Cozumel Restaurants

[Natasha]

HI everyone:
I'm back from Cozumel with the food report.
I woke up this morning and got on the scale. I lost one pound. On most dive trips I lose 5 pounds. The food is TOO good in Cozumel to accomplish this!

First night was Poncho's Backyard.
We met Achu there and she ate with us. It was a great time.
There was 14 of us. If you order anything 'grilled' they bring these adorable little habachi type grills to your plate area, that have their own charcoals on them and keep your food warm. Little sauces are under the grill part for dipping your food into.
Very awesome.
Most mornings we ate breakfast at either Rockin Java or Jeannie Waffles house. Loved both! I had strawberry waffles, banana waffles, apple crepes, and good coffee.
Lunch 4 times was at this fantastic Chinese/ Japanese place right across from Plaza Las Glorias. Most of the time I had the California rolls.
We ate at Primas for dinner one of the nights of the storm.
When we sat down we were told the boats couldn't get out to catch the lobsters until quite late, and he didn't expect them back in time for us to eat them. So we all made our decisions, and before the waiter could finish going around the table, the lobsters showed up! So most of us changed to freshly caught lobster! Super Yummy!

El Moro was wonderful. I left my blazer there and went back the next day to get it. (Just one of those fraudian slips to go back)

The newest place in Cozumel is Casa Mission. It's 2 months old.
It's a huge place with two lions and a monkey and exotic birds to look at while you walk off your dinner.
Free guacamole, and free tortilla soup too!
Yummy Yummy Yummy I have love in my tummy!
French Quarter or the 'Ragin Cajun' is a must. Mike is a great guy and we started with hot hush puppies and ended being too full for dessert.
OK I allowed myself one dessert the whole week. I had to have my coconut ice cream with Kaluah poured over it. Ah!!!!
A great time in Cozumel.

 

[FriscoScuba]

Pancho's Backyard had great fajitas and the restaurant is beautifully decorated. It was my favorite meal in Cozumel. ALso, we went to Prima's one night and had the biggest lobster tail I've ever seen. It was great italian food in Mexico!

Natasha, glad you guys had a good trip. I wish I had the chance to make it to El Moro. I was sick a few nights and didn't eat out as much as we liked. SOunds like there was a little stormy weather for you? We too were stuck on land for 2 days due to bad weather but it was still worth it to be there.

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi Natasha,

Sounds like you hit some of the culinary high spots.

You've made me hungry. Mayan grilled shrimp at El Moro, lobster fra diavolo at Prima's, waffle/eggs/bacon/hash browns at Jennie's,
chuleta Yucateca at Casa Misson (it is lovely place)--I could go on.

Thanks & best regards.

DocVikingo

 

[achu]

Natasha, I see you made it on all your scheduled dives AND all the great restaurants!

It was fun meeting you and your entire group! Thanks for inviting me!

So, was La Casa de la Mission special or what? And your trip around the island? Do tell!!!

Achu

 

[Natasha]

Achu:
Thanks for joining us. It was great meeting you too! I should have added we also had the pleasure of having breakfast with you at Rock n Java's, too. Wonderful time all in all.
The island tour gave us time to take some local pictures.
We ended up at Playa Bonita, enjoying the waves and taking more pics.
You're a lucky lady living there! Keep those dive reports coming.
PS I really liked your hotel.

 

[Rooster1]

It is really tough to just pick one. I have ate at many and I think it depends on the night and the mood your in, that is how good they are and how hard it is to pick between them. One that really stands out for me though is Sonora Grill, one of the best steak and lobster meals I have ever ate.

 

[dfepeman]

I got back from Cozumel last week, and my wife and I tried to eat our way through Cozumel based on input from this site and the restaurant reviews at travelnotes: We dined at La Chosa, Capi Navigante, Pancho's Backyard, la Mission, el Moro, Prima's, and Manate.

First, let me say that I generally felt many reviews have been too glowing. Some of these places were fine, but descriptions such as "awesome" and "the best ever!" have been applied too frequently, in my opinion. Here's my take:

La Chosa: Very fine fajitas, but pretty limited menu beyond that. No salsa: they use an unusual tangy orange-colored dip of some kind that is pretty good. The orange margaritas weren't my favorite, but my wife got pretty loopy on them. I liked the location: far enough off the square, with some nice funky surroundings. It was right across Deep Blue divers (which I used- more on them on another thread), so that was convenient for me.

La Mission: The menu was a bit more extensive, but I wasn't too impressed with my Mexican combo: dried out beans, essentially empty cheese enchilada, etc.

Capi Navigante: I absolutely love seafood so I was really looking forward to eating here, since reviewers claimed it had the best seafood. I had the Mayan-style grouper, and was sorely disappointed: it was over-cooked (and the portion was quite small- who claimed that the portions were generous here? Tom Thumb??!). My wife had a seafood combo, and it was bland pieces of fish, conch, and octopus. Seemed a bit fresher than my meal, but the things just lay there on the plate unadorned with any sauce, seasoning, or evidence that they weren't just boiled and plopped on the plate. Now one thing I will agree the other reviewers: the bananas flambe presentation was great; it almost made up for the uninspired main course.

Pancho's Backyard: Here I concurr with other reviewers- Panchos has a nice porch setting, the service was excellent, and the food, while not truly exceptional, was fine. I ordered a Mexican combo, and when it first came out I was a bit disappointed because the portions were modest and the presentation was a bit spartan (no typical trashcan lid-sized piping hot plate smothered in cheese, beans and sauce like standard fare in American Mexican restaurants), but the taste was excellent. The rellenos were stuffed with nuts and plantains, which was interesting. I can't recall what else I or my wife had, but it was a pleasant meal.

Primas: I disqualify myself on this one, since my wife and I were suffering from some sort of stomach bug and when our meals came out (very late, as were the appetizers: the waiter kept coming by to ask how we liked each item, and we had to inform him that it hadn't arrived each time!), we picked at them and quit prematurely. The portions were good (my wife ordering the seafood paster called the "steamer", and I had stuffed shrimps), but not compelling. People who claim this is one of best best italian restaurants anywhere have me puzzled.

el moro's: Very good, as advertised! My wife had the shrimp on a wire. The name doesn't prepare you for the mammoth kebab you are served- people came over just to ask what we'd ordered after seeing that grand thing! I had one of the unusual chicken entrees (I forget the name- it was first on the list), consisting of a breaded and fried chicken breast on top of mashed potatoes topped with some sort of tomato sause and peas, surrounded by fried plantains. Sounds like the Mayan version of a shepard's pie, and it was excellent!

Manate's: Our favorite meal. The place is essentially a shack with rough wood sides and a corrugated roof, but there are ceiling tapestries and nicely painted walls which lend a romantic atmosphere to the place. They were playing peaceful new age music which complemented the ambience nicely. This is not a chain restaurant, folks, so if you prefer places like Applebee's, then don't come here. Regarding the food, I've read reviews that talk about how the menu changes, but I got the impression that may have been the case a few years back but not now. I had a disappointing grouper in ginger sauce (all my attempts with fish were disappointing- I theorize that people overcook the fish down there to sanitize things, which is just what you can't do and expect tender fish filets), but my wife had chicken and mango: chunks of chicken wrapped and deep-fried in a won ton-like wrapper, and glazed with a mango chutney with raisins. Other people have raved about this dish, and I agree.

In summary, there are some nice restaurants, but many are not as special as reviewers led me to believe.

That being said, the diving was awesome!

 

[Bill Walton]

If for some reason you are not running to catch a dive boat one morning, I highly recommend stopping in at the museum. You eat out on the balcony seeing the sun rise and the fishermen loading up their gear to dive for fish and lobster. It is standard American and some Mexican fair. Their fruit plate is outstanding.

Hope you enjoy.

Bill

 

[Paul168341]

La Mission is really good, but for fun I like to hang out at Coconuts

 

[donooo]

I'am with you dfepeman. I felt that they were a bunch of overpriced "medium" resturants. The best meal I had was at La Mission in town. Yep, La Mission out of town, was a "pretty" place , but no great deal. I spent 7 weeks looking for good deals and ended up saving money for diving. Being expenive doesn't make it good. Never made it to Panchos , but heard good things from friends.

adios don O