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Cancun has long been thought of as a party hotspot, but in recent years, it has also been cultivating a credible food scene.
With dining options to suit all tastes and budgets, from tacos to fine dining, here are some of the hottest Cancun restaurants in 2021.
KAI
Specialty: Japanese and Asian
Price point: Expensive
In a stunning restaurant filled with cherry blossom trees, you’ll find KAI, Cancun’s best Japanese-Asian dining experience.
Proud of the freshness of its ingredients, the restaurant’s master chefs craft seafood into exquisitely presented pieces of food art. The menu offers tartare, carpaccios, and an expansive range of sushi and sashimi. There are also plenty of cooked and hot options for those less keen on eating their fish raw.
Try the wagyu mini burgers, or for some true decadence, order the 900g Josper lobster, marinated in butter and served with grilled scallops.
Restaurante Careyes
Specialty: Latin Fusion
Price point: Expensive
Located at the Grand Oasis Palm in the Hotel Zone, this restaurant dishes up gourmet plates in a beautiful all-white setting, so it’s no wonder it’s a multi-award winner on Tripadvisor.
The chefs here fuse French and Mexican influences to create unique dishes that are as delectable to eat as they are to look at. The chefs specialize in customer favorites, steak, and seafood, selecting prime cuts which keep customers coming back for more.
The staff at Careyes really want guests to enjoy their dining experience, and are eager to offer expert suggestions on the best dishes to try, as well as enhancing your wine pairings to create the ultimate in dinner enjoyment.
El Oasis Mariscos
Specialty: Seafood
Price point: Moderate
This popular downtown Cancun restaurant serves up the best reasonably-priced seafood options to locals and visitors alike. Its specialties are shrimp, octopus, and salmon, all cooked with a Peruvian slant.
Cook and wait staff are praised here for their attentiveness and the welcoming atmosphere they create. You’ll feel at home from the minute you step inside, which is why so many customers keep on coming back.
Adults can choose from a delicious range of seafood, fish and ceviche’s, and a selection of house cocktails. Kids have their own ‘Little Sailors’ menu to make sure they’re also included in the fun.
Porfirio’s
Specialty: Modern Mexican
Price point: Moderate
Porfirio’s is in a beautiful location overlooking Cancun’s Nichupte Lagoon. It’s a popular spot with local Cancunenses, as well as visitors looking for an upscale Italian dining experience.
The restaurant’s great during the day but comes into its own at night, when the food presentation becomes a show, with hopping music and performing wait staff all working to give dinner guests a night to remember.
One of this restaurant’s strengths is its range of tequila and mezcals, which is vast and will equally appeal to liquor novices and experts. There is also an extensive wine cellar offering up some of the best bottles to be found in Mexico.
Divina Carne
Specialty: Fazenda / Steak
Price point: Moderate
Described by some as the best Fazenda-style rodizio outside Brazil, this steakhouse certainly comes highly recommended. Located downtown, it’s worth making the trip out of the Hotel Zone.
Dinner comes at a set price and for that, you can enjoy all the salads, sides, and meats you can eat. But unlike other buffets, none of the quality is lost here, with the meats as tender and juicy as you’d expect in the most expensive steakhouses. Impressively, there are 18 ‘swords’ listed on the restaurant’s menu, meaning you’ll be spoiled for choice.
The wines on offer at this restaurant are also excellent, with a range of over 800 national and international bottles available.
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