MEAL TIMES – In order to help you plan your meals while traveling through Yucatán, it will help you to understand the typical daily rhythm of the locals. Desayuno is an early breakfast often eaten at 6am or before children leave for school. In the past it might have been a churro and a mug of hot chocolate. Nowadays, it is as likely to be a Coca-Cola and a cookie or two. Almuerzo is a mid-day snack enjoyed sometime around 10am and 11am. Kids step out of school to grab a sandwich on the corner, and businessmen line up at local taquerías. Comida fuerte is the main meal of the day, which many families still enjoy together between 2pm and 4pm. Schools close for the day between 1pm and 2pm and mothers collect their children for a hearty meal at home. Businesses often close so that employees can enjoy meals with their families, or eat at a restaurant with friends or colleagues. Cena is frequently a light meal, eaten at 9pm or later. In the past, it would have consisted of leftovers from the comida fuerte. Modern “Americanized” tastes have introduced the relatively recent concept of dining out at night, in which case one would probably go lighter on the comida fuerte.

COCINAS ECONOMICAS – Some of the best authentic Yucatecan restaurants are open for three meals a day: desayuno, almuerzo and comida fuerte, with hours from roughly 6am until 4pm. These are often the typical cocinas económicas (translated literally “economical cooking”). Cocinas económicas often function in the front room of a private family home, providing income to the household and employing several family members. Generally clean and well maintained, these are the best places to experience a true taste of Yucatán. It can be challenging to find authentic Yucatecan cuisine for cena; instead, restaurants that serve cena usually offer an international menu, or feature more modernized Mexican or Yucatecan menus catering to changing tastes and tourists.

HOW TO ORDER – In the most typical Yucatecan restaurants – whether a sit-down affair, a street stall or a cocina económica – the menu will be comprised of a variety of guisos (dishes). Typical guisos may include poc chuc, pavo en escabeche, relleno negro, cochinita pibil, camarón empanizado or a long list of many others. You may be surprised to hear the waiter asking you how you want to eat the guiso. There are three basic choices, with a couple of variables: you may order it as a plato (served on a plate, often with rice and beans as an accompaniment); as a torta (a sandwich, always made with a French roll); or as a taco (open faced on corn tortillas). The taco variables are panuchos or salbutes (the former features a corn tortilla stuffed with strained black beans; the latter is a tortilla that has been fried in hot oil until it inflates like a tiny pillow; both are still served in traditional open-faced taco style.) Be adventurous! While a fried shrimp sandwich may sound strange, trust us! It’s delicious, as are all of the other dizzying arrays of possible combinations!

View restaurant list