Restaurants in Cancun and the Mexican Caribbean

Once you arrive in the Mexican Caribbean, you'll be surprised by the array of restaurant options, especially around the major tourist centers of Cancún and Cozumel. Dining choices in these areas even include old stand-bys of Chinese food and pizza. Outside the popular areas, Mexican specialties will be the main menu items.

Hours of Operation

Most restaurants are open for lunch and dinner during the high season, but in the off season, check the hours ahead of time. Generally, you will only encounter abbreviated hours of operation in smaller towns.

In Mexico, the main meal of the day is eaten at lunchtime, not at dinner. However, most restaurants offer tourist menus, or menus turísticos, during this time. Most travelers find reservations unnecessary, unless you plan to dine with a large group, or if you plan to make dinner a black tie affair.

Budgeting Your Meal

Travelers looking for a meal in an upscale restaurant should plan to spend approximately $50(USD), especially in the tourist districts of Cancún and Cozumel. However, meals at smaller establishments often run a much more reasonable $10(USD) or less. In places off the beaten path, you may find meals for less than $5(USD).

Credit cards are often accepted in larger restaurants for a fee, and gratuities are customary. In the Mexican Caribbean, waiters and waitresses depend on your gratuity as part of their income. It is customary to tip between 15 and 20 percent at restaurants in tourist areas. In other areas it is customary to tip about 10 percent, though at small, inexpensive cafés and restaurants, tipping is not always expected.

Smaller cities and larger towns of the Mexican Caribbean coast offer different types of dining. Everywhere you travel, however, you will find extraordinary food as well as reasonable prices.