we were very surprised the regional cuisine of mexico's yucatan peninsula including merida
is very different from what americans like us traditionally think of as mexican food
the influence of the ancient maya people whose legacy can be felt in
many aspects of life in the yucatan is especially prevalent in the food
some of the dishes here are unique to the yucatan and very difficult to find outside
of the peninsula these include pabil which is marinated meat wrapped in spices and banana leaves
and then cooked in a barbecue pit often below ground popcork which are slices of pork marinated
in a sour orange and achiote sauce and supa de lima which is a hot soup made from chicken stock
and a citrus fruit filled with chunks of chicken and pieces of fried tortilla
the three essential restaurants we will share with you highlight these
dishes in unique and tasty ways we highly recommend them on your next visit to merida
at the end we throw in a surprise hidden gem restaurant that we couldn't resist mentioning
the museum of yucatecan gastronomy should probably be your first stop on your culinary
journey through merida it certainly was for us and we came here three times during our stay
on the one hand the site is a restaurant where the best of the cuisine of this area
is offered but together with this visitors are also able to have a tour of a gastronomic museum
in the back of the building is a replica of an ancient village of the yucatan the point is to
teach visitors how the maya people lived and how they prepared ingredients we always started
off with the tortillas and their unique dips honestly we did kind of miss our usual guacamole
we practically sampled the menu over time this included most of the meats which are
wrapped in banana leaves and prepared in the traditional way of being slow cooked
my favorite was the two person sized grilled plate filled with all the tastiest meats
next we take you to a new addition to the culinary boom in merida it's a hip new restaurant called
catrin as you walk in you instantly get the true spirit of mexico in the inside dining area an
artist painted vibrantly colored paintings that depict mexican popular culture continue out to the
garden and you are greeted by a huge mural in the center of which is the catrin himself looking at
you with his cane inhand catrin was a term used to describe a dandy of the high society elite catrin
is a trendy place to hang out and have some drinks with friends in the patio area the bar
specializes in cocktails to eat we had the bone marrow which was incredible as well as the kebabs
we stumbled upon this next restaurant without knowing it's kind of famous
the restaurant is in front of santa ana park which you may know from our walking tour
the series is called the chronicles of taco on netflix mexico which highlighted
this restaurant without a doubt the favorites were the famous cochinita tacos
which are served with the habanero sauce that is a specialty of the house
we are going to leave you with a bonus don't be put off by the potential touristy draw of
this low-key restaurant which is located directly in the center of historic merida
it's our hidden gem what makes dining at tomorrow pleasant is the large outside patio there's also
art by local artists lining the courtyard the menu is extensive which includes pastas pizzas
and vegetarian dishes but the traditional yucatecan cuisine is also a highlight
the food was good and inexpensive and the service and atmosphere were delightful this place is so
close to plaza grande it's a great jumping off and refueling point when exploring this historic city
don't go anywhere watch this video to see what's next on our adventures
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