through in their perfectly roasted coffee. Need gifts to bring home to your loved ones? Grab a bag of their fresh ground coffees. We love this place and cannot to also mention their adorable daughter Merida and resident coffee mascot, Meowlo the cat.
 
WiFi
The wifi is strong and reliable. We have worked here many times while enjoying the delicious crepes and coffee and catching up with our friends who own this shop.
Food
Our favorite drinks and dishes included:
– Mushroom and cheese crepe
– Matcha Green Tea Latte
– Blended Espresso Frappe
 
Marago Coffee
Avenida Paseo de Montejo 481 Between Calle 39 & Calle 41, Centro, Merida 97205, Mexico 
Cuisine: Cafe, American, Mexican
We always discuss the kindness of the people in Merida. Always greeting you with a smile and kind hello. At Marago they take that to heart and really make you feel welcome as soon as you walk in the front door.
Located on the iconic Paseo de Montejo boulevard, the coffee shop and cafe has outdoor seating with a couple couches and tables in front. The employees in the rainy season watch the skies and at the first sign will go warn customers busy in a conversation of the impending rain as they collect cushions and close the umbrellas.
The inside is newly remodeled and looks amazing. They expanded the seating area with couches and tables and moved the coffee and pastry counter to fill the middle of the back wall for to go orders.
The last time we went to Marago we noticed that they have switched over to avocado pit straws to help save the world from more single-use plastic. About a year ago we had a conversation with the owner and she is very supportive of the environmental movement and works hard to change the restaurant’s strategies to make it more earth-friendly.
WiFi
The wifi is strong and reliable. We have worked here as well as enjoying the fruit smoothies with yogurt while working on our website or writing blog posts and you always feel welcome, never rushed.
Food
The food is cafe food with pastries, desserts and a fusion of American and Mexican breakfast food.
The thing that keeps us coming back are their phenomenally good smoothies (you can get red fruit, mango, kiwi or banana). Our typical meal is the Chaya (Maya Spinach) hollandaise eggs benedict or avocado toast with eggs which come with a fresh salad, coffee or tea.  They also have delicious salads.  Then you have a choice of dessert. This is a great place to work, eat good food or sit and people watch on the busiest street in Merida, especially on Sundays.
Our favorite food and drinks are:
– Smoothies (the best!!!)
– Salads
– Avocado toast with eggs
– Chaya hollandaise eggs benedict
 
Monique’s Bakery
Calle 79, 191 A x 36 y 38, Montes de Amé, 97115 Mérida, Yuc.
Cuisine: Vegan, Vegetarian, Whole Foods, Bakery, Gluten-Free Options, Brunch Spot
Magnolia’s bakery was born from the owner’s need to make completely holistic and whole foods based meals for her family. The restaurant came as a result of that first intention. We found more insight into the owner’s story from a friend of ours who knows her. We highly recommend this cafe if you are looking for a healing, whole foods and even plant based cuisine. The owner takes great effort and pride in cooking some of the most delicious and traditionally made breads and baked items from scratch using the old method of yeast and break making. The cafe is situated in a neighborhood in the north of Merida and as you enter the dining area on a patio you will feel like you have gone to your friend’s backyard for brunch. Lots of plants and cute tables to sit and enjoy the self serve coffee and homemade bread slices with butter or jam while you wait for your food. Ordering in the main building of the bakery you will also get to see all of the colorful large bowls of Kombucha fermenting right there in a large selection of flavors such as lime, ginger and berry.
You can also find loaves of delicious homemade bread at the Slow Food Market on Saturdays from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm. 
 
 
Food
Our favorite drinks and dishes included:
– Homemade Kombucha (lime and ginger, berry) & Kefir (great probiotic food!)
– “Farm” Quiche (mushrooms, cheese, spinach, veggies) with salad
– Homemade bread and jam
– Vegan Burger
 
 
 
El Orden Del Caos
Calle 13 127, Merida, Mexico 97125
Hours: Monday-Saturday 8am-Midnight
www.elordendelcaos.com
Cuisine: Coffee, Breakfast, Vegetarian, Brunch Spot, Work Space, Coworking Space
Let’s face it, in this new era coffee shops are the new offices, meeting rooms, co-working spaces and drawing boards. You can run a multi million dollar business while sipping a latte in any country in the world. For this reason we need to add El Orden del Caos to our list of best places to eat and drink healthy in Merida. Equipped with great wifi, comfortable seats (including bean bags!), delicious and healthy food and coffee, with the added bonus of whiteboards to sketch out your next great business idea, character / story arch or movie storyboards, El Orden del Caos has everything you need to conquer the world. We had a matcha tea and a mocha (with real chocolate) served in non-plastic for here mugs along with a vegetarian omelet. By Cassie’s omission, it was the best Mocha she has ever had. 
 
It also has such a quirky, creative and imaginative vibe going on… with all the black and white drawings on the wall featuring a hipster version of Alice in Wonderland holding up a cup of tea saying “que disparate!” (“what folly!”), and funky characters like a little bird, an eyeball planet, a man with a camera s a head, an astronaut holding on the thread connecting everything, a Salvador Dali with melting clocks as his shirt and Einstein – you are in a space that is unlike any other. Truly a great place to break out of the mental box and brainstorm, dream up new ideas and sketch out fabulous, one of a kind brain children. Also plenty of other people doing the same around you, to make for a great co-working space if you so choose.
Emmanuel, our kind barista and waiter also offered us a Macbook Pro charger which he happened to have on hand when one of us forgot to bring ours. Now that’s the definition of wonderful service. We have fallen in love with this place and have decided to make it our regular workspace in Merida. We totally recommend it for you if you are traveling through Merida or living here and looking for your next spot to throw down some quality time with the laptop 🙂
Lunch or “Comida”
 
El Capricho Buffet
***NEW LOCATION!*** Calle 70 #490 D entre 57 y 59, Centro, 97000 Mérida, Yuc.
Cuisine: Mexican, Vegetarian-Friendly with Vegan Options.
El Capricho Buffet is a true Merida gem. It is very humble, tucked in the *new* large and bright one-room building next to the big white cathedral in Colonia Santiago, not too far from the always packed area of Grande Plaza in Centro.
Food
A husband-and-wife-owned-and-operated restaurant with all you can eat Mexican food (not Yucatecan), made fresh to order, for just $100 pesos! This is one of our favorite lunch spots in Centro. The food is cooked freshly for you and includes a large variety of healthy Mexican vegetables such as cactus, peppers, onions, zucchini, etc.  And hands down, they have one of best homemade salsas we have ever tasted. (We ended up asking if we could buy a jar on our way out which yes, you can). They will also make anything you want vegetarian if you wish.
     
    Our favorite drinks and dishes include:
    • Jamaica juice
    • tortilla soup
    • enchiladas
    • salad
    • quesadillas
    • sopes
     
    El Apapacho
    Calle 62 # 354 Col Centro, between 41 & 43, Merida 97000 Mexico
    Cuisine: Mexican, Latin, Vegetarian-Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free options
    El Apapacho is known for their delicious Mexican “comida.” You may be thinking well comida is just “food,” but it has a double meaning. It also means the heaviest meal of the day and depending on the time of year is eaten in the afternoon “siesta” time between 1:00 – 4:00 pm.  Comida is the biggest meal of the day and people don’t eat “sena” or dinner until late, typically around 8:00, 9:00 or even 10:00,  which is supposed to be a lighter meal. 
    Apapacho serves both comida and sena (dinner) which includes delicious small plates or larger plates consisting of salad, chilaquiles (tortilla chips layered with delicious scrambled eggs, chili sauce, crema, and sometimes sautéed vegetables on top), pozole (a traditional Mexican soup made with hominy and meat garnished with fresh veggies and avocado), enchiladas, mole, and blue corn quesadillas with delicious Oaxaca style stretchy cheese filled with other things like champiñones (mushrooms), peppers and more if you like. They also have a delicious and wide selection of drinks from fresh pressed juices and fruit waters (agua de frutas or agua frescas), to smoothies, cold and hot teas like traditional matte, Mexican hot chocolate and fancy coffee drinks.
    Everything is made fresh in the kitchen and the ambiance on the little patio with a large vine creating a green roof overhead and beautiful, brightly colored Mexican themed murals is divine. Their little library, gallery and jewelry and clothing shop in the front is also a really eclectic and sweet place to sit and eat and work. A great place for vegetarians, vegans, gluten-free and meat eaters alike for a truly homemade, healthy and rich Mexican cuisine experience at amazingly low prices for the high quality you will get!
    WiFi
    If you are also looking for a great spot to work on the laptop and enjoy some food and beverages this is a great spot. You never feel rushed and the wifi is fast.
       
      Food
      Our favorite dishes included:
      • Blue corn quesadillas with mushrooms
      • Chilaquiles
      • Vegetarian blue corn enchiladas
      • Fresh juices (pineapple, jamaica, guava)
      • Matte tea
       
       
      Los Platos Rotos (aka “The Broken Plates”)
      Calle 33 Diagonal Nº 498, García Ginerés, 97070 Mérida, Yuc.
      Cuisine: Mexican, Vegetarian-Friendly with Vegan Options.
      Food
      Traditional Mexican food, not relegated only to Yucatecan cuisine, but a larger Mexican cuisine, served up on old fashioned clay plates. You can expect a different seasonal menu every day, with a variety for both meat eaters and vegetarians.  Beautiful ambiance situated at the corner of where the Slow Food Market meets every Saturday, with luscious trees and flowery bushes all around the indoor/outdoor patio seating area. 
      If   you’re lucky you can get some of our favorite dishes including:
      • Squash blossoms smothered in sauce
      • Enchiladas – green or red chile sauce
      • Platitas Platano (banana fritters with salad, soup or rice)
      • Squash (Calabaza) veggie stew
      • Drinks: watermelon (sandia) agua de frutas (the best watermelon juice we’ve found in all of Merida!)
       
      Pita Mediterranean Restaurant
      Calle 55 496, Parque Santa Lucia, Centro, 97000 Centro, Yuc.
      Cuisine: Mediterranean
      Food
      Don’t get us wrong we love local food. However every once and a while we crave a internationally inspired foods and pita is one of the restaurants that fills that void. We discovered this on a very hungry walk through Centro and it felt like finding an oasis in a desert. It is very unassuming on the outside with a small sign leading into very humble 2 dinning rooms. In the back there is an open patio that is beautiful and nicely shaded for the hottest days in Merida.
      The food is to die for they make the falafel’s so tasty and mix that with fresh veggies. They have a great assortment of different foods from the middle eastern cuisine. With hummus and pita bread that tastes homemade. We eat our pita sandwiches with an ice cold limeade with mineral water which feels like a perfect combination to end a long hot walk.
      Our favorite dishes including:
      • Falafel sandwich
      • Salad with greek dressing
      • Hummus and pita bread
      • Drinks: limonada with mineral water
      DINNER
       
      LoQueHay Cafe
      Calle 55 533 X 64 y 66, Centro, 97000 Mérida, Yuc.
      Cuisine: Completely VEGAN, Rotating Dinner Themes – Japanese, Greek, Mexican, etc.
      Walking into the restaurant from the street through an unassuming door that leads to what appears to be a garden (which it also is). The building opens up in the middle to reveal a beautiful hotel designed with historic Spanish architecture. In the back near the edge of an illuminated swimming pool with trees and plants all around you, LoQueHay Cafe is a charming and even romantic dinner spot that we have found. Walking into the restaurant from the street the entrance is an unassuming door that leads to what appears to be a garden.
      Food
      Like most great restaurants that we have found they have a rotating seasonal and completely VEGAN menu that consists of food from a specific country. You are served 3 to 4 courses with non alcoholic drinks and dessert included (you can pay extra for wine or beer). The best part about this restaurant for us is that they have an entirely vegan menu, and yet even the most hardcore meat eater would love how delicious and decadent every dish is made. They take the guess work out of asking if soup contains chicken, and if you are a vegan or vegetarian, they make your dish completely meat and dairy free so you never have to worry. For example they use homemade cashew cheese in exchange for cheese, and so on.  This place is so beautiful and the food is so good we can’t believe how inexpensive it is (we got an entire “dinner” with 4 courses for $180 pesos which is around $9 USD).
      Our favorite meals are:
      • Greek Course
      • Mexican Course
      • Japanese Course
      Alma Calma
      Calle 60 442 | Centro, 97000, Merida 97000, Mexico
      Cuisine: Mexican, American 
      This is one of the first restaurants we found when we first moved to Merida. It is located on Calle 60 – one of the busiest streets in Centro. You will usually see an employee sitting outside inviting people to sit down for a drink or some food. They also have an ice cream station in the front with access to order on the sidewalk. During certain nights and especially during the weekend they have live shows for dinner, art exhibits, and on one occasion an animal adoption/ pet owner meetup in the back patio for Merida’s Sunday Biciruta.
      The food is surprisingly great for an affordable restaurant almost in the center of the tourist district. They also have vegetarian options with a massive homemade garden burger that comes with french fries. They have a mixed menu of Mexican and American cuisine with new stuff popping up all the time. The one thing we really like about Alma Calma is that it is casual, affordable and always welcoming for a great meal. We really like the garden burger, but what makes us constantly return is the shrimp tacos, which in our opinion are the best in Merida.
      Our favorite dishes included:
      • Shrimp Tacos
      • Veggie Burger with fries
      • Favorite drink: fresh Mojito
       
      Korean Grill & Ice Cream
      Paseo de Montejo 470, Zona Paseo Montejo, Centro, 97000 Mérida, Yuc.
      Cuisine: Korean & Japanese
      If you are looking for Korean and Japanese cuisine which is not typically found in Mexico, and certainly harder to find authentic cuisine – look no further than Korean Grill and Ice Cream. Situated on Paseo de Montejo, one of the prettiest and most walkable boulevards in downtown Merida, this place leaves you wanting more. From delicious appetizers such as pot stickers or egg rolls, to the most scrumptious and tasty ramen noodle soup (which you can get vegetarian, with or without egg), to traditional Bibimbap Korean rice bowl with fresh veggies or meat to the biggest bowl of fluffy, light ice cream in different yummy varieties such as strawberry, oreo, etc, – you can’t really go wrong here. So if you’re looking for a small departure from the local, traditional Yucatecan or Mexican cuisine check out this place. We absolutely love the food, the atmosphere, the staff who make us feel at home and the owners.
      Food
      Our favorite meals are:
      • Vegetarian Spicy Ramen with Egg
      • Vegetarian Bibimbap
      • Kimchi & Cucumbers with Vinegar (complimentary with every meal)
      • Drinks: Fresh ginger tea
      • Dessert: Strawberry Ice Cream Bowl – big enough for two people!!
       
      FOOD CARTS
      Mercado 60 Food Carts
      Calle 60 461, Parque Santa Lucia | Centro, 97000, Merida 97000, Mexico 
      Cuisine: All around the world! Mexican, American, Argentinian, Yucatecan, Japanese, Italian, Lebanese & Middle Eastern
      This is an amazing place to bring a group of people. Every single on our friends or family who has visited us we have brought here. Simple reason – they have everything for everyone at incredibly high quality with a beautiful, lively and inviting atmosphere. Whether you are looking for an immaculately delicious salad, or a bowl of ramen, or pastor tacos, or pizza, or traditional Yucatecan dishes,  vegan tacos, Argentinian steak, Lebanese falafels, burgers, or fancy cocktails like Sangria or a great selection of wine – you will certainly find it here.
      Most nights they also offer a musical performance, such as a cover band of the Beatles or a more traditional Cubano band with a large crowd dancing Salsa in the center stage/dance area. It is a feast for your eyes, ears, stomach, and soul. We love this place and highly recommend it to everyone visiting Merida. Located in the center of the historical, touristic Centro and close to everything else (including dancing, bars or the main plaza) it is a great place to begin your night out in Merida. Bring a group and a large appetite!
         
        Food
        Our favorite dishes included:
        • Vegan tacos
        • Lebanese falafel sandwich with fries
        • Salads
        • Oaxacan cheese quesadillas
        • Veggie burger with fries
        • Burritos
        • Favorite drinks: Sangria with a fresh fruit bar
         
        Sunday Food Market – Plaza Grande in Merida
        62 y 63, Calle 60 61, Centro, 97000 Mérida, Yucatan, Mexico
        Cuisine: Mexican, Yucatecan
        On Sundays, the main square of Merida shuts down a street of traffic and turns it into one of our favorite local food open market air markets with food, merchandise, and entertainment. It is fairly informal with local restaurant tucked inside by side with chairs and tables in front of their individual counters for the customers dining experience. It is great local food with panuchos, tacos, and other Mexican and Yucatecan cuisine. 
        It is also one of the best people watching spots in all of Merida. People move to and from the main cathedral in the square in the thousands with a ton of street performers on the streets and sometimes in the dining area. This place is a real treat and breaks from the normal restaurant dinning Centro is known for.
           
          Food
          Our favorite dishes included:
          • Vegetarian Panuchos (Yucatecan)
          • Vegetarian Salbutes (Yucatecan)
          • Vegetarian tacos with grilled vegetables
          • Favorite drinks: classic Mexican coke (glass bottle) or sparkling water
          BARS & LIVE MUSIC
           
          Dzalbay Cantina
          Calle 64 x 53,Esquina, No.443, Parque Santa Lucia, Centro, 97000 Mérida, Yuc.
          Cuisine: Mexican, American 
          If you enjoy Flamenco music and dance performance, this is possibly the best live Flamenco we have ever seen!  Held in a cantina that doesn’t look like much from the outside, just a couple of saloon doors on busy Calle 64, once you walk in and sit down for one of their many live music shows held throughout the week, the place is transformed. In particular, the flamenco blows our mind every time because the lead guitarist and singer are so skilled, passionate and captivating and the dancers are just as captivating, creating a perfect pair. Every move and sound is perfectly mastered in song and choreography. 
          Get ready for a truly wonderful evening when you come here to watch a live performance. We love their artisan beer selections as well as their delicious sangria and nonalcoholic limonada con agua de mineral (fresh limeade with mineral water). Bonus – they bring you small snacks and Mexican style tapas as you continue to order more drinks. Muy delicioso!
          Drinks
          Our favorite drinks included:
          • Sangria
          • Artisan Beer (Pale Ale, Amber Ale)
          • Limonada
          • Margarita
           
          La Negrita Cantina
          Calle 62x 49, 415, Centro, 97000 Mérida, Yuc.
          Cuisine: Cuban, Mexican 
          You hear La Negrita before you even go inside. Biking along Calle 62, we heard La Negrita before we ever knew what it was. Hearing the pulsating beat of Cuban music, and loud laughter, as you bike or walk the streets of historic downtown Merida draws you like a moth to the flame of La Negrita.
          Seemingly not much from the outside, a couple of old fashioned and antique looking saloon doors open up to the first and original tiny bar with kitschy, vintage artwork with a Cuban flare on the walls and all around you. Walk beyond that and you enter a pair of bigger rooms filled with more vintage really cool art and murals, feeling like you’ve stepped into a 1960’s Cuban club and past that you enter the main cantina area, bustling with lots of tables, boisterous and animated bar goers, friendly waiters and bartenders, and the skilled, graceful moving bodies of salsa dancers and bring-down-the-house-fantastic Cuban bands. This is the place to be.
          The bar opens up to a larger patio in the far back middle part of the bar and a large, gorgeous, jungly looking tree grows organically out of the middle bringing shade to a partially sunlit terrace. More gorgeous, colorful Mexican murals all over the walls and quirky artwork. Go back in time to what feels like a scene out of Havana Nights and feel the soul of Cubano music pulse through you as you sip on a margarita or mojito, or better yet find a partner and dance salsa on the main floor.  One of the best perks? As you order drinks you will receive countless free tiny plates of delicious appetizers magically appearing at your table periodically.
          Our favorite drinks include:
          • Sangria
          • Margarita
          • Vino de Verano
          • Beer on Tap
           
          LIKE IT PIN IT!!!!!