WHERE TO FIND CHEAP RESTAURANTS AND CHEAP SUPERMARKETS?

[misterno]

I am planning for a trip to Cancun and before I go, I want to learn the cheap places to eat in Cancun. Not Mcdonalds or Burger King but something authentic but really cheap like where the local Mexicans eat. How much are the locals paying for a decent cheap food and where are they, that is what I want to know.

And I have seen some posts by people living in Cancun and they are shopping in Walmart and other places. I was wondering why they do not shop at the street bazaars like the ones we see in travel channel. Is Walmart cheaper than the street vendors? Or you guys do not go there because you do not trust the quality. I assumed it should be really cheap since most of the customers are locals.

Please post your ideas, experiences.

[RiverGirl]

There aren't many outdoor mercados where they sell food in Cancun, the only places I can think of are quite far away from home. And one of those is in a neighborhood I'm not comfortable in, and my husband would certainly have a fit if I went there alone. When I've been there I have been the only white person there.

Soriana is 5 minutes from my house and has great produce, and there's no risk of getting mugged if I go alone. Walmart sucks in my opinion, but has some good things which make it necessary to condescend to shop there once in a while.

Mexico is not what you see on the Travel Channel.

[jenleib]

Go to Parque las Palapas, there are several very-Mexican-outside-restaurants (if I can call them restaurants) where you find quesadillas for 8 pesos (maybe they are at 9 now!!!). There are also tacos etc... In my opinion, they are the best in Cancun There is also closeby a Mexican cantina, a little bit more expensive :wink:

I don't know if I am the only white, and I don't really care, since Cancun is a rather safe place, and THAT is a safe one (heart of Cancun). and you can enjoy there in the evening a lot of entertainment and local clothes, jewelry etc... It is at least a pleasure for the eyes.

[misterno]

I do not understand this. how come there are no mercados in Cancun??? Where are the local people buy their food from? Not from Walmart I suppose with the salary that they are making.

I understand that as a white female foreigner you do not want to be in a huge crowd of local people just to save a few bucks but for me I think I can handle it.

Now for the restaurants I was not asking for street vendors cooking on the street, I was referring to clean and neat but cheap places. I am in Houston, TX and there are like hundreds of restaurants here where you can have really really nice and delicious food for less than 10 bucks. And for less than 6-7 bucks I know maybe 30-40 restaurants and 99% of the people working there, are Mexicans.

Given the fact that the Mexicans in Mexico are making 1/5 of what they are making in the USA, I should be able to find similar places in Cancun. Maybe I am more budget minded than you guys and you probaly never bothered to look for cheaper which I understand. Everyone have different budgets.

Is there a forum or website where they list all these cheap places? Like the one below. Please look at the website and tell me if you ever went to one of the restaurants in the website. Because it really looks cheap to me.

*****************************

Thanks

[CancunCanuck]

misterno,
Those of us that live here (Mexicans and ex pats) buy their food at Walmart, Soriana, Chedraui, Costco, Sam's, all the big grocery stores. The one outdoor market that I know of (market 23) is not that great, kind of small and smelly. I loved my outdoor markets in Toronto, they just don't exist here the same way. My parents are constantly amazed that people do shop at Walmart etc, for the same reason you are. They can't believe that I make as little money as I do but still have to pay pretty much the same prices for stuff as in Canada or the States and in some cases MORE money (electronics, etc.).

Looking at that list on the site you posted, I would agree with a lot of their choices. I do think that Labna is a bit more expensive than they stated. Basically, eating just about anywhere downtown is cheaper than eating in the hotel zone. Lots of choices on Tulum, Uxmal, Yaxchilan and around Parque las Palapas and Market 28 for great meals under or around $10.

[RiverGirl]

There is a real mercado that sells food on Sundays only. It's WAY out on the north side of Lopez Portillo across from a Chedraui (well, across from a big grocery store anyway). And that's the one I would not go to alone.

Misterno, Believe me I do know lots of cheap places. I am married to a Mexican who refuses to pay extra for anything. But with the price of gas and the hassle of going out to that mercado it's cheaper for us to go to one of the 7 large modern grocery stores which are within 1 mile of our house.

And yes, the local Mexicans do shop in the regular grocery stores here. One issue is that Cancun is quite hot and food in an un-air-conditioned mercado doesn't last as long as food lasts in a supermarket. So the mercado concept for food is not actually cheaper here.

The mercado in SM23 (Plaza 23) is ok, sometimes there is some nice produce there. I do feel safe there alone.

It's the other mercado, the one halfway to Merida, on Lopez Portillo that is just too much for me. The aisles are very narrow and when I have been there I've been pinched and pushed and felt up. I've also seen people eyeing how easily they could get my purse away from me. I don't need to go there alone, thanks anyway.

I'll trade the authentic experience of being pawed in public for the sterile polite experience of a modern well-lit supermarket.

As for restaurants there are a number of reasonably priced places that are always packed with local Mexicans. One is Tacos Rigo which is near Mercado 28. To me the food is nothing amazing, but my Mexican friends swear by it. However, I'll pay extra not to have to sit in ugly fluorescent lighting.

I honestly think that here many people see unpleasant lighting and think that the place must be cheap since they aren't putting any money into decor. I prefer to not go out unless I'm going somewhere pleasant to be in.

There are some other places on Ave Kohunlich that are always packed with Mexicans, have cheap prices and bad lighting. The secret with them is to go there are 2 or 3 in the afternoon before they turn on the horrible lights.

And many of the best places to eat (cheap food) in Cancun are street vendors. The best tamales in this town (that I've found) are sold from 6 to 10 pm on the street next to Soriana. And there's a taco stand off of Yaxchilan that is one of the best places in town to get tacos (so I hear from Mexicans who can discern the difference anyway).

[gbchayctca]

The only place that used to be a traditional outdoor market was Mercado 28. But as Cancun grew (with Mexicans) they started opening Gigante, Chedraui, and la Comer on Tulum. Go to Merida for a huge market, even though most people living in Merida shop at supermarkets as well.

It's not clear on whether you've actually been to Cancun, but go to any of the supermarkets outside of the contained downtown area and you will see them full of "locals," from all socio-economic classes.

I think Labna and El Cejas are pricier than one would expect for a budget place. And most of the cheap places we go to eat are in the immediate neighborhood, so there's really no reason for tourists to go there.

My favorite quesadilla place is off of Palenque. If it has a name, I don't know what it is. For panuchos and salbutes, we go to Parque las Palapas or Restaurante Emaro near Mercado 28. For seafood, Pescado con Limon en Mercado 28 or El Timon Jarocho on Lopez Portillo at Comacalco.

The markets are roving, so there'll be one in Region 521 on Tuesdays, Region 228 on Wednesdays, near Terraza Peraza in Region 100 on Saturdays, etc.

[misterno]

woow I am surprised that an American would eat from a street vendor and do not find it unhealthy.

Now, when you say seafood places and tamales and other foods, ike how much are you paying for lunch and dinner in these cheap and good places? Can you give me some ball park figures?

PS: I have never been to Cancun.

[eutiqueo]

I know why don't you ask i the reception where can you find a cheap "Fonda", "comida tipica mexicana", or 'comida corrida". I don't think that cheap is all ways the bes. Have you heard the say "you get what you paid for"?

Not Mcdonalds or Burger King but something authentic but really cheap like where the local Mexicans eat.

most Mexicans eat at home if you ask me, but I think when they go out to eat they like tacos. they should make vegetarian tacos hmmmm
dam that would be like an egg roll. :shock:

try this website and only show you a picture of some local restaurant but you ca all ways asked the receptionist http://www.vivapuertomorelos.com/restaurants.html or you can ask the street vendor on the beach " donde puedo comer comida tipica Mexicana barata."


Go to mercado 23 but I don't know what the address is.

[Klaw]

Originally Posted by misterno

woow I am surprised that an American would eat from a street vendor and do not find it unhealthy.

I do it ALL the time when I'm there.

[misterno]

and you never got sick doing that??????

[RiverGirl]

I got a Hepatitis A vaccination before coming precisely so I could eat out and not worry. And I've never been sick here, not with stomach stuff anyway. In fact my health improved measurably when I moved here.

[misterno]

I know this must be addressed in a different topic but would you recommend getting Hepatitis A vaccination before going to Mexico?

Especially somebody like me who is interested in eating from street vendors and cheap restaurants

[RiverGirl]

I did it when I decided to move here. If I were just visiting I probably would not. But if you want to eat tacos in the street for half your meals maybe you ought to consider it.

Some of staying healthy here is knowing what's safe and what's not. Eating raw leafy things with lots of surface area is not going to be as safe as eating limes, which are a natural antibacterial, just for example.

So when you visit that taco stand skip the cilantro and use lots of lime juice, if you do that you aren't likely to get sick.

The big thing is to stay away from raw leafy things unless you trust that they've been properly cleaned.

[Klaw]

Originally Posted by misterno

and you never got sick doing that??????

I've never gotten sick from eating food from the street vendors.

In fact, the only time I did get sick was after eating at the Hard Rock Cafe.

[misterno]

muhahahah

now that is funny, and you probably paid much more in Hard Rock cafe than the Mexican Food in a not so clean restaurant.

I did not know that there is a Hard Rock Cafe in Cancun, not that I will ever go there anyway.

Thanks for all the info guys...

[Michael F.]

Originally Posted by misterno

I did not know that there is a Hard Rock Cafe in Cancun, not that I will ever go there anyway.

I like their T-shirts, tho.

[jen***]

I've never been ill from eating in little traditional places either. The only time I did get sick was after eating some fish in VIPS which is a nice clean chain restaurant!

[misterno]

Would you like to share your little traditional places in Cancun? So we can all stay healthy and spend less.

[T.J.]

Misterno

I think you are looking for a Mercado 23 type of place. There are lots of produce vendors and people stand in line to get fresh meat cuts. You can also buy fresh chicaron that looks like the side of a whole hog, even with what looks like a good sized pork chop attached. Yummy.

This is my idea of what you are looking for.

Also, in front of the Elektra store at M23 you can get current DVD's for $100 Mxn for 3 of them. Of course I would never do that but if I did I would ask for Claudia who is young and has a couple of facial piercings.

As for the street vendors - we call it "Street Meat."

Cheap food where locals eat:
Super Carne - About 3/4 pound of Arrachera, choice of baked potato or grilled onion, soda or aqua, tortillas and "fixins" for under $8 US.

Breakfast - Mercado 23, outdoor dining. Traditional food. Salbutes, panuchos, tortas, etc.

Downtown in tourist section but not many tourists go there - La Placita on Yaxchilan.

$1 beers - Club Sandwich Cafe on Tulum, about a block from the bus station. Also available at Philly Cheese Steak in the HZ, down the walkway next to and west of Plaza Caracol Mall.

Best steaks in town - um. Sorry but we have to keep that a secret but it is my new favorite place.

[misterno]

Thanks for the info

So how far is this Mercadao 23 place from downtown Cancun or where the hotels are?

[RiverGirl]

Mercado 23 is at the northern end of what I consider to be the downtown commercial area. The hotels are (mostly) not downtown, they are out on the 7-shaped island (called the hotel zone).

[misterno]

So how can I go from the downtown Cancun hotels to this Mercado23 place? Of course the cheapest way please...

[T.J.]

MERCADO 23 - Take the R-1 bus to downtown. When it turns right onto Av. Tulum get off at McDonalds which is the first stop AFTER the traffic circle. Cross at the raised crosswalk, where pedestrians have the right of way. Turn right along Tulum and when you come to a street called Cedro, take a left. At the end of the first block you will be at the mercado.

[RiverGirl]

If you want to make any sense of what TJ says, or of Cancun itself, you'll need a map of Cancun.

[T.J.]

Ok RG. You are so typically female about directions.

Misterno - Check this out. Where you see SM 23 at the top center, this is where you want to end up. Just turn down the street called Cedro. Not Cerdo, which is Pig, which I think Rivergirl may have called me once.

http://www.caribbean-on-line.com/cn/cnmap.shtml

You are coming from bottom right on the map on Av. Coba & will take a right onto Av. Tulum. You see the traffic circle, called a "glorieta" and the McDonalds is just after it, where you see SM2.

FYI, SM is Super Manzana, which is a region or a neighborhood.

Oh yeah, when you are done, walk back past the bus station and cross Uxmal. At the first corner you will see Club Sandwich Cafe with a green awning AND WITH $1 BEERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. The buses back to the Hotel Zone stop almost in front of this place. Just wave down an R-1 or any that say Zona Hotelera on the front.

This should clear it up. Or you could travel like Rivergirl which is to grab a glass of sangria, jump in a taxi and tell them where you want to end up. (She knows I am teasing her) Hey Kimber, did you ever pick up that Flash Drive for Deana?

[RiverGirl]

Why on earth is a Super Manzana a neighborhood? It means Super Apple in English, what does that have to do with anything? Oh, I know, it's because Cancun's city planners were a bunch of fruitcakes, crazy as loons...

[mixz1]

Originally Posted by RiverGirl

Why on earth is a Super Manzana a neighborhood? It means Super Apple in English, what does that have to do with anything? Oh, I know, it's because Cancun's city planners were a bunch of fruitcakes, crazy as loons...

We are not alone. The term is also used in Spain and throught South America. A manzana is a block of mixed type buildings, i.e. residential and commercial. A super manzana (or supermanzana) is compound of buildings that conforms to the more traditional sense of a European block, but spread out over several "blocos" as they say in Rio.

As for the choice of "manzana" as the operative word; I can only agree with RiverGirl. Plus, you only have to see what's going on in the ZH to realize the same fruitcakes are still in charge.

[T.J.]

In Peru, "playa" means "parking lot". Interesting concept when giving directions to a taxi driver.

[misterno]

You guys making me laugh.