This is the type of restaurant that you visit for an experience... not only the food and drinks…read more From the moment you arrive you are welcomed and given the proper amount of time to just take in the vibe. The service here by the lovely Alexandra was on point!! Her recommendations and attentive nature were Fire! The food program is something to take your time with.. as is the beverage menu. Let them lead you and you will not be disappointed. The bone marrow was the best I have tried and the octopus was superb. We are still talking about it today. Great place to spend a few hours. Highly recommend a reso Thanks again Alexandra

Had dinner here earlier this evening. I would give it six stars if possible. Great ambience,…read moreextremely well trained staff and friendly servers that made good recommendations. I had a local tequila and a local beer that were both excellent. The fish soup appetizer was a meal, as noted/advised by my server. But I also had grilled shrimp which were perfectly grilled and delicious, as were the side order of mashed potatoes that came with it. Latte was tasty but needed to be hotter, and I just wasn't up for asking my server to take it back and heat it more. Overall, a fantastic dining experience at a reasonable price in my opinion.

I love Apoala, and not just because it's one of the first time I've eaten crickets! The food is…read moreOaxaca's rather than Yucatecan, so it's a good way to explore other Mexican cuisines in Mérida. The drinks are well-made as well. We always have a great time eating here and sitting outside to look out on the square--very romantic!

My husband and I had dinner at Apoala last night - our last dinner in Merida! We really enjoyed…read moreourselves! The menu spans Yucatecan and Oaxacan dishes - which was great since we love both! We shared: the ceviche de camarón, maíz y calabaza asada; the pesca del dia (that came with Mexican herb gnocchi and a tartar sauce); the memelitas; and a dessert (panna cotta with passionfruit sauce). We also had a few cocktails each (all of them were great). No complaints about the menu, food, or drinks! The location is wonderful! The restaurant is one of several that overlook the Parque de Santa Lucia. Great outdoor/al fresco dining. There was live music while we enjoyed our meal, and it just had a great ambiance overall! The service was also great - very friendly and helpful! Definitely a great place for dinner out in Merida! I'd be happy to repeat it!

The food was OK. I think it's more hyped up than it needs to be. The restaurant is beautiful but…read morethe food was better at the local taqueria That being said, there were many large groups so I think it's good for that. They have a very large selection of food so there's something for everyone. Prices are OK, what you'd expect for a touristy spot. Recommend having a reservation for dinner as there was a wait.

I am of somewhat mixed mind about Chaya Maya…read more On the one hand, if you are in Merida for just a few days, and you don't have the time and energy to research things, Chaya Maya is in a great location and the menu has virtually ALL of the Yucatecan dishes you may want to try. It's pretty much all here, which is a big plus. The staff is very tourist friendly, and can speak and understand English well. They even asked in advance if anyone had allergies. So, for the less adventurous, it's an 'easy' experience. We ordered a variety of dishes...Lomitos, Pipian de Pavo, Pan de Cazon and more. All tasted fine, though we've had better on our tour of the region and at lower cost. The Chaya de Pina was fantastic. I'd recommend that for your agua fresca option. Service was attentive. High marks there, and it's clear they expend a lot of effort on the front of house experience, though the tortilla maker sitting in the room making tortillas by hand felt a touch gimmicky to us. In essence, if you want an expansive menu, easy for the English-speaking tourist, this is a good place to go, or perhaps to start your journey. You might lose some authenticity and pay a bit extra as a tradeoff. Chaya Maya does execute well, even if it has a bit more of a polished, corporate feel to it.

This restaurant was one of the highlights during our recent trip to Mérida. We sat outside in the…read morecourtyard area for dinner where the tables were well shaded with trees and umbrellas. We enjoyed several cocktails and ordered a variety of items from the menu, all of which were excellent.

The service is excellent, from the hostess to the busboy. The food didn't take long and everything…read morewas delicious!! We asked for several dishes to try different things and did not disappoint. And the place! Oh wow! It's an old hacienda style place with the big patio in the center. Each different dinning room has its own unique decoration. It's a must place to go.

This place is something very special. We spent a magical evening here under some light rain and had…read morean amazing night. Anna (Ana?) was our server and took great care of us. We had a variety of dishes which were all great but the mole was the star of the show. Beautifully done. Bonus- there's a bookstore also ran by the owners of the restaurant above the main dining room. You can't miss this place on your next visit to Merida EDIT: We loved this place so much we decided to come back again on our last night. As before, the service was amazing and I was able to pick up some great art and architecture books as well.

I was there during my vacation in Merida. My wife is vegan and they gave her so many options for…read moreher to eat. They made food for her that wasn't even on menu. Everyone and everything at this place is great. We went to eat twice during our stay. Will go back. I would highly recommend to anyone.

This is one of the absolute best places for botanas in Mérida. Go and order a beer and you'll soon…read morefind yourself devouring a number of tasty snacks. The ambiance is always lively, the food and drinks always reasonably priced and delicious, and the service is great. We always make this one of our first stops in Mérida!

Came through twice…read more The first was at noon on a Sunday. Joke is on us: we learned they're not open until 2pm (only on Sundays. Otherwise, they're open at noon all other days.) We came through a couple of days later because it came highly HIGHLY recommended by Big Bro. So, I was more curious than anything. Another reason I came through is to try their kibi's. (It topped my Yelp search when looking for this particular grub.) We wanted to get drinks as well since it was a hot and humid day! Pina colada for me, brewskis for Hubbers. We put in an order for the kibis because that's main reason I came through. Drinks came through, and then... mini plates of snacks, oh, WHAT! La botana, is what they call them. Whew, didn't plan on eating more than the kibis, but I welcomed it! It was a pretty good variety, too: there were sausages, pork skin, jicama and some sort of salad. Staff told us if we wanted refills on any or all of them, to let them know and they'd be more than happy to comply. Kibis finally came through, and I have to admit that I was disappointed. Not only did they lack taste, but they were also hard. They may have been overcooked which most likely contributed to the lack of flavor. Initial thought in mind were hockey pucks. Chewing through one was a challenge that I didn't bother going for a second. (It was practically inedible.) The guac, pico de gallo and sauce were great, but didn't do much for the pucks. Hubbers really liked it, though, so there's at least that. FOOD: 2. SERVICE: 4. I noticed staff mostly just hanging out together at the bar, but they were excellent at being mindful of guests. VALUE: 3. 5 for las botanas, 1 for the kibis. PARKING: Street only. It will be a challenge, for sure. OVERALL: 3. FUN FACT: They are the second oldest cantina in Merida (opened in 1917.) I learned the place is far livelier at night when they have bands performing. Someday, maybe...? Not a one-and-done, but it'll be a long minute before a second visit, if at all.

Restaurante Villa Martiné is closed and replaced by an outstanding new restaurant called Viva…read moreMerida. It's located in the grand lobby of the Viva Merida boutique hotel, surrounded by 150 year old arabesque architecture and a roof which opens up to the night time stars and air when the weather is nice. Very attentively prepared food, one of our favorite Merida dining experiences. The portion sizes are moderate, which we prefer(quality over quantity), the flavors are well developed and the plating is visually pleasing like any finer restaurant. Full bar with a decent wine and beer list. Best of all, everyone was friendly and welcoming. Thank you Viva Merida.

Great too, wonderful ambience. Why so few customers. Please help keep this place open.. Good wine…read morelist by the way, and reasonably priced. There is a sorbet presented between courses. Yum.

If you're looking for a place that serves the region's largest variety of taco options, this place…read moreis probably it. We had to visit multiple times to take in those options, and we can also say that their tortillas are among the best, namely because they are built to contain those fillings, unlike others that are simply not quite up to the task. Here are a few tips that we'd like to pass on from what we've learned: - The Lomitos offering is one of the best, bursting with flavor and smokiness. I think it's often overlooked, so definitely grab one of these. - The Lechon, Cochinita, and "Pork Belly" are all great, flavorful and juicy. You can't really go wrong with these, though the "Pork Belly" may not be what you expect, so read on. - The Castacan is the crunchy skin and pork belly that most Westerners think of, so if you're looking for that experience, this is your taco. - The Asado Yucateco (beef) is solid, but a little dry. Pork options are going to dominate it. - The artisanal cerveza is a great pairing with their tacos. If you are a beer snob, it's worth the extra cost. - We think you can pass on the queso fundido. It was more of a cheese blob than what we prefer in a fundido. Plenty of tacos to placate your hunger, so this can be a pass. - The light brown salsa is great, with excellent flavor. The small, dark brown salsa is a tongue-melter, so proceed with caution. I'm a pepper belly, but that salsa probably overwhelmed the great taco flavors, so just know that. Overall, a great place to get the variety and explore it. Seating was comfortable, and service was efficient, though not very chatty. They can get busy at times, which just speaks to the popularity of a well done taco. If you follow the given advice, you may have more of a 5-star experience. We had some of the misses, so you don't have to, though part of the fun is your own exploration. Buen gusto!

BEST OF MERIDA 2025 - Tacos La Union gets the nod for the…read morebest tacos. A humble eatery on Calle 57, they offer the best breadth amd quality at an amazing price. Service can be slow but its worth the wait. Oh and get the elote!!! So good! See prior reviews for more details and happy eating from John Seeto!

This place was right near when I stayed; a wonderful local cantina with a bar area, and also a…read moreseparate large dining area. We got a mix of Yucatán finger food platter, local beer, and hibiscus drink. Hibiscus drink a bit too sweet for my taste, but the local beer was delicious. The platter was all fried, was good, but I ended up longing for something more fresh. The service was good, the servers all seemed a bit frazzled (even though there weren't many customers). We got treated to a live band playing at the cantina so that was nice.

We went to this cantina on a Tuesday night for their 2 for 1 wing special. Once seated you can get…read morea large Carte Clara beer for 49 pesos. Just guessing it was at least 32 ounces of beer. Nice set up of a covered area and an outdoor area. We sat outside with fans keeping us cool. We started with guacamole and chips. Pretty good. We then ordered bbq and buffalo style wings. They were fried nicely but had to much sauce. A plate of fries came by that looked good so ordered some along with just buffalo wings. My wife in Spanish told our waiter no sauce just fried and sauce on the side. Wings arrived with even more sauce and very spicy. Each order had 16 wings. The jazz band was great and the atmosphere good. Try to make it back again.

This restaurant was one of the restaurants recommended by a tour guide for Yucatecan food. I walked…read morein without a reservation one late afternoon, and most of the outdoor tables were reserved, so I chose an indoor table instead of the sad table by the kitchen. I ordered a cochinita pibil. It came with tortillas. I don't know how many, but I finished them all. The pork was very tender and delicious on its own, but I liked it better made into a taco with the frijol, onions, and tortillas. My order came out promptly. Service was decent. Looks like a popular place since there was a party of more than 15 people close to my table, and this was around 3:30 pm. Would recommend making a reservation during peak hours.

Good and hearty breakfast. I tried the chorizo eggs it came with beans and bread and three little…read moreslices of avocado. It was surprisingly tasty wish they gave bigger portion of avocado. I ate outdoors it was very nice until the bees and birds came. I would come back.