Cancun in Mexico is a very popular tourist destination for those seeking a sunny beach vacation. Most hotels and tourist activities are in the “Hotel Zone”, a 15 mile long stretch of land along the beach and lagoon with a high number of hotels, many all-inclusive. With such a high concentration of all-inclusive resorts, there are some limited dining options in Cancun if you’re not there to party and want to avoid some very touristy tourist traps. In this post, we share some options to eat at in the hotel zone and accessible via Uber about 15 minutes away in a quaint neighbourhood. 

1. For seafood – El Fish Fritanga: Since 2004, El Fish Fritanga has been serving up seafood in the hotel zone on the lagoon side. The vibe is casual but comfortable in the sense that is a well established restaurant. We’ve enjoyed ceviche, aguachiles, and carpaccio here. 

1. For tacos and cocktails – Tacos Villanos: Located in the NYX Hotel, Tacos Villanos has all the things a small and casual taqueria has along with the things you like at a more upscale bar/restaurant. We enjoyed the sunset with some cocktails and tacos here. 

1. For tacos and beer – Los Chachalacos Cancun has a few locations in and around Cancun and serves up the typical no fuss taqueria tacos. We’ve had some experiences that were better than others, but always enjoy the al pastor and chorizo tacos here with a cold beer. 

1. For take-out – Chedraui Selecto is a more upscale version of the Chedraui Supermarket chain. It has an impressive selection of items you can eat there or get to go, like chicharron, salad bar, salsa, sushi, ceviche, bakery and deli items, and more. 

We have tried a few other spots, but they did not make the shortlist. These are: 

• La Bamba Mexican Seafood (maybe it was just an off day, so we would need to try it again). 
• Porfirio’s: We enjoyed the food and setting, but the music was really loud and it has more of a club atmosphere, which isn’t our scene. 

Now, hear us out! Yes, you should consider taking an Uber about 10-15 minutes outside the hotel zone to try some other food options that are much less touristy! It was very easy and economical to take the Uber from the hotel we were staying at, the Intercontinental Presidente Cancun Resort and back.

Here are some options for you to consider:

1. For seafood and cocktails – Para Gallos is a small restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating serving up ceviches, aguachiles, tostadas, tacos, and other things too. They also have a good selection of tasty and unique cocktails. We enjoyed eating here so much, that we ended up going back the next day. 

1. For artisanal tacos – El Socio Naiz Taqueria is a small artisanal taco shop, taqueria, and bar. They have fancier tacos and also some simpler ones, like the al pastor. They also make an impressive selection of salsas that you will want to try with some tostadas before adding them to your tacos. 

As we only had a short trip, we did not get to try the other options in and around this area, including a really neat looking ramen place called Tomizen. 

We hope you like some of these dining options and they inspire you to try different things! We will keep adding to this list as we explore and find more things to share.

Are there any places you can recommend in Cancun that we missed?