Food

What to eat

Cozumel’s food is Yucatecan at heart, with plenty of Caribbean seafood. The best eating is a few blocks off the waterfront, not on the cruise strip.

Dishes to plan around

• Fresh ceviche and seafood cocktails — the island staple, best at family-run spots on the calmer streets and the east-coast beach bars.
• Cochinita pibil — slow-roasted pork in achiote and sour orange, the regional signature, often served at breakfast on tacos or tortas.
• Whole grilled or fried fish — order it at a local marisquería with rice and tortillas.
• Panuchos and salbutes — Yucatecan masa antojitos topped with turkey or chicken, cheap and filling.
• Tikin xic — fish marinated in achiote and grilled in banana leaf, worth seeking out.

Where to go

• Mercado Municipal — the market loncherías do honest comida corrida and cochinita at lunch for very little.
• Neighborhood taquerías on the inland avenues — cheapest and most local, many open only at night.
• East-coast beach bars — ceviche and cold beer with an open-sea view; pay a bit more for the setting.
• Waterfront restaurants — fine but priced for cruise crowds; the food inland is better value.

Rough prices (approximate)

• Market lunch or tacos: a few dollars.
• Ceviche or seafood plate at a local spot: modest, mid single-digit dollars.
• A sit-down seafood dinner on the water: considerably more.

Prices are approximate and verified separately.