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Mexican food is one of those world cuisines we think we know well in France. Or at least, we think we do! A bit conditioned by burritos and fajitas (hello, Old El Paso!), we soon realised that Mexican cuisine is so much more than that. We had a great time discovering real Yucatan food, the specialities of the Yucatán region, as well as tasting all those “famous” dishes… No suspense here: you eat incredibly well in Mexico!
Yucatan food at a glance
| 🌮 At a glance | 📌 What to remember |
|---|---|
| The must-try dish | Cochinita pibil, pork marinated in achiote and cooked in banana leaves |
| To snack on | Tacos, panuchos, quesadillas… everything revolves around the corn tortilla |
| Our favourites | Guacamole, cochinita pibil and palanquetas |
| The dish we didn’t like | Queso relleno, cheese stuffed with pork |
| To drink | Aguas frescas (horchata, jamaica), tequila, mezcal and xtabentún |
| Is it spicy? | Not that much: habanero chilli is often served on the side, as a salsa |
| Where to eat? | Our favourite places in Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Bacalar, Mérida and Valladolid |
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Mexican culinary specialities
We came across products we knew by name, but one thing is for sure: they don’t taste the same over there as they do back home!
Tortillas
The base of most dishes in Mexico, or at least in the Yucatán. A tortilla is a flatbread made from corn flour (ideal for anyone who needs to eat gluten-free!). Simply put, it’s used as the base of a dish, as a side, or even like bread, to help “push” the food onto your fork.
Tacos
A taco is a warm tortilla filled with meat, vegetables or salad: there really is something for everyone! We loved the vegetarian versions, which are really tasty, but also the “al pastor” meat, pork cooked on a vertical spit a bit like kebab meat. Delicious!
Panuchos
Instead of a taco, stuff the tortilla with black beans (the famous frijoles), fry it, and you get panuchos! Crispy and indulgent, we love them!
Quesadillas
Take a taco, fill it with meat and add cheese… and you get a quesadilla! As simple as that! Ha ha
Fajitas
We had them several times and, unlike what we’re used to in France, here fajitas are served ready to eat on the plate, just like that!
Burritos
The burrito is very similar to the dishes above, which makes sense, since it’s basically a taco made with a bigger tortilla, folded into a cylinder. It’s also filled with meat, vegetables, tomatoes, peppers and so on.
Nachos
I think nachos are THE symbol of Tex-Mex food! They’re corn tortilla chips, usually served with cheese, onions, cream… Depending on the recipe, you might also get frijoles, tomatoes and more.
Guacamole
Probably what we ate the most during our whole stay! Fun fact: I didn’t eat avocado before our trip to Martinique… That’s where I discovered real avocados! Well, Mexico was the same: they’re simply divine! For the first few days, on the east coast, we struggled to find any, but for the rest of the trip we must have eaten tonnes! The guacamole recipe? Avocado, tomatoes, onions and lime juice, with a few variations depending on where you are… Just dig in!
Ceviche
It’s a dish we hardly ever eat in Europe… whereas in Mexico, it’s one of the most common specialities. Ceviche is raw fish marinated in lemon or lime juice. One of the best we had was in Bacalar, absolutely delicious!
Chilaquiles
When I asked the waiter, he said “es muy bueno, muy rico”… Rico also means rich… hmm, I should have got the message! Only order it if you’re veeeery hungry, ha ha! The dish is made with tortilla chips (totopos), topped with cream, cheese, avocado… In Campeche, I tried to be clever and ordered the egg and chocolate version… Let’s just say it wasn’t a hit!
Tamales
They look like a small bun filled with meat, cheese or vegetables. In fact, a corn dough is spread on a banana leaf and topped with the filling of your choice. The whole thing is then wrapped up and steamed. Personally, I found them a bit bland, lacking texture and crunch…
Cochinita pibil (and pollo pibil)
THE iconic dish of the Yucatán! The pork (cochinita) is marinated in recado rojo, an achiote-based paste that gives it its reddish-orange colour, and in bitter orange juice. It’s then wrapped in banana leaves and slow-cooked, traditionally in an underground oven (the “pib”, in Maya). The meat is wonderfully tender, we loved this dish! The same recipe also works with chicken (pollo pibil) or fish (pescado pibil). It’s usually served with pickled red onions, rice and the famous black beans.
Exotic fruit and vegetables
Mango, pineapple, papaya, chillies, but also sapote, tomatillo, plantain… A whole array of fruit and vegetables we had never seen before!
Mexican cocktails, fruit juices and wine
As we were driving on this Yucatán road trip and covering a lot of ground every day, we didn’t try many alcoholic cocktails. Don’t miss tequila or mezcal though, both typically Mexican. In the Yucatán, the local speciality is xtabentún, an anise and honey liqueur. Instead, we treated ourselves to aguas frescas, the refreshing drinks you’ll find all over Mexico: horchata (made with rice and cinnamon) and agua de jamaica (made with hibiscus flowers, it tastes a bit like red berry or grape juice). Sooo good!
We didn’t try any, but Mexico also produces wine, mainly in the Valle de Guadalupe, in Baja California. Wine lovers, take note!
Mexican desserts
This is a bit of a weak spot, at least in the Yucatán. We saw rice pudding, flan and lots of ice cream, but nothing really Yucatecan. Oh wait, I almost forgot the conchas, little sweet buns shaped like shells.
Palanquetas
One of our favourite treats! Palanquetas (sometimes spelt palenquetas) are crunchy bars made with peanuts or seeds bound with caramel, perfect for a quick snack! We discovered them on an excursion to the Sian Ka’an reserve, then bought some for all our outings, ha ha!
Other Mexican specialities
There are also enchiladas (which we didn’t see much of), frijoles (the beans served with every dish, including breakfast eggs) and, speaking of eggs, they come every which way, at breakfast or at any other meal! In one restaurant we also tried queso relleno, which we didn’t like at all: it’s Edam cheese stuffed with minced pork. And plenty of other Mexican specialities whose names we’ve simply forgotten! Like this chicken in a “black” sauce… Thanks to your comments, we think it was relleno negro, a Yucatecan speciality whose sauce is made from chillies charred until black. Nothing to do with mole, which is sweeter and often made with chocolate!
Yucatan dishes we haven’t tried (yet)
You can’t taste everything in two weeks… Here are the traditional Yucatan dishes we missed, and that we’ve promised ourselves we’ll eat next time!
- Sopa de lima: a chicken soup flavoured with lima, a small local citrus fruit, served with strips of fried tortilla.
- Salbutes: the cousins of panuchos! Tortillas puffed up by frying, but without black beans, topped with chicken or turkey, lettuce, avocado and red onions.
- Papadzules: tortillas rolled around hard-boiled eggs, covered in a pumpkin seed sauce and a tomato sauce.
- Poc chuc: pork marinated in bitter orange juice, then grilled.
- Marquesitas: a crispy rolled crêpe filled with Edam cheese and often Nutella. THE street dessert of Mérida evenings!
Where to eat in the Yucatán Peninsula
Here are a few of our favourite places, perfect for discovering authentic Mexican food!
➺ In Playa del Carmen: El Zorro Plateado – Avenida C.T.M, Luis Donaldo Colosio, 77728 Playa del Carmen
➺ In Tulum:
- Restaurant da Dona Tina – Av. Tulum Lte 2, Centro, 77780 Tulum
- Antojitos La Chiapaneca – Av. Tulum, Tulum
- Ruta del Sol – Av. Tulum s/n, 77760 Tulum
➺ In Bacalar: La Playita – Av. Costera, Calle 26 Esq, Bacalar
➺ In Mérida: La Chaya Maya – Calle 57 y 62, Parque Santa Lucia, Centro, 97000 Mérida
➺ In Valladolid: Conato – Calle 40 226, San Juan, 97783 Valladolid
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It’s simple: we ate so well during those two weeks in the Yucatán! Mexican food is just delicious! We did give in to a pizza and a burger, but otherwise we found the cuisine rich and varied, with loads of specialities we didn’t know. On top of that, many restaurants try to keep the “simple” Yucatecan side while making gourmet dishes. What about you, are you familiar with Mexican food?
FAQ
Frequently asked questions are right here!
What is the signature dish of Yucatan food?
Cochinita pibil, without a doubt! It’s pork marinated in an achiote paste (recado rojo) and bitter orange juice, then slow-cooked in banana leaves. You’ll find it in tacos, tortas or on a plate, with pickled red onions. Other Yucatecan specialities include panuchos, salbutes, sopa de lima, papadzules and poc chuc.
Is Yucatan food spicy?
Not that much! Lots of dishes aren’t spicy at all. The star chilli of the region is the habanero, which is very hot… but it’s often served on the side, as a salsa. So you can add as much as you like (or not touch it at all!).
What is the difference between panuchos and salbutes?
They’re cousins! Both are fried tortillas topped with meat, lettuce, avocado or red onions. The difference? Panuchos are stuffed with black beans (frijoles) before frying, salbutes aren’t: they’re simply puffed up in the fryer.
What should you drink in the Yucatán?
For soft drinks, we loved aguas frescas, like horchata (rice and cinnamon) and agua de jamaica (hibiscus). For alcohol, tequila and mezcal are must-tries, and the local speciality is xtabentún, an anise and honey liqueur.
Where can you eat Yucatecan food?
Mérida and Valladolid are the best cities to taste authentic Yucatecan food. We especially recommend La Chaya Maya in Mérida and Conato in Valladolid. All our favourite places (Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Bacalar…) are listed in the “Where to eat in the Yucatán Peninsula” section of this article.