When visiting Merida and being a coffee snob, I've always had a hard time finding better than…read moreacceptable coffee. This place has the best coffee in town and tasty Colombian pastries to accompany it. Highly recommend it!

I love this place! The colombian pastries are delicious and I love having coffee in their terrace…read moreabove the busy streets

Local spot for average food with average pricing. Free botanas which were cool but average tasting…read more The key is to get pescado frito but if you are not up for that, then the caldo de pescado and pescado a la plancha are average, fills you up, and at least we ate more healthier as I'm happy about. Wish it could have been more flavorful or tender. Grateful the grilled fish came with side of veggies!

A friend from Merida recommended El Toro for seafood. What do I think about the restaurant? - Let's…read moresay I am no longer friends with the guy who recommended this place. The old saying states: "You always get what you pay for." However, we paid around 65 (Dollars) for two soups, a fish fillet, and a small lobster tail. This is the worst seafood soup I have ever had in my life. How is that even possible, being so close to the sea? I do not know. Yes, the fault is mine because I should have waited to see what the local people were getting, which was fried fish. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this place, and I do not think I will give a second chance. There are other options on the Malecon; I would try those next time.

Our stop here was part of a tour to Mayan Ruins. The bar is located on a public beach with a tiki…read morebar. We were served margaritas and Corina beer with chips and salsa. The staff was fun and engaging despite our language barrier. It was fun watching the locals selling their wares on the beach.

Fam in law mentioned this place a few times, so I felt it was a must stop. And talk about perfect…read moretiming: it rained really hard soon as we got seated. First thing I noticed even while still outside is the number of staff/servers they had. I figured it out soon as Hubbers and I came in: this place is huge! Now... I've been on the hunt for kibis since I got to the Yucatan, so I was delighted to find they had it here. The only thing I was skeptical about is that they were stuffed. I would have much preferred it plain, but didn't wanna knock it without trying it. So, we put in an order for that. While waiting for our drinks, the mini side snacks ("las botanas") started coming through... and it was a lot: pasta with red sauce, ceviche, sliced hotdogs in some kind of creamy dressing, three types of rolls/taquitos with three types of sauces, chips and salsa, and surprise! Included were plain kibis. We tried to find our server to cancel the stuffed kibis and maybe order something else. But it was too late by the time he came back since he had already put the order in the kitchen. Why he didn't mention they were part of the snacks when we spoke about the stuffed ones earlier is beyond me. (No, there were no communication barriers. Hubbers speaks fluent Spanish.) I would have gotten a pizza instead, maybe... LAS BOTANAS: Yes, it was abundant. Yes, they all tasted different. However, all of them were plain. They were just "okay", nothing to call home about, and not one really stood out. And yes: that includes the kibis. The plain ones had very minimal flavor. The stuffing on their stuffed version overpowered the main essence of the kibis. So final verdict is: MEH. But they were generous, I'll give them that. FOOD: 3.5. 5 for quantity, 2 for quality. SERVICE: 3. VALUE: 3. PARKING: I might have noticed a parking lot behind the restaurant. Street parking is also available. OVERALL: 3. Fam met up with us a bit later, so the company elevated the experience a notch. It is a tourist spot so they're never wanting for customers. It certainly is the perfect location for it. So, yeah: come for the drinks, come for the snacks, come for the view. Despite the mediocre food, we still had good times.

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.

A very friendly little cafe. The food and drinks were very good. The service was excellent. It was…read moreour go to place for breakfast while in Merida. I highly recommend you give it a try.

This restaurant is the real deal!! The food was way past excellent! The service is fantastic!! Luis…read moreis the best waiter you could ask for he was great!!! I would go back to Progresso just to eat here!!! Everything was so fresh and prepared to perfection!!!

BEST OF MERIDA 2025 - Botanas Botanas are a special treat,…read morebasically free food you get with drinks. Lucero doesnt call it in here, they serve a great variety of excellent options (mmm the gizzard is absurd). It varies throughout the day the service levels and botana availability; but show up around 7-8pm for a safe bet on a good experience with solid service, availabilty, and a good place to hang. See prior reviews for more details and happy eating from John Seeto!

What a great surprise this was! I had no idea what we walked into, I thought we were just going to…read moregrab drinks at this ultra chic looking bar. We ordered beers, we received those, and literally 2 min later a waitress came out with all these mini tapas and I was in shock. I had mentioned that we didn't order them and she said they came with the beer, and oh my, it's genius! we literally didn't feel the need to leave the bar and ordered more than we should've. Some of the tapas were great, some were decent, nothing terrible but what a deal and concept.

I do not speak any Spanish so I use my phone. This place is very kind for that. Drinks and…read morewaitresses are wonderful, Music is great, vibe is amazing. Cuz I don't speak Spanish it is nice that a waitress or any one working actually helps me out. I recommend this place if u want some drinks and good music

Love this place! Great drinks and cool atmosphere. I will be going back!…read more The staff were friendly and attentive too!

Great drinks, fun vibe. You really should know Spanish to come here if you're a touristread more

This is a very cool outdoor bar in a good location with other bars, clubs, restaurants and…read moreshopping. Could be a 5 star bar if they were not cheating with the drinks. If you order an 18 year old scotch, you'll likely get a 12 year old. If you order Grey Goose, you'll likely get Smirnoff or comparable. This happened to us more than once. So as long as you stick with beer and house drinks you'll be ok, but if you order top shelf, you'll likely get ripped off.

Next to holiday inn express Centro Mérida the poker enchiladas were excellent, mocajeta was large…read moreenough to split, this place deserves a try.

Once you're done having a grand time at La Negrita, you should come to Pipiripau, as this place…read moregets poppin' at night. Similar to the style of La Negrita, this place looks small from the outside, but as you walk in, you'll see it leads to an outdoor area with a small dance floor and a live band! Drinks are cheap here (e.g. 180 pesos for a bucket of beer). The place is adorable with tons of artwork and a wonderful open-air vibe. I'm not sure if they serve food here, as I didn't see any food on the menu, but I also came late.

I can't speak for any of the food, but this is a super cool spot to hang out for drinks and live…read moremusic. Picnic bench style seating, and plenty of it. There's a very small "dance floor" between the live band setup and the bench seating. Lots of beer and cocktail options. Definitely a younger crowd. Service isn't bad, but be patient. This place gets busy.