Wondering where to eat in El Cuyo?
The restaurants at El Cuyo offer a variety of flavors and showcase a variety of culinary dishes including local Yucatan, Mexican, fresh seafood and more!
Although there is not much variety of restaurants as it is a small town, they offer delicious food that will satisfy your appetite. El Cuyo has three pizzerias, two coffee shops, and several restaurants and food trucks for guests to choose from.
One of the most popular dishes at El Cuyo is Lechon (pork) or Cochinita Pibli (taco pork marinated with local ingredients such as garlic, lime and red onion). These Yucatan dishes can be found at food trucks on the main street on the weekends, but they sell out super fast, so you’ll even see locals lining up early!
Don’t forget to visit the local food stalls for a delicious Yucatan breakfast on the weekends!
El Cuyo has some amazing restaurants that stand out, including La Casa Palma Food Truck, Zapote Bar Asador, El Chile Gordo, all of which are open for dinner only.
If you’re looking for lunch or breakfast, you’ll want to check out Casa Mangle, Nai Cafe & Restaurant, Anahata Cafe & Bistro, or Loncheria El Amigo Willy.
Restaurants in El Cuyo that you must try
When visiting the beautiful beach town of El Cuyo in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, you’ll find plenty of must-try restaurants when visiting the area.
These restaurants will allow you to savor the taste of local flavors and immerse yourself in traditional Yucatan dishes.
El Cuyo restaurants are open for breakfast and lunch
Casa Mangle
It offers excellent, friendly customer service at this hidden gem restaurant that offers a relaxed beach environment with shaded seating and even a nearby hammock for relaxing. This kid-friendly restaurant serves large portions and delicious home-cooked food.
Serve authentic Mexican breakfast dishes such as gorditas (tortillas that have a pocket in the middle to be filled with delicious Mexican filling), omelets, moletes (Mexican sandwich) and enchiladas.
Naia Cafe & Restaurant
This quaint little beach restaurant with terrace is open daily from 8am. until 3 p.m. and serves delicious yet healthy breakfast and lunch options and offers indoor and outdoor seating options.
They cater for many special diets and have food that is vegetarian friendly, vegan and some gluten free options.
Some breakfast options you may want to try include the poached egg breakfast, banana pancakes, or the energy bowl. They also offer healthy options like the fruit bowl so you can enjoy fresh fruit.
We also enjoyed stopping for a coffee. They serve espresso, rich coffee with homemade coconut milk or fresh smoothies to enjoy with your meal.
For lunch, be sure to try the chicken satay noodles, arepas, salmon zoodles or coconut curry with shrimp. I had the Chicken Satay noodles and would have them again. You can also enjoy snacks like brownies, homemade chocolate chip cookies or a cocoa bar to take away.
Anahata Cafe & Bistro
This lovely, quaint restaurant has a great atmosphere, fine music, fantastic service and simple but delicious breakfast and drink options. The restaurant has a relaxed, beachy vibe and even has a sweet dog named Hazel who loves visiting customers.
The servers are always smiling and love to mingle with the customers, and some days they offer activities like dance lessons, live music, and more!
Ask for the ‘Benedictinos de camarón’, which is a hidden dish recommended by the locals. You should also try the croissant sandwiches and eggs benedict as they are really excellent.
They’re famous for their pink latte and lots of Instagram-worthy photo spots, like the cute swing on the beach!
- Menu
- Open 7:30am-1pm Tuesday to Sunday
El Cuyo restaurants are open for dinner
The following restaurants are only open for dinner and don’t stay open very late, so you’ll want to plan ahead when you’ll be eating dinner.
*While we have included most hours of operation, please check the restaurant’s website for accuracy and changes.*
La Casa Palma Food Truck
This was our favorite restaurant in El Cuyo. The food, the atmosphere, the prices, we loved everything about La Casa Palma.
La Casa Palma is the closest you’ll get to Italian in El Cuyo, serving homemade pasta, wood-fired pizza and some Argentinian dishes like empanadas, all from a food truck located right on the beach.
We highly recommend the pizza. One night, we stopped in and ordered a pepperoni pizza to go. Our pizza was full of meat. It was cooked perfectly and was very quick. Traveling with a toddler often means taking meals…
Be sure to leave room to try the homemade ice cream or ask them to roast a marshmallow over the fires and enjoy some smores!
The atmosphere is welcoming, with twinkling lights and a fireplace to sit and enjoy while you wait for your food to arrive or after your meal.
- Menu
- Open 6-10 p.m. (Closed Monday and Tuesday)
Zapote Bar Asador
They serve delicious food cooked in a zapote wood oven and include Mexican, Latin, BBQ and Spanish dishes.
This is more of an upscale restaurant with a small menu (no kid friendly options). This keeps the food fresh and takes time to make unique specialty cocktails, especially those with Tequilla or Mezca!
Zapote is a real culinary experience as they use only high quality high quality meats and create exquisite flavors using fresh local produce.
If it’s available, you want to try the slow-roasted ribs that are slow-cooked in the wood-fired oven for 6 hours and are tender and delicious. The catch of the day in ceviche form and the Waygu burger are highly recommended options.
- Menu
- Open Wednesday to Sunday 6-10 pm
Loncheria El Amigo Willy
You can’t miss this restaurant on your left as you enter town from the lagoon side. This is a very popular local hangout known for great customer service, delicious food and fantastic value!
If you are looking for a budget restaurant in El Cuyo then this is a great choice!
Serve great Mexican dishes like sopes (antojitos), panuchos (fried bean tortillas), Salbutes (chicken or turkey tortillas and fresh ingredients like lettuce, avocado, onions and quesadillas. Immerse yourself in the real Yucatan dining experience!
El Chile Gordo
This is a unique dining experience as it is not a restaurant but a culinary tour of Mexico, with eight traditional dishes designed to highlight Mexico’s culinary diversity. The menu changes based on the availability of fresh items.
This unique experience requires reservations as they only take a few small groups each night. You can sit at a chef’s table and see the kitchen.
They do a seating at 7pm, and it’s only one table, so you’ll be sitting with strangers, which is part of the unique experience. The owners love to show the variety of Mexican cuisine, talk to guests and explain the dishes.
- Menu
- Address: Calle Laguna 220
Mimisiku
Mimisiku focuses on offering guests a wild and refined cuisine that focuses on providing the freshest ingredients going from sea to table or land to table.
Enjoy your meal with your feet in the sand, the nearby fireplace and the overhanging coconut trees in this beautiful garden setting. Reservations are required as this is a small, quaint restaurant.
The chefs carefully select the ingredients and the excellent quality meat is carefully harvested from local farmers. Be sure to try items such as fresh octopus, slow-cooked ribs with homemade barbecue sauce or fresh fish.
Mimisiku has a sophisticated menu that is constantly changing, but also offers plenty of vegan and vegetarian options.
- Menu
- Open at 18:30 daily
La Conchita Restaurant
This is a well-known seafood restaurant with charming service and delicious seafood dishes. You’ll want to try the seafood-stuffed fish, fried fish, or chilaquiles.
La Conchita can cook seafood almost any way you like, and also serves large portions of lobster that are perfect for sharing. The restaurant is described as rustic and its specialty drink that you must try is the margarita on the rocks.
- Menu
- Open daily 8am-6pm
By Valerio
Located on the main street in El Cuyo, they are known for their amazing fish and seafood. The restaurant has a great rooftop terrace with great drinks and a view of the old lighthouse.
If you are vegan or vegetarian, I highly recommend trying one of their ceviches. Some others to try are shrimp or octopus in butter, chicken nachos or seafood pasta.
- Open 12-8pm Daily except Tuesday
