3 Fabulous Restaurants in Merida

I wanted to spend a little more time talking about 3 wonderful restaurants we ate at on our short but sweet visit to Merida.  We did a one-night quick visit when our friends Sally and Rich came to visit, the highlights for us being the incredible restaurants we visited.

First stop was lunch at Museo De La Gastronomia Yucateca. Not only is it an amazing restaurant, but it also has a lovely small museum in the building.  It is located on Calle 62 between 57 and 55, not far from St Lucia park and the Grand Plaza.  We chose this restaurant sight unseen because several locals highly recommended it.  We wanted good, local Yucatecan food, and they did not disappoint. 

Located in an older urban hacienda, the setting is gorgeous whether you sit inside or out.  The menu is so extensive (just some of the items are shown on this site}, we found it difficult to decide which dishes we wanted.  We ordered some appetizers and tortas and tacos which were all amazing, my favorite bite was the creamy beet soup.

The service at Museo was excellent. They took the time to explain all the dishes and were helpful in helping us choose a nice variety of small bites.  I would highly recommend this restaurant and we will definitely go back. I would love to try it for dinner since we opted for a light lunch, due to the plans we already had for dinner that night.

For dinner we had made a reservation at Apoala in St Lucia Square.  Our friend, Michele, highly recommended it as an amazing dining experience.  We were and it was. If you want a 5-star experience in a beautiful park setting this is a must try.  Apoala is named for its passion for Mexican flavor.  The Arnaud brothers not only wanted to rescue their family recipes, but Chef Sara maria Arnaud Gomez wanted to expand on them with her creative culinary style. Natives of Oaxaca, they have created a menu that fuses ingredients and recipes from both Oaxacan and Yucatecan cuisines.

What also sets it apart is their creation of a comfortable yet extraordinary environment for dining.  The service is 5-Star!  The knowledge of the waiters is incredible. The presentation was impeccable and the staff’s level of expertise together with their fine-dining attention to detail was awesome.  The menu is extensive and includes starters, soups, salads, meat, poultry and fish, all with an amazing flair and exquisite taste.  Sally and Rich opted for steaks, which were cooked to perfection.  I had the fish that melted in my mouth, and Mike opted for an amazing pork dish. Ask the waiter to help you pair your selections with the perfect wine and you will have an evening to remember.  The night we were there the frosting on the cake was the beautiful Latin Jazz playing in the park steps away from our table. 

The next day, before heading out to Valladolid, we opted to eat at Tazzo, also located in St Lucia park.  This is a great spot to remember for the hot Merida days and nights, as they also have a very large air-conditioned dining area and bar.  Their menu is extensive and it seemed to be the place to enjoy a leisurely brunch.  Service was friendly and good, and everyone had a great lunch.  I opted for the grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. Sally and Rich went with salads. Everyone was extremely pleased with their selections. 

Merida is known for its great food and with so many other places to try I must say we will still happily return to any of these three restaurants.